David J. Farber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David J. Farber
|
|
|---|---|
Farber in 2008
|
|
| Born | April 17, 1934 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Stevens Institute of Technology |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer science |
| Institutions |
|
| Doctoral students | Jon Postel, Dave Sincoskie, Marshall Rose, Paul Mockapetris |
David J. Farber, born on April 17, 1934, is a famous professor of computer science. He is known for his big contributions to programming languages and computer networking. People sometimes call him the "grandfather of the Internet." As of July 2025, he is a distinguished professor and co-director at the Cyber Civilization Research Center at Keio University in Japan.
Contents
David Farber's Early Career
Farber finished his studies at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1956. Later, in 1961, he received another degree in mathematics.
He then worked for 11 years at Bell Laboratories. There, he helped create the first electronic telephone switching system, called ESS-1. He also helped develop the SNOBOL programming languages. After Bell Labs, he worked at companies like the Rand Corporation and Scientific Data Systems.
Moving to Universities
Farber later became a professor at several universities. These included the University of California, Irvine, the University of Delaware, and Carnegie Mellon University. In 1999, his old university, Stevens Institute, gave him an honorary doctorate degree.
Contributions to the Internet
At the University of California, Irvine, Farber worked on something very important. He helped create the world's first working distributed computer system. This system allowed different computers to work together.
While at the University of Delaware, he played a key role in organizing major American research networks. These included CSNET, NSFNet, and the National Research and Education Network (NREN). He also helped start the Gigabit Network Test bed Initiative. This project, funded by NSF and DARPA, aimed to build very fast internet connections. He led the committee for this project.
Work at the University of Pennsylvania
Later, Farber became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He taught about telecommunication systems. He also held positions at the Wharton School of Business and the Annenberg School for Communication. From 2000 to 2001, he took a break from the university. During this time, he served as the chief technologist for the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC is a government agency that regulates communication.
Farber is also a founding editor of ICANNWatch. He advises companies like Context Relevant and The Liquid Information Company. He was one of the first board members of the Internet Systems Consortium and has been on its board since 1994.
Awards and Community Service
David Farber has received many honors for his work. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and an ACM Fellow. In 1995, he received the SIGCOMM Award for his lifetime contributions to computer communications.
He has served on the boards of several important organizations. These include the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Internet Society. He was also an advisor for the Electronic Privacy Information Center. He was part of a special committee that advised the President on high-performance computing and the Next Generation Internet. Farber also manages a large email list called "Interesting-People," which has over 25,000 readers.
In 2012, he created the Joseph M. Farber prize at the Stevens Institute of Technology. This award honors his son. It is given to a graduating student who cares deeply about civil liberties and human rights.
On August 3, 2013, Farber was added to the Pioneers Circle of the Internet Hall of Fame. In 2018, the American Association for the Advancement of Science elected him as an AAAS Fellow.
