Led by Moriarty, the tour began on the manufacturing floor. Students watched mainframe computers being assembled and inspected before witnessing the reliability and quality testing that the components and assemblies are put through on the test floor. They were surprised to find out about the rigorous testing that the mainframes endure, including being both frozen and cooked at extreme temperatures.

They then made their way to the Quantum Lab, where Moriarty stood before the quantum computer and spoke about what its technology could mean for the world as it continues to develop. He also explained how IBM’s technology and computers are used to help operate systems around the world.

“70% of the world’s financial transactions happen on an IBM computer, and we have a 99.999999% uptime – which means our computers have 0.0315 seconds of ‘downtime’ per year,” he said. “Pretty impressive by any standard!”

Moriarty said that his goal for the trip was to open students’ eyes to the world of technology as well as to help them envision possible future paths of study as they choose their electives in the upcoming year.

“If we sparked an interest in even one student to pursue a career in engineering or technology, the day is a success in my book,” he said.

Middle School Principal Steven Cabello believes that the field trip accomplished just that. 

“I was overwhelmed with the number of students that came up to me at the end of the day to tell me how fortunate they were to see what IBM was doing,” said Cabello. “One student said, ‘I felt like I got to see the future of computers in America!’”