Exposing Involuntary Human Testing: Loopholes Allow Torture
Suzanne LeBoeufCleveland Civil Rights Examiner
The U.S. has a long history of involuntary and unethical human experimentation. A government funded secret program of the 1950's was called MKULTRA involving chemicals and electrodes embedded into brains in the 1950's and more recently in 2010, Raytheon was found to have used nonlethal weapons testing on prisoners. When President Clinton learned of radiation experiments he created the The Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE).
The ACHRE was only used as a guideline by Health and Human Services (HHS) but was not made law. The Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (1991) has also not been made the law and can be set aside and not followed by federal agencies.
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists reported that, "Therefore, until a federal statute that secures the right of informed consent for anyone subjected to classified human experimentation is passed by the legislature and signed into law by the president, the U.S. government has the power to carry out research projects without his consent and without informing the participants of the dangers or future complications".
We are to believe that human experiments require advance, informed consent in registered tests under the law, however there is no federal statute protecting involuntary classified human experimentation. The ramifications are horrifying. Without advance, informed consent of human test subjects of classified tests, those people will be tested upon without their knowledge and consent.
With advanced technologies used as weapons that harm citizens already available and being used on unwilling tortured persons, our country becomes a free-for-all to secretly subject people to all forms of torture. No one is required to answer for this while lives are being destroyed. There are no protections from human experimentation involving torture and killing Americans with no recourse available to human beings who are unable to prove who is doing this to them.
The President's Bioethics Commission provides the appearance of ethics being followed in human research, tests and experimentation. With the number of victims who have reported being tortured to the Commission, nothing has been done to help their situation. Rather victims have received letters that the Commission is no longer interested in hearing their complaints.
Americans and citizens of other countries have found each other online. Their numbers are growing. How long can the charade of human experimentation being safe continue and why would the President want these atrocities to continue?
WHO IS IT FOR?
Wait, What? is for forward-thinking scientists, engineers and other innovators interested in thinking interactively about the nature and scope of future technologies, their potential application to tomorrow's technical and societal challenges and the quandaries those applications may themselves engender.WHY PARTICIPATE?
The boundaries between scientific and technological disciplines such as biology, engineering and data science are fast disappearing, and remarkable insights and capabilities are emerging at those turbulent, transitioning intersections. Many innovators today are taking advantage of this rich intellectual and technical environment to pursue extraordinary new opportunities. Wait, What? will consider current and future advances in the physical and information sciences, engineering and mathematics through the lens of current and future national and global security dynamics, to reveal potentially attractive avenues of technological pursuit and to catalyze non-obvious synergies among participants.WHY DARPA?
As the federal R&D agency tasked with preventing and fomenting strategic technological surprise, DARPA is committed to envisioning and ultimately shaping new technological trajectories. It does so in part by fostering discussions among leaders on the forward edge of change—to learn from them about emerging technologies worthy of attention or support, and to inspire them to consider applying their expertise to the important and rewarding worlds of public service and national security.HOW WILL IT WORK?
Wait, What? will be a fast-paced gathering at which world-renowned thinkers and innovators from inside and outside DARPA will offer perspectives on where today's advances are heading. Through a variety of channels, everyone will be encouraged to help extend those ideas further into the future. In addition to plenary sessions focused on topics of broad import and interest, Wait, What? will offer multiple themed breakout sessions, allowing participants to dive more deeply into particular topics. An exhibit area will feature displays describing a selection of DARPA programs that reflect the breadth of the agency's work and range of its performers.WATCH THE VIDEO
Videos of the general session and breakout session presentations will be made available on this website. Please reference the Schedule and Breakout Session sections below.Plenary Speakers
Click on photo to view speaker bio
Ash Carter
Ashton B. Carter is the 25th Secretary of Defense
Secretary Carter has spent more than three decades leveraging his knowledge of science and technology, global strategy and policy as well as his deep dedication to the men and women of the Department of Defense to make our nation and the world a safer place. He has done so in direct and indirect service of eleven secretaries of defense in both Democratic and Republican Administrations. Whether in government, academia, or the private sector, Secretary Carter has been guided by pragmatism and his belief in the boundless opportunities of the United States and has worked tirelessly to contribute to the ideas, policies, and innovations that assure our global leadership.
Gunnar Carlsson
An algebraic topologist developing insights about how to handle and visualize big data
Gunnar Carlsson is the Anne and Bill Swindells Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University. He specializes in a branch of mathematics called topology, the study of shape. Theoretical study of topology started in the 1700s but starting in the late 1990s, Carlsson pioneered the applied use of topology to solve complex real-world problems. In the early 2000s, this work led to research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and DARPA to study the application of topological data analysis (TDA) to problems of interest within the U.S. government. In 2008, based on the success of these efforts, Gunnar, along with two other Stanford mathematicians, co-founded Ayasdi, a company that is commercializing topological methods for data analysis.
Carlsson has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Stanford University and B.A. in mathematics from Harvard University.
Carlsson has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Stanford University and B.A. in mathematics from Harvard University.
R. Alta Charo
A scholar of the legal and ethical implications of emerging technologies
R. Alta Charo is the Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the law and medical schools of the University of Wisconsin. Her expertise includes biotechnology regulation, bioethics, public health law, food and drug law, stem cell policy, torts and legislative drafting.
Charo served on President Obama's transition team, where she was a member of the HHS review team, focusing her attention particularly on transition issues related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bioethics, stem cell policy and women's reproductive health. From 2009-2011, she served as a senior policy advisor on emerging technology issues in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. A member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Committee on Science, Technology and Law, she co-chaired the committee that drafted the National Academies' Guidelines for Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
Charo has a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. in biology from Harvard University.
Charo served on President Obama's transition team, where she was a member of the HHS review team, focusing her attention particularly on transition issues related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bioethics, stem cell policy and women's reproductive health. From 2009-2011, she served as a senior policy advisor on emerging technology issues in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. A member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Committee on Science, Technology and Law, she co-chaired the committee that drafted the National Academies' Guidelines for Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
Charo has a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. in biology from Harvard University.
CRAIG CLARK
An entrepreneur on the cutting edge of space production and a pioneer of CubeSat technology
Clark is the founder/CEO of Clyde Space Ltd and regarded by many as a pioneer of the 'Newspace' revolution that is currently changing the face of the space industry. In 2005, and after 11 years designing and building small satellites with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Clark founded Clyde Space Ltd., which focuses on the development of cutting-edge products for the space market, particularly in the area of tiny satellites called CubeSats. The company's successes include the design, launch and operation of Scotland's first satellite, UKube-1. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the United Kingdom's Space Leadership Council and the British Interplanetary Society. Clark earned his M.Sc. in satellite engineering from the University of Surrey (UK), and a B.Eng. in power engineering from the University of Glasgow (UK).
Karl Deisseroth
A pioneer in optogenetics, using light
to turn individual working neurons on and off at will
to turn individual working neurons on and off at will
Karl Deisseroth is the D.H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.
His laboratory has worked on developing and applying high-resolution tools for controlling (optogenetics.org) and mapping (clarityresourcecenter.org) specific well-defined elements within intact and fully-assembled biological systems. His research laboratory continues to develop and apply these and other tools (integrated with optical, electrophysiological, computational, molecular, and behavioral approaches) for the study of neural physiology and behavior in freely moving mammals. His research group is interested both in natural behaviorally relevant neural circuit dynamics, and in pathological dynamics underlying neuropsychiatric disease symptomatology and treatment.
Deisseroth has an M.D. from Stanford University Medical School, a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University and a B.A. in biochemical sciences from Harvard University.
His laboratory has worked on developing and applying high-resolution tools for controlling (optogenetics.org) and mapping (clarityresourcecenter.org) specific well-defined elements within intact and fully-assembled biological systems. His research laboratory continues to develop and apply these and other tools (integrated with optical, electrophysiological, computational, molecular, and behavioral approaches) for the study of neural physiology and behavior in freely moving mammals. His research group is interested both in natural behaviorally relevant neural circuit dynamics, and in pathological dynamics underlying neuropsychiatric disease symptomatology and treatment.
Deisseroth has an M.D. from Stanford University Medical School, a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University and a B.A. in biochemical sciences from Harvard University.
Tom Dietterich
A pathfinding computer scientist applying human intelligence
to choices about artificial intelligence
to choices about artificial intelligence
Tom Dietterich is President of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University. As one of the earliest researchers in machine learning, he has made contributions to many aspects of the field including multiple-instance learning, multi-class learning, structured prediction, hierarchical reinforcement learning, and end-to-end learning in AI systems.
He earned his A.B. in Mathematics from Oberlin College (1977), M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois (1979), and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford (1985). He is a Fellow of the ACM, AAAS, and AAAI.
He earned his A.B. in Mathematics from Oberlin College (1977), M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois (1979), and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford (1985). He is a Fellow of the ACM, AAAS, and AAAI.
Jeff Gore
A physicist discovering the fundamental rules of population dynamics,
collapse and tipping points through microbes
collapse and tipping points through microbes
Jeff Gore joined the Physics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an Assistant Professor in January 2010 after spending the previous three years in the Department as a Pappalardo Fellow working with Alexander van Oudenaarden. With the support of a Hertz Graduate Fellowship, in 2005 he received his Ph.D. from the Physics Department at the University of California, Berkeley. His graduate research in single-molecule biophysics was done in the laboratory of Carlos Bustamante, focusing on the study of twist and torque in single molecules of DNA.
Dr. Gore was named the 2013 Allen Distinguished Investigator, was a recipient of the 2012 NIH New Innovators Award, was named 2011 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences and is the recipient of a 2011 Sloan Research Fellowship and 2011 NSF CAREER Award.
Dr. Gore was named the 2013 Allen Distinguished Investigator, was a recipient of the 2012 NIH New Innovators Award, was named 2011 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences and is the recipient of a 2011 Sloan Research Fellowship and 2011 NSF CAREER Award.
Mark Norell
A paleontologist and molecular geneticist shattering preconceptions about dinosaurs
Mark Norell is Division Chair and Curator-in-Charge, Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History and Professor, Richard Gilder Graduate School. Dr. Norell works in several areas of specimen-based and theoretical research. He works on the description and relationships among coelurosaurs and studies elements of the Asian Mesozoic fauna. He analyzes important new "feathered" dinosaurs from Liaoning, China, and develops theoretical methods for better understanding phylogenetic relationships and patterns in the fossil record.
Dr. Norell's theoretical work focuses on developing methodology for evaluating the effect of missing data on large data sets, sensitivity methods for character weighting, and using phylogeny to estimate patterns in the fossil record such as diversity and extinction. Much of his new research focuses on the evolution of the avian brain. He also studies the relationship between stratigraphic position and phylogenetic topology.
Dr. Norell received his bachelor's degree from California State University, his masters from San Diego State University and his M.Phil and Ph.D. from Yale University.
Dr. Norell's theoretical work focuses on developing methodology for evaluating the effect of missing data on large data sets, sensitivity methods for character weighting, and using phylogeny to estimate patterns in the fossil record such as diversity and extinction. Much of his new research focuses on the evolution of the avian brain. He also studies the relationship between stratigraphic position and phylogenetic topology.
Dr. Norell received his bachelor's degree from California State University, his masters from San Diego State University and his M.Phil and Ph.D. from Yale University.
