About the Fund

The Henry and Priscilla Zimmermann Fund was established by an anonymous benefactor to honor the legacy of the fourth Director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics, Professor Henry J. Zimmermann and his wife Priscilla.

Professor Zimmermann joined RLE in 1947, where he supervised Project Meteor, a project to develop guided missiles. He was appointed Associate Director of RLE in 1952, and became the Laboratory's fourth Director in 1961. He remained Director until 1976. Professor Zimmermann was known for his technical contributions in microwave systems, nonlinear circuits, and signal processing. He died in March 2007 and his wife, Priscilla died in August of 2013.

The Research Laboratory of Electronics one of MIT's largest interdisciplinary research organizations. The continuing missions of RLE are to advance the frontiers of our fundamental and applied knowledge of nature, to nurture discovery and encourage intellectual excellence, and to launch research initiatives that reach these objectives while creating an unrivaled learning environment for MIT's students.

The Objective of the Fund

The purpose of the Henry and Priscilla Zimmermann Fund is to pay the costs of attending a foreign conference by any member of RLE who is presenting RLE research, but who does not have access to sufficient resources to do so.

Operation of the Fund

1. Who qualifies?
   All RLE faculty, staff and students qualify if they are active and signed into the Laboratory. No person may receive support more than once annually, however.
   
   
2. What type of conference qualifies?
   Any meeting or conference outside of the United States qualifies.
   
   
3. What type of research qualifies?
   Any research conducted in RLE or by RLE members qualifies.
   
   
4. What costs are supported?
   All costs that can be documented on an MIT travel voucher qualifies, including conference fees, airfare, lodging, meals and ground transportation.
   
   
5. Who may ask for support?
   Only RLE faculty and principal investigators may ask for support, either for themselves or on behalf of members of their research group.
   
   
6. How is support requested?
   Please write a brief memorandum addressed to Richard Petruzzelli, Assistant Director For Administration. This memorandum should describe the RLE work that will be presented, estimate the total cost, and indicate the reasons why funds are not otherwise available. Qualifying requests will go on to the Director of RLE for final review and approval.
   
   

Donations to the Fund

If you are interested in making a donation to MIT to support the operations of the Henry and Priscilla Zimmermann Fund, please contact Richard Petruzzelli, Assistant Director For Administration.

More About Professor Zimmermann

In Memorium: Professor Henry J. Zimmermann, 1916-2007