(Credit: Tom Burick)
In a day and age in which we carry sophisticated mobile phones in our pockets, it's hard to imagine that the first computers ever built were so large they took up entire rooms. One of those massive machines, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), debuted in 1946 as a tool for the US Army. ENIAC covered 1,800 square feet and weighed over 30 tons. It was in continuous operation until 1955, when it was dismantled.
Eight decades later, a group of 80 autistic students, mostly aged 12 to 16, at PS Academy Arizona in Gilbert, has recreated the ENIAC. The project involved building 22,000 custom parts and assembling them with 1,600 hot glue gun sticks. All told, it took five and a half months, from the first day of school in August 2025 to earlier this month, when the students hosted a ceremony to reveal their creation to friends and family.
Though it does not function as a computer, the ENIAC replica offers visitors the chance to feel the "full scale of this enormous machine, fully lit with many hundreds of LEDs, and a soundtrack that replicates the deep hum of the transformers and the relays clicking," says Tom Burick, the technology teacher who led the project.
The Army initially relied on ENIAC to more efficiently calculate artillery firing tables, an extremely slow process when done by teams of humans. The computer was later reprogrammed to do feasibility calculations for the US nuclear program, perform weather predictions, and more.
As to whether ENIAC was truly the first computer, it depends on how you define your terms. "You have to be careful with computer people," Burick jokes. He explains that some rudimentary models preceded ENIAC, but they could only perform a single function. ENIAC was much more sophisticated and similar to what we use today.
"ENIAC is credited as the world's first general-purpose electronic computer," he says. "It's the direct ancestor of every computer we touch today because it could be reprogrammed to solve a multitude of problems, and it was fully electronic." That's why he teaches about it every year in his history of computing lesson. This year, he decided to bring it to life.
How the Students Ensured Historical Accuracy
To ensure historical accuracy, the students first had to really understand how the machine worked. They corresponded with Brian Stuart, an ENIAC historian, reached out to the descendants of ENIAC co-creator John Mauchly, and worked with Dag Spicer, senior curator of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. The students had "astounding access to original patent drawings, Army documentation, and detailed photographs," Burick says.
The ENIAC project was transformational for the students, all of whom are autistic. It gave them a boost of confidence in their abilities and taught them about computing, Burick says. He adds that the kids were "shocked" to learn that a computer of that size was less powerful than the phones in their pockets.
"It made me more appreciative of the convenience and speed of modern computers," says Marcellus, a student who worked on the project. Julia, another student, says, "It made me compare my phone to a 30-ton machine and say, 'Wow! This is really where phones and other tech we have today come from!'"
The students' neurodivergence was an asset, Burick says, allowing them to focus and repeat actions "without loss of quality."
Burick asked the students to journal throughout the process. Reading their thoughts on how meaningful and historically significant the project felt to them occasionally brought him to tears. "This project changed how I saw my own abilities," writes Zoey in one entry. "It showed me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Keep trying and never give up."
"I've been teaching for many, many years, and this has been the highlight of my career," Burick says. He previously co-founded the company White Box Robotics, which he fondly remembers being featured in a 2004 PCMag article.
Burick is also neurodivergent—he has dyscalculia, which affects how his brain processes numbers—a personal detail he debated sharing as part of this story. "I don't want to take away the focus from the students and their accomplishment," he says. "But I feel it's important to mention as a message to them, maybe to the families, and people in general, that this is what adult neurodivergence looks like. There can be tremendous success and quality of life and career. It's time to start changing the narrative."
Their ENIAC replica is now on display at the school, and discussions are ongoing with several places that would like to permanently display it, including the Computer History Museum.