The guy who invented the web will be at RPI

posted Mar 27, 2014

tim berners-leeTim Berners-Lee -- who actually has that line in his CV -- will be getting an honorary degree at RPI's commencement in May. Geneticist Mary-Claire King -- who identified the BRCA1 gene -- will also be getting an honorary degree. And IBM CEO Virginia Rometty will be giving the commencement address.

All three will be participating in a discussion led by Shirley Jackson -- "Creating Clarity in Complexity to Enable Transformational Change" -- on May 23.

Berners-Lee created the underlying protocols for the web in 1989 while working at CERN, the particle physics lab, in Switzerland. The idea behind it was to make it easier for scientists and researchers at different institutions to share information (though cat pictures were probably a close second reason). CERN had the first website.

As it happens, the actual room -- you know, the physical space -- where the web was invented is actually in France, just over the border. (There's a plaque there now.)

photo: Flickr user cellanr (cc)

1 comment
tags: RPI, tech

Comments

Tim Berners-Lee is the inventor of the web protocols....but before anyone mentions Al Gore ;) the underlying infrastructure that made the web possible, TCP/IP, was invented by researchers working for the US Department of Defense. Just in case you thought government can never do anything creative or correct.

... said Doug B on Mar 28, 2014 at 11:28 AM | link

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