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.
.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.
ACS FellowTop gradesBenton Awards“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 Defenses 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.
