MCI's Vint Cerf named UCLA engineering alumnus of the year

ASHBURN, Va., November 10, 2003 - MCI today announced that Vinton G. Cerf, senior vice president of technology strategy for MCI is the 2003 recipient of the UCLA School of Engineering Alumnus of the Year Award.

Vijay Dhir, dean of the School of Engineering, presented Cerf with the Alumnus of the Year Award November 7 at the Marriott Hotel in Marina del Rey, Calif.
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"Vint has always displayed a lively sense of curiosity and discovery throughout his career," said Dhir. "A great engineer never stops learning, and Vint is such a man."
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The Alumnus of the Year Award, established in 1965, honors the superior achievements of UCLA engineering alumni in their chosen fields of endeavor. The hallmark of each recipient is a sterling record of distinguished career accomplishments, complemented by a history of outstanding contributions to the engineering profession. Individuals who serve as role models to newcomers to the profession or who contribute to the profession through its own organizational activities are considered for this honor. Awardees have established new standards of excellence to which others in their fields may aspire.
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UCLA computer science professor Gerald Estrin, who was Cerf's advisor when he was a graduate student from 1967 to 1972, described Cerf as "the perfect choice for this award."
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"Vint Cerf enjoyed the formulation and solution of difficult problems," wrote Estrin in a letter of support. "The sheer volume of intellectual work that he carried out has been overwhelming."
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Cerf is widely known, along with UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock, as one of the Fathers of the Internet, and has had an enormous influence on the networking field. In the early 1970s, with Bob Kahn, Cerf designed the universally adoptedTCP/IP protocols. While at DARPA, he played a key role in leading the development of Internet and Internet-related data packet and security technologies. He currently serves as chairman of the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Cerf also was the founder and president of the Internet Society from 1992 to 1995.
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Cerf received his Master's in 1970 and his PhD in 1972 from the UCLA. He is currently senior vice president of technology strategy for MCI, where he is responsible for helping guide the company's development strategies from a technical perspective. Previously, as senior vice president of architecture and technology, he led a team of architects and engineers who designed advanced networking frameworks for business and consumer use. While vice president of MCI Digital Information Services from 1982 to 1986, he led the engineering of MCI Mail, the first commercial e-mail service connected to the Internet.

About WorldCom, Inc.
WorldCom, Inc. (WCOEQ, MCWEQ), which currently conducts business under the MCI brand name, is a leading global communications provider, delivering innovative, cost-effective, advanced communications connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers. With the industry's most expansive global IP backbone, based on company owned POPs, and wholly-owned data networks, WorldCom develops the converged communications products and services that are the foundation for commerce and communications in today's market. For more information, go to http://www.mci.com.