Issues in Technology and Policy Seminar Series

Many policy issues involve the application, commercialization, and control of technologies. This annual seminar series explores selected issues in technology and policy, including examples from areas such as energy, telecommunications, and space exploration. This year the series includes a two-part workshop on "Complexity." Bring brown bag lunch; light refreshments provided.

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions or the full series

Tue Jan 10, Wed Jan 11, 12-2:00pm:   An Introduction to Complexity
Bill Nuttall Cambridge University
E51-149, Note: two-part workshop

This 2-part workshop provides a wide-ranging and fast-moving introduction to the science of complexity and its application to problems found in physics, ecology, geology and organizations. The goals are to help participants recognize signs of complexity in seemingly unstructured phenomena and to introduce concepts of complexity that can be used in designing physical or social processes.

Wed Jan 18, 12-1:30pm:   Electric Power Networks: Challenges and Opportunities
Marija Ilic Visiting Professor from Carnegie-Mellon
E51-149

Public needs in the electric power sector are evolving. This seminar will examine evolution to new technologies and more flexible organizational structures from a systems engineering perspective, including the technical and regulatory issues surrounding the maintenance of reliable, affordable and high quality electricity service as existing infrastructure is gradually replaced with distributed small scale technologies.

Wed Jan 25, 12-1:30pm:   International Space Cooperation? Visions of the Future
Dava Newman Director, Technology and Policy Program
E51-149

Space exploration offers great opportunity for international cooperation. Will we realize the ideal? After decades of nation-based competition resulting in a 'space race' during the Cold War, we are now in a globalized world. This seminar will address opportunities and challenges for international space cooperation, including differing perspectives between the US, Europe, Russia, Japan & China, and visions for the future.

Tue Jan 31, 12-1:30pm:   MyAmazon.com?: Personalization and Privacy in the Marketplace
Frank Field, Senior Research Scientist, Center for Technology, Policy and Industrial Development
E51-149

New online retailing technologies have equipped firms with tools that move us toward a "mass market of one," where marketing and advertising are migrating to individually-targeted sales strategies applied across the mass market. As these techniques spread, some nagging public policy issues remain not only unaddressed, but increasingly hard to frame. This talk will address why this is so, and what might be done about it.