Dialogues

From September 30 through October 4, faculty members from across the campus will be hosting sessions to discuss various angles on this year’s theme. These “Dialogues with Faculty” are very informal, and all Cal undergrads are welcome. Meeting and interacting with faculty should be one of your main goals while you are at Cal–this is an early opportunity for you to fulfill that goal. If you are thinking of majoring in the department of one of these faculty members, or just take an interest the topic he or she has chosen, please sign up and plan to attend.

G. Steven Martin – Dean of Biological Sciences; Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
Exploring Questions Raised by Turing’s Cathedral

Who deserves credit for the concept of the stored-program computer? What was the effect of the rise of Nazi Germany on the U.S. intellectual and artistic community? How has computer science changed our understanding of biology? Is the computer a good model of the brain? Are scientists responsible for how their discoveries and inventions are used? We will discuss these and many other questions raised – but only partially answered – in “Turing’s Cathedral.” Do you think the book achieved its author’s goals?

Monday September 30, 10:00 am – 11:30 am 236 Evans Hall

Mark Richards – Executive Dean, College of Letters and Science; Dean, Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences; Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Echoes from the Dawn of Digital Computing: H-bombs, Weather Prediction, Genetics, and Search Engines

We will discuss how the very early history of computing, as described in this book, presaged so many developments in computing that are ongoing, including climate modeling, search engines, and cyber warfare.

Tuesday October 1, 10:00 am – 11:30 am 236 Evans Hall

Tyler Stovall – Dean, Undergraduate Division; Professor of History
Science and Community at War

We will look at the nature of scientific community, both its strengths and weaknesses, and how it was shaped and reshaped by World War II. To get the most out of our discussion, students should concentrate on the first six chapters of the book.

Wednesday October 2, 10:00 am – 11:30 am 236 Evans Hall

Rasmus Nielsen – Professor of Integrative Biology
What is Life?

In this session we will discuss an old question that has puzzled scientists and philosophers for a long time: What distinguishes automata (machines) from living organisms? If a machine can mimic a living organism in all aspects, including replication, is it then not alive? This discussion may lead to other questions, in particular: If there is no principled fundamental distinction between living organisms and machines, are we then not a type of machines ourselves – deterministically controlled by our genes and the rest of our biological chemistry, without a free will?

Wednesday October 2, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm 236 Evans Hall

Tom Griffiths – Director, Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences; Associate Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science
Computation and Cognitive Science

The idea that computers might tell us something about how human minds work was one of the principles that led to the creation of cognitive science – an interdisciplinary science of the mind. So what does this idea mean, 50 years after the first computers and the birth of cognitive science? We will talk about how ideas from computer science are relevant to understanding how human minds work, including some recent research on how to make computers learn and reason.

Wednesday October 2, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Location: 236 Evans Hall

Carla Hesse – Dean, Division of Social Sciences; Professor of History
Progress in Science and Technology from a Social Science Prospective

We will discuss what social science can teach us about scientific breakthroughs and in particular the parts of the book that discuss political and social challenges of building the team, as well as the historical contingencies that made it possible. I also look forward to discussing the role of women in this process.

Thursday October 3, 10:00 am – 11:30 am 236 Evans Hall

Evan Variano – Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Numbers that DO something…(?)

George Dyson suggests that Von Neumann’s team shattered the distinction between “numbers that mean something” and “numbers that do something.”  We will discuss this idea, and explore how it relates to other forms of “code” and sets of rules present throughout history.  Students should bring their own ideas, as this will be a group discussion, moderated by Professor Variano.

Thursday October 3, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm – 236 Evans Hall

Randy Katz – Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
Arms and the Computer: Technological Surprise, National Security, and the Need for Research

In the early years of the 20th Century, Germany sought to challenge the supremacy of Great Britain on the High Seas, spurring a technological naval arms race of titanic dimensions. The British surprised the Germans by building a better ship: the big gun Dreadnought. And the Germans responded with their own big ships. The one that could engage an enemy at the longest possible range would come to dominate the world’s oceans. But how to hit a tiny object at great distance when both shooter and target are moving fast and pitching around at sea? The solution was early and quite sophisticated gun laying computers, whose top secret development was undertaken under extensive government sponsorship. The U.S., for example, developed one of the most advanced systems that was in use well into the Cold War era. But by then, precision guided missiles had all but eliminated the possibility of ship-to-ship gunnery engagements.

This story illustrates the importance of military sponsorship for research, but also how new technologies can render older ones obsolete almost immediately. From the perspective of today, it is hard to remember that modern consumer marvels like the cell phone and the laptop computer were derived from defense research programs with the goal of building better military technology. We will discuss the implications for 21st Century technological arms races, how they might influence consumer technologies, and which of the world’s economies are likely to lead in their development.

Friday October 4, 10:00 am – 11:30 am 236 Evans Hall

Sherrilyn Roush – Professor of Philosophy
Simulation in Science and Philosophy

We will discuss the role of computer simulation as a method in science, and the hypothesis that the universe is a giant computation. We’ll discuss the assumption behind some artificial intelligence research that the human mind can be simulated by computer software.

Friday October 4, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm 262 Evans Hall

Marianne Constable – Professor of Rhetoric
How to Learn from a Book (or an Assignment or a Class) that You are Just Not Very Excited By

There will no doubt be moments in your time at Cal when you are confused, stymied, or just plain disappointed by the materials or classes that you encounter. If you felt that way or if you have ANY complaints about “Turing’s Cathedral,” try to plough your way through it somehow and come to this session to talk about how and what you can learn from such situations. Bring your copy of the book and be prepared to articulate 2 or 3 issues you had with it. You will find that you are not alone! You will see how pinpointing concerns and issues can lead to greater knowledge about the material and about how you learn.

Friday October 4, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm 236 Evans Hall