Jean-Francois Abramatic is the chairman of W3C, the World Wide Web Consortium. Formerly Associate Director of the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (1997-1998) and Director of Development and Industrial Relations at INRIA (1992-1999), he was responsible for establishing the European branch of W3C in partnership with MIT LCS in 1995. He was the general chairman of the Fifth International World Wide Web Conference that was held in Paris in May 1996. Jean-Francois was asked by the French government to prepare a report entitled "Le Developpement Technique de l'Internet". The report was published in June 1999. His areas of expertise include networking, image processing and graphics. Jean-Francois received his Master's degree from Ecole des Mines in Nancy and his PhD from the University of Paris VI. He was selected for the ICANN Board by the Protocol Supporting Organization. He served on the ICANN Board from October 1999 until September 2000.

Alan Kotok lived from November 9, 1941 to May 26, 2006. He was an American computer scientist known for his work at Digital Equipment Corporation and at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Steven Levy, in his book *Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution*, describes Kotok and his fellow classmates at MIT as the first true hackers. Alan Kotok was W3C Associate Chair, MIT site manager and head of the W3C Systems Team. A member of the MIT Tech Model Railroad Club, he helped to build the legendary computer game Spacewar. He helped create in the Origins of Computer Chess and in Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.

Charles M. Vest is President Emeritus and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Vest earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University in 1963 and both his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in 1964 and 1967, respectively. He is also the recipient of ten honorary doctoral degrees. Dr. Vest served as President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1990 through 2004. During this time, he placed special emphasis on enhancing undergraduate education, exploring new organizational forms to meet emerging directions in research and education, building a stronger international dimension into education and research programs, developing stronger relations with industry, and enhancing racial and cultural diversity at MIT. Dr. Vest has worked to bring issues concerning education and research to broader public attention and to strengthen national policy on science, engineering and education. Vest is the author of two books on higher education and research policy: *Pursuing the Endless Frontier: Essays on MIT and the Role of the Research University *(2004), and *The American Research University from World War II to World Wide Web* (2007).

Bob L. Metcalf (1916- 1998),exemplified excellence and ac- complishment in multiple separate disci- plines over his career. Trained at a time prior to the balkanization of the basic sci- entific disciplines of physics, chemistry, and biology, Bob was interdisciplinary before the word became en vogue. Bob was a biologist at heart, but one who appreciated and fore- saw that a sound background and practice in chemistry would inform the discipline. Thus, Bob can be honored for two great contributions to biology. First, he made in- novative advances in basic insecticide toxi- cology and, perhaps more than anyone, deserves credit for helping to create the field of environmental toxicology. Second, Bob was the consummate chemical ecologist, again making fundamental research contributions before the field had evolved as a recogniz- able name. In addition to his many firsts in research contributions, Bob served science very well. He held the positions of departmental head (UC, Riverside; UI) and vice chancellor (UC, Riverside), served as President of the ESA (1958), served the National Academy of Sciences as an elected member (1967), was a member of the EPA FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel, was a member of the first scien- tific delegation to visit China, and collaborated extensively with the World Health Organization. Bob was also a teacher, having mentored over 80 graduate students and editing one of the first academically oriented texts for pest management (Introduction to Insect Pest Management). Bob also served as editor during the 1970s for the groundbreaking Wiley series, Advances in Environ- mental Science and Technology, perhaps the first regularly pub- lished collection of books that covered all aspects of environmental science.