Ramesh Raskar
A researcher using femtosecond photography to see around corners
Ramesh Raskar is an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. Raskar joined the Media Lab from Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories in 2008 as head of the Lab's Camera Culture research group. His research interests span the fields of computational photography, inverse problems in imaging and human-computer interaction.
In 2004, Raskar received the TR100 Award from Technology Review, which recognizes top young innovators under the age of 35, and in 2003, the Global Indus Technovator Award, instituted at MIT to recognize the top 20 Indian technology innovators worldwide.
Raskar has a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Iowa and a B.S. in electronics and telecommunications from the Government College of Engineering (India). He holds more than 50 U.S. patents and has received four Mitsubishi Electric Invention Awards. He is currently co-authoring a book on computational photography.
In 2004, Raskar received the TR100 Award from Technology Review, which recognizes top young innovators under the age of 35, and in 2003, the Global Indus Technovator Award, instituted at MIT to recognize the top 20 Indian technology innovators worldwide.
Raskar has a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Iowa and a B.S. in electronics and telecommunications from the Government College of Engineering (India). He holds more than 50 U.S. patents and has received four Mitsubishi Electric Invention Awards. He is currently co-authoring a book on computational photography.
Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli
An engineer inventing design tools for the trillion-device future
Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli holds the Buttner Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California at Berkeley. His research covers design methodologies, and tools for wireless sensor networks, embedded systems, hybrid systems, cyber physical systems (CPS), systems of systems (SoS) and electronic design automation.
Sangiovanni-Vincentelli was a co-founder of Cadence and Synopsys, the two leading companies in electronic design automation. He is Chairperson of the Comitato Nazionale dei Garanti per la Ricerca (CNGR).
He received the Distinguished Teaching Award of the University of California and the IEEE Graduate Teaching Award for “inspirational teaching of graduate students.” He has received numerous research awards, including the Kaufman Award and the IEEE/RSE Maxwell Medal.
Sangiovanni-Vincentelli has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from Politecnico di Milano (Italy). He is an author of more than 850 papers, 17 books and two patents. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Aalborg (Denmark) and KTH (Sweden).
Sangiovanni-Vincentelli was a co-founder of Cadence and Synopsys, the two leading companies in electronic design automation. He is Chairperson of the Comitato Nazionale dei Garanti per la Ricerca (CNGR).
He received the Distinguished Teaching Award of the University of California and the IEEE Graduate Teaching Award for “inspirational teaching of graduate students.” He has received numerous research awards, including the Kaufman Award and the IEEE/RSE Maxwell Medal.
Sangiovanni-Vincentelli has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from Politecnico di Milano (Italy). He is an author of more than 850 papers, 17 books and two patents. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Aalborg (Denmark) and KTH (Sweden).
Zach Serber
An entrepreneur engineering living cells to create
materials and chemistries the world has never seen
materials and chemistries the world has never seen
Zach Serber, recent co-founder of Zymergen, is a scientist and entrepreneur devoted to finding alternatives to petroleum. His goal is to expand the impact and reach of industrial microbial fermentation. He recently co-founded Zymergen to expand the impact and reach of industrial microbial fermentation. Zymergen applies radical new methods to design and improve microbes by rewriting their DNA. This capability allows the company to generate novel chemicals and advanced materials far faster, at lower costs, and with less risk than ever before.
Serber was previously the Director of Biology at Amyris where he worked on manufacturing bio-derived transportation fuels, on lowering the cost of the anti-malarial drug Artemisinin, and on developing advanced tools for engineering biology.
Serber has 15 peer-reviewed publications, 5 filed patents, and has worked as a research fellow at Stanford University Medical School. He has a Ph.D. in biophysics from UCSF, an M.Sc. in neuroscience from the University of Edinburgh, and a B.A. from Columbia University. He lives on a 50 year-old wooden sailboat in Sausalito CA with his wife and daughter.
Serber was previously the Director of Biology at Amyris where he worked on manufacturing bio-derived transportation fuels, on lowering the cost of the anti-malarial drug Artemisinin, and on developing advanced tools for engineering biology.
Serber has 15 peer-reviewed publications, 5 filed patents, and has worked as a research fellow at Stanford University Medical School. He has a Ph.D. in biophysics from UCSF, an M.Sc. in neuroscience from the University of Edinburgh, and a B.A. from Columbia University. He lives on a 50 year-old wooden sailboat in Sausalito CA with his wife and daughter.
Lucianne Walkowicz
An astronomer with a biologist's bent, studying stellar influences on planetary habitability
Lucianne Walkowicz is an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and Henry Norris Russell Fellow in the department of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University. She studies stellar magnetic activity and its effects on planetary habitability using data from NASA's Kepler Mission.
Selected Honors: Kavli Fellow Frontiers of Science (2012); TED Senior Fellow (2012); TEDGlobal Fellow (2011); SpokeStar of the Year; Light Pollution Advocacy; Astronomical League (2012); and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention (2004).
Walkowicz has a Ph.D. and M.S. in astronomy from the University of Washington and a B.S. in physics from Johns Hopkins University.
Selected Honors: Kavli Fellow Frontiers of Science (2012); TED Senior Fellow (2012); TEDGlobal Fellow (2011); SpokeStar of the Year; Light Pollution Advocacy; Astronomical League (2012); and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention (2004).
Walkowicz has a Ph.D. and M.S. in astronomy from the University of Washington and a B.S. in physics from Johns Hopkins University.
Jun Ye
A physicist herding atoms colder than the coldest spot in the known universe
Jun Ye is a professor of physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) and a fellow of both the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and JILA, a joint institute between NIST and CU. His research focuses on the frontier of light-matter interactions and includes ultrasensitive laser spectroscopy, optical frequency metrology, quantum optics using cold atoms and the science behind ultrafast lasers.
Awards and honors include three Gold Medals from the U.S. Commerce Department, a Frew Fellowship from the Australian Academy of Science, the I. I. Rabi Prize from the American Physical Society, the European Frequency and Time Forum Award, and the Carl Zeiss Research Award.
Ye has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an M.S. in physics from the University of New Mexico and a B.S. in applied physics from Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. He has co-authored more than 300 technical papers and has delivered more than 400 invited talks.
Awards and honors include three Gold Medals from the U.S. Commerce Department, a Frew Fellowship from the Australian Academy of Science, the I. I. Rabi Prize from the American Physical Society, the European Frequency and Time Forum Award, and the Carl Zeiss Research Award.
Ye has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an M.S. in physics from the University of New Mexico and a B.S. in applied physics from Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. He has co-authored more than 300 technical papers and has delivered more than 400 invited talks.
Breakout Sessions
Click on breakout session to view details
Coming Soon: Breakout Session videos will be posted by September 18th.
Future Biotech, Future Law
A glimpse into the future of global security, rogue technologies, and the law
Hosted by DARPA's Biological Technologies Office (BTO)
Revolutionary advances in the biological sciences promise a host of new capabilities, from programmable microbes to brain-machine interfaces that interpret and correct disruptive neural wave forms or allow direct control of devices through thought alone. But advances like these are poised to raise difficult ethical and legal quandaries. Join us for a discussion that will use episodes from Star Trek and other popular culture references to help us think through some of the privacy, personal autonomy, environmental stewardship and other societal issues raised by work being pursued or considered by DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office.
Alta Charo
R. Alta Charo is the Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the law and medical schools of the University of Wisconsin. Her expertise includes biotechnology regulation, bioethics, public health law, food and drug law, stem cell policy, torts and legislative drafting. Charo served on President Obama's transition team, where she was a member of the HHS review team, focusing her attention particularly on transition issues related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bioethics, stem cell policy and women's reproductive health. From 2009 to 2011, she served as a senior policy advisor on emerging technology issues in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. A member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Committee on Science, Technology and Law, she co-chaired the committee that drafted the National Academies' Guidelines for Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Charo has a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. in biology from Harvard University.
R. Alta Charo is the Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the law and medical schools of the University of Wisconsin. Her expertise includes biotechnology regulation, bioethics, public health law, food and drug law, stem cell policy, torts and legislative drafting. Charo served on President Obama's transition team, where she was a member of the HHS review team, focusing her attention particularly on transition issues related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bioethics, stem cell policy and women's reproductive health. From 2009 to 2011, she served as a senior policy advisor on emerging technology issues in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. A member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Committee on Science, Technology and Law, she co-chaired the committee that drafted the National Academies' Guidelines for Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Charo has a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. in biology from Harvard University.
Geoff Ling
Dr. Geoffrey Ling is the founding director of the Biological Technologies Office. He began his DARPA service in 2004 as a Program Manager in the Defense Sciences Office (DSO). He created and managed a broad research portfolio, spanning neuroscience, infectious disease, pharmacology, and battlefield medicine. His Revolutionizing Prosthetics program developed advanced arm prostheses controlled either non-invasively or directly by a user’s brain. His Preventing Violent Explosive Neuro Trauma program developed new understanding and treatment of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). He was the 2009 DARPA Program Manager of the Year and served as the DSO Deputy Director from 2013-2014.
Dr. Ling has spent his career providing critical care to patients suffering from neurological trauma. He served as an officer in the United States Army Medical Corps for 27 years before retiring as a Colonel in 2012. As a military neurointensive care physician, he deployed with the 44th Medical Command (Airborne) to Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2005. At the direction of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, COL Ling deployed on four “Gray Team” missions to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009-2012 to evaluate and recommend improvements to war-theater TBI care.
Dr. Ling received his medical degree from Georgetown University and his Doctor of Philosophy in pharmacology from Cornell University's Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a neuropharmacology research fellowship at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a neurointensive care fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington University in St. Louis.
In addition to his role at DARPA, Dr. Ling serves as a Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is an attending neurocritical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is board certified in both neurology and neurocritical care. From 2012-2013, he served as the Assistant Director for Medical Innovation of the Science Division at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Dr. Ling has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews and book chapters, including the TBI chapter in Cecil's Textbook of Medicine and several DoD Guidelines for managing head injury. He is a fellow of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical Care Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit and an “A” designated neurologist.
Dr. Geoffrey Ling is the founding director of the Biological Technologies Office. He began his DARPA service in 2004 as a Program Manager in the Defense Sciences Office (DSO). He created and managed a broad research portfolio, spanning neuroscience, infectious disease, pharmacology, and battlefield medicine. His Revolutionizing Prosthetics program developed advanced arm prostheses controlled either non-invasively or directly by a user’s brain. His Preventing Violent Explosive Neuro Trauma program developed new understanding and treatment of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). He was the 2009 DARPA Program Manager of the Year and served as the DSO Deputy Director from 2013-2014.
Dr. Ling has spent his career providing critical care to patients suffering from neurological trauma. He served as an officer in the United States Army Medical Corps for 27 years before retiring as a Colonel in 2012. As a military neurointensive care physician, he deployed with the 44th Medical Command (Airborne) to Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2005. At the direction of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, COL Ling deployed on four “Gray Team” missions to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009-2012 to evaluate and recommend improvements to war-theater TBI care.
Dr. Ling received his medical degree from Georgetown University and his Doctor of Philosophy in pharmacology from Cornell University's Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a neuropharmacology research fellowship at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a neurointensive care fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington University in St. Louis.
