[Chapter-delegates] Press release: Leading Venezuelan Foundation EsLaRed Receives 10th Annual Jonathan B. Postel Service Award for promoting Internet in Latin America

[Gerard Ross]

Hello

For your information, here is a press release we shall be issuing  
shortly.

We will also be making this release available to the Latin American  
media in Spanish and Portuguese. Although I have received a Spanish  
translation, it is still being reviewed so I have not attached it here.

Please note, the announcement of the award will be made later today,  
so until then, this release remains confidential.

Kind regards
- Gerard

--
Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager
Internet Society
Email: ross at isoc.org


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Press release - for immediate distribution
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LEADING VENEZUELAN FOUNDATION ESLARED RECEIVES 10TH ANNUAL JONATHAN B.  
POSTEL SERVICE AWARD FOR PROMOTING INTERNET IN LATIN AMERICA


Minneapolis, USA - 19 November 2008 - The Internet Society (ISOC)  
today  awarded the Jonathan B. Postel Service Award for 2008 to La  
Fundación  Escuela Latinoamericana de Redes (EsLaRed) for its  
significant contributions to promote information technologies in Latin  
America and the Caribbean.

It is now ten years since the passing of Internet pioneer Jonathan B.  
Postel, the inspiration for this prestigious award. To mark this event  
in a special way, ISOC formed a "10th Anniversary Award Committee",  
including all the past award recipients, which has formally recognised  
EsLaRed for "its sustained efforts to bring scientific, technical, and  
social progress in Latin America and the Caribbean through education,  
research, and development activities on technology transfer."

The Internet Society presented the award, including a US$20,000  
honorarium and a crystal engraved globe, during the 73th meeting of  
the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in Minneapolis, USA.

Accepting the award for EsLaRed was its President, Professor Ermanno  
Pietrosemoli.

"We're very excited to be honored in this way," said Professor  
Pietrosemoli.

"In the developing world, having access to the Internet, which gives  
us access to things like scientific journals and medical information,  
is not easy and it is not taken for granted. It is wonderful for us to  
be able to help people improve their conditions and to see first hand  
how the Internet can change people's lives," he said.

"On behalf of the ISOC community, it's my great pleasure to  
congratulate Professor Pietrosemoli and his dedicated colleagues at  
EsLaRed for their achievements over the years," said Lynn St.Amour,  
President and CEO of ISOC.

"EsLaRed's commitment to the Internet has been at the forefront of  
regional development and their leadership has been an instrumental  
element in forming today's dynamic Latin American and Caribbean  
Internet community," said Ms St.Amour.

The award was formally presented during the plenary session of the  
IETF's Minneapolis meeting on 19 November and will be celebrated with  
a special anniversary dinner on 21 November, to be attended by past  
recipients of the award, the ISOC Board of Trustees, and some of Jon  
Postel's close friends.


About the Jonathan B. Postel Service Award
-------------------------------------------
The Jonathan B. Postel Service Award was established by the Internet  
Society to honor individuals or organisations that, like Jon Postel,  
have made outstanding contributions in service to the data  
communications community. The award is focused on sustained and  
substantial technical contributions, service to the community, and  
leadership. With respect to leadership, the nominating committee  
places particular emphasis on candidates who have supported and  
enabled others in addition to their own specific actions. Previous  
recipients of the Postel Award include Jon himself (posthumously and  
accepted by his mother), Scott Bradner, Daniel Karrenberg, Stephen  
Wolff, Peter Kirstein, Phill Gross, Jun Murai, Bob Braden and Joyce K.  
Reynolds (jointly), and Nii Quaynor. The award consists of an engraved  
crystal globe and a US$20,000 honorarium.

More information is available on the ISOC web site at:

  http://www.isoc.org/postel/


About the Internet Society
---------------------------
The Internet Society is an international, non-profit organisation  
founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards,  
education, and policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva,  
Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development,  
evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of people  
throughout the world.


Further details
----------------
Scott Hoyt
Vice President, Strategic Communications and Business Planning
E-mail: hoyt at isoc.org
Telephone: +1-703-439-2120 x2142
1775 Wiehle Avenue
Suite 201
Reston, VA
20190-5108 USA

or

Gerard Ross
Senior Communications Manager, Internet Society
E-mail: ross at isoc.org
Telephone: +41-228-071-444 x2261
4, rue des Falaises
CH-1205-Geneva
Switzerland