CRA Distinguished Service Award 2004
presented to

David Clark
and
Barbara Simons

David Clark has deployed his technical expertise and scientific work in networking to serve the CS community in three arenas: 1) through Internet leadership and policy work, 2) through education, and 3) in service on the National Research Council's Computer Science and Telecommunications Board.

Clark's Internet leadership reaches back to the 1970s and includes: Head, Internet Configuration Control Board, subsequently the Internet Activities Board and Internet Architecture Board; leadership of the Internet Research Steering Group, including involvement with the Internet Engineering Task Force; one of framers of end-to-end arguments; and nurturance of nation-wide collaborations among network researchers, through SIGCOMM and less formally.

Clark's service on CSTB, which dates back to 1987, has been extensive. He has chaired CSTB since 1996, helping to grow the Board's program and impact. In addition, he: 1) chaired the project that produced the report, Computers at Risk; 2) served on all the Internet series committees, which together yielded four reports; and 3) was instrumental in developing the fundamentals of computer science and innovation in information technology projects.

Though a research scientist, Clark has produced many Ph.D.s, and has been responsible for the cultivation and support of several, now well known, women in the field.

The nomination statement ends by saying, "Clark has received a variety of honors and awards for his technical accomplishments. That he has balanced an ongoing program of research, continuously contemplating new approaches to network architecture, with an expanding set of service activities attests to his versatility and his commitment to the field."

Barbara Simons, over the past 20 years, has served not only the computer science community, but also the general public through her advocacy of the responsible use of technology by government and business interests, her efforts in developing and supporting programs to increase the participation of women and minorities in the computing profession, and her work on behalf of scientific freedom and human rights.

Simons has served the ACM community extensively, including as President (1998-2000) and Secretary (1990-92), as well as Vice-Chair of SIGACT, Chair of ACM's Scientific Freedom and Human Rights Committee, and Member of ACM's Committee on Central and Eastern Europe. She established the ACM US Public Policy Committee (USACM) in 1993 and currently serves as Co-Chair.

Simons has been a strong advocate for individual rights, especially in the areas of privacy and anonymity, and she has often testified before state and national legislatures and at government-sponsored hearings, bringing a computing expert's perspective to important political decisions. Her nominators note that she "formulated and was often the first person to present to the community many of the issues surrounding computer security, privacy, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, encryption, E-Voting, and Total Information Awareness."

Simons' work to increase diversity in computing includes: Co-founding the Reentry Program for Women and Minorities in the Computer Science Department at U.C. Berkeley; Membership on the Board of the Coalition to Diversify Computing, a joint CRA/ACM/IEEE-CS committee that works at increasing participation of underrepresented minorities in computer science; participation in the Richard Tapia Conference to Celebrate Diversity in Computing and the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

One of her nominators notes, "What is most astounding about Barbara’s contributions is the fact that she did all of this work outside of her regular job. In some cases, the Distinguished Service Award has gone to individuals for whom service is part of their regular job. Barbara is truly an example of dedication to the computer science community."

---

Search WWW Search cra.org

---

Copyright © 2007 Computing Research Association. All Rights Reserved. Questions? E-mail: webmaster@cra.org.