TOPICS INCLUDE:
• Human memory augmentation
• Computational interfaces
• Smarter, smaller, completely connected devices
• Local, open-source manufacturing
• Smart neural control
• Miniature devices
• Nano materials
• Energy matters
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
As our world becomes more complex and our needs far more embracing, solutions to long-standing problems will involve multiple disciplines and technologies. We may well wonder why it took us so long to reap the benefits that combinations from diverse fields can offer. In this annual conference, we’ll look at the possibilities of a world further augmented and enhanced—a world in which science and technology will continue to converge.
With storage getting denser and technological advancement continuing to creep closer to the cusp of optical- and biocomputing, it is hardly far-fetched to say that Moore’s Law will prevail. Human augmentation will get a boost as we become more creative about incorporating biomimetics into our designs and our bodies. 3-D printers, fabrication and synthesis machines, and nano-inks for the printing of electronic circuitry on anything will allow for rapid prototyping of new devices and short production runs.
Engineering the computations performed by the brain might allow us to correct or compensate for the deficits of neural disorders. What insights will learning how neurons communicate with each other give us? Will the Internet become self-aware? Scalable plastic electronics has been a long-time goal; will we get there with a better understanding of optoelectronic materials? How will new computational interfaces and agents, especially those embedded in our clothing or our bodies, change our everyday mobile experience? What’s next for embedded digital and analog microcontroller systems? We’ve seen that games can be useful teaching and learning tools; can we use them on the Internet to give us an understanding about how to do better search on the Web? Lenseless microscopes are on the horizon and their impact on the diagnosis of a variety of diseases will be huge. How realistic is it to do extreme scale high performance computing in the cloud? Microbial fuel cells have been grown in laboratories for years, but that’s hardly scalable. New techniques may allow us to farm algae directly from the oceans to create microbial fuel cells in sufficient enough quantity to provide sources of fuel.
FIELD TRIP:
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
December 10
The University of Utah (U of U), a major teaching and research university, offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and more than 90 graduate degree programs. The University is ranked second in the country at starting technology companies based on its research; is home to the co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; has over 20 National Academy of Science members; is in the top 20 of U.S. universities for licensing income; has over 800 investigators involved in more than 2000 research projects; and in 2008, received $325 million in research funding.
Notable alumni from the U of U include:
Alan Kay, pioneer contributor to the inventions of personal computing, user interfaces, and object-oriented systems, and TTI/Vanguard Advisory Board member
Jim Clark, Founder, Silicon Graphics and Netscape Communications Corporation
John Warnock, Co-Founder, Adobe Systems
Nolan Bushnell, Founder, Atari
Ed Catmull, Co-Founder, Pixar
Ivan Sutherland, Inventor, Sketchpad
BARTL GROUP RESEARCH
Researchers studying ways to use light waves instead of electricity to drive ultra-fast computers have discovered an unlikely development tool: the iridescent green scales on inch-long beetles found in Brazil. The Bartl Group focuses on the fabrication and characterization of nanophotonics—optically active 3-dimensional nano- and microstructured materials. Nanophotonics—nanotechnology utilizing photons rather than electrons as the main information carrier—have emerged over the last years as one of the most promising concepts of next generation optical device configurations such as photonic chips and all-optical integrated circuits.
KECK CENTER FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING
The Center conducts research in bioengineering, biomaterials sciences and fabrication, neuroscience methods, as well as nanoscale engineering. Researchers are developing several biomaterial technologies for the reconstruction, replacement, and repair of damaged central nervous system tissues, including specialized devices for cell transplantation and biomaterials for targeting nerve outgrowth. A central theme involves understanding the brain tissue response to implants that vary in their physical and chemical properties. Among recent work is the development of biomaterials and force generating bioreactors capable of simulating the microenvironment of the vocal fold tissue.
SCIENTIFIC AND COMPUTING INSTITUTE (SCI)
SCI is a permanent research institute at the U of U. Its overarching research objective is to create new scientific computing techniques, tools, and systems that enable solutions to problems affecting various aspects of human life. A core focus of the Institute has been biomedicine, but SCI researchers also solve computational and imaging problems in such disciplines as geophysics, combustion, molecular dynamics, fluid dynamics, and atmospheric dispersion. SCI research interests fall within four core tracks: new techniques for scientific visualization and the development of visual analysis tools to facilitate understanding of increasingly complex and rich scientific data; technical research into computational and numerical methods requisite for scientific computing; new image analysis techniques and tools; and development of scientific software environments. Download the brochure here.