The INI Celebrates the 25th Graduating Class Alex Hills To Speak

Alex Hills will address the Class of 2015, the MS25s, as the keynote speaker at the Information Networking Institute's diploma ceremony on May 17. Having been the director of the INI during its first year, Dr. Hills is a fitting speaker for this very special event, as the INI marks its 25th anniversary during the 2014/2015 academic year.

The INI proudly honors its graduates at this annual ceremony presided over by INI Director Dena Haritos Tsamitis. Graduates will receive their well-earned diplomas and then celebrate together at the reception that follows. The INI diploma ceremony will take place at the elegant Rodef Shalom sanctuary on Fifth Avenue.

Bio for Dr. Hills

Dr. Alex Hills is Distinguished Service Professor of Engineering and Public Policy, and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon. He was the first director of the INI and the creator of Wireless Andrew, the world's first big Wi-Fi network. Under his leadership, the Wireless Andrew team confronted and resolved a myriad of technology issues to provide complete campus coverage and enough capacity to serve the entire university community. He wrote about this work in his book Wi-Fi and the Bad Boys of Radio. Alex also served Carnegie Mellon as Vice Provost and Chief Information Officer.

For years Professor Hills has taught and encouraged university students to use technology to help solve world problems like poverty, health, and clean water. With colleagues at Carnegie Mellon and the University of Alaska, he mentors students who work as consultants to government agencies and nongovernmental organizations in Alaska and in developing nations. For many of the students, this is a life-changing experience, and others make a commitment to work part-time using their professional skills to help others.

Alex has lectured and worked in nearly 30 different nations. He is an IEEE Fellow, and he has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Alaska to recognize his work building the first telecommunications systems to serve the remote parts of Alaska. He lives with his wife Meg, a nurse practitioner. The couple has two daughters, Drs. Rebecca and Karen Hills.