In addition to his role at DARPA, Dr. Ling serves as a Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is an attending neurocritical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is board certified in both neurology and neurocritical care. From 2012-2013, he served as the Assistant Director for Medical Innovation of the Science Division at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Dr. Ling has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews and book chapters, including the TBI chapter in Cecil's Textbook of Medicine and several DoD Guidelines for managing head injury. He is a fellow of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical Care Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit and an “A” designated neurologist.
Justin Sanchez
Justin Sanchez joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013 to explore neurotechnology, brain science and systems neurobiology. Before coming to DARPA, Sanchez was at the University of Miami, where he served as an associate professor of biomedical engineering and neuroscience and a faculty member of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He directed the university's Neuroprosthetics Research Group, where he oversaw development of neural-interface medical treatments and neurotechnology for treating paralysis and stroke, and for deep-brain stimulation for movement disorders, Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is an elected member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers, holds seven patents in neuroprosthetic design and authored a book on the design of brain-machine interfaces. Sanchez holds a Ph.D. and an M.Eng. in biomedical engineering, and a B.S. in engineering science, all from the University of Florida.
Justin Sanchez joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013 to explore neurotechnology, brain science and systems neurobiology. Before coming to DARPA, Sanchez was at the University of Miami, where he served as an associate professor of biomedical engineering and neuroscience and a faculty member of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He directed the university's Neuroprosthetics Research Group, where he oversaw development of neural-interface medical treatments and neurotechnology for treating paralysis and stroke, and for deep-brain stimulation for movement disorders, Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is an elected member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers, holds seven patents in neuroprosthetic design and authored a book on the design of brain-machine interfaces. Sanchez holds a Ph.D. and an M.Eng. in biomedical engineering, and a B.S. in engineering science, all from the University of Florida.
Doug Weber
Doug Weber joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013. His interests are in neural engineering, specifically neural interface systems and how to apply them to acquiring and decoding neural signals for controlling assistive and prosthetic devices; and neural stimulation technologies for restoring or retraining sensory, motor and autonomic functions. Weber came to DARPA from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He also served the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a research biomedical engineer in the VA Pittsburgh Health System. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Weber holds a Ph.D. and an M.S., both in biomedical engineering, from Arizona State University and a B.S. in biomedical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Doug Weber joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013. His interests are in neural engineering, specifically neural interface systems and how to apply them to acquiring and decoding neural signals for controlling assistive and prosthetic devices; and neural stimulation technologies for restoring or retraining sensory, motor and autonomic functions. Weber came to DARPA from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He also served the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a research biomedical engineer in the VA Pittsburgh Health System. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Weber holds a Ph.D. and an M.S., both in biomedical engineering, from Arizona State University and a B.S. in biomedical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Science, Disrupted
Beyond the limits of intuition, computation, and measurement
Hosted by DARPA's Defense Sciences Office (DSO)
Advances in physical sensing, leaps in computing power, an abundance of data and a host of other capabilities are advancing a revolution in science unlike any in the last 400 years, and are allowing us to tackle wicked problems that were intractable just a few years ago. New materials are being designed and constructed one atom at a time, for example, and intelligent computers are becoming active partners in scientific discovery, reading scientific papers and generating new hypotheses. Scientists are using lasers to chill individual atoms to ultracold temperatures and capturing those atoms in predefined lattices to uncover the deepest mysteries of matter, including superconductivity. Such advances, in turn, are disrupting long-held scientific intuitions and the conduct of science itself—the discoveries, the communities, the fundamental theories. Join us in planning the revolution as we discuss new opportunities - and perhaps some new limits - that await us at the scientific frontier.
Ivan Amato (Moderator)
For almost 30 years, Ivan Amato has chronicled the story of some of the most influential drivers of our times: science and technology. He is the author of three books—Super Vision: A New View of Nature (2003), Pushing the Horizon: Seventy-Five Years of High Stakes Science and Technology at the Naval Research Laboratory (1998), and Stuff: The Materials The World Is Made Of (1997). A fourth book about the Navy's historic role in the U.S. space program is scheduled for publication in 2016. Amato's career has included writing and editing positions at publications including Science and Chemical & Engineering News. He has been a correspondent for National Public Radio and contributed to media outlets including Time, Fortune, the Washington Post, Nature, Technology Review and the Discovery Channel. He has also served as an editorial consultant to the President's Council of Advisors for Science and Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History.
For almost 30 years, Ivan Amato has chronicled the story of some of the most influential drivers of our times: science and technology. He is the author of three books—Super Vision: A New View of Nature (2003), Pushing the Horizon: Seventy-Five Years of High Stakes Science and Technology at the Naval Research Laboratory (1998), and Stuff: The Materials The World Is Made Of (1997). A fourth book about the Navy's historic role in the U.S. space program is scheduled for publication in 2016. Amato's career has included writing and editing positions at publications including Science and Chemical & Engineering News. He has been a correspondent for National Public Radio and contributed to media outlets including Time, Fortune, the Washington Post, Nature, Technology Review and the Discovery Channel. He has also served as an editorial consultant to the President's Council of Advisors for Science and Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History.
AI Ascendant
Designing AIs to do the right thing
Hosted by DARPA's Information Innovation Office (I2O)
Computer scientist John McCarthy summarized the central conjecture of artificial intelligence (AI) in a proposal for a two-month conference held at Dartmouth College in 1956: "[E]very aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it." Sixty years of research has produced remarkable progress in every aspect of artificial intelligence: speech understanding, language translation, computer vision, machine learning, robotics, text mining, neuromorphic systems and much more. AI technologies pervade web search engines, advertising, recommendation services, social media, fraud detection and drug discovery. AI programs beat the world champions of chess and "Jeopardy!," but more importantly, AI technology is starting to be integrated into our critical infrastructure, our economy and our defense. This panel will explore the issues that these changes raise. What new AI capabilities will be required? What safety and cybersecurity challenges must be addressed? What are the potential economic and strategic impacts? Join us to help shape the future of AI.
Trevor Darrell
Trevor Darrell is on the faculty of the computer science division of the electrical engineering and computer science department at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also head of the Computer Vision Group at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) affiliated with the university. Darrell's group develops algorithms for large-scale perceptual learning, including object and activity recognition and detection, for a variety of applications including multimodal interaction with robots and mobile devices. His interests include computer vision, machine learning, computer graphics and perception-based human-computer interfaces. Darrell was previously on the faculty of the electrical engineering and computer science department at MIT, where he directed the Vision Interface Group. He received his Ph.D. and S.M. from MIT and his B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Trevor Darrell is on the faculty of the computer science division of the electrical engineering and computer science department at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also head of the Computer Vision Group at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) affiliated with the university. Darrell's group develops algorithms for large-scale perceptual learning, including object and activity recognition and detection, for a variety of applications including multimodal interaction with robots and mobile devices. His interests include computer vision, machine learning, computer graphics and perception-based human-computer interfaces. Darrell was previously on the faculty of the electrical engineering and computer science department at MIT, where he directed the Vision Interface Group. He received his Ph.D. and S.M. from MIT and his B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Tom Dietterich
Tom Dietterich is president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University. As one of the earliest researchers in machine learning, he has made contributions to many aspects of the field including multiple-instance learning, multi-class learning, structured prediction, hierarchical reinforcement learning and end-to-end learning in AI systems. Dietterich earned his Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Illinois and an A.B. in mathematics from Oberlin College. He is a Fellow of AAAI, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Tom Dietterich is president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University. As one of the earliest researchers in machine learning, he has made contributions to many aspects of the field including multiple-instance learning, multi-class learning, structured prediction, hierarchical reinforcement learning and end-to-end learning in AI systems. Dietterich earned his Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Illinois and an A.B. in mathematics from Oberlin College. He is a Fellow of AAAI, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Yolanda Gil
Yolanda Gil is director of knowledge technologies and associate division director at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California, and research professor in the university's computer science department. She leads a group that conducts research on various aspects of interactive knowledge capture. Her research interests include intelligent user interfaces, knowledge-rich problem solving, and the semantic web. She initiated and chaired the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Provenance Working Group that led to a community standard for establishing the authenticity and trustworthiness of web-related processes and data. Gil has served in the Advisory Committee of the Computer Science and Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation. She is chair of ACM's Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI) and was elected Fellow of the AAAI in 2012. She received her Ph.D. and M.S., both in computer science, from Carnegie Mellon University.
Yolanda Gil is director of knowledge technologies and associate division director at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California, and research professor in the university's computer science department. She leads a group that conducts research on various aspects of interactive knowledge capture. Her research interests include intelligent user interfaces, knowledge-rich problem solving, and the semantic web. She initiated and chaired the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Provenance Working Group that led to a community standard for establishing the authenticity and trustworthiness of web-related processes and data. Gil has served in the Advisory Committee of the Computer Science and Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation. She is chair of ACM's Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI) and was elected Fellow of the AAAI in 2012. She received her Ph.D. and M.S., both in computer science, from Carnegie Mellon University.
Hadas Kress-Gazit
Hadas Kress-Gazit is an associate professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. Her research focuses on formal methods for robotics and automation and more specifically on creating verifiable robot controllers for complex high-level tasks using logic, verification, synthesis, hybrid systems theory and computational linguistics. She received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in 2010 and a DARPA Young Faculty Award in 2012. Kress-Gazit received her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in electrical and systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from the Technion in Haifa, Israel.
Hadas Kress-Gazit is an associate professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. Her research focuses on formal methods for robotics and automation and more specifically on creating verifiable robot controllers for complex high-level tasks using logic, verification, synthesis, hybrid systems theory and computational linguistics. She received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in 2010 and a DARPA Young Faculty Award in 2012. Kress-Gazit received her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in electrical and systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from the Technion in Haifa, Israel.
Steve Lohr (Moderator)
Steve Lohr has covered technology, business and economics for the New York Times for more than 20 years. In 2013, he was part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. He was a foreign correspondent for a decade and served as an editor, and has written for magazines including the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic and Washington Monthly. Lohr is the author of Data-ism, which examines the field of data science and decision-making (2015). He is also the author of a history of software and computer programming, Go To (2001).
Steve Lohr has covered technology, business and economics for the New York Times for more than 20 years. In 2013, he was part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. He was a foreign correspondent for a decade and served as an editor, and has written for magazines including the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic and Washington Monthly. Lohr is the author of Data-ism, which examines the field of data science and decision-making (2015). He is also the author of a history of software and computer programming, Go To (2001).
Technology by the People, for the People
Building communities to eliminate barriers to technology
Hosted by DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO)
Start with the creative and collaborative mentality of the burgeoning do-it-yourself and maker movements. Add to that the powerful electronics and manufacturing technologies previously accessible only in the rarified high-tech sector. What might you get? How about innovation in innovation itself, in which the opportunity to develop far-reaching capabilities opens up to millions, even billions more people? It's all about expanding the open-source software model—in which code is openly shared with others for iterative improvements—and applying it to hardware and brainware. Imagine what could quickly erupt in such an open ecosystem: cameras that could track and recognize thousands of objects simultaneously; miniature sensors that could help us integrate, learn and communicate with our environment; circuits that would allow for extracting information from mounds of tangled, unstructured data; and algorithms that could be readily embodied in efficient, specialized hardware. Now, overlay on all of that today's global connectivity to get the biggest innovation multiplier of all: the ability of kindred brains to find and work with each other wherever in the world they might be. Where and how will this revved-up open-source ethic prove most consequential? What kinds of standards, protocols and technical giveaways might best encourage creativity and success? Join us as we explore the potential implications of an unleashed open-source technology movement.
