June 7, 2017

Einstein, Beyonce or Serena: top features for your designer grandchild

Our bioengineered future may include genetically engineered plants, better to feed a world where famine is approaching epic proportions; and genetically engineered children, expressly designed to enhance their potential at science, music or sports.

Both possibilities raise exactly the kinds of questions Purdue University’s annual Dawn or Doom conference is designed to consider in this age of rapid, disruptive and seemingly continuous technological change that may be moving faster than our ability to understand it. 

Now in its fourth year, Dawn or Doom enables open-minded and thoughtful consideration of the potential risks and rewards posed by new technology. The conference will be held Sept. 26-27 on the Purdue campus. The event will feature brilliant, yet approachable speakers who are experts in their fields. Dawn or Doom also features related events throughout the two days, including interactive exhibitions of autonomous vehicles and advanced virtual reality technology, along with technology-themed art exhibits. The conference is free and open to the public.

Leading national authorities, along with stars from Purdue’s constellation of researchers focused on innovations that will transform thinking and lives, are set to discuss topics including:

  • Designing humans: bioengineering and human design.
  • Designing cities: “smart” cities, homes and autonomous vehicles.
  • Designing food: plant engineering and gene editing.
  • Designing information: “fake news” and virtual reality.
  • Designing the workforce: artificial intelligence and robotics. 

Featured speakers include Michael Bess, Chancellor’s Professor of History at Vanderbilt University and author of "Our Grandchildren Redesigned: Life in the Bioengineered Society of the Near Future;” and Robb Fraley, chief technology officer of Monsanto and World Food Prize winner. Tom Bradicich, vice president and general manager of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, will talk about developing the technological infrastructure to enable an “internet of things” and ubiquitous deployment of networked devices, including autonomous vehicles. HPE will have an advanced autonomous concept vehicle at the event. 

People who think they might attend the Dawn or Doom conference can register now to receive updates by visiting www.purdue.edu/dawnordoom/register

For more information on Dawn or Doom, visit: http://www.purdue.edu/dawnordoom/, https://twitter.com/dawnordoom and https://www.facebook.com/dawnordoom/

“Purdue has a mission of educating not just the students enrolled here, but everyone,” says Gerry McCartney, Purdue’s chief information officer and Olga Oesterle England Professor of Information Technology and the director of the conference. “With technology playing an ever-increasing role in our lives, we decided there was no better topic for an open and public discussion than the societal effects of emerging technologies.” 

McCartney says Dawn or Doom intentionally offers diverse viewpoints, with not only engineers and computer scientists presenting, but also writers, philosophers, business leaders and policy experts. 

“Some of the talks, like last year’s presentation on infectious diseases and the likelihood of future epidemics, give us cause to worry,” McCartney says. “Yet, discussions on the uses of virtual reality, for example in remote medicine, present beneficial applications of technology.” 

About Dawn or Doom

Since it began in 2014, Dawn or Doom has annually brought together experts on topics ranging from surveillance drones and living on Mars to genetically modified foods and genetically personalized medicine. The two-day conference now attracts over 5,000 people who interact in weighing questions ranging from serious to entertaining. Are GMO animals safe to eat? Are emojis a new language? When will artificial intelligences surpass human intelligence? If they do, does that spell our doom? Can AI be humorous? What’s the future of work? What will it mean when networked vehicles, appliances and other devices surround us pervasively and persistently? Is privacy even possible anymore? 

Past speakers included authors Dave Eggers (“The Circle”) and James Barrat (“Our Final Invention”), Microsoft chief engineer Xuedong “XD” Huang, XPRIZE CEO Marcus Shingles, astronaut and inventor David Wolf and internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch. 

About Purdue University

Characterized by President Mitch Daniels as the perfect place for a conference like Dawn or Doom, Purdue University is a top public research institution committed to pursuing scientific discoveries and engineered solutions. Purdue has streamlined pathways for faculty and student innovators who have a vision for moving the world forward. Committed to student success, Purdue is changing the student experience with greater focus on faculty and student interaction and creative use of technology. Committed to affordability, the University has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels and offers higher education at its highest proven value. 

Writer: Greg Kline, Information Technology at Purdue, office: 765-494-8167, cell: 765-426-8545, gkline@purdue.edu 

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

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