Internet pioneer wins highest science honor in U.S.
UCLA Professor Leonard Kleinrock was way ahead of the curve when it came to the Internet — that's one of the perks of having helped invent it in 1969. But sometimes it takes decades to grasp the massive global impact of an invention so far ahead of its time.
That time has come. Some 40 years later, thanks to his pioneering work in developing the foundation of the Internet, Kleinrock has joined the pantheon of scientists who have won the nation's highest scientific honor: the National Medal of Science.
"It's a little overwhelming. I'm totally honored and thrilled," Kleinrock said of winning the award that his role model, the father of information theory Claude Shannon, won in 1966. "It couldn't be sweeter. Engineers cannot receive the Nobel. This is as close as it comes."
On Sept. 29, Kleinrock, a professor in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, will join seven other scientists to receive their medals at the White House. The Monday morning ceremony in the East Room will follow a gala dinner the night before.
Gordon Bell, who is not only a friend of Kleinrock's but also a principal researcher at Microsoft, a board member on the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation and winner of the National Medal of Technology in 1991, expressed delight at the news that Kleinrock had received the Medal of Science.
"That medal is really the top medal that scientists can receive," Bell said. "Len's work is richly deserving of that. His observations on networking have been quite profound."
The Internet was "born" at UCLA in Sept. 1969, when a team led by Kleinrock connected a UCLA computer to a router provided as part of the Defense Department's ARPANET project. They managed to send messages back and forth between the machines, creating the first node of the Internet. A month later, when the UCLA computer connected to the second node of the Internet at Stanford, the baby Internet spoke its first word.
"It stuttered," Kleinrock joked. "But it turned out to be a brilliant message. We just wanted to log in. We typed the 'L' and the 'O,' and on the 'G,' the system crashed, so the first message was 'Lo,' as in, 'Lo and behold.'"
At that time, he predicted in a UCLA press release that the new networks would one day serve "homes and offices across the country" as "computer utilities," which he compared to electrical and telephone utilities.
"But I didn't see the social side of it all until e-mail came out in '92," Kleinrock said. "I didn't expect my mother to be using it!"
For Kleinrock, the work started a decade before the ARPANET project, when he developed the revolutionary theory of packet switching, which is still the foundation of the Internet. To send data, he wanted to rethink the inefficient way telephones worked, which required that every call have its own dedicated circuit. Kleinrock's packet switching let everyone share those circuits.
"The idea is that, when I'm not sending something, someone else can use the resources," Kleinrock said. But without a dedicated line, messages needed to be small. "If I wanted to send you a long letter, I can chop it up into little postcards and send them separately. The little postcards are the packets. They're delivered separately, then reassembled in the right order at the end. The individual packets make their way through the network through the most efficient paths, hop hop hop."
Learn more and view videos of Professor Kleinrock at the UCLA Newsroom.
Vijay Dhir, dean of UCLA's engineering school — where Kleinrock is on faculty — praised the professor's work.
"Leonard Kleinrock's pioneering contributions in laying the foundation of the Internet have helped change the very fabric of society for the better," Dhir said. "Len's achievements have brought great distinction to the school and to UCLA, and he is very deserving of this grand honor."
As a professor in UCLA's Computer Science Department in the engineering school since 1963, Kleinrock has continued to focus on the Internet, working on peer-to-peer technology, wireless and search technologies, and mobile or "nomadic" computing. He also holds an Internet anniversary symposium at UCLA every five years — the 40th anniversary conference is scheduled for October 2009.
Ever the teacher, he also mentored 47 Ph.D. students, who have gone on to become professors at UC schools, Stanford, Columbia, USC and many other major research universities. One of his students has even applied his knowledge of probability and game theory to poker.
"His name is Chris Ferguson, the world champion poker player with the dark hat and glasses. You've probably seen him on TV," Kleinrock said. "He's brilliant. When we have a conversation, we end up brimming with new ideas."
Ferguson, who said he still keeps in touch with his Ph.D. advisor even eight years after graduating from UCLA, said conversations with Kleinrock always leave him energized.
"When I was a student, I might come to a meeting feeling underprepared, but I'd go into the meeting and we'd have all these great ideas and I'd leave feeling really energized and enthusiastic about doing research," Ferguson said. "He had that effect on people. He was amazing to work with. This medal is well-deserved."
Kleinrock's wife, his four children and their spouses, and four of his grandchildren will join him at the White House ceremony. Perhaps the rest of his family and his UCLA students will be able to watch the ceremony on the Internet — thanks to him.
To read more about the historic moment in 1969 when man's ability to communicate took a giant leap forward into the digital age, visit UCLA's history site at: www.uclahistoryproject.ucla.edu/fun/ThisMonth_OctInternet.asp.
