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Abelson, Harold (1947 April 26)

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1947 April 26

Biographical Note

Harold "Hal" Abelson, born July 26, 1947, is Class of 1922 Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He received an AB, 1969, from Princeton University and a PhD, 1973, from MIT in Mathematics. At MIT, he was appointed Instructor, 1973-1974, in Mathematics and the Division for Study and Research in Education (DSRE); Lecturer, 1974-1977, in Mathematics and DSRE; Assistant Professor, 1977-1979, DSRE and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS); Associate Professor, 1979-1982, DSRE and EECS; Associate Professor, 1982-1991, EECS; and Professor in EECS starting in 1991. In 1994, he was awarded the Class of 1922 Professorship.

Abelson was involved with numerous committees and research groups at MIT, including the Educational Computing Group, the Laboratory for Computer Science, and the Project for Mathematics and Computation (ProjectMaC). AT MIT Press, he served on the Editorial Board from 1984 to 1998, and the Management Board from 1999-2015. From 1999 to 2006, he served as a director of the MIT-Microsoft Alliance, Project I-Campus. He later cochaired the Council on Educational Technology (MITCET), which recommended the creation of Open Courseware (OCW). He remained involved with OCW as a member of the OCW Faculty Advisory Committee.

In addition to his work at MIT, Abelson was a founding director of Creative Commons, Public Knowledge, and the Free Software Foundation. He was also a former director of the Center for Democracy and Technology. In 1996, he organized the Conference on Computers, Freedom, and Privacy.

Abelson is the co-author of Turtle Geometry, Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, and Blown to Bits. His field of interest is educational computing and applications of symbolic and numerical computing to science and engineering.

Occupations

Languages Used

  • Language: English. Script: Latin

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Hal Abelson personal archives

 Collection
Identifier: MC-0743
Abstract This collection comprises subject files compiled by Harold "Hal" Abelson, the Class of 1922 Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His field of interest is educational computing and applications of symbolic and numerical computing to science and engineering. Materials in this collection, spanning from approximately 1962 to 2004, are arranged alphabetically. Subject files primarily consist of correspondence, proposals,...
Dates: approximately 1962-2004
Found in: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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