Joseph Weizenbaum Personal Archives:
Weizenbaum, 1923-2008, was a computer scientist and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was born in Berlin on January 8, 1923. In 1936, his family emigrated to America to escape Nazi Germany. He received his BS (1948) and MS (1950) in Mathematics from Wayne State University. Among Weizenbaum’s contributions to computer science include work on the first computer system dedicated to banking operations, development of the list processing system SLIP, and the first chatbot program ELIZA. The Weizenbaum archives at MIT span from the 1950s to 1990s and contain primarily correspondence, teaching materials, writings, and research files.
Susan Hockfield Papers:
Hockfield is a neurobiologist who served as president of MIT from 2004-2012—the first woman and first life scientist to do so. Prior to her presidency at MIT, she held multiple roles at Yale University, including provost, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Director of Graduate Studies, and multiple professorships at the School of Medicine. Hockfield received a Bachelor of Arts in biology from the University of Rochester, followed by a PhD in Anatomy from Georgetown University School of Medicine. Hockfield pioneered the use of monoclonal antibodies in neurobiological research. Hockfield also discovered and patented Brain Enriched Hyaluronan Binding Protein (BEHAB), a protein responsible for both the development of the brain and of glioma, an aggressive type of brain tumor. Hockfield’s papers provide an overview of her career as a scientist, educator, and mentor. The collection is arranged into five series: Research materials, Publications, Lab administration, Correspondence, and Professional activities, spanning 1976-2004.