Computation and the Transformation of Practically Everything

Watch videos of this symposium

Computation and the Transformation of Practically Everything traced the evolution of the information age and celebrate MIT's role in it. The event brought together early and recent pioneers from a variety of fields to review the role computation has played in the past and present and to explore frontiers that lie ahead.

Stay tuned for video of the symposium on these pages, and to hear how computation has changed finance, commerce, politics, entertainment, architecture, biology, manufacturing, and, well...practically everything.

Organized by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Read more about this symposium at MIT News.

Video archive

April 11, 2011

Welcome and Introductory Remarks

• David A. Mindell PhD '96, Chair, MIT150 Steering Committee; Frances and David Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing and of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT; Head, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, MIT
• Susan Hockfield, President and Professor of Neuroscience, MIT
• Victor Zue ScD '76, Director, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT; Delta Electronics Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

History

• F. Thomson Leighton PhD '81, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Akamai Technologies; Professor of Applied Mathematics, MIT
• Edward Lazowska, Bill and Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle
• Patrick H. Winston '65 SM '67 PhD '70, Ford Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, MIT

Physical Sciences and Engineering

• Charles M. Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering; MIT President, Emeritus
• Maria T. Zuber, E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics; Head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT
• Kaigham "Ken" J. Gabriel SM '79 ScD '83, Deputy Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, US Department of Defense; Founder, Chairman, and Chief Technology Officer, Akustica

Current Research 1

• Russell L. Tedrake PhD '04, X-Consortium Associate Science, MIT
• Anant Agarwal, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Shafrira Goldwasser, RSA Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, MIT

Travel and Entertainment

• Jeremy Wertheimer SM '89 PhD '96, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Founder, ITA Software
• Tony DeRose, Senior Scientist and Lead of the Research Group, Pixar Animation Studios

Current Research 2

• Leslie Pack Kaelbling, Panasonic Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Fredo Durand, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Regina Barzilay, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Samuel R. Madden, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Business and Economics

• Andrew W. Lo, Harris & Harris Group Professor of Finance, MIT Sloan School of Management; Director, Laboratory for Financial Engineering, MIT
• John A. Thain '77, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CIT Group Inc.

Closing Remarks

• W. Eric L. Grimson PhD '80, Chancellor, MIT; Bernard M. Gordon Professor of Medical Engineering and Professor of Computer Science, MIT

April 12, 2011

Welcome

• John V. Guttag, Dugald C. Jackson Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, MIT

Life Sciences

• Eric S. Lander, Professor of Biology, MIT; Professor of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School; Founding Director, The Broad Institute
• Collin M. Stultz, W.M. Keck Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, MIT
• David E. Shaw, Chief Scientist, D.E. Shaw Research

A.M. Turing Award Winners Panel Discussion

• Moderator: Stephen A. Ward '66 SM 69 PhD '74, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Panel: Fernando J. Corbato PhD '56 (1990), Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Butler W. Lampson (1992), Technical Fellow, Microsoft and Adjunct Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, MIT
• Barbara Liskov (2008), MIT Institute Professor; Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory; Associate Provost for Faculty Equity
• Ronald L. Rivest (2002), Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, MIT
• Andrew Chi-Chih Yao (2000), Professor and Dean of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Current Research 3

• Polina Golland PhD '01, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Dina Katabi Sm '99 PhD '03, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Robert C. Miller '95 MEng '95, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Computing for Everyone

• Nicholas Negroponte '66 MAR '66, Founder and Chairman, One Laptop per Child
• Tim Berners-Lee, 3Com Founders Professor of Engineering, MIT; Professor, Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southhampton, UK; Director, World Wide Web Consortium
• Suzanne Berger, Raphael Dorman-Helen Starbuck Professor of Political Science, MIT; Director, MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives; Chair, Production in the Innovation Economy Project

The March of Technology

• Rodney L. Brooks, Founder, Chairman, and Chief Technology Officer, Heartland Robotics; Panasonic Professor of Robotics, Emeritus, MIT
• John L. Hennessy, President and Bing Presidential Professor, Stanford University

Current Research 4

• Erik D. Demaine, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Daniela L. Rus, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT; Associate Director, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT
• Scott Aronson, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Closing Remarks