Tom Kalil (Moderator)
Tom Kalil is deputy director for technology and innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and senior advisor for Science, Technology and Innovation for the National Economic Council. In these roles, he serves as a senior White House staffer charged with coordinating the government's technology and innovation agenda. Prior to serving in the Obama Administration, Kalil was special assistant to the chancellor for science and technology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2007 and 2008, he was chair of the Global Health Working Group for the Clinton Global Initiative. Previously, he served for eight years in the Clinton White House, ultimately as the deputy assistant to the president for technology and economic policy and the deputy director of the National Economic Council. Kalil received a B.A. in political science and international economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and completed graduate work at Tufts University's Fletcher School.
Tom Kalil is deputy director for technology and innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and senior advisor for Science, Technology and Innovation for the National Economic Council. In these roles, he serves as a senior White House staffer charged with coordinating the government's technology and innovation agenda. Prior to serving in the Obama Administration, Kalil was special assistant to the chancellor for science and technology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2007 and 2008, he was chair of the Global Health Working Group for the Clinton Global Initiative. Previously, he served for eight years in the Clinton White House, ultimately as the deputy assistant to the president for technology and economic policy and the deputy director of the National Economic Council. Kalil received a B.A. in political science and international economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and completed graduate work at Tufts University's Fletcher School.
Session 1 Platforms to enhance innovation: Circuits
Prabal Dutta
Prabal Dutta is a Morris Wellman Faculty Development Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. He enjoys building real systems that attack challenging societal problems. His work has yielded dozens of hardware and software systems, has won four best paper awards, has received several design awards, has been directly commercialized by a dozen companies and indirectly by many dozens more, and has been utilized by thousands of researchers and practitioners worldwide. Dutta's work has been recognized with an NSF CAREER award, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, an Intel Early Career Award, and a Popular Science Brilliant Ten of 2014 Award. He served on DARPA's Information Science and Technology (ISAT) study group from 2012 to 2015, where he co-organized a number of ISAT workshops. Dutta holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Ohio State University.
Prabal Dutta is a Morris Wellman Faculty Development Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. He enjoys building real systems that attack challenging societal problems. His work has yielded dozens of hardware and software systems, has won four best paper awards, has received several design awards, has been directly commercialized by a dozen companies and indirectly by many dozens more, and has been utilized by thousands of researchers and practitioners worldwide. Dutta's work has been recognized with an NSF CAREER award, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, an Intel Early Career Award, and a Popular Science Brilliant Ten of 2014 Award. He served on DARPA's Information Science and Technology (ISAT) study group from 2012 to 2015, where he co-organized a number of ISAT workshops. Dutta holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Ohio State University.
Andreas Olofsson
Andreas Olofsson founded Adapteva in 2008 with a mission to create a new class of massively parallel processors to increase computing energy efficiency by an order of magnitude. Since its inception, Adapteva as a semiconductor company has achieved two world firsts: first to build a microprocessor with 50 gigaflops-per-watt processing efficiency and first to successfully crowdfund a chip. Starting in 1996, Olofsson has worked in silicon process flow development all the way up to system-level definition. Prior to starting Adapteva, he worked at Analog Devices for 10 years, developing the TigerSHARC microprocessor for wireless communication and low-cost, mixed-signal system-on-a-chip (SOC) imaging applications. Olofsson holds an M.S. in electrical engineering, a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in physics, all from the University of Pennsylvania.
Andreas Olofsson founded Adapteva in 2008 with a mission to create a new class of massively parallel processors to increase computing energy efficiency by an order of magnitude. Since its inception, Adapteva as a semiconductor company has achieved two world firsts: first to build a microprocessor with 50 gigaflops-per-watt processing efficiency and first to successfully crowdfund a chip. Starting in 1996, Olofsson has worked in silicon process flow development all the way up to system-level definition. Prior to starting Adapteva, he worked at Analog Devices for 10 years, developing the TigerSHARC microprocessor for wireless communication and low-cost, mixed-signal system-on-a-chip (SOC) imaging applications. Olofsson holds an M.S. in electrical engineering, a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in physics, all from the University of Pennsylvania.
Nigel Paver
Nigel Paver is vice president of engineering at ARM Research, a division of ARM Ltd, a global semiconductor and software design company. He is responsible for driving innovative research programs in diverse areas, from silicon technologies and sensors to IT architecture and high-performance computing. Nigel is an ARM Fellow with more than 25 years of experience in and around the ARM architecture and ecosystem. He holds 31 U.S. patents and has published more than 30 papers and received the British Computer Society (BCS) Award. Paver received his Ph.D. in computer science and an M.S. in systems design, both from the University of Manchester (UK), and a B.S. in electronics from the University of Manchester Institute of Technology (UK).
Nigel Paver is vice president of engineering at ARM Research, a division of ARM Ltd, a global semiconductor and software design company. He is responsible for driving innovative research programs in diverse areas, from silicon technologies and sensors to IT architecture and high-performance computing. Nigel is an ARM Fellow with more than 25 years of experience in and around the ARM architecture and ecosystem. He holds 31 U.S. patents and has published more than 30 papers and received the British Computer Society (BCS) Award. Paver received his Ph.D. in computer science and an M.S. in systems design, both from the University of Manchester (UK), and a B.S. in electronics from the University of Manchester Institute of Technology (UK).
Session 2 Platforms to enhance innovation: Spectrum
Elad Alon
Elad Alon is an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-director of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center. His research focuses on energy-efficient integrated systems, including the circuit, device and communications techniques used to design them. Previously, he held positions with Lion Semiconductor, Wilocity, Cadence, Xilinx, Oracle, Intel, AMD, Rambus and IBM, working on integrated circuits for a range of applications. He received the IBM Faculty Award in 2008, the 2009 Hellman Family Faculty Fund Award, the 2010 UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2010 ISSCC Jack Raper Award for Outstanding Technology Directions Paper, the 2011 Symposium on VLSI Circuits Best Student Paper Award, and the 2012 and 2013 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference Best Student Paper Award. Alon received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D., all in electrical engineering, from Stanford University.
Elad Alon is an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-director of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center. His research focuses on energy-efficient integrated systems, including the circuit, device and communications techniques used to design them. Previously, he held positions with Lion Semiconductor, Wilocity, Cadence, Xilinx, Oracle, Intel, AMD, Rambus and IBM, working on integrated circuits for a range of applications. He received the IBM Faculty Award in 2008, the 2009 Hellman Family Faculty Fund Award, the 2010 UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2010 ISSCC Jack Raper Award for Outstanding Technology Directions Paper, the 2011 Symposium on VLSI Circuits Best Student Paper Award, and the 2012 and 2013 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference Best Student Paper Award. Alon received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D., all in electrical engineering, from Stanford University.
Matt Ettus
Matt Ettus is president and founder of Ettus Research, a division of National Instruments. He was a core contributor to the GNU Radio project, a free framework for software-defined radio, and the creator of the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP). USRPs are in use in more than 110 countries for everything from cellular and satellite communications to radio astronomy, medical imaging and wildlife tracking. In 2010, the USRP family won the Technology of the Year award from the Wireless Innovation Forum. In the past, Ettus has designed Bluetooth chips, GPS systems and high-performance microprocessors. Before that, he received an M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in computer science from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2011, Ettus was named an eminent member of Eta Kappa Nu, the IEEE's honor society for electrical and computer engineering, and was awarded the Wireless Innovation Forum International Achievement Award in 2015.
Matt Ettus is president and founder of Ettus Research, a division of National Instruments. He was a core contributor to the GNU Radio project, a free framework for software-defined radio, and the creator of the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP). USRPs are in use in more than 110 countries for everything from cellular and satellite communications to radio astronomy, medical imaging and wildlife tracking. In 2010, the USRP family won the Technology of the Year award from the Wireless Innovation Forum. In the past, Ettus has designed Bluetooth chips, GPS systems and high-performance microprocessors. Before that, he received an M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in computer science from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2011, Ettus was named an eminent member of Eta Kappa Nu, the IEEE's honor society for electrical and computer engineering, and was awarded the Wireless Innovation Forum International Achievement Award in 2015.
Tom Rondeau
Tom Rondeau is the maintainer and lead developer of the GNU Radio project and a consultant on signal processing and wireless communications. Rondeau is active in many conferences and workshops around the world to help further research and technology in these areas, and he has consulted with many companies and government organizations on new techniques in wireless signal processing. He is also a visiting researcher with the University of Pennsylvania and has published widely in the fields of wireless communications, software radio and cognitive radio. Rondeau holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and won the 2007 Outstanding Dissertation Award in math, science and engineering from the Council of Graduate Schools for his work in artificial intelligence in wireless communications.
Tom Rondeau is the maintainer and lead developer of the GNU Radio project and a consultant on signal processing and wireless communications. Rondeau is active in many conferences and workshops around the world to help further research and technology in these areas, and he has consulted with many companies and government organizations on new techniques in wireless signal processing. He is also a visiting researcher with the University of Pennsylvania and has published widely in the fields of wireless communications, software radio and cognitive radio. Rondeau holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and won the 2007 Outstanding Dissertation Award in math, science and engineering from the Council of Graduate Schools for his work in artificial intelligence in wireless communications.
Wrangling Complexity
Designing systems that work
Hosted by DARPA's Strategic Technology Office (STO)
Today's complex and sophisticated technologies are built from components that assemble into mid-level systems that, in turn, integrate into systems of systems. Automobiles…civilian and military aircraft…the Internet…the Global Positioning System…the power grid…communications satellites…. All are systems of systems, embodying this architecture's disadvantages (including intense complexity and a need for unprecedented coordination) and advantages (including the potential for synergistic effects and smaller odds of catastrophic failure if one of several components fails or is lost). As we as individuals and a Nation come to rely increasingly on these systems of systems, we need to develop new design principles and methods that help us maximize their potential benefits and minimize their risks. Join us for a discussion about the technical, design, logistical, operational and other challenges associated with systems of systems in both civilian and military contexts.
