Steve Ward holds SB (1966) and SM (1969) degrees in Electrical Engineering and a PhD (1974) in Computer Science, all from MIT. He is currently Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at MIT, where his recent teaching and research activities have been in the areas of computer system architecture. His research projects there have had frequent and widespread practical impact; the 1979 Nu machine became a model for microprocessor-based workstations, its seminal UNIX port and system software is the progenitor of numerous software products, and the NuBus has become an industry standard. Ward's inventions include a novel dynamic memory chip architecture and a real-time controller design. His publications span hardware and software issues, including formal models of system communications, real-time oriented compiler technology, multiprocessor system architecture, and bus-level communication technology. He is currently involved in the Curl project which aims to formulate a single, integrated authoring environment for the Web.