-- A.M. Turing Award Considered the "Nobel Prize of Computing" --
ASHBURN, Va., June 8, 2005 - MCI (NASDAQ: MCIP) today announced that Vinton Cerf, MCI senior vice president of Technology Strategy, will be the co-recipient of the 2004 A.M. Turing Award, presented by ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery. Cerf, and Robert Kahn, chairman, CEO and president of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI), will receive the award for jointly developing TCP/IP, the common language that makes the Internet possible. This year marks the first time since its inception in 1966 that the ACM A.M. Turing Award, considered to be the "Nobel Prize for Computing," has recognized advancements in computer networking.
"It is exciting to see the A.M. Turing Award highlight the contribution of networking to the overall field of computing," said Cerf. "The Internet was built on the shoulders of many individuals who changed the course of networking, making it possible for this network of networks to exist and grow to become the vast and powerful medium it is today."
ACM President David Patterson said the collaboration of Cerf and Kahn in defining the Internet architecture and its associated protocols represents a cornerstone of the information technology field.
"Their work has enabled the many rapid and accessible applications on the Internet that we rely on today, including email, the World Wide Web, Instant Messaging, Peer-to-Peer transfers, and a wide range of collaboration and conferencing tools. These developments have helped make IT a critical component across the industrial world," he said.
Cerf and Kahn share a number of awards, including the 1991 ACM Software System Award, the 2001 Charles Stark Draper Prize from the National Academy of Engineering, the 2002 Prince of Asturias Award, the Marconi Fellowship and the 1997 National Medal of Technology presented by President Bill Clinton. They are both the recipients of numerous honorary degrees.
ACM will present the Turing Award at the annual ACM Awards Banquet on June 11, 2005, in San Francisco, CA. The Turing Award carries a $100,000 prize, with financial support provided by Intel Corporation.
About the A.M. Turing Award
The A.M. Turing Award was named for Alan M. Turing, the British mathematician who articulated the mathematical foundation and limits of computing, and who was a key contributor to the Allied cryptanalysis of the German Enigma cipher during World War II. Since its inception, the Turing Award has honored the computer scientists and engineers who created the systems and underlying theoretical foundations that have propelled the information technology industry. For additional information, click on http://www.acm.org/awards/taward.html
About ACM
ACM (www.acm.org) is widely recognized as the premier organization for computing professionals, delivering resources that advance the computing and IT disciplines, enable professional development, and promote policies and research that benefit society. ACM hosts the computing industry's leading Digital Library and Portal to Computing Literature, and serves its global membership with journals and magazines, special interest groups, conferences, workshops, electronic forums, Career Resource Centre and Professional Development Centre.
About MCI, Inc.
MCI, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCIP) is a leading global communications provider, delivering innovative, cost-effective, advanced communications connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers. With one of the most expansive global IP backbones and wholly-owned data networks, MCI develops the converged communications products and services that are the foundation for commerce and communications in today's market. For more information, go to www.mci.com.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about the 2004 A.M. Turing Award, go to http://www.acm.org/awards/turing_citations/cerf_kahn.html
| Area: | Global |
| Name: | Debbie Caplan Lewis |
| Tel: | 800-644-NEWS |
| E-mail: | debbie.lewis@mci.com |
