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Internet2 and PBS Team Up to Present a Vision for a Digital Future at 2015 Global Summit Meeting

 

PBS CTO Mario Vecchi to keynote general session, which will also feature 4K video presentation

 

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2015—Internet2 today announced that PBS will be on-site at its 2015 Global Summit meeting providing a keynote presentation from Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Mario Vecchi, along with a 4K video production highlighting how advanced technology enables knowledge transfer.  Global Summit takes place April 26-30 in Washington.

 

In his keynote presentation, Vecchi will discuss how digital technology can meet the growing education needs in America, including the need to close math and science gaps and train teachers in the use of new technologies. He will explore the ways organizations could collaborate to use technology to create trusted information networks that can be accessed anywhere at anytime. Vecchi’s presentation will look at these possibilities through the lens of PBS’s work in public service media, technology and education, as well as Vecchi’s extensive professional background in science, technology and engineering.

 

Vecchi’s keynote will be accompanied by a 4K video presentation, developed by Internet2 with support from Ciena, PBS Hawaii, the W.M. Keck Observatory, Kua O Ka La Public Charter School and the University of Hawaii—each of whom collaborated with Internet2 and PBS on the production. The ultra-high definition video will be shown in a large-screen format and will feature two unique stories highlighting how technology enhances learning in rural schools, enables collaboration in the astronomy community and helps to educate and build knowledge on the Big Island of Hawaii.

“With PBS’s high caliber of educational content and services, as well as technology expertise, there is no better organization to demonstrate a vision for our collective digital future,” said H. David Lambert, Internet2 president and CEO. “Mario’s presentation at the Global Summit will showcase—in larger-than-life-4K video—what is possible in today’s technology-rich world and how collaborative innovations are contributing to better quality education for underserved populations and advanced technology capabilities for the world’s top scientists.”

 

As CTO at PBS, Vecchi oversees distribution operations and engineering, media management, interconnection engineering, information technology, web and new media applications/systems, as well as technology strategy and planning for PBS.

Before PBS, Vecchi served as president of P&A Development, Inc., a development and consulting firm for new products and new businesses. Before that, he was president of Apex Technologies, a company he created within the Grupo Ferre Rangel consortium that integrated IT operations and product development. Prior to GFR, Vecchi spent nearly a decade at AOL, ultimately earning the title of senior vice president, AOL Global Technologies.

During his tenure at Time Warner Cable, Vecchi co-founded Road Runner, the company’s pioneering cable modem online service. Earlier in his career, Vecchi held positions at Bell Communications Research, founded the company Xynertek CA and worked on the faculty at Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas and the Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas.  Vecchi is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). He holds a Ph.D., as well as Electrical Engineering and Master of Science degrees from MIT.

 

The Global Summit is Internet2’s annual meeting that showcases how the research and education (R&E) community is transforming the way research and scholarship are conceived and conducted. The 2015 meeting will focus on the advancement of research capabilities through collaborative innovations in IT infrastructure and applications. Through strong academic leadership, perceptive global engagement and advanced innovations in networking and services, the Internet2 community continues its legacy of leading the way in expanding and transforming the global R&E community’s capabilities to advance research and academic excellence.

 

The 2015 Internet2 Global Summit will take place April 26-30 at the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel. For more information on the event program, visit meetings.internet2.edu/2015-global-summit.

  

About Internet2
Internet2® is a member-owned advanced technology community founded by the nation's leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 provides a collaborative environment for U.S. research and education organizations to solve common technology challenges, and to develop innovative solutions in support of their educational, research, and community service missions. Internet2 also operates the nation’s largest and fastest, coast-to-coast research and education network, in which the Network Operations Center is powered by Indiana University. Internet2 serves more than 90,000 community anchor institutions, 260 U.S. universities, 65 government agencies, 40 regional and state education networks, 85 leading corporations working with our community and more than 65 national research and education networking partners representing more than 100 countries. Internet2 offices are located in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Denver, Colo.; Emeryville, Calif.; Washington, D.C; and West Hartford, Conn. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu or follow @Internet2 on Twitter.