As little as a decade ago "computer networking" meant watching words creep slowly across your screen; today's computer networks deliver photographs, engineering drawings, CD-quality audio, full-motion video and, for successful entrepreneurs in the new technologies, money.
Cornell engineering alumni who have played major roles in the coming together of computing and communications will meet on the Cornell campus April 13-15 for the annual conference of the Cornell Society of Engineers, this year titled "eConference @ Cornell, The Broadband Revolution: Changing Communications Technology." The Cornell Society of Engineers is the alumni association of the College of Engineering.
Topics to be discussed include the expansion of fiber-optic networks and wireless networking; the growing use of cell phones and personal digital assistants, such as the Palm Pilot, to access the Internet; and the impact these technologies will have on business and popular culture. The program includes case studies of the growth of several major companies.
"We have assembled a very impressive roster of speakers representing many facets of the industry, and we are counting on your thoughtful participation to make this a very stimulating conference," said conference chair Robert Maroney '72 in announcing the event. "We hope the information we provide and the dialogue that follows will help you better respond to the challenges and opportunities this new world brings to us." Maroney is president of Sigma Optics of Sunnyvale, Calif.
Speakers include Ken Goldman '71, senior vice president and chief financial officer of @Home Network; Irwin Mark Jacobs '54, founder, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm Inc.; John M. "Jack" Scanlon '64, vice chairman of Global Crossing and president of its subsidiary Asia Crossing; Mayo S. Stuntz Jr. '71, chief operating officer of the Interactive Services Group, America Online Inc.; Mario Vecchi '69, vice president for broadband development of America Online; Michael Malaga '86, chairman and chief executive officer, NorthPoint Communications; Michael J. Zak '75, general partner, Charles River Ventures; and Charles J. Abbe '63, president and CEO, Optical Coating Laboratory and senior operating officer for JDS Uniphase.
Jeffrey C. Hawkins '79, inventor of the Palm Pilot and chair of the board and chief product officer of Handspring Inc., will speak to conference participants via remote broadcast from Silicon Valley,through Cornell's distance learning facility in Ives Hall.
Jack W. Bradbury, the Robert G. Engel Professor of Ornithology and director of the Library of Natural Sounds, will speak at an awards banquet, which will be preceded by a poster session for student projects.
Toby Berger, professor of electrical engineering, will moderate a discussion of faculty research on wireless communications and video transmission, scheduled to include presentations by Zygmunt Haas, professor of electrical engineering, and Venugopal Veeravalli and Sheila S. Hemami, assistant professors of electrical engineering.
In a preconference event held jointly with the Johnson Graduate School of Management's Park Fellows Leadership Program, Jay S. Walker '77, founder and vice chairman of priceline.com, will present the Park Distinguished Lecturer address to the William G. Ohaus '49 Memorial Manufacturing Engineering Seminar.
Further information and registration forms are available online at http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/cseconf/default.html or at http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/alumni/conf2.cfm ; or go to the main College of Engineering web page at http://www.engineering.cornell.edu and follow the conference link.
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