Science Unscripted: Origins of the Internet

On October 17, 2019, the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation will host an intimate evening of conversation with architects of the Internet at The George Washington University.

5:00 PM - Doors open
5:30 PM - Panel discussion
7:00 PM - Reception with free food and drinks

The National Science and Technology Medals Foundation invites you to an evening of discussion and discovery with the creators and architects of the Internet. Vint Cerf, Steve Crocker, and Radia Perlman, are set to speak at GWU about their lives and experiences that helped them to create one of the most revolutionary inventions in human history. These distinguished speakers will discuss how failure, collaboration, and inclusivity foster great science, and how science can continue to build on the great work they have begun. 

This event is part of the NSTMF’s Science Unscripted program. Through the SU program, the Foundation is building an inclusive coalition of inspired STEM students.  By highlighting voices often left unheard in the STEM community, we show audiences that there is no “right” way to be a trailblazer in science and technology.

We are proud to announce that moderating our conversation will be George Washington University professor and diversity in STEM advocate Rachelle Heller. Professor Heller’s extensive experience with interactive media in education and championing women in STEM makes her an invaluable part of our conversation with these monumental architects.

This event will be webcast live with closed-captions on Facebook, and the full event video will be available on the NSTMF website afterward. Webcast audiences are encouraged to participate in the conversation using #ScienceUnscripted on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

The event is no-cost, equal access (ADA compliant), and open to the public with priority given to George Washington University students and faculty.

Save your seat now!

Rachelle Heller

Professor Shelly Heller paves the way for research in computers in educational settings and the impact of interactive multimedia on learning in these environments. Dr. Heller has championed long-standing efforts to bring and retain women to areas in Science, Engineering, Math and Technology (STEM). Her efforts in women’s leadership include her research grants and her role as the director of the Elizabeth Somers Women's Leadership Program.

Vint Cerf

Best known as a co-inventor of the Internet, Dr. Cerf jointly designed TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet with Bob Kahn. In 1997, Dr. Cerf received the National Medal of Technology from President Clinton in recognition of this world-changing contribution. Since then, Dr. Cerf has received the Turing Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and many more accolades for his contributions as an Internet pioneer and promoter of security technologies. Since 2005, Dr. Cerf has served as vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google. In this role, he contributes to global policy development and continued standardization and spread of the Internet.

Steve Crocker

Dr. Steve Crocker has been involved in the Internet since its inception. While he was a graduate student at UCLA, Dr. Crocker was part of the team that developed the protocols for the ARPANET and laid the foundation for today's Internet. He organized the Network Working Group, which was the forerunner of the modern Internet Engineering Task Force. He initiated the Request for Comment (RFC) series of notes through which protocol designs are documented and shared.  From 2002 to 2017 he was heavily involved in ICANN as the founding chair of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee and as a member of the ICANN board.

Radia Perlman

Dr. Perlman’s work has had a profound impact on how networks self-organize and move data. In addition to authoring and co-authoring textbooks such as Interconnections and Network Security, she has taught courses at the University of Washington, Harvard University, and MIT. Dr. Perlman’s breakthroughs have helped to enable today’s link state routing protocols to be robust, scalable, and easy to manage. Her design in the 1980’s to route IP continues to flourish today, as well as her spanning tree algorithm that transformed Ethernet from the original limited-scalability into a protocol that can handle large clouds.