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Turkkan |
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Jaylan
Turkkan is vice president for research. She will convene a major international
forum to be held at UB Nov. 2 and 3 at which leading figures in information
technology, computer sciences, digital arts, and the behavioral and social
sciences will discuss the effects of digital technologies on our lives.
How did
you come up with the idea for the summit, "Digital Frontier: The Buffalo
Summit 2001"?
I got the
idea from seeing the need to change perceptions about Buffalo with respect
to our excellence in information and digital technology areas. Moreover,
I wanted to highlight and further encourage a convergence between technology
enthusiaststhose who see technology as a tool for creative expressionand
those who would like to highlight the humanistic aspects of technology.
There
is so much written about digital technologies in books, newspapers, magazines
and on the Internet itself. What can the digital summit add to the discussion?
The Digital
Summit is going to take the conversation about technology to the next
level and discuss the "implications" of that technology in our personal
relationships, in our lives and as a culture. So, the emphasis will be
about how digital technology can work for us as human beings, rather than
our being driven by the technology itself. The summit speakers have told
me that this is, in fact, the direction that their own thinking is evolving
toward, as you can tell from some of the titles of their presentations.
A very
unusual mix of dozens of speakers will present here, including some very
big names in several fields. Who we can expect to see?
The quality
and mix of the presentations is really at the heart of what makes this
summit so great. We have speakers from academia, government, corporations,
start-up businesses and law firms. To highlight some of the featured speakers,
Michael Paige, who will open the summit, is director of the famous Xerox
Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). This is the place where the graphical
user interface, which the Macintosh later exploited, was invented. Jaron
Lanier coined the term "virtual reality" and is a veritable guru of next-generation
thinking about virtual space. Brenda Laurel has published extensively
on such topics as interactive fiction, computer games, autonomous agents,
virtual reality and political and artistic issues in interactive media.
Steve Mann will walk around the streets of Toronto projecting and interacting
with the audience through his wearable computer, consisting of a pair
of eyeglasses! John Pittas will forecast a future in which all media will
be available online as a societal "leveler." And Cliff Stoll, a UB alumwho
many will recognize as the person who foiled the German hacker when he
was at Lawrence Livermorewill talk about his skepticism about the ubiquitous
use of computers with young people. Russ Bessette, executive director
of New York State's Office of Science Technology and Research (NYSTAR),
will give a fascinating historical background to the invention of the
semiconductor.
Can you
tell us something about the exhibits and hands-on technology that will
be available for participants to look at and experience?
Some of the
exhibits planned are a handwriting recognition analysis demonstration,
virtual immersive experiences with a portable ImmersaDesk and, possibly,
a virtual "party" with UB participants onscreen in virtual space.
What's
your own view of the digital future?
My own view
of the digital future is driven by all of the science fiction that I have
read. I have already seen it and I can't wait for us to actually get there!
Is there
anything else you'd like to say?
I'd like
everyone to know that the registration fees have been waived for faculty
and staff. The summit also will be Webcast in realtime, starting at 8:30
a.m. Nov 2. The Web site for the summit, http://digitalsummit.buffalo.edu,
will direct viewers to the Webcast.
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