Speaker: Dr. Dan Hastings, MIT
Date and Time: April 19th (Wednesday), 2006, 1:30pm
Place: 103 Design Building

Title: Lessons learned from a comparative study of emerging technologies: the auto, laser, IT, synthetic biology

 

Abstract: New technologies and innovations continue to emerge at a dazzling pace. Examples in the past include the automobile, laser and GPS. These have changed our world in many ways, some imagined, many not. Currently many pundits think this is the era of nanotechnology, information technology and biotechnology. How are these changing our world? In this talk, we will examine the lessons learned from these past examples and see how they can be applied to the information technology and biotechnology revolutions.

About the Speaker: Daniel Hastings is Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, and the Dean for Undergraduate Education at MIT. His research has concentrated on spacecraft-environmental interactions, space propulsion , space systems architecting and space policy. He previously was the Director of the Engineering Systems Division in the School of Engineering at MIT and prior to that the director of the MIT Technology and Policy Program. He is serving on the National Science Board and the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. He has served on the Defense Science Board and NASA Advisory Council. He served as Chief Scientist of the Air Force from 1997 to 1999. In that role, Dr. Hastings served as Chief Scientific Advisor to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force. He is an Fellow of the AIAA, an elected member of the International Academy of Astronautics and has received the AIAA Losey award, the Air Force distinguished civilian award (twice), the NRO distinguished civilian award and the QEM Giant in Science award.

Dr. Hastings received his B.A. in 1976 from Oxford University in Mathematics, his S.M in 1978 from MIT in Aeronautics and Astronautics, and his Ph.D. in 1980 in Plasma Physics also at MIT.

The IT Eminent Lecture Series (ITELS) is a program sponsored by the Center for Computation & Technology (CCT) in partnership with the LSU Department of Computer Science. The series brings world-class scholars, educators, executives and entrepreneurs to LSU to share their experience in and vision for the future of the I.T. industry.