WWW Forum

The WWW Forum is the opening event of the Web Science Conference 2009, the 1st conference about the scientific study of the socio-technical aspects of the Web as a standalone artifact and it will be held on March 18, 2009, 19:00 at Theatron at the Hellenic Cosmos of the Foundation of the Hellenic World, in Athens, Greece.

During the WWW Forum, Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Web and top agenda setter will discuss with the public and famous scientists and politicians the following themes:

• Web Science and Research
• Web Technology and Practice
• Web for Society

How can we learn from people in socially or economically deprived communities how the Web can better serve them? In which ways can we leverage the Web to empower people, especially in under-served populations, by lowering barriers to life-critical services? Can we ensure the Web is accessible and useful to people, including people with disabilities, from different cultures, and language and literacy skills that span the range of the Earth's population?

Which methods do we need to implement in order to study and understand how the Web works in order to anticipate and ensure its future? Can we understand how to make the Web stable and secure, and to mitigate threats and weaknesses? Is it possible to promote the development of technology and standards that foster creativity, collaboration, communication, and commerce?

Joseph Sifakis, Turing Award for 2007

Joseph Sifakis is recognized for his pioneering work on both theoretical and practical aspects of Concurrent Systems Specification and Verification. He contributed to emergence of the area of model-checking, currently the most widely-used method for the verification of industrial applications. His current research activities include component-based design, modeling, and analysis of real-time systems with focus on correct-by-construction techniques. See here for more information.

Joseph Sifakis has broad experience with industry, notably though joint projects with partners such as Astrium, the European Space Agency, France Telecom, ST Microelectronics and he has also been active for many years in consulting.

Joseph Sifakis has received with Ed Clarke and Allen Emerson for their contribution to Model Checking, the Turing Award for 2007. He is also the recipient of the CNRS Silver Medal in 2001.