July 08, 2008
Studying The Impact of the InterWeb
A new organization has been formed to study the impact of the World Wide Web. The Web Science Research Initiative (WSRI) is a joint endeavour between the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) at MIT and the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Southampton. It was formed by Sir Tim Berners Lee (father of the Web) and others with overarching goal to facilitate and produce the fundamental scientific advances necessary to inform the future design and use of the World Wide Web.
WSRI aims to establish Web Science as a new academic discipline focusing on the analysis, engineering and social impact of the World Wide Web and to attract young people worldwide to study the economics, psychology, technology and sociology of the Web and to bring the study of ‘Web Science’ into mainstream education. The WSRI group has also joined forces with National Endowment for Science and Technology (NESTA), a unique organization in the UK that promotes innovation. Together, they will bring together leading experts in the world of computer science and communications to create the curriculum for a new generation of Web scientists.
More about WSRI
More about NESTA
More about ECS
More about CSAIL