Vint Cerf to keynote 2008 State of Technology Luncheon

2008 STATE OF TECHNOLOGY LUNCHEON
Friday, May 9, 2008, The Westin Seattle
Featuring a keynote conversation with
VINT CERF, Vice President & Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

How will tomorrow’s internet reshape how you do business? What exciting new ways will you be able to connect with customers, family, friends…even total strangers halfway around the globe?

Get inside the mind of internet pioneer Vint Cerf as he discusses the new frontiers in cyberspace with University of Washington's Ed Lazowska. Log on to the future along with 1,000 leaders from business, research, education and government at the premier event for Washington's technology community.

The State of Technology Luncheon
May 9, 2008
The Westin Seattle
Networking & Registration: 11:00 am
Luncheon Program: 11:45 am - 1:30 pm

Sponsorship packages featuring reserved seating, extensive visibility for your company or organization, and other exciting benefits are available – click here for details! Reserve your package today by contacting Katy Tollefson at (206) 389-7261 or katy@technology-alliance.com.

Individual tickets are $85 with advanced registration. Click here to register online.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees

On January 11th, Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, faculty member in environmental studies at The Evergreen State College, treated members of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series to a fascinating and inspirational look at life at the top – treetop, that is – in temperate and tropical forests. Dr. Nadkarni spoke about efforts to “explore, connect and reflect” – explore the forest canopy ecosystem, connect people to the forests, and encourage reflection on the importance of the canopy to our natural world.

Innovations in non-destructive methods of accessing the canopy have enabled researchers to explore the diversity of wildlife among the trees and analyze the impact of disturbances – both natural and man-made – on the canopy ecosystem. Dr. Nadkarni’s research examines the role of canopy-dwelling plants and how nutrients cycle through the ecosystem, with a particular focus on how the canopy draws nutrients from atmospheric inputs like rain and mist. Calling the plants that dwell in the canopy “the canary in the coalmine,” Dr. Nadkarni noted that these organisms are an early warning system for large-scale environmental changes.

Did you know...?

• The canopy has its own soil. Called arboreal soil, it is very acidic, experiences severe dry-downs, has a slow decomposition rate, and harbors very different microbial populations than terrestrial soil.
• Moss harvesting for horticultural use is a $265 million-per-year industry and growing, a grave concern to researchers due to the key role it plays in the canopy in drawing nutrients from the atmosphere and the fragility of the canopy ecosystem. For example, in one experiment researchers removed a quantity of moss to gauge how well it recovered; 35 years later, only 25% of the missing moss had returned.
• The International Canopy Network was formed to communicate the importance of preserving the canopy and connect people to the forests. Among the novel ways in which ICAN is reaching out to a larger audience: the introduction of TreeTop Barbie.

The podcast of Dr. Nadkarni's talk is available on the Technology Alliance web site.

Keep your eye on the PRIZE

Another exciting season of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series is underway. During the season opener on September 14th, Discovery Series members were amazed by Dr. Mark Roth of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and his research in suspended animation. We learned just a week later that Dr. Roth was chosen to receive a prestigious MacArthur Fellow award for this revolutionary work.

The October 12th breakfast featured X PRIZE Foundation President Tom Vander Ark, who shared his organization’s approach to promoting innovation by appealing to the competitive spirit.

The X PRIZE Foundation establishes global competitions laying out specific targets designed to encourage breakthrough innovations that benefit humanity. Vander Ark described the power of prizes to create new industries and reshape existing ones, noting that there was a long and storied history behind this approach to stimulate ground-breaking human achievements. Through competitions like the Archon Genomics X PRIZE, to be awarded to the first team to sequence 100 genomes in 10 days, and the Google Lunar X PRIZE, earmarked for the successful launch, landing and operation of a lunar rover complete with a “mooncast” back to Earth, the Foundation is capturing people’s imagination while accelerating the development of scaleable solutions to humanity’s biggest challenges in a variety of sectors.

Did you know...?

