The conference fee is $1,475 and includes all sixteen (16) courses below.
STEVEN HAWLEY, PH.D.
MURRAY FELSHER, PH.D.
STEPHEN P. MARAN, PH.D.
JOHN CACIOPPO, PH.D.
JAMES GILLIES, PH.D.
The Space Shuttle was technically, scientifically, and culturally transformational. Re-live the challenges, triumphs, and tragedies from 30 years of Space Shuttle operations from the perspective of a former astronaut and flight operations manager. Find out what China, Russia, and others are accomplishing in space, and explore potential directions for space exploration that may build on the Space Shuttle’s legacies.
Dr. Steven Hawley was on hand when HST was deployed from Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31), and on a record-setting Hubble maintenance mission (STS-82). Hear a first-hand account of how HST both revolutionized operations in Space and our understanding of the Universe. From robotic arms to eyes on the Universe, gain an astronomer-astronaut’s unique perspective on Hubble’s place in science and technology.
Astromaterials are particles, ranging in size from rocks to microscopic dust, that were brought to Earth by spacecraft or fell on the Earth from outer space. The original astromaterials were the Moon rocks returned by the Apollo astronauts. In the decades since, NASA’s astromaterials collection has expanded to include cosmic dust, solar wind, comet particles, asteroids and meteorites — some of which are from the Moon and Mars. Learn how scientists collect and analyze astromaterials and how the findings improve our understanding of the solar system’s origins and the processes that may even have contributed to the start of life on the Earth. Also learn about other components of the space environment that constitute hazards to spaceflight.
A century ago, at least some astronomers took for granted that there was intelligent life on Mars. However, when the Mariner and Viking robotic spacecraft arrived at Mars roughly 40 years ago they found an inhospitable surface and no evidence of life. Interest in life on Mars waned until 15 years ago when there was a provocative announcement of potential evidence of ancient life in a Martian meteorite. Interest in Mars exploration was rekindled and a new series of robot spacecraft was launched. Recent findings from the Mars Rovers and Mars Reconaissance Orbiter strongly suggest that Mars had a wetter and warmer past. Now methane has been detected at low levels in the Martian atmosphere. Hear what we know about the prospects for past or present life on Mars as well as other discoveries which may suggest that Mars might not even be the most promising place to look for extraterrestrial life in our solar system.
Ancient Greek philosophers remarked that change is the only constant. Geospatial imaging scientists are subjecting that conclusion to scrutiny, using an array of remote sensing technologies to image the Earth from Space. Dr. Murray Felsher will offer a group of four presentations, leaving you with a basic understanding and appreciation of how sensors now aboard earth-orbiting spacecraft are providing data and information about our ever-changing planet Earth. We’ll be using our qualitative visual analytical skills, without taxing the quantitative lobe of the brain.
Get an introduction to the types of earth-viewing satellites in orbit, the sensors they carry, and the images they produce. Decades of data and millions of images have now covered the whole of our globe’s land and sea surfaces. How do you convert that imagery to meaningful information to be applied to real needs? Survey the usefulness and practical impact of space-derived imagery, going way beyond simple boundary mapping.
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Join Dr. Felsher in a full-day program (delivered in four 90-minute segments during the week) which will test your assumptions, expand your horizons, and pique your curiosity.
How do Galileo’s mind-blowing first telescopic discoveries compare with current knowledge of the same celestial phenomena, examined with 21st century telescopes and space probes?
Astronomer and author Dr. Stephen P. Maran will contrast Galileo’s revolutionary findings (circa 1609) with current knowledge on the same subjects in 2012. We’ll delve into topics ranging from the most powerful telescopes of both eras (and the near future) to the bizarre environment of Venus, so-called flying-saucer moons, observations within the solar system, and Hubble Space Telescope’s view of the distant universe. Find out how 17th and 21st century optical astronomy compare and relate, and where state of the art telescope technology is taking us in space exploration.
Music and literature, debate and philosophy address the mysterious forces in the universe. Physics and astronomy address the mysterious forces in the solar system. Astronomers have investigated puzzles and discrepancies noted in the paths of moving bodies, and discovered previously unknown celestial objects and astrophysical phenomena.
Learn about issues and their answers like gravity with multiple centers of attraction, why Pluto was a planet but Vulcan didn’t make the cut, the “Pioneer anomaly” and the search for the mysterious Planet X. While each mystery solved is just a footnote in space discovery, together they demonstrate the unforeseen benefits of scientific exploration. Get the details with Stephen Maran.
What is the significance of the Hubble Space Telescope? Join Dr. Maran for a look at the whys and hows, highs and lows of the Hubble Space Telescope. The epic story spans vision, disaster, innovation, and outstanding discovery, much of which was unforeseen when the Hubble project began.
Learn how Hubble has contributed to thinking on the Sun’s death, and the birth of stars and planets; and the age of the Universe and its likely fate. We’ll discuss Hubble’s role in great discoveries and then turn to the future of space astronomy. Listen in on missions accomplished and new beginnings afoot.
My, how things have changed! For years astronomers largely denied the existence of exoplanets. Now astronomers find planets wherever they look. Why the original doubt? And what are exoplanets and their solar systems like? Dr. Maran guides us through the debunking of received wisdom, the revolutionary knowledge emerging from the ongoing work of discovery, and the specifics of the quest for “Earths” in habitable zones.
