Carnegie Mellon University Professor Herbert A. Simon, winner
of the 1978 Nobel Prize in Economics, the A.M. Turing Award and the
National Medal of Science and many other awards for his work in cognitive
psychology and computer science, died on February 9, 2001, at the
age of 84. Dr. Simon's research ranged from computer science to psychology,
administration and economics. The thread of continuity through all
of his work was his interest in human decision-making and problem-solving
processes and the implications of these processes for social institutions.
He made extensive use of the computer as tool for both simulating
human thinking and augmenting it with artificial intelligence. Dr.
Simon was widely considered to be a founder of the field of artificial
intelligence.
A member of Carnegie Mellon faculty
since 1949, Simon had important roles in the formation of several
of its departments and schools, including the Graduate
School of Industrial Administration, the School
of Computer Science and the College
of Humanities and Social Sciences' Psychology Department, where
he was instrumental in the development of its internationally renowned
cognitive science group.
Additional On-line Biographies:
"Herbert A. Simon: A Family Memory"
by Katherine Simon Frank
The
Nobel Foundation Official Web site maintains the original press
release announcing Herbert Simon as recipient of the 1978 Alfred
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, as well as Herbert Simon's
autobiography.
Carnegie
Mellon University obituary with inclusive biography
with links to Herbert Simon's work available on-line.
Web pages
including biographies and research references on Herbert
Simon: