MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 1, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Singularity University (SU), the only educational entity to concentrate specifically on the identification, impact and opportunities of exponential technologies, has announced the speakers and agenda for the December Executive Program, scheduled for December 3-10, 2011, at NASA Ames Research Park, Calif. The Executive Program is specifically tailored for corporate executives, CTOs, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, government leaders and innovators who want to know which technologies will next fuel innovation and economic growth.
During this session, SU will launch a new live webcast series, Which Way Next?, featuring expert SU faculty in discussions with leading experts in various fields. On December 6, the live series will debut with guest, Dr. Sebastian Thrun, Stanford Professor in AI and Robotics and current Google Fellow, in discussion with SU Co-Founder, Dr. Peter H Diamandis, about AI and the autonomous car.
"There are a number of technologies across diverse fields that are growing exponentially," said Rob Nail, CEO. "At Singularity University, we teach the global business community how to identify them and the corresponding growth opportunities. The new webcast, which is free to the public, will provide a window into our programs."
SU Executive Program curricula tracks include: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence; Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Energy and Environmental Systems; Networks and Computing Systems; Medicine and Neuroscience; and Nanotechnology. Through lectures, interactive workshops and site visits, SU shows executives what is in the lab today and where these technologies will be within the next 3-20 years.
SU has a world-class core faculty of leading physicians, scientists, astronauts, technologists, futurists and entrepreneurs; full bios can be found at: www.singularityu.org. Joining the faculty, will be presentations by:
- Ariel Garten, CEO, InteraXon - a well-known specialist in neuroscience and specifically in the area of thought-controlled computing, often referred to as the "Brain Guru."
- Peter Magnusson, Director of Engineering for Google's cloud computing projects and author of the Simics simulator. Previously he founded Virtutech, acquired by Intel in 2010.
- Ramez Naam, computer scientist and entrepreneur, with 13 years at Microsoft leading development of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and the Bing search engine. The uuthor, More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement, for which he won the H.G. Wells Award, Naam is currently working on his next book, The Infinite Resource: Growing Prosperity on a Finite Planet.
- Dr. Chris DeCharms, a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, author, inventor and founder of Omneuron, a life sciences company focusing on novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies. DeCharms has developed a set of technologies allowing patients, physicians, researchers, and subjects to visualize and control the functioning of the brain using non-invasive methods based on real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI), and is exploring applications of functional brain imaging.
- Dr. George Skidmore, former Director of Research at Zyvex Corporation, the first molecular nanotechnology company. In 2004, the Texas State Bar honored him as "Inventor of the Year." His inventions, including several patents issued to date, are fundamental to new approaches in high‐precision, automated assembly manufacturing. Currently, Dr. Skidmore is working on uncooled focal plane arrays, or night-vision cameras.
- Dr. Simon P. ("Pete") Worden, Ph.D. (Brig. Gen., USAF, Ret.), Director of NASA-Ames Research Park and an astronaut and recognized expert on aeronautics and astrophysics. Dr. Worden has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific papers, served as a scientific co-investigator for two NASA space science missions, and received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for the 1994 Clementine mission. In 2009, he was honored as the 2009 Federal Laboratory Consortium Laboratory Director of the Year.
Site Visits:
- Amyris, developing synthetic biological solutions as alternatives to petroleum-sourced products.
- AutoDesk, producing 3-D design and entertainment software, from blockbuster visual effects and buildings that create their own energy to electric cars and the batteries that power them.
- Makani Power, developing Airborne Wind Turbines (AWT) to extract energy from the powerful, consistent winds at high altitudes.
- Tech Shop, a membership-based workshop that provides access to tools and equipment, instruction and a community of creative and supportive people to build things. Think Fitness club with tools.
- Stupid Fun Club, founded by famed game developer Will Wright, widely respected for creating the simulation video game genre, Sim CityTM and SporeTM,.
About Singularity University
Singularity University is a unique interdisciplinary, international and intercultural educational experience that offers both graduate studies and executive programs. SU's Graduate Studies Program is a 10-week summer session structured to give students a broad, cross-disciplinary understanding of the biggest ideas and issues in transformative technologies. Students are challenged with 10^9+Team Projects, challenging them to positively affect the lives of a billion people within 10 years. SU Executive Programs are seven-days in length and cover six critical fields of interest: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence; Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Energy and Environmental Systems; Networks and Computing Systems; Medicine and Neuroscience; and Nanotechnology. SU Executive Programs are held multiple times each year on campus at NASA Ames Research Park, and upon request at corporate sites around the world. SU's FutureMed focuses on the disruptive influences of exponentially growing technologies in the fields of medicine and healthcare.
For more information and registration to all programs, visit www.singularityu.org. Follow SU on twitter.com @singularityu, and on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/singularityu. Also join SU on its new live webcast, Which Way Next? - featuring SU expert faculty and leading industry guests.
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