Mitchell Baker, Vint Cerf, David Farber and Sebastian Thrun to provide insights into origins and future of the Internet
[Washington, DC and Geneva, Switzerland] – The Internet Society and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History have joined forces to co-host a summit entitled The Internet Age: Founders to Future. Prominent contributors to the rich history of the Internet will discuss the diverse elements that have enabled the innovations leading to the Internet Age and provide perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the Internet’s future. The event will take place on June 11, 2015 at 2:30pm ET in the Museum’s Warner Bros. Theater, and will also be webcast live, http://raiseitup.si.edu/global-summit/.
“The Internet is not the invention of any single individual, but rather the result of immeasurable steps by thousands of people across the globe,” said Kathy Brown, President and CEO of the Internet Society. “The Internet Society is delighted to collaborate with the Museum to assemble this very special group of luminaries – including several inductees in the Internet Hall of Fame – who hold a unique perspective on both the origin and evolution of what many believe to be the most transformative invention of our age.”
Panelists will discuss the continuum of the Internet, from how it was imagined to where the Internet is taking us in the future. Moderated by Eric Hintz, historian with the Museum’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, the panelists will include:
Mitchell Baker is Executive Chairwoman of the Mozilla Foundation and the leader of the Mozilla Project. She is responsible for organizing and motivating a massive, worldwide, collective of employees and volunteers who are breathing new life into the Internet with the Firefox Web browser and other products. Ms. Baker was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2012.
Vint Cerf, widely known as one of the “Fathers of the Internet,” is the co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet. He has served as vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google since October 2005. Mr. Cerf was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2012.
David Farber played a key role in many systems that converged into today’s Internet. He is an Internet Hall of Fame inductee and the Alfred Fitler Moore Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania and Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
Sebastian Thrun is a scientist, educator, researcher, inventor, and entrepreneur. Today, he is the founder and CEO of Udacity, a company dedicated to democratizing learning for everyone. Udacity has almost 4 million students in over 190 countries.
For more information on the Internet Age: Founders to Future, visit: http://www.internetsociety.org/events/internet-age-founders-future
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership around the world. It is also the organizational home for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). With its principled vision, substantial technological foundation and its global presence, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone. For more information, visit www.internetsociety.org
About the National Museum of American History
Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History explores the infinite richness and complexity of American history. We help people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future. For more information, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu. The museum is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000.
Media Contacts:
Wende Cover, Internet Society, [email protected], +1-703-439-2773
Meg Salocks, National Museum of American History, [email protected], +1-202-633-3697