President's Information Technology Advisory Committee
Press release: July 24, 1998
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For Immediate Release
July 24, 1998
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Contact: 202/456-6108 |
Executive Office of the President
Office of Science and Technology Policy
President Clinton names Robert Elliot Kahn to serve on Information
Technology Advisory Committee
The President announced his intention to appoint Robert Elliot Kahn
to serve as a member of the President's Information Technology Advisory
Committee. Dr. Kahn of McLean, Virginia, is Chairman, CEO and President
of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI), which
he founded in 1986.
The President has amended Executive Order 13035, which established
the Advisory Committee on High-Performance Computing and Communications,
Information Technology, and the Next Generation Internet, to rename
it the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC)
and to enlarge its membership.
In February 1997, the President established the Committee to provide
guidance and advice to the Administration on all areas of high performance
computing, communications, and information technology, with particular
emphasis on strengthening future information technology R&D programs.
The Committee was instrumental in securing Congressional support for
the President's Next Generation Internet imv nitiative by endorsing
it at House and Senate hearings and at national scientific and educational
research forums. PITAC reports to the President through the President's
Science Advisor, who is also the Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy.
In a letter to the President on June 3, 1998, the Committee urged
that public investments in computer, communication, and other information
technology research be significantly expanded to ensure an ever-increasing
standard of living and quality of life for Americans. In his June
5, 1998, commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
President Clinton underscored his commitment to a strong federal program
in this area when he said, "...in just the past four years, information
technology has been responsible for more than a third of our economic
expansion. Without government-funded research, computers, the Internet,
communications satellites wouldn't have gotten started. In the budget
I submit to Congress for the year 2000, I will call for significant
increases in computing and communications research. I have directed
Dr. Neal Lane, my new Advisor for Science and Technology, to work
with our nation's research community to prepare a detailed plan for
my review." An interim report detailing the Committee's recommendations,
scheduled for release in August 1998, is expected to form the basis
for that plan.
The 26 members of the President's Information Technology Advisory
Committee include several corporate leaders from the computing and
communications industry, two recipients of the National Medal of Technology,
and experts from the research, education, and library communities.
It is co-chaired by Ken Kennedy, the Ann and John Doerr Professor
of Computational Engineering at Rice University, and Bill Joy, Vice
President for Research at Sun Microsystems.
Dr. Kahn is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow
of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and
a Fellow of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).
He is a former member of the Board of Regents of the National Library
of Medicine and the United States Advisory Council on the National
Information Infrastructure. In 1997, the President presented the National
Medal of Technology to Dr. Kahn for his role in the creation and development
of the Internet. He is also the recipient of numerous other awards,
including the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal, the Marconi Award,
and twice the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian
Service Award. Dr. Kahn received his B.E.E. from the City College
of New York and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. |
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