View source for Dennis Jennings (Internet pioneer)

{{short description|Irish physicist and Internet pioneer}}
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[[Image:RpDUB (29819522474) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Dennis Jennings, 2016]]
'''Dennis M. Jennings''' is an Irish physicist, academic, Internet pioneer, and venture capitalist. In 1985–1986 he was responsible for three critical decisions that shaped the subsequent development of [[National Science Foundation Network|NSFNET]], the network that became the Internet.
==Education and academic career==
Dennis Jennings holds a 1st Class honours physics BSc degree (1967) and a PhD degree (1972) obtained for a search for high-energy gamma radiation from pulsars (neutron stars), both from [[University College Dublin]].<ref name=Jennings-icannBio>[http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/jennings.htm "Dennis Jennings biographical sketch"], Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), accessed 16 July 2012</ref>
Jennings was the director of Computing Services at the University College Dublin from 1977 to 1999, where he was responsible for the university IT infrastructure and a staff of over 90 people. In 1986, while on leave from UCD he was interim President of the Consortium for Scientific Computing at the John von Neumann Centre (JvNC) in Princeton, New Jersey, responsible for the start-up of the supercomputer centre.<ref name=RealNetPioneer>[http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/irelandrsquos-real-net-pioneer-1115628.html "Ireland's real net pioneer"], ''Independent.ie'', 4 October 2007</ref> He is currently (2012) chairman of the oversight board of the [[Irish Centre for High-End Computing]] (ICHEC).<ref>[http://www.ichec.ie/about_us/oversight_board "Oversight Board Membership"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731130016/http://www.ichec.ie/about_us/oversight_board |date=31 July 2012 }}, Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC), accessed 16 July 2012</ref>
==Internet pioneer==
In 1984, the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF) began construction of several regional [[supercomputing]] centres to provide very high-speed computing resources for the US research community. In 1985 NSF hired Jennings as its first Program Director for Networking to lead the establishment of the [[National Science Foundation Network]] (NSFNET) to provide access to the five NSF super-computing centres and to enable sharing of resources and information. Jennings made three critical decisions that shaped the subsequent development of NSFNET:<ref>[http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_nsfnet.htm "Internet > History > NSFNET – National Science Foundation Network"], ''livinginternet.com: The World's First Web Published Book'', 2000, accessed 16 July 2012</ref>
* that it would be a general-purpose research network, not limited to connection of the supercomputers;
* it would act as the backbone for connection of regional networks at each supercomputing site; and
* it would use the [[ARPANET]]'s [[Internet protocol suite|TCP/IP protocols]].
Jennings was also actively involved in the start-up of research networks in Europe ([[European Academic Research Network]], EARN – President; [[EBONE]] – board member) and Ireland ([[HEAnet]] – initial proposal and later board member). He chaired the board and general assembly of the [[Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries]] (CENTR) from 1999 to early 2001 and was actively involved in the start-up of the [[Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers]] (ICANN). He was a member of the ICANN Board from 2007 to 2010, serving as vice-chair in 2009–2010.<ref name=RealNetPioneer/>
In April 2014 Jennings was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.<ref>[http://www.internethalloffame.org/inductees/dennis-jennings "Dennis Jennings Internet Hall of Fame Pioneer"], Internet Hall of Fame, April 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.</ref>
==Venture capitalist==
Jennings is the co-founder of 4th Level Ventures (2002 to 2011) – an Irish Venture Capital company whose primary objective is to invest in companies commercialising the business opportunities that arise from university research in Ireland.<ref>[http://www.4thlevelventures.ie/managementteam.html "Management Team"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704011815/http://www.4thlevelventures.ie/managementteam.html |date=4 July 2012 }}, 4th Level Ventures, accessed 16 July 2012</ref> He is also an [[Angel investor]], investing in early-stage technology companies. He is currently chairman and/or board member of several small technology companies, and has a wide experience of the issues relating to the start-up, funding, supervision and governance, and survival of early-stage technology companies.<ref name=RealNetPioneer/>
==Opera and classical music==
He is an opera and classical music enthusiast and is the chairman of the UCD Choral Scholars board of management.<ref>[http://www.ucd.ie/ucdnews/april03/scholars.htm "UCD Choral Scholars gain international acclaim"], ''UCD News'', April 2003</ref>
==Selected publications==
* [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spe.4380050205/abstract "The Design of a Real-Time Operating System for a Minicomputer, Part 1"], W F C Purser and D M Jennings, ''Software Practice and Experience'', Vol 5 No. 2 (1975), pp.&nbsp;147–167.
* [http://www.sciencemag.org/content/231/4741/943.short "Computer Networking for Scientists"], Dennis M. Jennings, Lawrence H,. Landweber, Ira H. Fuchs, David J. Farber, and W. Richards Adrion, ''Science'', Vol. 231 No. 4741 (28 February 1986), pp.&nbsp;943–950.
* [http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=TRD&recid=1933605CI&q=Dennis+M.+Jennings&uid=791921348&setcookie=yes "Research computer networks and their interconnection"]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, L H Landweber, D M Jennings, and I Fuchs, ''IEEE Communications Magazine'', Vol. 24, no. 6 (1986), pp.&nbsp;5–17.
* [http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ418475&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ418475 Information Technologies in Support of Research], Dennis M. Jennings, ''Higher Education Management'', v2 n3 (1990), pp.&nbsp;310–18.
== See also==
* [[List of Internet pioneers]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.ucd.ie/ucdnews/apr96/interview.html The UCD Interview: Dr Dennis Jennings, Director, UCD Computing Services], ''UCD News-The magazine of University College Dublin'', April 1996
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Internet pioneers]]
[[Category:Alumni of University College Dublin]]
[[Category:Academics of University College Dublin]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]