Explore the stunning contributions of NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler mission to the search for exoplanets and Goldilocks zones where life could exist. Join the discussion about the possibilities and implications.
Discriminating hostile from hospitable people, animals, and objects in our world is an essential survival skill. Evaluative processes see a stimulus as appetitive or aversive, hostile or hospitable, pleasant or unpleasant, threatening or nurturing. These processes include our feelings and emotions but go beyond what can verbalized and include preconscious and unconscious processes. They organize our behavioral responses to promote appropriate responses to stimuli.
The evaluative processes between stimulus and response make up the mind’s affect system. Learn what studies of the affect system tell us about its structure and function and the surprising perspective on human feelings and emotions we gain from them. It may be self-evident that the opposite of positive is negative, wise is foolish, and beneficial is harmful, but is this an illusion? How can people feel happy and sad at the same time? How can knowledge of the affect system lead to better decision making? Dr. Cacioppo takes us through the complex terrain between stimulus, evaluation, and human behavioral response, finding more questions than answers and giving us great food for thought.
Homo Economicus means the rational one, whereas Homo Sapien means the wise one. Which captures our fundamental nature? Is it to serve selfish, short-term interests? Or is it to connect with and serve the interests of others as well as our own, now and for future generations? Connect with Dr. John Cacioppo, and explore how selfish genes have sculpted social brains.
The human brain has evolved as more than a powerful information processing machine. It also evolved with inherent capacities for social cognition, communication, empathy, bonding, coordination, and cooperation. Physical pain evolved to protect an individual’s physical body. Perceived social isolation and the associated emotional feeling of loneliness evolved to protect an individual’s social body. The failure to meet this need can lead to both mental and physical disorders. Is loneliness and being alone the same thing? Can anyone feel lonely? Are some people more susceptible to loneliness than others? Can you catch loneliness from others? How are the demographic changes in America and the growth of social networking sites like Facebook changing loneliness and social connection? Learn about the complex work of social neuroscience and its implications for mind, behavior, and health.
Attitudes refer to general and enduring favorable or unfavorable predispositions to respond (e.g., vote, purchase, support) to a stimulus (e.g., a Presidential candidate, an automobile). Everyone has attitudes, forms attitudes, changes their attitudes, and tries to change the attitudes of others. Attitudes ease the stress of everyday living. Few understand where attitudes come from, how they operate, why they change, and how to change the attitudes of others.
Look under the hood of attitudes and persuasion with Dr. John Cacioppo and see how not all attitudes are created equal. Some attitudes are formed or change as a result of a careful scrutiny of a persuasive communication to determine the merits of the arguments. In order for an attitude to be derived through this central route, a person must have the ability and motivation to engage in issue-relevant thinking. In most circumstances, though, we have neither the time nor the inclination to thing carefully about the issue. In these cases, attitudes are more likely to be formed or changed based on simple factors like the perceived credibility or attractiveness of the communicator, the apparent number of arguments favoring a position, or the speed of speech. Attitudes formed through the peripheral route are also less persistent, less predictive of behavior, and less resistant to counter-persuasion. How can information about how attitudes form and how persuasion works lead me to make better decisions? Can knowledge of attitudes and persuasion help me be more persuasive? Is the central route characterized by rationality and, if so, why do so many people (and politicians) differ on so many issues? Join the conversation and take home food for thought on snap decisions, careful consideration, and why reasonable people may disagree.
Society requires that people are responsible for their actions and the consequences of those actions. The idea of volition has been an important determinant in judgments of whether a person is guilty of criminal charges. Recent work in philosophy, psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience questions the validity of the idea of free will in human actions. For instance, the prediction of decisions based on brain functions observed prior to the decision suggests that the perception of free will is an illusion and that people may not have as much responsibility for their actions as assumed by the law. Research clearly shows that the perception of free will plays an important role in the process of thought and behavior. Although this research has important legal and policy implications, it does not mean we truly have free will. We will look at the neural control of the motor system to examine the mechanisms that have evolved to orchestrate complex human behavior and behavioral flexibility. We will also review evidence suggesting that our brains are fundamentally social. Take a multidimensional look at “free will” and gain new and nuanced perspectives on old questions.
Particle physics is the study of the smallest indivisible pieces of matter Ñ and the forces that act between them. Join Dr. Gillies and catch up on the state of the art and challenges ahead as physicists continue a journey that started with Newton’s description of gravity. We’ll look at the masses of fundamental particles, dark matter, antimatter, and the nature of matter at the beginning time.
The LHC is a machine of superlatives Ñ a triumph of human ingenuity, possibly the most complex machine ever built. James Gillies traces particle physics technologies from the invention of particle accelerators in the 1920s to today, and then focuses on the LHC itself. You’ll get a perspective on how these tools have allowed us to make phenomenal progress in understanding the Universe, and how they have revolutionized our everyday lives.
Along with humankind’s natural curiosity comes a fear of the unknown. As LHC’s first beam day approached in 2008, a handful of self-proclaimed experts struck up an end-of-the-world tune Ñ and the whole world knew they were there. Like its predecessors, the Large Electron-Positron Collider (LEP) and Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), the LHC never posed the slightest risk to humanity. However, the dangerous scientist has always made for a good story and that’s something that Dan Brown exploited to the full when writing Angels and Demons. Dr. Gillies will cover the fact behind the fiction of Angels and Demons and black holes at the LHC, and share the behind-the-scenes on how CERN lived with the hype.
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