Theoretical Physics -- Michio Kaku, PhD
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Dr. Kaku holds the Henry Semat Professorship in Theoretical Physics
at the City University of New York. As co-founder of string field
theory, Dr. Kaku has continued Einstein’s quest to find the “theory of
everything,” an equation that would unify all four fundamental forces of
the universe. From interviews to documentaries, Dr. Kaku explains the
most fascinating and complex ideas in science today — superstring
theory, supergravity and hadronic physics — in ways elegant and easy to
understand. His most popular and best-selling books include “Hyperspace”
and “Visions: How Science Will Change the Twenty-First Century.” He is
also the host of Explorations, a weekly science program carried on radio
stations around the country. He was featured on NOVA and the PBS
documentaries: Einstein Revealed, Stephen Hawking’s Universe, and
Science Odyssey.
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Saturday - March 5
PARALLEL WORLDS, HYPERSPACE, STRINGS AND THE MIND OF GOD
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Lunch with the Speaker:
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Stagecoach Inn
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Lecture/Reception:
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Mill Creek Inn
Mill Creek Drive
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Nanotechnology -- Zvi Yaniv, PhD
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Dr. Yaniv is President and CEO of Applied Nanotech, a company that
conducts research on carbon nanotubes — molecular-sized cylindrical
structures used in building electronic displays. Dr. Yaniv is an
authority in electro-optics, liquid crystal technology, amorphous
semiconductors, technology commercialization and business management. He
has published over 100 articles and holds more than 50 patents. In March
2000, Dr. Yaniv accepted the honorific title of Senior Research Fellow
of the IC2 Institute of the University of Texas. In addition to being a
scientist and businessman, he is also an artist. In 1999, Dr. Yaniv
introduced a new expression of kinetic art (Digital Window™), allowing
static two- or three- dimensional artworks to become dynamic and
interactive.
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Sunday - March 20
NANOTECHNOLOGY - THE NEXT LAST FRONTIER
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Lecture/Reception:
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Celebration Center
216 Royal Street
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Artificial Intelligence -- Benajamin Kuipers, PhD & Doug Lenat, PhD
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Dr. Kuipers holds an endowed professorship in Computer Science at
the University of Texas, where he has served as chairman of his
department. His current research focuses on artificial intelligence,
with a particular interest in the foundations of common sense knowledge.
He works with robots to study how human and robot knowledge of space can
be grounded in sensory and motor interaction with the physical world.
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Dr. Lenat is one of the world’s leading computer scientists and the
founder of the Cyc Project. Cyc, as in “en-cyc-lopedia,” is the world’s
most ambitious artificial intelligence project. Its objective is to
codify the millions of pieces of knowledge that comprise human common
sense. In 1994, Lenat founded Cycorp to research, develop and
commercialize artificial intelligence.
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Saturday - April 2
WHAT BUILDING ROBOTS CAN TEACH US ABOUT THE MIND
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Kuiper Saturday Seminar:
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Celebration Center
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Sunday - April 3
COMPUTERS VS COMMON SENSE
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Lenat Lecture/Reception:
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Celebration Center
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Biotechnology -- John Gearhart, MD
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Dr. Gearhart is professor of gynecology and obstetrics and of
physiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, holding a
joint appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Much of Dr. Gearhart’s
research career has focused on how genes regulate the formation of
tissues and embryos. For decades he has tried to determine the exact
causes of mental retardation and other congenital birth defects, and he
has been outspoken in his advocacy of federal funding for further
embryonic stem cell research. His work has profound implications for
drug development and the treatment of diseases and injuries such as Lou
Gehrig’s disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and spinal cord
injuries, and raises the possibility of growing human tissues in the
laboratory to replenish failing organs.
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Saturday - April 30
STEM CELLS: THE SCIENTIFIC AND ETHICAL ISSUES
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Lunch with the Speaker:
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Stagecoach Inn
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Lecture/Reception:
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Mill Creek Inn
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