John G. Clark
John G. Clark is director of the Focused Technology Roadmaps organization within Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Advanced Development Programs (Skunk Works). He is responsible for identifying, maturing, demonstrating and transitioning technology to address the needs for all Lockheed Martin aeronautics platforms. He directs a portfolio of technology roadmaps to implement business strategy and meet near-term R&D needs and platform pursuits. His portfolio comprises the Survivability, Software Systems, Electronic Warfare, Weapons, Sensors, Cyber, and Anti-Tamper Technology teams. Clark also previously served as the program manager of the Open System Architecture and Software Technology Roadmap for Skunk Works, where he worked on multiple command-and-control and autonomy program activities related to unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Clark holds an M.B.A. from Texas Christian University and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
John G. Clark is director of the Focused Technology Roadmaps organization within Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Advanced Development Programs (Skunk Works). He is responsible for identifying, maturing, demonstrating and transitioning technology to address the needs for all Lockheed Martin aeronautics platforms. He directs a portfolio of technology roadmaps to implement business strategy and meet near-term R&D needs and platform pursuits. His portfolio comprises the Survivability, Software Systems, Electronic Warfare, Weapons, Sensors, Cyber, and Anti-Tamper Technology teams. Clark also previously served as the program manager of the Open System Architecture and Software Technology Roadmap for Skunk Works, where he worked on multiple command-and-control and autonomy program activities related to unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Clark holds an M.B.A. from Texas Christian University and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Kathleen Fisher
Kathleen Fisher is a professor of computer science at Tufts University. Previously, she was a principal member of the technical staff at AT&T Labs Research, a consulting faculty member in the computer science department at Stanford University, and a program manager at DARPA. Fisher's research focuses on advancing the theory and practice of programming languages and on applying ideas from the programming language community to the problem of ad hoc data management. Recently, she has been exploring synergies between machine learning and programming languages and studying how to apply advances in programming languages to the problem of building more secure systems. Fisher is an ACM Fellow and is past chair of the ACM Special Interest Group in Programming Languages (SIGPLAN), past co-chair of CRA's Committee on the Status of Women (CRA-W) and a former editor of the Journal of Functional Programming. Fisher earned her Ph.D. in computer science and B.Sc. in math and computational science from Stanford University.
Kathleen Fisher is a professor of computer science at Tufts University. Previously, she was a principal member of the technical staff at AT&T Labs Research, a consulting faculty member in the computer science department at Stanford University, and a program manager at DARPA. Fisher's research focuses on advancing the theory and practice of programming languages and on applying ideas from the programming language community to the problem of ad hoc data management. Recently, she has been exploring synergies between machine learning and programming languages and studying how to apply advances in programming languages to the problem of building more secure systems. Fisher is an ACM Fellow and is past chair of the ACM Special Interest Group in Programming Languages (SIGPLAN), past co-chair of CRA's Committee on the Status of Women (CRA-W) and a former editor of the Journal of Functional Programming. Fisher earned her Ph.D. in computer science and B.Sc. in math and computational science from Stanford University.
Evan Fortunato
Evan Fortunato is the co-owner of Apogee Research, a small business focused on research and development in areas of national security. Fortunato leads a number of efforts associated with the development of adaptive and resilient cyber-physical systems by combining techniques from a range of technical fields including: information theory, stochastic control systems, program analysis, multi-modal data estimation, statistical analysis and optimization. One of his current research interests is in managing complex systems by understanding their underlying algebraic symmetries. Fortunato received his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and a B.S. in physics from MIT.
Evan Fortunato is the co-owner of Apogee Research, a small business focused on research and development in areas of national security. Fortunato leads a number of efforts associated with the development of adaptive and resilient cyber-physical systems by combining techniques from a range of technical fields including: information theory, stochastic control systems, program analysis, multi-modal data estimation, statistical analysis and optimization. One of his current research interests is in managing complex systems by understanding their underlying algebraic symmetries. Fortunato received his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and a B.S. in physics from MIT.
Richard Murray
Richard Murray is currently the Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control & Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering at the Caltech. Murray's research is in the application of feedback and control to networked systems, with applications in biology and autonomy. Current projects include analysis and design biomolecular feedback circuits; specification, design and synthesis of networked control systems; and novel architectures for control using slow computing. Murray earned his Ph.D. and M.S., both in electrical engineering and computer sciences, from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Caltech.
Richard Murray is currently the Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control & Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering at the Caltech. Murray's research is in the application of feedback and control to networked systems, with applications in biology and autonomy. Current projects include analysis and design biomolecular feedback circuits; specification, design and synthesis of networked control systems; and novel architectures for control using slow computing. Murray earned his Ph.D. and M.S., both in electrical engineering and computer sciences, from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Caltech.
Nan Mattai (Moderator)
Nan Mattai serves as senior vice president of engineering & technology of Rockwell Collins, where she guides the corporation's technology vision and provides strategic leadership. She also leads the corporation's Advanced Technology Center. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Aviation Week Strategic Media & Conferences, an external research panel at Sandia National Laboratories' Defense Systems and Assessments, and the Stevens Institute of Technology's School of Systems and Enterprises. She was named a 2014 influential woman in Defense Electronics and to the Army Technology Top 10 list of the Defense Industry's most powerful women in 2015. Mattai graduated from the University of Windsor, Canada with an M.S. in nuclear physics and completed all graduate courses for a Ph.D. in physics.
Nan Mattai serves as senior vice president of engineering & technology of Rockwell Collins, where she guides the corporation's technology vision and provides strategic leadership. She also leads the corporation's Advanced Technology Center. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Aviation Week Strategic Media & Conferences, an external research panel at Sandia National Laboratories' Defense Systems and Assessments, and the Stevens Institute of Technology's School of Systems and Enterprises. She was named a 2014 influential woman in Defense Electronics and to the Army Technology Top 10 list of the Defense Industry's most powerful women in 2015. Mattai graduated from the University of Windsor, Canada with an M.S. in nuclear physics and completed all graduate courses for a Ph.D. in physics.
Launching New Trajectories in Space
New capabilities, new cost curves
Hosted by DARPA's Tactical Technology Office (TTO)
For the half-century since the Soviets launched Sputnik, space has been largely the domain of government entities. Launch sites and opportunities have been limited, and operating in space has been exquisitely expensive. However, evolving business models are opening the field to new entrants, and new technologies are enabling unprecedented capabilities. Advances in electronics, for example, have led to expanded functionalities in smaller satellites. Advanced manufacturing techniques have facilitated lower-cost rocket launches. How will this proliferation of new capabilities in launch and on-orbit operations, and today's bending of the cost curve, change the way we use and operate space? Join us as we consider the expanding universe of possibilities in space.
Craig Clark
Clark is the founder/CEO of Clyde Space Ltd and regarded by many as a pioneer of the 'Newspace' revolution that is currently changing the face of the space industry. In 2005, and after 11 years designing and building small satellites with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Clark founded Clyde Space Ltd., which focuses on the development of cutting-edge products for the space market, particularly in the area of tiny satellites called CubeSats. The company's successes include the design, launch and operation of Scotland's first satellite, UKube-1. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the United Kingdom's Space Leadership Council and the British Interplanetary Society. Clark earned his M.Sc. in satellite engineering from the University of Surrey (UK), and a B.Eng. in power engineering from the University of Glasgow (UK).
Clark is the founder/CEO of Clyde Space Ltd and regarded by many as a pioneer of the 'Newspace' revolution that is currently changing the face of the space industry. In 2005, and after 11 years designing and building small satellites with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Clark founded Clyde Space Ltd., which focuses on the development of cutting-edge products for the space market, particularly in the area of tiny satellites called CubeSats. The company's successes include the design, launch and operation of Scotland's first satellite, UKube-1. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the United Kingdom's Space Leadership Council and the British Interplanetary Society. Clark earned his M.Sc. in satellite engineering from the University of Surrey (UK), and a B.Eng. in power engineering from the University of Glasgow (UK).
Stan Dubyn
Stan Dubyn is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Millennium Space Systems, which specializes in design and development of one-of-a-kind, high-performance spacecraft that are affordable and schedule responsive. Prior to founding Millennium Space Systems, he was president and chief operating officer of SpaceDev and concurrently served as chief executive officer of Integrated Space Systems (ISS), previously a subsidiary of SpaceDev. Before SpaceDev, Dubyn was the co-founder, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Spectrum Astro from 1990 to 2000. Prior to Spectrum Astro, he held key management and technical positions at TRW Space & Electronics and at Hughes Space & Communications Group. In those positions, he worked numerous satellite programs, was responsible for the planning and implementation of a dedicated mission ground station, and for development and execution of integrated ground and flight operations and extravehicular (EVA) training for Space Shuttle astronaut crews.
Stan Dubyn is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Millennium Space Systems, which specializes in design and development of one-of-a-kind, high-performance spacecraft that are affordable and schedule responsive. Prior to founding Millennium Space Systems, he was president and chief operating officer of SpaceDev and concurrently served as chief executive officer of Integrated Space Systems (ISS), previously a subsidiary of SpaceDev. Before SpaceDev, Dubyn was the co-founder, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Spectrum Astro from 1990 to 2000. Prior to Spectrum Astro, he held key management and technical positions at TRW Space & Electronics and at Hughes Space & Communications Group. In those positions, he worked numerous satellite programs, was responsible for the planning and implementation of a dedicated mission ground station, and for development and execution of integrated ground and flight operations and extravehicular (EVA) training for Space Shuttle astronaut crews.
Debra Facktor Lepore
Debra Facktor Lepore is vice president and general manager of strategic operations for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. She is the company's senior executive in the Washington, D.C., area and leads the company's Washington-area operations, communications and strategic development. Previously, she was an industry professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, served as director of strategic programs for the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) and conducted research on expedited systems engineering programs for the U.S. Department of Defense. Lepore has extensive entrepreneurial business experience including serving as president of DFL Space LLC; president of AirLaunch LLC, funded by DARPA and the U.S. Air Force; and vice president of business development and strategic planning for Kistler Aerospace Corporation. Lepore is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and former board chair of Women in Aerospace. Lepore holds an M.S.E. and B.S.E., both in aerospace engineering, from the University of Michigan.
Debra Facktor Lepore is vice president and general manager of strategic operations for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. She is the company's senior executive in the Washington, D.C., area and leads the company's Washington-area operations, communications and strategic development. Previously, she was an industry professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, served as director of strategic programs for the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) and conducted research on expedited systems engineering programs for the U.S. Department of Defense. Lepore has extensive entrepreneurial business experience including serving as president of DFL Space LLC; president of AirLaunch LLC, funded by DARPA and the U.S. Air Force; and vice president of business development and strategic planning for Kistler Aerospace Corporation. Lepore is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and former board chair of Women in Aerospace. Lepore holds an M.S.E. and B.S.E., both in aerospace engineering, from the University of Michigan.
Talbot Jaeger
Talbot Jaeger is the founder and chief technologist at NovaWurks Inc., a provider of high-technology space products and services. Jaeger leads the NovaWurks team and is responsible for product development and all projects at the company. With more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry, Jaeger has managed and directed project concepts, systems engineering and 10 spaceflights from initial design through project completion. In addition, he led the development of the Mayflower CubeSat, a highly integrated building-block space technology, delivering the product from initial design in just six months. Prior to establishing NovaWurks, Jaeger held positions at TRW and Northrop Grumman Corporation, including director of Northrop Grumman's NovaWorks research unit. His career also included stints as the lead on the launch of vehicle design and concept developments at Scaled Composites and chief architect for the seedling study and Phase 1 research of DARPA's System F6 program. Jaeger has degrees in biochemistry, information computer science and electrical engineering from the University of California, Irvine.
Talbot Jaeger is the founder and chief technologist at NovaWurks Inc., a provider of high-technology space products and services. Jaeger leads the NovaWurks team and is responsible for product development and all projects at the company. With more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry, Jaeger has managed and directed project concepts, systems engineering and 10 spaceflights from initial design through project completion. In addition, he led the development of the Mayflower CubeSat, a highly integrated building-block space technology, delivering the product from initial design in just six months. Prior to establishing NovaWurks, Jaeger held positions at TRW and Northrop Grumman Corporation, including director of Northrop Grumman's NovaWorks research unit. His career also included stints as the lead on the launch of vehicle design and concept developments at Scaled Composites and chief architect for the seedling study and Phase 1 research of DARPA's System F6 program. Jaeger has degrees in biochemistry, information computer science and electrical engineering from the University of California, Irvine.
