Scientific Colloquium
Monday, June 3,
2019, NOON
Building 34, Room W150
"Opportunities,
Dangers and Destiny in the Solar System... and Beyond"
A century ago, after the First World War, the great age of
aviation exploration began, spurred by governments but also
amplified by new kinds of private endeavors, from
philanthropists and millionaires to showmen and shoestring
airlines. Are we on the verge of something similar? Many factors
appear to be converging... along with errors that might stifle
the new era in its crib. Astrophysicist, NASA advisor and
science fiction author David Brin will offer unique perspectives
on public vs. private space, on moon vs. asteroids, on
possibilities for war in space, our readiness for Mars... and
what our discovery of a dozen water worlds may imply for life in
the universe.
About the Speaker:
David Brin is a scientist, inventor, and New York
Times bestselling author. With books translated into 25
languages, he has won multiple Hugo, Nebula, and other awards. A
film directed by Kevin Costner was based on David’s novel The
Postman, with other works under option. In EARTH and EXISTENCE
he explores near future trends that may transform our world.
As a scientist/futurist, David is seen frequently on television
shows such as The ArchiTechs, Universe, and Life After People,
with frequent appearances on PBS, BBC and NPR. He has consulted
for original shows like Ascension, Seven Days and Century City.
Brin is in-demand to speak about future trends, keynoting for
IBM, GE, Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, SAP,
Microsoft, Qualcomm, the Mauldin Group, and Mitre Research, all
the way to think tanks, public agencies, intelligence services
and the White House. (http://www.davidbrin.com/speaker.html)
With degrees from Caltech and the University of California-San
Diego, Dr. Brin serves on advisory panels ranging from astronomy
and NASA's Innovative & Advanced Concepts program (NIAC) to
others dealing with artificial intelligence, nanotech, SETI,
national defense to technological ethics. His nonfiction book
The Transparent Society: Will Technology Make Us Choose Between
Privacy and Freedom? explores the dangers of secrecy and loss of
privacy in our modern world. It garnered the prestigious Freedom
of Speech Prize from the American Library Association.
(http://www.davidbrin.com)
Brin also received the California Library Association's Zoia
Horn Intellectual Freedom Award, The Potomac Institute's 2015
Navigator Award for public service, and the first annual
National Endowment for the Humanities/Hannah Arendt Center
Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Bard College. 2015. Brin's
scientific work covers an eclectic range of topics, from
astronautics, astronomy, and optics to alternative dispute
resolution and the role of neoteny in human evolution. His Ph.D
in Physics from UCSD — the University of California at San Diego
(the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) — followed a masters in
optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech.
He was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Space Institute
and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His patents directly confront
some of the faults of old-fashioned screen-based interaction,
aiming to improve the way human beings converse online.
David's science fictional Uplift Universe explores a future when
humans genetically engineer higher animals like dolphins to
become equal members of our civilization. He also recently tied
up the loose ends left behind by the late Isaac Asimov.
Foundation's Triumph brings to a grand finale Asimov's famed
Foundation Universe.
As a speaker and on television, David Brin shares unique
insights — serious and humorous — about ways that changing
technology may affect our future lives.
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