Howard Messing New Chairman, Science Museum

By Linda Thomas

for the Westwood Press

He was a 14-year-old New York City kid who rarely missed a Saturday absorbed in another world literally discovering other worlds.

Howard Messing was smitten with science.  Eager for those Saturdays to come, he spent them delving inside the American Museum of Natural History pursuing an interest that would later direct the course of his life.

Now, 43 years later, Messing, a leader in one of the largest privately-held technology companies in the world based right here in Westwood, wants to ensure that others can uncover the same wonder and the same sense of delight he did.

He has been put in the perfect position to accomplish that goal as the newly elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Science in Boston.

“I realized that my early love of science enabled me to not only to stay intellectually satisfied, but ended up in a career that let me both support a family and make a worthwhile contribution to society,” he said.

“I really want to make sure that everyone understands the importance of science and engineering as a way to help solve some of society’s ills.”

As he got older, he said he understood that being intellectually challenged and passionate was not enough, that one must give back to society more than one gains.

Messing brings to the Museum his commitment to science and technology and his 36 years of experience with Meditech, a leading software vendor in the health care industry providing integrated software needs of health care organizations around the world.  He first joined the company in 1974 as a programmer and for the past seven years has served as its president and more recently CEO.

“Howard is a proven leader who will inspire the entire Museum community,” said Malcolm Sherman, current chairman of the Museum’s nominating committee and longtime trustee and former Museum chairman.

“He understands that the basic concept of the Museum is to advance the interests and opportunities for education in science and technology. I believe he will lead the Museum into the development of new and exciting exhibits, increase our national presence in science education and help to make the Museum a more interesting and exciting environment.”

As a young boy, Messing was inspired by the 1957 launching of the Russian satellite Sputnik.  His interest in science led him to build a model boat that featured a compass.  He explained how the compass worked, and he won his first science fair ribbon.

At 14, he became president of the Junior Astronomy Club at the American Museum of Natural History.  Two years later, he was programming computers for New York University business professors.

He attended MIT and graduated in 1973 with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science.  While a student at MIT, he visited the Museum of Science, particularly the planetarium, which he said, reignited the feelings he had as a young child in New York City.

“I never got tired of seeing that show, as the lights dimmed and the night sky came out. I wanted everyone to see that and be inspired by it as I had been,” he said.

Messing said that same passion fuels his determination as he journeys into his role as chairman of the Museum of Science with a goal to maintain the Museum’s stature as a world-class institution of informal education.   The core of the Museum’s mission, he said, is to make sure that children and adults can gain a better understanding of basic scientific principles.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m a little bit concerned because I want to make sure I do a good job.  I hope I do,” Messing said.

Messing and wife Colleen moved to Westwood with their two children almost 20 years ago.  Like many couples and young families, they became members of the Museum of Science spending many weekends and vacation days exploring and discovering some of the wonders of the world.

Messing’s involvement with the Museum spanned more than a decade growing from serving as overseer, trustee and now chairman.

When first given the news of his election as chairman several weeks ago, Messing told the other trustees “this is kind of a two for one – you get my wife as well as me.”

Colleen Messing has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Museum, serving on committees and interested in encouraging patrons in a number of areas, particularly art and science.  She attends galas and activities – and as her husband said, “just talking up the Museum,” a big part of a chairman’s role.

Messing considers his responsibility as a private citizen to be equally as important as his professional status.  He served both as a member and chair of Westwood’s Finance Commission and the Economic Development Advisory Board and served on the town’s Information Systems and Advisory Board.

“Howard is an extremely intelligent and insightful man,” said Nancy Hyde, Chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen in Westwood.  “In the various town’s boards he has served on, he has contributed guidance to the operations of the town drawing on his professional skills in the area of technology, management and finance.”

Hyde recalls while Messing served on the Finance Commission he led a 15-person board through the annual town meeting process requiring the Finance Commission to make recommendations on every warrant article going before town meeting.  She also commented that, as chair on the Economic Development Advisory Board, he led the group in responding to the business development needs of the town.

One of his major priorities as chairman is to make educators aware of what other countries are doing in the area of science education.

“As we look at what’s going on in the world today, we look at particularly some of the Asian countries and the emphasis they are placing on science and technology and engineering for their use – and we are not doing that here,” he said.

“I worry about what that means for the future of this country, and I think we need to get that message out and to continue to let people know that is a problem.”

“That’s where I would like to see the Museum go – without losing the emphasis on our original and very important mission of being a traditional science center.”

Walking around the Museum of Science, particularly when it is filled with children, has made Messing realize that kids and adults want to learn and be inspired, but they need to be exposed to science and engineering in a positive, informal environment.

Remembering sitting under the planetarium dome, seeing the thousands and thousands of stars and galaxies was for Messing awe inspiring

“To me nothing man made can compete with the beauty and mystery of the night sky.

“When I found out that when we looked at the stars we were actually looking back billions and billions of years towards the beginning of everything, I was absolutely hooked.  I wanted to know as much as I could about the universe – and I still do.”

For more information about the Museum of Science, visit: http://www.mos.org.

printed in the Westwood Press, July 8, 2010