Amit Mehra
Amit Mehra co-founded Ventions, LLC in 2004, and currently serves as chief financial officer and managing partner. Prior to starting Ventions, he worked as chief engineer at D-STAR Engineering, where he was responsible for developing an advanced turbine engine for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). He has also worked as a management consultant with Dean and Company, a strategy consulting firm in the Washington, D.C. area, in its energy and telecom practices. His graduate research was awarded first prize at the Merrill Lynch Global Innovation Grants Competition for its widespread commercial potential. Mehra has received various awards including recognition as one of the top 12 technology innovators of Indian descent in the United States, a best paper award at the International Fluid Dynamics conference, and the Caltech Carnation Merit Fellowship. Mehra holds a Ph.D. and M.S., both in aeronautics/astronautics, from MIT and a B.S. in engineering and applied science from Caltech.
Amit Mehra co-founded Ventions, LLC in 2004, and currently serves as chief financial officer and managing partner. Prior to starting Ventions, he worked as chief engineer at D-STAR Engineering, where he was responsible for developing an advanced turbine engine for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). He has also worked as a management consultant with Dean and Company, a strategy consulting firm in the Washington, D.C. area, in its energy and telecom practices. His graduate research was awarded first prize at the Merrill Lynch Global Innovation Grants Competition for its widespread commercial potential. Mehra has received various awards including recognition as one of the top 12 technology innovators of Indian descent in the United States, a best paper award at the International Fluid Dynamics conference, and the Caltech Carnation Merit Fellowship. Mehra holds a Ph.D. and M.S., both in aeronautics/astronautics, from MIT and a B.S. in engineering and applied science from Caltech.
Mike Gold (Moderator)
Mike Gold is Bigelow Aerospace's director of D.C. operations & business growth. Gold is responsible for a broad array of activities, including international business development, legal issues, congressional affairs and strategic planning. Gold was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to serve on and chair the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC), a federal advisory committee comprised of leading commercial space industry executives that advises the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Additionally, he was appointed by the National Research Council to serve on the Space Technology Industry-Government-University roundtable, which provides direction and advice to NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. Gold has written three law review articles describing the intersection between the commercial space industry and export controls, has had two editorials entered into the Congressional Record, and testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to address issues related to commercial space development.
Mike Gold is Bigelow Aerospace's director of D.C. operations & business growth. Gold is responsible for a broad array of activities, including international business development, legal issues, congressional affairs and strategic planning. Gold was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to serve on and chair the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC), a federal advisory committee comprised of leading commercial space industry executives that advises the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Additionally, he was appointed by the National Research Council to serve on the Space Technology Industry-Government-University roundtable, which provides direction and advice to NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. Gold has written three law review articles describing the intersection between the commercial space industry and export controls, has had two editorials entered into the Congressional Record, and testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to address issues related to commercial space development.
Darpa Demos
Click on demo title to view details
What's in My Network
When it comes to benefiting from information, trust is a must. Today, however, code, text, images and other forms of data can easily be manipulated. DARPA is developing technologies to ensure the integrity of the data upon which critical decisions are made. These efforts include formal methods for embedded operating systems that are unhackable for specified security properties; automated cyber defense capabilities that respond to attacks so rapidly and effectively as to make attackers consider other lines of work; and tools for comprehensive awareness and understanding of the abstract information systems environment in real time.
At the same time, the bottleneck to wise decision making is not a lack of data but a lack of capacity to identify and understand the most important data. DARPA is developing novel approaches to derive insights from massive datasets and to map behavior patterns at scale; advanced search technologies for discovery, organization and presentation of domain-specific content; and privacy-preserving technologies that enable systems in which private data may be used for its intended purpose and no other.
At the same time, the bottleneck to wise decision making is not a lack of data but a lack of capacity to identify and understand the most important data. DARPA is developing novel approaches to derive insights from massive datasets and to map behavior patterns at scale; advanced search technologies for discovery, organization and presentation of domain-specific content; and privacy-preserving technologies that enable systems in which private data may be used for its intended purpose and no other.
Across the Spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum functions as the eyes, ears, and voice of modern society. As the spectrum grows more crowded and as technologies from software-defined radios to advanced cameras become commonplace, new opportunities for innovation abound. In the visible and infrared, new advances are creating representations of the world beyond human perception. In the radio frequency domain, we're learning how to thrive in chaos as multiple parties negotiate spectrum use on the fly. And in the territory between these RF and optical domains, promising new devices are starting to emerge that operate in this previously unattainable portion of the spectrum.
Featured Projects:
- 100 Gb/s RF Backbone (100G)
- Advanced RF Mapping (RadioMap)
- Advanced Wide FOV Architectures for Image Reconstruction and Exploitation (AWARE)
- Cognitive Radio Low-Energy Signal Analysis Sensor ICs (CLASIC)
- Diverse Accessible Heterogeneous Integration (DAHI)
- Dynamically Adapting RF Technologies (DART)
- Fiber Laser Array System High energy laser (FLASH)
- Intrachip/Interchip Enhanced Cooling (ICECool)
- Power Efficiency Revolution for Embedded Computing Technologies (PERFECT)
- Spectrum Challenge
- THz Electronics
Where, When?
Knowing exactly where you are, how to get from there to where you're going, and how long it will take have become everyday expectations in modern America and are essential for every military mission. Our dependence on the Global Positioning System that makes all this possible is so great that it is becoming an economic and security vulnerability. DARPA is working to break our addiction to GPS by establishing new and better navigational and timing technologies, driving new microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), harnessing the physics of cold atoms, and establishing new fix systems.
Restoring Injured Bodies and Brains
Read more...
Recent advances in neuroscience, microelectronics, and information science are sparking new approaches to restoring lost abilities following brain injury or disease and eventually increasing human performance. Think implantable neural interfaces able to bypass broken circuits in the brain, helping patients overcome injury-induced memory deficits. Or therapeutic neural pulses to mitigate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Or prosthetic hands laced with bio-interfaced sensors so an amputee putting on a shirt can "feel" the texture of the fabric and the coolness of the buttons.
Featured Projects:
- Electrical Prescriptions (ElectRx)
- Hand Proprioception and Touch Interfaces (HAPTIX)
- Neuro Function, Activity, Structure, and Technology (Neuro-FAST)
- Restoring Active Memory (RAM)
- Revolutionizing Prosthetics
- System-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging Therapies (SUBNETS)
Programming the Living World
Biology is capable of seemingly impossible feats: it can replicate, it can scale from one to billions in hours, it can self-heal, it can learn, and it can evolve. A new technology vector at the intersection of biology, information science, and engineering is launching an era in which biological systems such as microbes can be programmed through the genetic code, enabling us to harness their unparalleled capabilities. DARPA is applying tools from data science, computing, automation, and miniaturization to accelerate the ability to harness biology's synthetic and functional capabilities. The goal is to create revolutionary bio-based manufacturing platforms that can enable new production paradigms, new approaches to medicine, and new materials.
Featured Projects:
Outpacing Infectious Disease
As the 2014 Ebola outbreak demonstrated, emerging infectious diseases can be a significant threat not just to individual health but also to the stability of fragile communities. Yet even as the number of emerging diseases has increased, the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics has not kept pace. How do we nip infectious disease in the bud? DARPA is developing genetic and immunological technologies to detect, diagnose and treat infectious diseases with unprecedented precision and rapidity, and platforms for predicting the mutational evolution of viruses so drugs and vaccines can be developed before they are needed.
Robotics Fact vs. Fiction
For decades, we have dreamed of robots that can help people perform tasks beyond the factory floor. But some basic skills are still in need of significant refinement. Compared to human beings and animals, robot mobility and manipulation are still relatively infantile—especially when it comes to operating in disaster zones or other disturbed or extreme environs, where the need for human substitutes is often greatest. DARPA is spurring rapid change in this promising field, developing human-supervised robots that can execute complex tasks in dangerous, degraded environments, as well as increasingly autonomous systems capable of understanding and learning from scenes and events so they can help their human operators become more effective.
Featured Projects:
Enhancing Maritime Agility
Oceans are strategically central – as a global commons for trade and travel and for global security – but almost incomprehensibly large. DARPA is developing unmanned platforms, distributed sensing systems, and position awareness technology to facilitate access to the vast maritime expanse in all its manifestations, including arctic, littoral, deep water, and continental shelf, and in all of its many sea states.
Space Under Construction
The United States is reliant on space for an ever-growing panoply of conveniences and needs, from telephone calls to bank transactions to military reconnaissance, but space capabilities have not kept up in this radically harsh and challenging domain. To maximize access to and capabilities in space, DARPA is developing a number of game-changing technologies, from new approaches to launching satellites on a day's notice to new satellite architectures that change what's possible on orbit.
Featured Projects:
- Phoenix
- StarCell
The Future of Ground Warfare
Take today's ground conflicts, from violent extremism to hybrid warfare. Add commercial drones, rapid design and production tools, and cyber weapons. These are the new challenges that our Soldiers and Marines face now and into the future. U.S. ground forces will need to complement their superior armor and firepower with new ways to see, understand and control the conflict. DARPA is bringing the digital revolution to close air support and developing a range of squad overmatch capabilities for greater reach, situational awareness and maneuverability.
Featured Projects:
E Pluribus Unum
Working together, ants transport leaves and prey dozens of times their collective weight; schools of fish ward off predators by giving the appearance of being more threatening than they are; hundreds of homo sapiens collaborate to improve their daily commute and facilitate overall traffic flow by sharing information about accidents and construction delays. In each of these cases, collective benefits are enjoyed as a result of the seemingly simple actions of individual actors. DARPA is taking these lessons to heart by developing underlying technologies and capabilities such as participatory sensing, swarm robotics, and micro self-assembly that could support similarly collective approaches to overcoming challenges in realms as diverse as surveillance, manufacturing, and transportation.
Featured Projects:
- Self-Organizing Resilient Technology (SORT)
- SIGMA
- Open Manufacturing
- Semiconductor Technology Advanced Research Network (STARnet)
WHY IT MATTERS
Explore the many facets of national security in discussions with people who have served on the front lines to help secure it.
Artillery Combat Operations in a Trackless Desert
Glenn Ayers
Carl "Glenn" Ayers is the Adaptive Execution Office (AEO)'s division chief for U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) and U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM). A retired U.S. Army colonel, he has more than 29 years of experience in the areas of strategic and operational planning, field artillery operations, influence operations, and information and psychological operations. Ayers' experience includes three years in the private sector, chief of the Psychological Operations Division of the Joint Staff, and military assistant to former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. His peacetime and combat experience includes commanding a 155mm howitzer battery in the Gulf War, landmine removal operations in Cambodia, and commanding the U.S. Army's 9th Psychological Operations Battalion during high-intensity combat operations in Iraq, while simultaneously deploying attached U.S. Army Reserve companies to Afghanistan. Ayers holds an M.S. in national security strategy from the National Defense University, an M.S. in international relations from Troy State University and a B.A. in anthropology from Wake Forest University.
