The Three Pioneers in this exhibit are Muriel Cooper, Marvin Minsky, and Seymour Papert, all founding faculty members at the MIT Media Lab. I worked on the project with Nicholas Negroponte, its founding Director.
Cooper was MIT’s first graphic designer and head designer for the MIT Press, where she developed their iconic logo and led the design of over 500 books. Cooper’s computer graphics work at the Media Lab was years ahead of its time.
Minsky, one of the founders artificial intelligence, has explored the idea that human thought and consciousness result from simple machine-like processes. In his AI work, Minksy has tried to understand how to teach computers common sense.
Seymour Papert developed LOGO, the first computer language designed for children. By using LOGO to program the movement of “turtles,” and by de-bugging their programs, Papert proposed, children would “think about thinking.” His research resulted in LOGO being taught worldwide.