Scores of researchers from the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are among the speakers who will address an array of crucial and timely issues at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The theme "Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures," recognizes 2009 as the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the publication of his landmark book on evolution, The Origin of Species. The meeting will convene from Feb. 12 to 16 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago and will include participants from 56 countries and hundreds of members of the national and international news media.
The University manages Argonne and co-manages Fermilab for the U.S. Department of Energy. Together, the three institutions attract more than $1.3 billion dollars in annual research funding.
University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer will present remarks at the opening ceremony, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12. Zimmer also will discuss "Teaching Science as a Core Curriculum" during a symposium devoted to college science courses from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16.
The inspiration for the symposium is the 50th anniversary of C.P. Snow's Cambridge lecture on the importance of bringing together the two cultures of art and science. Symposium co-organizer Leon Lederman, who shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in physics, is the Frank L. Suzlberger Professor Emeritus in Physic, former Fermilab director, and a research scholar at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.
A listing of sessions involving University, Argonne or Fermilab researchers follows. For more details, see http://aaas.uchicago.edu/.
Friday, Feb. 13
8:30-10 a.m. Earth's History and Future Revealed at the Frontier of Scientific Computing
Robert Rosner, Director, Argonne National Laboratory, and the William Wrather DistinguishedService Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago. "Using Simulations toLearn About Cosmic Evolution and Its Connections to Earth's History."
8:30-11:30 a.m. Basic Research for Global Energy Security: A Call to Action
George Crabtree, Distinguished Fellow, Materials Research Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, "Addressing the Global Energy Challenge: Energy Conversion Using Nanoscale Materials."
10:30 a.m.-Noon Beyond E=mc2: Unveiling the Early Universe with High-Intensity Accelerators
Boris Kayser, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, "The Role of Neutrinos in the Early Universe."
Kurt Riesselmann and Bob Tschirhart, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Symposium co-organizers.
10:30 a.m.-noon The Mathematical Twists and Turns of Data Sets
Shmuel Weinberger, Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of Chicago. "Detecting Topological Structure."
12:30-1:15 p.m. Topical Lecture on "Human Genetics"
T. Conrad Gilliam, Marjorie I. and Bernard A. Mitchell Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago.
1:30-3 p.m. Chicago Wilderness: Integrating Biological and Social Diversity into the Future
Sir Peter Crane, John and Marion Sullivan University Professor, Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago. Symposium organizer.
1:30-3 p.m. Global Integration, Local Ecosystems: Frontiers of Science for Biodiversity Policy
Sir Peter Crane, The John and Marion Sullivan University Professor, Department of the Geophysical Science, University of Chicago. Moderator.
1:30-4:30 p.m. Beyond the Beagle: Evolutionary Approaches to the Study of Social Behavior
Jill Mateo, Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Human Development, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Mind & Biology, University of Chicago. "Sex and Smells: Kin Recognition, the Armpit Effect, and Mate Choice." Moderator and symposium organizer.
1:30-4:30 p.m. The Last Piece of Darwin's Puzzle: The Evolution of the Social Mind
Dario Maestripieri, Professor, Department of Comparative Human Development Committtee on Evolutionary Biology, Committee on Neurobiology, Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago. "The Evolution of Primate Social Intelligence."
Saturday, Feb. 14
10:30 a.m.-noon Animal Body Plan Evolution of Development
Christopher J. Lowe, Assistant Professor, Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy, University of Chicago. "Superficial Insights into Brain Evolution: Skin Brains and the Origins of Vertebrates."
10:30 a.m.-noon The Grid, the Cloud, Sensor Nets, and the Future of Computing
Rick Stevens, Professor, Department of Computational Science, Physical Sciences Collegiate Division, University of Chicago; Associate Laboratory Director for Computing, Environment, and Life Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory; Senior Fellow, Computation Institute. "Grid Computing and the Biology Revolution."
Ruth Pordes, Computing Division, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Discussant.
1:30-3 p.m. Exciting Research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Spencer Pasero, Education Office, Fermi National Acceleratory Laboratory. Symposium co-organizer.
Niki Saoulidou, Particle Physics Division, Fermi National Acceleratory Laboratory. "Neutrino Oscillations and Neutrino Masses."
Rob Roser, Particle Physics Division, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. "After the Top Quark."
Michael B. Crisler, Particle Physics Division, Fermi National Acceleratory Laboratory. "The Search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles."
1:30-4:30 p.m. C2ST: The Nation's First Metropolitan Science Council
Robert Rosner, Director, Argonne National Laboratory. "The Role of a National Laboratory in a Metropolitan Science Council."
Sunday, Feb. 15
8:30-10:00 a.m. Social Emotion and the Brain
John T. Cacioppo, Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor in Psychology, University of Chicago. Discussant.
Jean Decety, Professor, Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Chicago. "Empathy and Morality: Integrating Social and Neurosciences Approaches."
8:30-11:30 a.m. Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World: Science-Based Strategy for the 21st Century
Sir Peter Crane, The John and Marion Sullivan University Professor, Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago. "Scientific Issues and Needs for Biodiversity."
10:30-noon Embodied Language and Cognition: Brains, Mouths, and Hands
Susan Goldin-Meadow, Beardsley Ruml Distinguished Service Professor, Departments of Psychology and Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago. "Using Our Bodies To Change Our Minds."
1:30-3 p.m. Languages Without Ancestors
Marie Coppola, Postdoctoral Scholar, Department Psychology, University of Chicago. "The Gesture Systems of Linguistic Isolates: Raw Material for a New Sign Language."
1:30-4:30 p.m. Evolution Makes Sense of Biology
Neil Shubin, Robert R. Bensley Professor, Department of Organismal and Evolutionary Biology; Associate Dean for Academic Strategy, Medical Center, University of Chicago; Provost, Field Museum. "Evolution Makes Sense of Anatomy."
1:30-4:30 p.m. High-Energy Physics Discoveries: From the Tevatron to the Large Hadron Collider
Joseph Lykken, Theory Department, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Co-organizer.
Dmitri Denisov, DZero Experiment, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. "Closing in on the Higgs with the Tevatron Data."
Jacobo Konigsberg, CDF Experiment, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. "Discoveries with the Tevatron Collider at Fermilab."
Pier Oddone, Director, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Discussant.
Monday, Feb. 16
9:15-10:45 a.m. New Computing Platforms for Data-Intensive Science
Ian Foster, Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor in Computer Science, University of Chicago; Director, Computation Institute; Associate Director, Mathematics and Computer Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory. "Grid Computing and Data-Intensive Science." Symposium organizer.
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Casting New Light on Ancient Secrets
Murray Gibson, Associate Laboratory Director, Photon Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory.
Moderator.
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Celebrating Darwin at 200: Explaining How Human Morality Evolved
Robert Richards, Morris Fishbein Professor of the History of Science and Medicine, and Professor in the Departments of Philosophy, History, Psychology, and in the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science, University of Chicago. "All that Is Most Beautiful: Darwin and the Moral Sentiment."
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. College Science Courses: Remembering C.P. Snow
Robert Zimmer, President, University of Chicago. "Teaching Science as a Core Curriculum."
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Origins and Endings: From the Beginning to the End of the Universe
Angela Olinto, Professor, Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics. University of Chicago. Moderator.
John Carlstrom, S. Chandrasekhar Distinguished Service Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Physics; Director, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago. "The Cosmic Microwave Background: Progress and Prospects."
Scott Dodelson, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Chicago. "Gravitational Waves as a Probe of the Early Universe."
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