• Victor Zue ScD '76, Director, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT; Delta Electronics Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Monday, April 11, 2011

Continental breakfast  and registration

Kresge Auditorium, MIT
8 am 

Welcome and opening remarks

9 am 

• David A. Mindell, Chair, MIT150 Steering Committee and Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing and of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Susan Hockfield, President and Professor of Neuroscience, MIT
• Victor Zue, Director, CSAIL, Delta Electronics Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

History

9:15 am

• F. Thomson Leighton, Co-founder and Chief Scientist, Akamai Technologies, Professor of Applied Mathematics, MIT
• Edward Lazowska, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle
• Patrick H. Winston, Ford Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science, MIT

Break

10:30 am

Physical Sciences and Engineering

11am

• Charles M. Vest, President Emeritus, MIT and President, the National Academy of Engineering
• Maria T. Zuber, E. A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics and Head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, MIT
• Kaigham (Ken) J. Gabriel, Deputy Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Current Research I

12:15 pm

• Russell L. Tedrake, X-Consortium Associate Professor, EECS, MIT
• Anant Agarwal, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Shafrira Goldwasser, RSA Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, MIT

Lunch

12:45 pm

Travel and Entertainment

2 pm

• Jeremy Wertheimer, President & CEO, Co-founder, ITA Software
• Tony DeRose, Senior Scientist, Pixar Animation Studios

Current Research II

2:50 pm

• Leslie Kaelbling, Panasonic Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Frédo Durand, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Regina Barzilay, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Samuel R. Madden, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Break

3:30 pm

Business and Economics

4 pm

• Andrew Lo, Harris & Harris Group Professor of Finance, MIT Sloan School of Management; Director, Laboratory for Financial Engineering
• John A. Thain, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CIT Group, Inc.

Closing remarks

4:50 pm

• W. Eric L. Grimson, Chancellor, MIT; Bernard F. Gordon Professor of Medical Engineering and Professor of Computer Science

Adjourn

4:55 pm

An evening with the speakers

6 pm: Reception

7 pm: Seated dinner

Boston Marriott Cambridge
Two Cambridge Center
50 Broadway

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Kresge Auditorium

Continental breakfast and registration

8 am

Welcome

9 am

• John Guttag, Dugald C. Jackson Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, MIT

Life Sciences

9:05 am

• Eric S. Lander, Professor of Biology, MIT; Professor of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School; Founding Director, The Broad Institute

• Collin M. Stultz, W.M. Keck Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, MIT

• David E. Shaw, Chief Scientist, D.E.Shaw Research

Break

10:20 am

A.M. Turing Award Winners Panel Discussion

10:50 am

Moderator: Stephen A. Ward, Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

• Fernando Corbato (1990), Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Butler W. Lampson (1992), Technical Fellow, Microsoft; Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Barbara Liskov (2008), MIT Institute Professor and Associate Provost for Faculty Equity
• Ronald L. Rivest (2002), Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, MIT
• Andrew Chi-Chih Yao (2000), Professor and Dean of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Current Research III

11:50 am

• Polina Golland, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Dina Katabi, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Robert C. Miller, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Lunch

12:20 pm

Computing for Everyone

1:35 pm

• Nicholas Negroponte, Founder and Chairman, One Laptop per Child
• Tim Berners-Lee, 3Com Founders Professor of Engineering, MIT, Professor, Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, UK, Director, World Wide Web Consortium
  
• Suzanne Berger, Raphael Dorman — Helen Starbuck Professor of Political Science, MIT; Director, MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives; Chair, Production in the Innovation Economy Project

The March of Technology

2:50 pm

• Rodney L. Brooks, Founder, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer, Heartland Robotics; Panasonic Professor of Robotics, Emeritus, MIT
• John Hennessy, President  and Bing Presidential Professor, Stanford University

Break

3:40 pm

Current Research IV

4:10 pm

• Erik D. Demaine, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
• Daniela L.  Rus, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT; Associate Director, CSAIL
• Scott Aaronson, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Closing remarks

4:40 pm

• Victor Zue, Director, CSAIL, Delta Electronics Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT

Adjourn

4:50 pm