• The use of prizes has proven to be a powerful motivator in the past. Charles Lindbergh made his historic 1927 flight from New York to Paris to win the Orteig Prize, which was established by Raymond Orteig in 1919 to reward the first aviator to complete the journey non-stop between the two cities.
• The Foundation’s first competition, the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE, was put up for grabs in 1996 to the first team to successfully fly a three-person, reusable spacecraft to a 100 kilometer altitude twice in two weeks. Mojave Aerospace Ventures won the prize in 2004 with its SpaceShipOne.
• X PRIZEs are highly leveraged and encourage private investment in innovation. Teams vying for the Ansari prize spent more than $100 million in private funds trying to win the competition.

Podcasts of the presentations of both Dr. Roth and Tom Vander Ark are available on the Technology Alliance web site.

Global collaboration for vaccine discovery: A novel approach to combat HIV

Dr. Leo Stamatatos of Seattle Biomedical Research Institute explains how researchers hope to fight the global HIV pandemic

The 2006-07 season of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series concluded on June 8th with a presentation by Dr. Leo Stamatatos, principal investigator and director of the Viral Vaccines Program at Seattle Biomedical Research Institute.

Dr. Stamatatos explained the magnitude of the HIV pandemic and the challenges that researchers face in developing a vaccine for the virus, which, unlike many other viruses for which we vaccinate people, is constantly changing. He also shared with Discovery Series members how SBRI is partnering with other research organizations around the world on the development of an HIV vaccine. Backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this innovative collaboration employs rapid data-sharing and new methods, such as computer modeling for vaccine design, with the ambitious goal of finding a vaccine solution to the scourge of HIV within five years.

Did you know...?

• Approximately 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV, more than half of those in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Last year, more than 4 million new cases of HIV were diagnosed, at a rate of 11,000 infections per day.
• There are 2 types of vaccines that researchers are working on to combat HIV: neutralizing antibodies (which prevent infection from occurring) and “killer” T-cells (which target and eliminate infected cells).

The podcast of Dr. Stamatatos's presentation is available on the Technology Alliance's web site.

Thank you to our members and sponsors for another great season of science and technology for breakfast. See you in September!

2007-08 season preview:
September 14: Dr. Mark Roth, cell biologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, on human hibernation.
October 12: Tom Vander Ark, president of the X Prize Foundation, on revolution through competition.
December 14: Dr. Chris Elias, president of PATH, on programs to advance global health.

Registration information for the 2007-08 season will be sent out shortly. Watch for it in your inbox!

The Science & Technology Discovery Series in Seattle is sponsored by:
AH&T, Inc., Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.

Is it getting hot in here?

Dr. Andrea Copping of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory explains how our region will experience the extremes of global climate change earlier than other parts of the world, and sums up the potential impact in one word: WATER

At the May breakfast of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series, Dr. Andrea Copping, Senior Program Manager in PNNL’s Marine Sciences Division, explained the impacts of global climate change on the Pacific Northwest region. Citing our proximity to the Pacific Ocean, she predicted that the Northwest will experience the effects of global climate change sooner and more intensely than many other places.

The number-one issue related to climate change facing the western United States? Water. As temperatures rise, the supply and quality of fresh water – a finite resource – will be affected. With the decrease in snowmelt feeding the Columbia River basin and parts of the Odessa aquifer declining 10 feet per year, there is already cause for concern here in Washington. Because there is no short-term fix and the demand for water and energy will continue to rise as the population increases, Dr. Copping stressed the importance of pursuing strategies to mitigate the impacts and improve data collection and modeling to better forecast the effects of global climate change in our state.

Did you know...?

• The Northern and Southern hemispheres will experience global climate change in different ways. For example, with more land mass, the North will see a steeper increase in temperature.
• Pacific Northwest snow packs have begun melting 1-4 weeks earlier over the past three decades. An increase in temperature of 2-3 degrees centigrade could decrease our snow pack 50-70% by the year 2050.
• Climate change will bring about extremes at both ends of the thermometer: not only will we experience a greater number of really hot days in summer, but we will also see an increase in the number of frost days in winter.
• Sea level in Western Washington could rise by as much as three feet in 50 years.