Precision-Guided Weapons: a Gulf War Revolution
Dale Waters
Dale "Muddy" Waters is the director of DARPA's Adaptive Execution Office (AEO). AEO is responsible for accelerating use of DARPA-developed technologies by American combat forces; its primary functions include connecting DARPA program managers to end users in the uniformed Services and sponsoring demonstrations and field trials of new technologies and systems. Waters retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2006 as a brigadier general after 30 years of service flying fighter aircraft. He commanded the Air Force's largest wing during Gulf War combat operations and served in high-level positions in the U.S. State Department and at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. He has an M.S. in national security strategy from the National War College, an M.A. in political science from Auburn University and a B.S. in history from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Into Afghanistan, October 2001
Lee Rudacille
Col. Bryan Lee Rudacille joined DARPA as U.S. Army operational liaison in 2014. He has served in various command and staff positions within the Army's mechanized, light and parachute infantry and on multiple occasions in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He has multiple operational deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, most recently serving in 2014 as the chief of staff for the Department of Defense Office of Security Cooperation in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. An Army Ranger, Rudacille previously commanded the 1st Ranger Battalion, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; the 165th Infantry Brigade, Fort Jackson, South Carolina; and the Joint Multinational Training Command, Grafenwoehr, Germany. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. Rudacille holds an M.S. in joint campaign planning and strategy from the National Defense University, an M.M.S. in military studies from the Marine Corps University and a B.S. in automated data processing from the U.S. Military Academy.
Thwarting Pirates off the Coast of Somalia
Richard Field
Capt. Richard Field joined DARPA as U.S. Navy operational liaison in 2014. He has served in numerous operational capacities, including executive officer of the USS Ross (DDG 71) and commander of the USS Carney (DDG 64), which included a deployment to 5th Fleet supporting NATO counter-piracy operations. Ashore he served as the 2nd Fleet Tomahawk Officer, a naval analyst for the Defense Department's Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, and provided strategic analysis to the Campaign Analysis and Modeling Branch in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Assessment Division. His awards and decorations include a Defense Meritorious Service Medal and three Navy Meritorious Service Medals. Field holds an M.A. in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, an M.S. in operations research from the Naval Postgraduate School and a B.S. in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University.
Turning the Tables on Human Traffickers
John Temple
John Temple has served as a prosecutor in the Trial Division of the New York Country District Attorney's Office since 2003. He began working in the office's Sex Crimes Unit in 2005 and on homicide cases in 2011. In 2012, Temple developed the office's Human Trafficking Program, where he implemented innovative procedures and policies to better identify victims of human trafficking, provide greater support for victims and their families, and use data-based investigations to prosecute traffickers. In 2014, the program was expanded and Temple was appointed to his current position as chief of the office's Human Trafficking Response Unit. The unit has 28 staff members including attorneys, analysts, sworn investigators and a social worker, and is responsible for proactive and long-term human trafficking investigations and prosecutions. Temple frequently trains law enforcement and other stakeholders in local, national and international settings. He also has served on city and state committees focusing on human trafficking policy. Temple has a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and a B.A. from the University of Rochester.
Saving Lives, Restoring the Ability to Serve
Kenny Dwyer
Maj. Kenny Dwyer is the executive officer for the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (A) at the U.S. Army's John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. He was first assigned to 2nd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment at Ft. Campbell, Kent., as a rifle platoon leader. Follow-on assignments included battalion mortar platoon leader and company executive officer. In 2003, he attended the Special Forces Assessment and Selection course and the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). After SFQC, Dwyer was assigned to 1st Battalion 3rd Special Forces Group (SFG) as the team leader of Operational Detachment Alpha 325. He has also served as the 1st Battalion, 3rd SFG (A) assistant operations officer, the 3rd SFG (A) headquarters company commander, Special Forces Command (A) chief of readiness, 3rd SFG (A) Group support company commander, and commander of A Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group (A). Dwyer earned an M.S. in defense analysis from the Naval Post Graduate School and a bachelor's degree from Furman University.
Schedule
Click on event title to view details
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
| 10:00 AM | Registration Opens | Lobby | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome to Wait, What? A Future Technology Forum | |||
| 2:00 PM | 2:15 PM |
Welcome from the Secretary of Defense video
ASH CARTER
| Ferrara Theatre |
Ashton B. Carter is the 25th Secretary of Defense.
Secretary Carter has spent more than three decades leveraging his knowledge of science and technology, global strategy and policy as well as his deep dedication to the men and women of the Department of Defense to make our nation and the world a safer place. He has done so in direct and indirect service of eleven secretaries of defense in both Democratic and Republican Administrations. Whether in government, academia, or the private sector, Secretary Carter has been guided by pragmatism and his belief in the boundless opportunities of the United States and has worked tirelessly to contribute to the ideas, policies, and innovations that assure our global leadership.
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| 2:15 PM | 2:45 PM |
Changing What's Possible video
ARATI PRABHAKAR, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Learn about DARPA’s big ambitions for the future of technology and national security.
Dr. Arati Prabhakar is the Director of DARPA. She has spent her career investing in world-class engineers and scientists to create new technologies and businesses. She first came to DARPA in 1986 as a program manager and was the founding director of the Agency’s Microelectronics Technology Office. Arati served as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology from 1993 to 1997. She then spent 15 years in Silicon Valley, including a decade as a partner at U.S. Venture Partners, an early-stage venture capital firm. Arati is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow. She received her Ph.D. in applied physics and M.S. in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and her B.S. in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University.
| |||
| 2:45 PM | 3:15 PM |
The Shape of Datavideo
GUNNAR CARLSSON, STANFORD UNIVERSITY
| Ferrara Theatre |
Learn how topology—the study of shape—is leading to breakthroughs in visualizing, analyzing and leveraging big data.
Gunnar Carlsson is the Anne and Bill Swindells Professor of Mathematics at Stanford University. He specializes in a branch of mathematics called topology, the study of shape. Theoretical study of topology started in the 1700s but starting in the late 1990s, Carlsson pioneered the applied use of topology to solve complex real-world problems. In the early 2000s, this work led to research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and DARPA to study the application of topological data analysis (TDA) to problems of interest within the U.S. government. In 2008, based on the success of these efforts, Gunnar, along with two other Stanford mathematicians, co-founded Ayasdi, a company that is commercializing topological methods for data analysis.
Carlsson has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Stanford University and B.A. in mathematics from Harvard University. | |||
| 3:15 PM | 3:20 PM |
Reclaiming Your Digital Self video
JOHN LAUNCHBURY, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Hear how DARPA is designing privacy technologies that could encourage data sharing by ensuring that information can be used only for its intended purpose.
Dr. John Launchbury joined DARPA in July 2014. His research interests include programming languages, security, privacy and cryptography.
Before joining DARPA, Dr. Launchbury was chief scientist of Galois, Inc., which he founded in 1999 to address challenges in information assurance through the application of functional programming and formal methods. Under his leadership, the company experienced strong growth, successfully delivered on multiple contract awards and was recognized for thought leadership in high-assurance technology development. Prior to founding Galois, Dr. Launchbury was a full professor in computer science and engineering at the Oregon Graduate Institute (OGI) School of Science and Engineering, which was subsequently incorporated into the Oregon Health and Science University. At OGI, he earned several awards for outstanding teaching and gained international recognition for his work on the analysis and semantics of programming languages, the Haskell programming language in particular. Dr. Launchbury received first-class honors in mathematics from Oxford University in 1985, holds a Ph.D. in computing science from the University of Glasgow and won the British Computer Society's distinguished dissertation prize. In 2010, Dr. Launchbury was inducted as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). | |||
| 3:20 PM | 4:05 PM | Break | |
| 4:05 PM | 4:35 PM |
Extreme Computational Imaging video
RAMESH RASKAR, MIT
| Ferrara Theatre |
Discover how advanced computation is improving imaging technologies to create movies of nanosecond-long events and produce groundbreaking cameras to see around corners.
Ramesh Raskar is an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab. Raskar joined the Media Lab from Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories in 2008 as head of the Lab's Camera Culture research group. His research interests span the fields of computational photography, inverse problems in imaging and human-computer interaction.
In 2004, Raskar received the TR100 Award from Technology Review, which recognizes top young innovators under the age of 35, and in 2003, the Global Indus Technovator Award, instituted at MIT to recognize the top 20 Indian technology innovators worldwide. Raskar has a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Iowa and a B.S. in electronics and telecommunications from the Government College of Engineering (India). He holds more than 50 U.S. patents and has received four Mitsubishi Electric Invention Awards. He is currently co-authoring a book on computational photography. | |||
| 4:35 PM | 4:40 PM |
Not Even Once video
VINCENT TANG, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Learn about DARPA’s progress toward automated, always-on radiological detection systems designed to detect nuclear materials quickly over vast distances.
Dr. Vincent Tang joined DARPA as a program manager in the Defense Sciences Office in 2013. His interests involve the development of new technologies for countering nuclear terrorism and other national security applications.
Prior to joining DARPA, he was a staff physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he developed advanced accelerator and plasma-based radiation sources for national security applications, such as the detection of illicit materials. Dr. Tang received a Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Plasma Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he resolved outstanding questions about RF-produced energetic ions used for heating fusion plasmas. He also holds a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Nuclear and Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. | |||
| 4:40 PM | 4:45 PM |
Outpacing Infectious Disease video
DAN WATTENDORF, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Learn how DARPA aims to nip infectious-disease outbreaks in the bud with rapid diagnostics, accelerated vaccine development and distribution, and an immediately effective “immune shield” around early responders and healthcare workers.
Col Daniel J. Wattendorf, MC, USAF, joined DARPA as a Program Manager in 2010 and has been a part of the newly formed Biological Technologies Office (BTO) since 2013. His interests focus on applying methodological advances in genomics and biotechnology to optimize health and prevent disease, including novel nucleic acid-based immunoprophylaxis technologies for infectious disease prevention.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from Cornell University and a medical degree with distinction from George Washington University. He completed a residency in family medicine at the National Capital Consortium; a residency in clinical genetics at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH); a fellowship in clinical cytogenetics at Georgetown University; and a fellowship in health policy from the Office of the Director, NHGRI, NIH. Col Wattendorf previously served as Director, Air Force Medical Genetics Center and program manager for an Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration integrating advanced diagnostics and informatics with surveillance systems to rapidly detect natural and hostile pathogens in the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General. In addition to his DARPA programs, he is a geneticist at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Cancer Genetics Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH. | |||
| 4:45 PM | 5:15 PM |
Designing a Million Genomes video
ZACH SERBER, ZYMERGEN
| Ferrara Theatre |
Witness the marriage of synthetic biology, machine learning and materials science to endow microbes with new genetic programs for creating impossible materials with novel and valuable properties.
Zach Serber, recent co-founder of Zymergen, is a scientist and entrepreneur devoted to finding alternatives to petroleum. His goal is to expand the impact and reach of industrial microbial fermentation. He recently co-founded Zymergen to expand the impact and reach of industrial microbial fermentation. Zymergen applies radical new methods to design and improve microbes by rewriting their DNA. This capability allows the company to generate novel chemicals and advanced materials far faster, at lower costs, and with less risk than ever before.
