BCS announces Lovelace Medal 2000

Doug Engelbart, the developer of hypertext links and the computer mouse, has been awarded the BCS Lovelace Medal for 2000.

Doug Engelbart, the developer of hypertext links and the computer mouse, has been awarded the BCS Lovelace Medal for 2000.

Engelbart worked at Sanford Research Institute in the US in the 1950s and 1960s. He demonstrated hypertext links from a list of words to expanded information in front of an astounded audience in 1968. This was in the days of batch processing, and years before personal computing became a reality.

The medal, named after Ada Lovelace for her pioneering work with Charles Babbage on programmable calculating machines in the 19th century, is for "a contribution which is of major significance in the advancement of information systems or which adds significantly to the understanding of the development of information systems".

Two long-serving members of the BCS Academic Accreditations and Exemptions Committee, which examines higher education courses for possible recognition towards professional membership, have been rewarded with honorary fellowships.

John Axford worked at IBM for 32 years before joining Oxford University in 1994. He built on a curriculum that he originally designed for IBM staff, and later developed the Oxford Undergraduate Certificate in Computing.

Barry Lee joined Huddersfield University after working in IT and was appointed head of computer studies in 1984. He has designed degree courses, worked with local companies and served on the committees of several examining bodies.

The BCS website is at www.bcs.org.uk. Telephone (01793) 417433.

First published in Computing