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Panel 3: The Future- The third faculty panel of the SFR Co-Curricular intitiative met in the Terrace Room B on November 13th, 2001. The panel was moderated by Tiffany Pearson ('04) and Andrew Robinson ('02). Panelists were James Hughes (Institutional Research), Suzanne O'Connell (Interdisciplinary Science Center) and Sarah Raskin (Neuroscience).

It is only natural when one thinks of science and technology, to think of the future. Every day, new and exciting technologies confront us, with only dreams of a brighter and more advanced future. However, how will we deal with the new age of machines and medicine that we will develop? What will we learn about our effect on our home planet? How will we learn to measure ourselves, and will we learn the secrets of our own intelligence?

These questions, and more were posed by the final faculty panel of the SFR co-curricular initiative, leaving the audience with a number of questions to explore on their own, as well as a certain excitement in the ability to truly create a brighter future.

-Guided Explorations:

Apocalyptic Threats of Emerging Technologies

-----> Exploration 1

Source: Zyvex Corporation , Centers for Disease Control , Massachusetts Institute of Technology

 

 

 

Predicting the Future Climate

----> Exploration 2

Source: NASA Classroom of the Future , United Nations , David Orell

Limits of Psychometric Testing

----> Exploration 3

Source: EdWebProject.org, The American Psychological Association, New York Times, Detroit News, USA Today, Time Magazine

 

-Links to Explore:

The issues raised in this panel's exploration will be ones that we will continue to explore as the years press forward. We will even face some of these issues in our present day legislation. Throughout this exploration, we must keep the fundamental questions of Scientific Freedom and Responsibility with us: issues that fundamentally relate back to the purpose of science in our society, and its benefit to us all as human beings. The links below are provided for your further exploration of the future.

----> Open Directory Project: Standardized Testing An open-directory project exploration of the issues and resources available on the topic of standardized testing in America.

----> Segway Human Transporters A possible solution to pollution and transportation in American cities: the Segway Human Transporter, of the recent "IT" fame.

----> Changesurfer Radio A website by Dr. James Hughes, of Trinity College, with links dedicated to: "a sexy, high tech vision of a radically democratic future"