Michael Brescia, Robert Hinden and Virginia Travers

The ground-breaking work of computer scientists Michael Brescia, Robert Hinden and Virginia Travers in Internet router technology, led to the creation of today’s Internet, as well as the design and development of Internet gateway protocols and packet forwarding and monitoring software. Messrs. Brescia, Hinden and Ms. Travers are considered to be central figures in early router implementations and key contributors to the evolution of the Internet. 

Mr. Brescia joined technology consultancy Bolt, Beranek and Newman (BBN) in 1978 to support its work for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He helped develop and deploy Internet gateways, now called routers, in Europe and the U.S., and worked on improving routing for an expanding Internet. He currently works for Docutemp, Inc. in Bedford, Mass. Mr. Brescia is an IEEE Member. He holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

Mr. Hinden led teams that developed the first operational Internet router, one of the first transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) implementations, and the first multi-processor router implementation. He currently works for Nokia Corporation in Mountain View, Calif. and is a Nokia Fellow, the highest level of recognition given by Nokia for outstanding research and development. He earned a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and a master in computer science from Union College, Schenectady, N.Y. 

Ms. Travers joined BBN in 1975, where she specialized in the design and implementation of software for the first Internet routers. She was responsible for the installation of routers in London, Oslo and Palo Alto, Calif. that connected the ARPANET with satellite and packet radio networks to form the early Internet.  The author of numerous papers on routers, Ms. Travers was acknowledged by Stanford University, Calif. for her early contributions to the Internet, and she had her name included in its “Birth of the Internet” plaque. Ms. Travers is an IEEE Member. She holds a bachelor’s in computer engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.