Internet pioneer
UD professor inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
3:53 p.m., Aug. 22, 2013--David Farber, professor and Distinguished Policy Fellow of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Delaware, was one of 32 individuals inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in Berlin, Germany, earlier this month.
Established in 2012 by the nonprofit organization Internet Society, the distinction publicly recognizes a select group of leaders and luminaries who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the global Internet.
Honors Stories
National Medal of Science
Warren Award
“As some of the world’s leading thinkers, these individuals have pushed the boundaries of technological and social innovation to connect the world and make it a better place,” said Internet Society President and CEO Lynn St. Amour in a statement. “Whether they were instrumental in the Internet’s early design, expanding its global reach or creating new innovations, we all benefit today from their dedication and foresight.”
While a member of UD’s electrical and computer engineering faculty from 1977-88, Farber helped develop CSNET, a network that linked computer science departments at academic institutions across the country and provided a bridge from the Department of Defense's ARPANET to the modern Internet.
Farber, who is known by many as the “grandfather of the Internet,” was instrumental in helping to create the major American research networks CSNET, NSFNet and NREN. He is also noted for his involvement in designing the SNOBOL programming languages and the first electrical switching system.
Prior to rejoining UD in 2011, Farber was the Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems at the Moore School and professor of public policy at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He served as the chief technologist at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 1999–2000 and as Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
His current research focuses on the translation of technology and economics into policy, particularly in the areas of net neutrality (a principle that advocates no restrictions by Internet service providers) and spectrum management (the process of regulating the use of radio frequencies). His work also includes the effect of multi-terabit communications and new computer architectures on future Internet protocols and architectures.
Farber serves on the board of directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Electronic Privacy Information Center advisory committee, and the Board of Trustees of the Internet Society. A fellow of IEEE and the Association for Computing Machinery, he is a recipient of the 1995 SIGCOMM Award for lifelong contributions to computer communications and the John Scott Prize for Contributions to Humanity.
Article by Collette O’Neal