July 21, 2016

Speakers, topics set for Dawn or Doom '16

McCartney Dawn Gerry McCartney (left), director of Purdue University's Dawn or Doom '16 technology conference and event, and Purdue System CIO, chats with attendees at the 2014 conference. (Purdue University photo.) Download image

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Dawn or Doom '16, a free technology conference and event being held at Purdue University on Oct. 3-4, has released a listing of speakers and topics.

Gerry McCartney, system chief information officer and vice president for Information Technology at Purdue, and conference director, says the event has grown to become one of the largest tech conferences in the Midwest.

"We've had an exceptionally strong lineup of speakers and interesting events in the past, and this year is no exception," McCartney said. "The conference continues to explore the societal risks and rewards of emerging technologies, and this year we have speakers discussing robotics, artificial intelligence, the 'gig economy,' virtual reality, and food and water contaminants.

"It promises to be a thought-provoking two days."

Doom Gallery Shannon McMullen (pointing toward the gallery), Purdue University associate professor in the Patti & Rusty Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts, discusses a facial recognition art exhibit at the 2015 Dawn or Doom conference. Dawn or Doom '16 will have an art exhibit, "Interspaces," focusing on virtual and augmented reality. (Purdue University photo) Download image

Expected speakers for Dawn or Doom '16 include:

* Jorge Cham, creator of PHD Comics, "Life (or the Lack Thereof) in Grad School."

* Emily Dreyfuss, news and opinion editor, Wired, "My Life as a Robot."

* Dave Eggers, author and educational philanthropist, “The Circle.”

* Mara Faccio, Purdue professor of finance and Hanna Chair of Entrepreneurship, Purdue University, "Political Determinants of Competition."

* Mike Fong, founder and CEO, Privoro, "The Evolving Threat Vector of Proximity Data."

* Aleshia Hayes, assistant professor of computer science, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, "The Future of Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality."

* Cate Hill, professor of entomology and vector biology, Purdue University, "Infectious Diseases and the Game of Thrones: Can new technologies prevent epidemics of mosquito-borne diseases?"

* James Hill, associate professor, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, "The Little Program that Cried Wolf."

* David Hummels, Dean of Krannert School of Management and professor of economics, Purdue University, "International Tech Policies."

* Karthik Kannan, professor of management, Purdue University, "The Nature of Future Jobs: Innovations Designed for Human Instincts."

* Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor, The New Yorker, "Humanity's Last Stand: The New Yorker Caption Contest."

* Gretchen McCulloch, internet linguist, "The Linguistic Secrets Found in Billions of Emoji."

* William Muir, professor of animal sciences, Purdue University, "The Science and Science Fiction of GMOs: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility."

* Jennifer Neville, associate professor and Miller Family Chair, Purdue University, "AI-Easy Versus AI-Hard."

* Haley Oliver, associate professor of food science, Purdue University, "You Think You Know What Food Caused Your Diarrhea."

* Alex Quinn, assistant professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, "Beating AI at its Own Game with Human Computation."

* Karthik Ramani, Purdue's Donald W. Feddersen Professor of Mechanical Engineering, "Computers as a Partner! It is All Within the Reach of our Hands."

* Marcus Rogers, professor and head of Computer and Information Technology, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, to be announced.

* Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, assistant professor of computer and information technology, Purdue University Polytechnic Institute, "Living Online."

* Marcus Shingles, CEO, XPRIZE Foundation, "Uber Yourself Before You Get Kodaked."

* Bret Swanson, president, Entropy Economics and Entropy Capital, "The Economics of Advanced Technologies."

* Julia Taylor, assistant professor, Purdue University Polytechnic Institute, "Dissecting the Frog: What We Can Learn From Computers."

* Chris Upton, practice lead, Utilicast, "Understanding the Perils of our Power Grid Security."

* Andy Whelton, assistant professor, School of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering, "Why is our Plumbing Harming Us?"

* David Whittinghill, associate professor, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, "Virtual Reality: When 'Real' Becomes Real."

McCartney says that although the conference is free and open to the public, people are encouraged to pre-register.

"We want to make sure everyone gets a seat, so we're asking attendees to register on the website. People who register will be able to pick up a badge at the conference, which will let them in the rooms early," McCartney said.

Additional information about the Dawn or Doom '16 conference and event can be found at, http://www.purdue.edu/dawnordoom, on the event's Facebook page, or by following the Twitter account @DawnOrDoom. 

Writer: Steve Tally, 765-494-9809, steve@purdue.edu, Twitter: sciencewriter

Sources: Gerry McCartney, 765-496-2270, mccart@purdue.edu, Twitter: @gerrymccartney

Diana Hancock, 765-494-0840, handockd@purdue.edu, Twitter, @dianahancock 

Note to Journalists: Journalists may register for the conference at http://www.purdue.edu/dawnordoom/Press. An animated .gif of the conference poster is also available. Contact Steve Tally at steve@purdue.edu

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