Carnegie Mellon University Professor Herbert A. Simon, winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize in Economics and many prestigious international scientific awards for his work in cognitive psychology and computer science, died Feb. 9, 2001 at the age of 84. Herbert A. Simon's research has ranged from computer science to psychology, administration, and economics. The thread of continuity through all his work has been his interest in human decision-making and problem-solving processes, and he has made use of the computer as a tool for simulating human thinking.
Born in 1916 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Simon was educated at the University of Chicago. Since 1949, he has been on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University, where he is the Richard King Mellon University Professor of Computer Science and Psychology. In 1978, he received the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, and in 1986 the National Medal of Science. Simon's writings include "Administrative Behavior, Human Problem Solving (jointly with Alen Newell), and Models of my Life (autobiography).
