One afternoon…Six of the most creative and brilliant minds in science…
And only 200 front row seats.
Hosted by Seth MacFarlane, this half-day, invitation-only symposium represents a unique opportunity to network with influential thought-leaders from both science and entertainment. Participants will gather at the Creative Artists Agency Building in Los Angeles on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 for an interactive, engaging, and provocative dialog.
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The Afternoon's Lineup
While lunch is served, six scientists from different disciplines will each describe astonishing stories of discovery – revealing the many ways in which artists and scientists share a common creative spirit.
Networking Break
Chat with colleagues and make new connections.
Salon Sessions
This is your chance to spend some quality time up-close and in-depth with thought leaders in key areas of science. Following the topical rubric of the plenary session, attendees are invited to attend two of six hour-long conversational salons. The scientists from the plenary session will each be joined by esteemed colleagues in their field who will introduce new ideas and expand upon the original themes introduced over lunch. Get involved in spirited discussions on the ways in which science can inform, inspire, and potentially improve the creative process of making films and television.
Program Details At-A-Glance
12:00pm – 12:45pm
Registration opens
12:00pm – 12:20pm
Special Featured Demonstration: Dave Gallo and Billy Lange, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution – 3D-HDTV footage of unique settings from the majesty of the Parthenon to jaw-dropping scenes from the unexplored realm of deep Pacific volcanoes.
12:25pm – 12:45pm
Special Featured Demonstration: James Bower and Carroll Lastinger, 3dh – ground breaking 3D technologies that enable the convergence of entertainment and science. 3D production, 2D-3D conversion, real time volumetric data rendering, 3D gaming. Experience 3D HoloProjection... the bridge between 3D Stereography and Holograms.
12:45pm – 3:15pm
Plenary Lunch
Introduction and Welcome
This buffet lunch will be a casual “mixer” bringing together science and entertainment professionals in a social setting.
Short Film
A short video montage of great science moments in film will be presented by Zucker Productions.
Opening Plenary Session
Six scientists from different disciplines will each give a 12-minute presentation that will provide the context for the afternoon discussion sessions. Equal parts informative, astounding, and thoughtful, the stuff of these introductory talks captures the very future of our planet.
3:15pm– 3:30pm
Networking Break
Special Featured Demonstration: Dave Gallo and Billy Lange, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution – 3D-HDTV footage of unique settings from the majesty of the Parthenon to jaw-dropping scenes from the unexplored realm of deep Pacific volcanoes.
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Salon Sessions
This is your chance to spend some quality time up-close and in-depth with thought leaders in key areas of science. Following the topical rubric of the plenary session, attendees are invited to attend two 60-minute conversational salons. The scientists from the plenary session will each be joined by distinguished colleagues in their field who will introduce new ideas and expand upon the original themes introduced over lunch. Get involved in spirited discussions on the ways in which science can inform, inspire, and potentially improve the creative process of making films and television.
4:30pm– 4:45pm
Networking Break
Special Featured Demonstration: James Bower and Carroll Lastinger, 3dh – ground breaking 3D technologies that enable the convergence of entertainment and science. 3D production, 2D-3D conversion, real time volumetric data rendering, 3D gaming. Experience 3D HoloProjection... the bridge between 3D Stereography and Holograms.
4:45pm – 5:45pm
Second Presentation of Salons Sessions
Participants will now have an opportunity to attend a second salon session of their choosing.
5:45pm-6:00pm
Putting it All Together
Emily Levine, Science Humorist, Philosopher, Writer, and Radio Commentator
A Harvard graduate who routinely synthesizes material as diverse as Newton's Principia and the National Enquirer, Emily Levine wraps up the day, connecting the dots and providing participants with the perspective necessary to leave the symposium with some solid, actionable next-steps.
Salon Sessions
The Changing Climate and Our Energy Future
Moderated by Valerie Plame Wilson
Steve Chu, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and 1997 Nobel Prize winner in Physics
Ralph J. Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences
Susanne Moser, Research Associate at the University of California-Santa Cruz Institute for Marine Sciences
Astronomy and Exploring the Cosmos
Moderated by Chris Weitz
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist and Director, Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History
Heidi Hammel, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute
Lisa Randall, Professor of Physics, Harvard University
The Frontiers of Genomics
Moderated by Lawrence Kasdan
J. Craig Venter, Founder of the J. Craig Venter Institute
Lawrence Goldstein, Professor, Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Cancer Genetics Program, UCSD and Howard Hughes Medical Investigator
Gene E. Robinson, Swanlund Chair, Department of Entomology, Neuroscience Program and Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois
Artificial Intelligence and Cutting-Edge Robotics
Moderated by Rick Carter
Rodney Brooks, Panasonic Professor of Robotics, MIT (on leave), Chairman and CTO of Heartland Robotics
Cynthia Breazeal, Director of the Personal Robots Group at the Media Lab, MIT
Robert Full, Director of the Poly-P.E.D.A.L. Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley
Rare and Infectious Diseases
Moderated by Kimberly Peirce
Bonnie Bassler, Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University and Howard Hughes Medical Investigator
David Bolinsky, Founding Partner and Medical Director of XVIVO
John T. Brooks, Leader of the CDC’s Clinical Epidemiology Team at the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
The Mysteries of the Brain and Mind
Moderated by Jocelyn Moorhouse
V.S. Ramachandran, Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego
Eric Haseltine, President and Managing Partner at Haseltine Partners
David Poeppel, Professor, Department of Linguistics and Department of Biology, University of Maryland College Park, and Department of Psychology, New York University
Though the afternoon ends at 6:00pm, we certainly hope that this symposium simply marks the beginning of conversations that will continue well beyond the day.
We wish to thank the following for their generous financial support, without whom the symposium would not have been possible:
| Robert and Anne James | Davis Masten | Christopher Ireland |
| Presidents' Circle Communication Initiative of the National Academies | Patrick Soon-Shiong |
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We appreciate the enthusiast participation and kind donations from:
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We are pleased to receive the endorsement of the following organizations in support of the mission of The Science & Entertainment Exchange:
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