Wired Cornell

You may know the story. Bill Gates's technical assistant Steve Sinofsky '87 is stranded at Cornell in 1994. He sees that the university is taking full advantage of the fledgling Internet -- email, course listings, international faculty collaborations, etc. -- and fires off an email to his boss. Subject: "Cornell is WIRED!" As the story goes, the email leads to a 300-page memo that leads to Microsoft Corporation's shifting its focus toward the Internet.

Cornell's effect on the personal computing industry is just one -- highly publicized -- example of the university's influence in the digital realm. Cornell faculty have received Academy Awards for computer animation techniques, have led partnerships in creating systems for digital repositories like the National Science Digital Library, and are having an incredible effect on the life sciences.

Cornell University's Internet legacy has laid the groundwork for a culture of digital communication beyond the levels Sinofsky saw in 1994. Imagine the power of coupling a ubiquitous computer network with high-quality Cornell information: research, instruction, outreach. It's already happening.

Wired Cornell will provide a ticket to this information revolution.