Future of Intelligence in the Cosmos
(A NASA-Ames/SETI/ UCSC workshop)

Agenda.pdf

DAY ONE
Saturday, June 30

Time

Dur. (min)

Description

Speakers &
Discussion leaders

8:00

30

Breakfast

8:30

5

Logistics

Stephanie Langhoff

8:35

10

Welcome/objectives

Pete Worden

8:45

15

Introduction of participants

Theme: The Fermi Paradox     Session Chair: Frank Drake

9:00

40

FOUNDATIONAL TALK: The Galactic
Planetary Census

Greg Laughlin

9:40

20

Discussion

10:00

40

FOUNDATIONAL TALK: The Great Silence -
Or Not?

Jill Tarter

10:40

20

Discussion

11:00

15

Break

11:15

20

TALK: The future of the visible universe may depend on us

Joel Primack

11:35

20

TALK: Interstellar travel requires shared cosmology

Nancy Abrams

11:55

20

Discussion

12:15

20

TALK: Seeking Ozymandias: Building and searching for beacons

James Benford   Gregory Benford

12:35

15

Discussion

12:50

60

Lunch

Theme: The Nature of Intelligence   Session Chair: Andre Bormanis

13:50

40

FOUNDATIONAL TALK: The Nature of Intelligence: Escaping orthogenetic concepts

Lori Marino

14:30

20

Discussion

14:50

20

TALK: The lifetime of intelligence

William Calvin

15:10

15

Discussion

15:25

20

TALK: Intelligence, survival and habitat diversification

Nick Woolf

15:45

15

Discussion

16:00

15

Break

Theme: Cultural Evolution   Session Chair: Robert J. Sawyer

16:15

40

FOUNDATIONAL TALK: Cultural Evolution:
An Introduction for Visionary Scientists and Scientific Visionaries

Kathryn Denning

16:55

20

Discussion

17:15

15

TALK: Surviving the Bottleneck:
The Longevity of Homo Sapiens

Seth Shostak

17:30

15

Discussion

17:45

Adjourn

19:00

DINNER: Chef Chu's,
1067 N San Antonio Rd, Los Altos

DAY TWO
Sunday, July 1

Time

Dur. (min)

Description

Speakers &
Discussion leaders

8:00

30

Breakfast

Theme: Technological Evolution   Session Chair: Tom Pierson

8:30

30

FOUNDATIONAL TALK: Ultimate Limits to Technology

Paul Davies

9:00

15

Discussion

9:15

15

TALK: Invent a printing press and hang on

Jack McDevitt

9:30

15

Discussion

9:45

15

TALK: 2001 is past, What must we do to
build a HAL

Marvin Minsky

10:00

15

Discussion

10:15

15

TALK: Astro-Economics

Jaipal Tuttle

10:30

15

Discussion

10:45

15

Break

11:00

20

TALK: Building on reductionism:  The future
of nano-medicine and nano-energy

Jonathan Trent

11:20

15

Discussion

11:35

20

TALK: Future of intelligent systems

Ashok Srivastava

11:55

15

Discussion

12:10

60

Lunch

Breakout Sessions

13:00

10

Introduction to breakouts

Langhoff/Pilcher

13:10

95

Breakouts on research questions and approaches:
(a) What research needs to be done to prepare humankind for the future, whatever future that is?
(b) What are the likely options for the evolution of humans?
(c) What can we do to make these scientific questions and others more exciting to our children who will inherit the future?

Chairs: (a) David Morrison; (b) Gregory Benford; (c) Andre Bourmanis;

14:55

15

Break

15:10

30

Reporting of breakout groups

15:40

45

DISCUSSION: Research priorities-where do we go from here?

Pete Worden

16:25

15

Review of main points of meeting / next steps

Langhoff/Pilcher

16:40

Adjourn