Discovery Museum Welcomes New Board Members Scott Harris and Henry Houh

Acton, MA – Discovery Museum is pleased to welcome Scott Harris and Henry Houh to its Board of Directors. 

Scott Harris is a Trustee and a Distinguished Partner in Engineering & Entrepreneurship at Olin College of Engineering (since 2010) and is a Mentor in Residence at WPI.

In 1994 he co-founded SolidWorks Corp which quickly became a leader in the computer aided design industry. In 2012 he co-founded Onshape Inc which is leading the industry in full cloud implementation of CAD. At both companies he led the team that defined and developed products that improved workflow and design capabilities for millions of engineers. 

Prior to SolidWorks and Onshape, Scott led product definition and geometry development teams for 10 years at Computervision, an early pioneer in the CAD industry. He started his career at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, designing, analyzing and testing jet engine components. During that time, he developed innovative new computer techniques to define and evaluate aerodynamic surfaces for jet engines.

Scott is committed to community service and helped establish Gasabo3D, a Rwandan-based technology company which gives a career path for students graduating from schools such as Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management. He also helped establish the Rwandan Innovation Endowment Fund, a UN-sponsored program that promotes and funds entrepreneurs in that country.

Domestically, Scott is a board emeritus and active member of the Central Massachusetts Search & Rescue Team. He is also a member of the Technology Advisory Network at WPI and is on the board of directors at Artisans Asylum in Boston. He is also an advisor and investor in several technology startups around the Boston area.

Scott is a 2019 inductee to the WPI Hall of Luminaries, honoring individuals who have brought about extraordinary accomplishments to society and is the 2012 recipient of the Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 

Scott holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from WPI and is an avid mountain biker, trail runner and mountain climber. His hobbies include digital fabrication and manual metal/woodworking. He is committed to mentoring startup companies and students as well as teaching, investing, and serving on boards. 

Scott has been chair of Discovery Museum’s Science and Technology Advisory Council since 2016. He lives in Acton, MA with his family. 

Henry Houh is founder of Einstein’s Workshop, a hands-on STEM learning center specializing in robotics, coding, making and inventing, and game learning that created BlocksCAD, an educational 3D CAD tool for kids. 

Previously, Henry was chief technologist for Empirix, a Teradyne spin-off, co-founder and vice president of operations and technology for PodZinger, and vice president of technology for BBN Technologies. He currently serves as a full-time expert witness in intellectual property litigations involving computers and networking and is one of the top experts appearing in cases in front of the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board. 

Henry holds eight U.S. patents and six international patents. 

He has served on the board of the MIT Alumni Association several times, including as Vice President. He was a longtime member and Chair of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge and is active in the MIT Alumni Association. Henry served as District Director for the engineering society Tau Beta Pi for 12 years.

Henry plays viola and is a regular member of the Reading Symphony Orchestra (where he also serves as Board treasurer), the MIT Summer Philharmonic Orchestra, the Firebird Pops Orchestra, and the Carlisle Chamber Orchestra. 

Henry holds four degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a second BS in Physics, and both a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. 

Henry is a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team, appeared in the movie “21,” was an executive producer for 10,000 Maniacs’ 2013 and 2015 albums, and has an Erdos-Bacon number of 7 and an Erdos-Bacon-Sabbath number of 11.

Henry has been actively involved with Discovery Museum since 2012 as a member of the Science and Technology Advisory Council. He lives in Lexington, MA with his family.

“Both Henry and Scott have been involved with Discovery Museum for many years and understand our vision and opportunity for community impact well. We are very happy to add them to our Board as we continue our work to deepen our outreach and support for kids and families facing a rapidly changing world,” said Board President Harry Hollenberg. 

** High resolution photos for media use available for download here  **

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About Discovery Museum 

Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum that blends science, nature, and play, inspiring families to explore and learn together. The museum and its Discovery Woods accessible outdoor nature playscape and 550sf treehouse blend the best of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) learning on a beautiful 4.5-acre campus abutting 180 acres of conservation land in Acton, MA, about 20 miles west of Boston. Originally founded in 1982 and expanded to two museums in 1987, the museum reopened in a single, 16,000sf accessible building after a complete renovation and expansion in early 2018. Hands-on, open-ended exhibits developed by professional educators inspire curiosity and exploration, providing a fun and engaging experience for children and adults to discover their world together. Serving families and schools from towns throughout the region, the museum is devoted to informal education that enhances classroom learning. Discovery Museum is committed to accessibility and is a proud recipient of the 2017 Massachusetts Commonwealth Award, the only winner in the Access category, and a 2018 LEAD® Community Asset Award from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, please visit www.discoveryacton.org. Discovery Museum is a community-supported non-profit organization.

Discovery Museum programming is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

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