Documentary journalists from the Imagining the Internet Center conducted individual interviews with the 2019 inductees into the Internet Hall of Fame who traveled to San José, Costa Rica for the event (several did not). In these talks, the new Hall of Fame members share a bit about their role in Internet evolution and about their hopes and fears for the future of the Internet. Use the video viewer at right to see answers. Click on the first video to begin a player that will cycle through all or click on those you wish to view.
Interviewees:
Adiel Akplogan (Togo) advanced the Internet in Africa and is founding CEO of the Regional Internet Registry for Africa.
Douglas Earl Comer (United States) developed the first series of textbooks on the Internet’s design and protocols
Elise Gerich (United States) was instrumental in the transition of the NSFNET to the modern-day Internet and of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority functions from stewardship of the U.S. government to a multistakeholder community
Larry Irving (United States) was a driving force behind the identification of the digital divide in the U.S, igniting global interest in the issue
Jean Armour Polly (United States) pioneered free Internet access in public libraries
José Soriano (Peru) was a leader in bringing the Internet to Peru and designed a replicable “public Internet” model
Michael Stanton (Brazil) was instrumental in bringing the Internet to Brazil, and continues to participate in the design and deployment of scalable optical networks in South America and around the world
Klaas Wierenga (Netherlands) invented eduroam, an international roaming access service for academic and research communities in over 100 countries
The fifth induction of honorees to the Internet Society’s Internet Hall of Fame took place September 27, 2019 at a special event in San José, Costa Rica.
The Hall of Fame class of 2019 included 11 Internet leaders who were selected because of their impact, influence, innovation and the reach of their contributions. They were chosen for this honor by an Internet Hall of Fame Advisory Board after an open nominations period.
Eight of the inductees were present in-person for the ceremony.
The continual advancement of the Internet is made possible by thousands of individuals. Those inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame have had some significant impact on the advancement of the Internet; many have been leaders in the ongoing development of the Internet and many continued to contribute after their induction.
The Imagining the Internet Interview Team
The Imagining the Internet Center documentary video team working on this project included undergraduate researchers Anton Delgado, Maria Ramirez, Alexandra Roat and Jared Mayerson of Elon University’s School of Communications. Elon faculty who worked on this project were Alex Luchsinger and Janna Anderson.