June preview:
Dr. Leo Stamatatos, Full Member, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, will be featured at the final breakfast of the 2006-07 season of the Seattle Discovery Series on June 8th. Dr. Stamatatos will explain how computational biology is used to create novel vaccine designs.

Discover Series members: If you have not registered for the 2007 State of Technology Luncheon featuring a keynote conversation with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on May 31st, our TA Patron sponsorship package includes two tickets for reserved seating at the luncheon and one complimentary membership in the Science & Technology Discovery Series for the 2007-08 season. Check this deal out now!

Coming soon... Check your inbox for information about our stellar lineup of speakers for the 2007-08 season and how you can sign up to get your monthly helping of science and technology for breakfast!

The Science & Technology Discovery Series in Seattle is sponsored by:
AH&T, Inc., Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.

Bracing for bird flu?

Dr. Maxine Hayes of the Washington State Department of Health delivers some plain talk about preparing for a pandemic.

Washington State Health Officer Dr. Maxine Hayes educated members about the potential for a flu pandemic and what government, the private sector, and the general public can do to respond to the threat, at the April 13th breakfast of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series. Pointing out that there were three influenza pandemics in the 20th century, she noted that ours is the first generation to plan for pandemic flu and the severe disruption that it entails in an increasingly interdependent world. Dr. Hayes concluded her presentation by emphasizing that non-pharmacological responses will be most important in limiting the spread of flu when – not if – we are faced with the next pandemic.

Did you know...?

• Infectious disease is the #1 killer of humans. A pandemic is a large epidemic of disease occurring on several continents at the same time.
• While pandemic flu is garnering most of the attention, seasonal flu kills approximately 36,000 people in the United States each year.
• In the event of a pandemic, an estimated 30% of the population will not be able to go to work. Because 85% of our infrastructure is held by the private sector – not government – it is critical for the public and private sectors to work together now to ensure we can maintain continuity in the event of an outbreak.
• Among the non-pharmacological approaches that will be essential to slow the spread of pandemic flu: public understanding of and voluntary compliance with “social distancing,” isolation and quarantine, including school closures, working from home, and cancellation of public gatherings.

For more information on pandemic flu preparedness, visit www.doh.state.wa.gov.

The podcast of Dr. Hayes' presentation is available on the Technology Alliance web site.

Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
AH&T, Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.

Reverse-Engineering Nature’s Robots

Seattle Discovery Series members are abuzz over Dr. Tom Daniel’s presentation on the study of neural systems and flight control in insects.

“No better robots exist on the planet than natural ones,” observed Dr. Tom Daniel, Professor and Joan & Richard Komen Endowed Chair in Biology at the University of Washington at the February 9th breakfast of the Seattle Science & Technology Discovery Series. Dr. Daniel was explaining why the study of motion in biology, from the cellular level right on up to the whole animal, is such an important and interesting field. Dr. Daniel, whose research focuses on motion control in insects such as hawk moths, pointed out how the study of motion provides clues to how neuro-muscular systems work, and that to understand many diseases requires an understanding of movement. He then examined the potential applications – and implications – of his research and the important innovations that could emerge from the study of motion in biology.

Did you know...?

• The study of motion in biology is giving rise to new disciplines and technologies, such as neuro-prosthetics and more stable robots modeled on natural movement.
• Researchers have created a neurochip that can both record and stimulate flight movement in insects. They continue to work on ways to power the device biologically, instead of through conventional power sources.
• A tiny structure called the Johnston's organ, just above a moth's head at the base of the antenna, contains mechanosensors that allow the organ to function like a gyroscope.

The discovery of the hawk moth's gyrosopic function of its antennae was recently published in the February 9th edition of Science magazine.

The PODCAST of Dr. Daniel’s presentation is available on the Technology Alliance web site.

Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
AH&T, Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center.