Leonard Kleinrock receives National Medal of Science at White House

President George W. Bush this morning presented UCLA Distinguished Professor of Computer Science Leonard Kleinrock with the prestigious National Medal of Science at a White House ceremony.

 

"This is a joyous day for the White House as we honor some of our nation's most gifted and visionary men and women," the president said. "We're proud to honor a new generation of people who have strived for excellence; people whose discoveries have changed America and the world."

 

The ceremony held in the East Room cited Kleinrock "for his fundamental contributions to the mathematical theory of modern data networks, and for the functional specification of packet switching, which is the foundation of Internet technology. His mentoring of generations of students has led to the commercialization of technologies that have transformed the world."

 

Established by Congress in 1959 and administered by the National Science Foundation, the medal is the nation's highest scientific honor.