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17 May 2016
Inventor Ray Kurzweil Keynotes The Optical Society’s Light the Future Program at CLEO
17 May 2016
Inventor Ray Kurzweil Keynotes The Optical Society’s Light the Future Program at CLEO
Author and Futurist to Talk Technology Acceleration at Premier International Optics Conference
San Jose, CA – The Optical Society, the leading global professional association in optics and photonics, will host the latest in its Light the Future speaker series with special guest speaker Ray Kurzweil, inventor, author and futurist, and featuring a discussion with Dr. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, OSA Fellow, OSA Honorary Member. The program will take place on Wedneday, 8 June at the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California, USA, from 18:30 to 20:00 PDT during the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO).
Kurzweil, a world-renown expert on the interaction of technology and humanity, will explore the evolution of our society in the 21st century. His presentation, titled, “Business and Society in the Age of Accelerating Returns,” explores the very nature of what it means to be human. Kurzweil will present an inspiring vision of our ultimate destiny in which we will merge with our machines, radically extend our lives, and become vastly more intelligent.
With a 30-year track record of accurate predictions, including the age of mobile computing, digital books, wearables, self-driving cars and high-speed wireless data transmission, Kurzweil is currently leading a team developing machine intelligence and natural language understanding as a Director of Engineering at Google.
“I look forward to being part of this historic centennial year for OSA,” said Kurzweil. “As we prepare for the next century of scientific discovery, it is imperative that we take calculated risks and forecast breakthroughs in technology. I applaud The Optical Society for continuing to champion forward- thinking and groundbreaking discoveries.”
Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Dr. Chu, will lead a discussion with Kurzweil following the presentation. Dr. Chu has devoted his recent scientific career to the search for new solutions to our energy and climate challenges. He is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular & Cellular Physiology in the Medical School at Stanford University.
The Light the Future speaker series will tour eight international cities as part of The Optical Society’s Centennial program, featuring visionaries, futurists and Nobel Prize winners discussing how science affects our lives every day.
The series kicked off in February in Washington, D.C. with Ira Flatow, broadcast journalist and host of Science Friday, and featured Mary Lou Jepsen of Facebook/Oculus at OFC. Confirmed speakers for upcoming Light the Future events include:
26 July:
Joseph Izatt, professor of biomedical engineering, Duke University, OSA Fellow, with Bernard Kress from Microsoft
Imaging & Applied Optics Congress
Heidelberg, Germany
23 August:
Margaret Murnane, professor of physics, University of Colorado, JILA and OSA Fellow
Latin American Optics and Photonics Conference (LAOP)
Medellín, Colombia
20 October:
Michio Kaku, futurist and theoretical physicist, City College of New York, with Sir Peter L. Knight, emeritus professor, Imperial College, London, OSA Fellow, 2004 President,and Stephen Fantone, Optikos Corporation, OSA Fellow
Frontiers in Optics Conference & Exhibition (FiO)
Rochester, New York, USA
2-5 November:
Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate, former U.S Secretary of Energy and OSA Fellow
Asia Communications and Photonics Conference
Wuhan, China
4-8 December:
Prof. Sir David Payne, University of Southampton, Highfield and OSA Fellow
Photonics India
Kanpur, India
All sessions are free and open to the public and media. RSVP: lightthefuture@osa.org. Additional information can be found by following #OSA100LTF @OpticalSociety on Twitter.
Most Light the Future presentations will be recorded and available at: www.osa.org/100 or on The Optical Society’s YouTube channel.
About The Optical Society
Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and entrepreneurs who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org/100.
About CLEO
With a distinguished history as the industry's leading event on laser science, the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) is the premier international forum for scientific and technical optics, uniting the fields of lasers and opto-electronics by bringing together all aspects of laser technology, from basic research to industry applications. CLEO 2016 takes place 5 - 10 June 2016 at the San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California, USA. Follow developments and updates on CLEO 2016 on Twitter @CLEOConf, #CLEO16. For more information, visit www.cleoconference.org.
OSA 100 Sponsors
The Optical Society acknowledges the generosity of our corporate sponsors and media partners: Thorlabs, Inc., Corning, Inc., Edmund Optics, Go!Foton, Hamamatsu Corporation, IDEX Corporation, Navitar, Inc., OFS, Optimax Systems, RPC Photonics, Inc., Synopsys, Inc., Toptica Photonics, Inc., TRUMPF, Inc., Business Wire, Laser Focus World and Photonics Media.
Media Contacts:
mediarelations@osa.org
