‘Father of the Internet’ to visit RIT April 3

After spending years helping to develop the Internet, Vinton Cerf is coming to Rochester Institute of Technology to discuss how to make the Internet more accessible to a larger population. Cerf, Google’s vice president and chief Internet evangelist who is widely regarded as a “father of the Internet,” will address the RIT community as part of the annual B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences Dean’s Lecture Series.

Cerf’s lecture takes place at 1 p.m. Friday, April 3, in the Golisano College auditorium. The event is open to the public.

“We’re fortunate to have such a distinguished speaker join us for the college’s Dean’s Lecture Series,” says Jorge Díaz-Herrera, dean of the college. “Vint Cerf is one of the world’s greatest innovators and I look forward to him sharing his thoughts with us.”

Cerf, along with Robert Kahn, is the co-designer of TCP/IP protocols and the basic architecture of the Internet. In 2005, Cerf and Kahn were awarded with the highest civilian honor bestowed in the United States—the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Currently, Cerf is responsible for identifying new enabling technologies and applications on the Internet and other platforms for Google.

During his lecture, Cerf plans to discuss the various barriers that need to be broken down in order to extend the Internet’s reach as well as the various Web-based tools that might render the Internet and World Wide Web easier to use.