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Hal Abelson personal archives

 Collection
Identifier: MC-0743

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

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). Materials in this collection, spanning from approximately 1962 to 2004, are arranged alphabetically. Subject files primarily comprise correspondence, proposals, course notes, and publications in the areas of computer science and education. Publications in the collection include memoranda from laboratories in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, including materials on LOGO and Scheme, and on the topic of computing and education. Curriculum materials include course notes and handouts for Course 6 and 18 classes taught by Abelson, as well as material developed for Hewlitt-Packard to use in training. Video recordings of 6.001 co-taught by Hal Abelson and Gerry Sussman are not included, but can be found in the Gerald Jay Sussman personal archives (MC-0744). Materials documenting Abelson's work at MIT can be found throughout the collection.

Dates

  • Creation: approximately 1962-2004

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Materials in this collection are open unless they are marked as restricted. Restrictions are noted in the container list.

Conditions Governing Use

Access to collections in the Department of Distinctive Collections is not authorization to publish. Please see the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy for permission information. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection or MIT.

Biography

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.

Awards

1965
National Merit Scholar
1965-1969
University Scholar, Princeton University
1968
G. B. Wood Legacy, Princeton University
1969
Senior Prize in Mathematics, Princeton University
1974
Lilly Teaching Fellow, MIT
1992
Junior Bose Teaching Award, MIT School of Engineering
1992-2002
MacVicar Faculty Fellow, MIT
1993
Adler Scholar, MIT
1994
Elected Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
1995
Taylor L. Booth Education Award, IEEE Computer Society
2003-2004
Visiting Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa
2011
Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
2012
Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education, Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (ACM SIGCSE)

Extent

23.3 Cubic Feet (23 record cartons, 1 manuscript box)

Language of Materials

English

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, course notes, and publications.

Arrangement

Arranged in alphabetical order based on existing File Index, located in box 1 of this collection.

Physical Location

Materials are stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials were given to the Department of Distinctive Collections (formerly the Institute Archives and Special Collections) by Hal Abelson in 2018.

Appraisal

Duplicate materials and student grades removed from collection.

Related Materials in the Institute Archives and Special Collections

MIT150 records, AC-0600

Hal Abelson interview from AC-0600 also available online at MIT Infinite History, https://infinitehistory.mit.edu/video/harold-hal-abelson-phd-73

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory records, AC-0570

Gerald Sussman personal archives, MC-0744

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Laboratory for Computer Science records, AC-0268

Processing Information

Arrangement of the collection was partly reconstructed based on Hal Abelson's "File Index" which was arranged alphabetically. Additional information added to some file level descriptions to better describe contents. Some duplicate and transactional materials were discarded during processing.

Title
Guide to the Hal Abelson personal archives
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository

Contact:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries
Building 14N-118
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge MA 02139-4307 US