Internet pioneer enters Hall of Fame

ANGELES — A Chinese internet pioneer has been inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for his contributions to the technology, its deployment and education in China and Asia Pacific.

Dr Jianping Wu, an academic of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was one of the 14 people selected this year for induction to the Internet Hall of Fame, according to a statement released by the Internet Society, or ISOC, in September.

Wu, also chairman of the Department of Computer Science at China’s Tsinghua University, has since 1994 led the design, development and evolution of CERNET, the first internet backbone in China, helping it to become the largest national academic network, the statement said.

Hailing from 10 countries, the 14 inductees have pushed the boundaries of technological and social innovation, the ISOC said.

The inductees were selected by an advisory board of past inductees who guide the longterm planning and direction of the program.

Members of the Internet Hall of Fame, which was launched by the ISOC in 2012, include luminaries such as Vint Cerf, who is often called the “Father of the Internet” for co-designing its early protocols, and Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. Jianping Wu,

The leading Chinese technologist has been named a Global Connector, a category which recognizes and celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth, connectivity, and use of the internet either on a global scale or within a specific region that resulted in global impact.

“We always believe the internet is international and ‘one world, one internet’, as I mentioned in 2010 when I got Postal award,” Wu said.

He has also been a leader in the promotion and deployment of IPv6 in China, proposed the China Next Generation Internet Project, which was designed to facilitate the development of China’s next-generation internet backbone.

He also led the development of CNGI-CERNET2, China’s first large-scale IPv6 internet backbone and one of the largLOS est native IPv6 networks in the world.

Wu has consistently encouraged the participation of Chinese scientists in global internet development efforts and has played an important role in developing advanced networks in Asia Pacific and Trans-Eurasia.

“Ultimately, the success of the internet depends on the people behind it,” Kathy Brown, president and CEO of the ISOC, said at the society’s 2017 Induction Ceremony on Sept 25 at the University of California, Los Angeles, the place from which the first message was sent over the internet’s predecessor, the ARPANET, nearly 50 years ago.

The ceremony was held in conjunction with the ISOC’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

“These inductees personify the pioneering spirit of the ‘Innovators’ and ‘Global Connectors’ that have been so instrumental in bringing us this unprecedented technology. They are some of the earliest internet evangelists and their work has been the foundation for so many of the digital innovations we see today.”

Founded by internet pioneers, the non-profit organization ISOC says its mission is to “ensure the open development, evolution, and use of the internet”. XINHUA

We always believe the internet is international and ‘one world, one internet’.” an academic of the Chinese Academy of Engineering