Serber was previously the Director of Biology at Amyris where he worked on manufacturing bio-derived transportation fuels, on lowering the cost of the anti-malarial drug Artemisinin, and on developing advanced tools for engineering biology. Serber has 15 peer-reviewed publications, 5 filed patents, and has worked as a research fellow at Stanford University Medical School. He has a Ph.D. in biophysics from UCSF, an M.Sc. in neuroscience from the University of Edinburgh, and a B.A. from Columbia University. He lives on a 50 year-old wooden sailboat in Sausalito CA with his wife and daughter. | |||
| 5:15 PM | 7:45 PM |
Reception
DARPA Demos | Exhibit Hall 1 |
DARPA works with thousands of amazing engineers and scientists in hundreds of programs to change what’s possible. Come see what we’re up to today!
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Thursday, September 10, 2015 | |||
| 7:00 AM | 8:15 AM |
Continental Breakfast
DARPA Demos | Exhibit Hall 1 |
DARPA works with thousands of amazing engineers and scientists in hundreds of programs to change what’s possible. Come see what we’re up to today!
| |||
| 8:30 AM | 8:40 AM |
Welcome to the Day video
ARATI PRABHAKAR, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
| 8:40 AM | 9:00 AM |
New Voices, New Perspectives video
| Ferrara Theatre |
| 9:00 AM | 9:30 AM |
Smart Software in a World with Risk video
TOM DIETTERICH, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
| Ferrara Theatre |
Delve into the challenges of ensuring that artificial intelligence performs safely and properly in the face of programming errors, cyberattacks and other risks.
Tom Dietterich is President of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University. As one of the earliest researchers in machine learning, he has made contributions to many aspects of the field including multiple-instance learning, multi-class learning, structured prediction, hierarchical reinforcement learning, and end-to-end learning in AI systems.
He earned his A.B. in Mathematics from Oberlin College (1977), M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois (1979), and Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford (1985). He is a Fellow of the ACM, AAAS, and AAAI. | |||
| 9:30 AM | 9:35 AM |
Communicative Computers video
PAUL COHEN, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
See how DARPA aims to improve human-machine mutual understanding by enabling computers to collaborate with biologists to figure out how deadly cancers work, and with human authors to create collaborative works of fiction.
Dr. Paul Cohen joined DARPA as a program manager in September 2013. His research interests span artificial intelligence and include machine learning, language, vision, semantic technology, data analysis, information theory and education informatics.
Dr. Cohen joined DARPA from the University of Arizona, where he is professor and founding director of the university’s School of Information: Science, Technology and Arts. He has also served as head of the university’s department of computer science. Prior to joining the University of Arizona, Dr. Cohen worked at the University of Southern California. At that institution, he served as director of the Center for Research on Unexpected Events and deputy director of the Intelligent Systems Division. He began his career as professor of computer science at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Cohen has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles and is the author of Empirical Methods for Artificial Intelligence (MIT Press, 1995). He is co-author of five books and has contributed chapters to another 20 books. He is an elected Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Cohen holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Computer Science and Psychology from Stanford University, a Master of Science degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. | |||
| 9:35 AM | 10:05 AM |
I Am Become Life...video
R. ALTA CHARO, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
| Ferrara Theatre |
Consider how the United States and the world—once consumed by fear of our newfound ability to annihilate all life—have now entered an equally stressful era characterized by fear of our ability to create new kinds of life.
R. Alta Charo is the Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the law and medical schools of the University of Wisconsin. Her expertise includes biotechnology regulation, bioethics, public health law, food and drug law, stem cell policy, torts and legislative drafting.
Charo served on President Obama's transition team, where she was a member of the HHS review team, focusing her attention particularly on transition issues related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bioethics, stem cell policy and women's reproductive health. From 2009-2011, she served as a senior policy advisor on emerging technology issues in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. A member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Committee on Science, Technology and Law, she co-chaired the committee that drafted the National Academies' Guidelines for Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Charo has a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. in biology from Harvard University. | |||
| 10:05 AM | 10:50 AM | Break | |
| 10:50 AM | 11:20 AM |
Design Tools for the Trillion-Device Future video
ALBERTO SANGIOVANNI-VINCENTELLI, UC BERKELEY
| Ferrara Theatre |
Dive into the implications of a near future in which everybody is connected to thousands of networked devices embedded everywhere—a sensory swarm that is instrumented, interconnected and intelligently responsive.
Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli holds the Buttner Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California at Berkeley. His research covers design methodologies, and tools for wireless sensor networks, embedded systems, hybrid systems, cyber physical systems (CPS), systems of systems (SoS) and electronic design automation.
Sangiovanni-Vincentelli was a co-founder of Cadence and Synopsys, the two leading companies in electronic design automation. He is Chairperson of the Comitato Nazionale dei Garanti per la Ricerca (CNGR). He received the Distinguished Teaching Award of the University of California and the IEEE Graduate Teaching Award for “inspirational teaching of graduate students.” He has received numerous research awards, including the Kaufman Award and the IEEE/RSE Maxwell Medal. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from Politecnico di Milano (Italy). He is an author of more than 850 papers, 17 books and two patents. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Aalborg (Denmark) and KTH (Sweden). | |||
| 11:20 AM | 11:25 AM |
Wrangling Complexity video
NILS SANDELL, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Learn how DARPA is paving the way to a national-security future in which complexity is wrangled to create systems of systems that function more reliably and safely than today’s “simpler,” more monolithic systems.
Dr. Nils Sandell Jr. joined DARPA in March 2013 as the director of the Strategic Technology Office (STO). STO develops innovative technologies to support current and emerging strategic areas including: finding difficult targets; communications, electronic warfare, and networks; shaping the environment; and foundational strategic technologies.
Prior to becoming STO director, he served as independent consultant to DARPA assisting in development and management of programs in information technology and sensors. From 2004 to 2010, Dr. Sandell was Vice President and General Manager of BAE Systems Advanced Information Technologies (AIT). Before this, he served 25 years as President and CEO of ALPHATECH Inc., a company he cofounded, which BAE Systems purchased and renamed AIT. As president of ALPHATECH he led the company to become a widely respected defense research firm with programs in signal and image processing; computer networks, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR); intelligent systems; cyber operations; and Battle Management, Command, Control and Communications (BMC3). Dr. Sandell was a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (AFSAB), participating in the 2010 Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate review, the 2011 Sensor Data Exploitation study, and serving as Vice Chair for the Non-traditional ISR for Contested Environments (NICE) study. He also was a member of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) Standing Advisory Committee of the National Research Council (NRC) and served on its Panel on Persistent ISR. He served two three-year terms as a member of the Naval Studies Board of the NRC and also supported several Defense Science Board studies. Dr. Sandell holds a B.E.E. degree from the University of Minnesota, and S.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He served on the MIT Faculty as Assistant Professor and then as Associate Professor from 1974-1979, where he taught and performed research in control theory. | |||
| 11:25 AM | 11:30 AM |
Connect Everything: Spectrum Unbounded video
BILL CHAPPELL, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Find out how new spectrum-sharing technologies could fuel revolutionary improvements in our increasingly connected lives.
Dr. Chappell joined DARPA as a program manager at DARPA in July 2011 and became Director of MTO in June 2014. His interests include advanced packaging, adaptable RF systems, and antenna arrays.
Prior to DARPA, he served as a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department of Purdue University. At Purdue, he led the IDEAS (Integrated Design of Electromagnetically-Applied Systems) Laboratory. Dr. Chappell’s research focus has been on high frequency components, specifically the unique integration of RF and Microwave components based on electromagnetic analysis. This has ranged from advanced RF sensors such as miniature RF Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry to advanced digital-at-every element antenna arrays. Dr. Chappell has done extensive research on the development of adaptable RF systems, particularly focusing on tunable preselect filters. He has shown the ability to design a single RF system that is adaptable to numerous application areas and/or adjustable to dynamic changes within the spectral environment. Dr. Chappell is the recipient of numerous research and teaching awards. He has been the advisor of numerous IEEE MTT International Microwave Symposium best paper finalists, and coauthor of two best papers at the GOMACTech conference. Additionally, a paper on wearable MIMO systems was selected for the best journal paper at the IEEE VT Society in 2009. In 2011, he received the ARL Director’s Coin for his work on Standoff Inverse Analysis and Manipulation of Electronic Systems Muri analyzing the effects of nonlinearities in high power systems. He was selected as a Collaborative Investigator by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for work on RF implantable systems, and to join the Frontiers of Engineering meetings sponsored by the National Academies of Engineering. Dr. Chappell received his Bachelor of Science in 1998 from the University of Michigan, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He went on to receive his Masters and Doctor of Philosophy, also from the University of Michigan, studying in the Radiation Laboratory on spectral isolation techniques for high frequency microwave systems using composite materials. | |||
| 11:30 AM | 12:00 PM |
A Smaller, Faster Future in Space video
CRAIG CLARK, CLYDE SPACE, LTD
| Ferrara Theatre |
Explore a vision for revolutionary space-based capabilities that would use constellations of small, adaptable and low-cost satellites.
Clark is the founder/CEO of Clyde Space Ltd and regarded by many as a pioneer of the 'Newspace' revolution that is currently changing the face of the space industry. In 2005, and after 11 years designing and building small satellites with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Clark founded Clyde Space Ltd., which focuses on the development of cutting-edge products for the space market, particularly in the area of tiny satellites called CubeSats. The company's successes include the design, launch and operation of Scotland's first satellite, UKube-1. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the United Kingdom's Space Leadership Council and the British Interplanetary Society. Clark earned his M.Sc. in satellite engineering from the University of Surrey (UK), and a B.Eng. in power engineering from the University of Glasgow (UK).
| |||
| 12:00 PM | 12:05 PM |
Port of Call at 36,000 Km video
PAM MELROY, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Low Earth orbit is booming with new commercial space activity—but another transformation awaits as geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). Space robotics technology will help us build the infrastructure for vibrant, sustaining presence at GEO and beyond.
Ms. Pamela Melroy joined DARPA in January 2013 after serving as the acting Deputy Associate Administrator and Director of Field Operations in the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation. As acting Deputy Associate Administrator, she was responsible for developing human commercial spaceflight safety guidelines and oversaw interagency policy coordination with the White House, NASA, and the Department of Defense on space policy. As Director of Field Operations, she was responsible for overseeing and growing activities from three to six field offices supporting operational safety oversight, licensing and inspection of commercial space activities.
Formerly, Ms. Melroy served as the Deputy Director, Orion Space Exploration Initiatives at Lockheed Martin Corporation from August 2009 until April 2011. Prior to her position at Lockheed Martin, she was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA and held several key positions within the NASA shuttle program from 1994 until 2009, including Crew Module Lead on the Columbia Reconstruction Team, Deputy Project Manager for the Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Team, and Branch Chief for the Orion Branch of the Astronaut Office. She served as pilot on two shuttle missions (STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002), and was the Mission Commander on STS-120 in 2007. She was the second woman to command a space shuttle mission. She has logged more than 924 hours (38+ days) in space. Ms. Melroy was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program in 1983 and attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas, graduating in 1985. She flew the KC-10 for 6 years at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, La., as a copilot, aircraft commander and instructor pilot. Ms. Melroy is a veteran of Operations JUST CAUSE and DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, with more than 200 combat and combat support hours. In June 1991, she attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Upon graduation, she was assigned to the C-17 Developmental Test Program, where she served as a test pilot until her selection for the Astronaut Program. She retired from the Air Force in February 2007. Ms. Melroy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Astronomy from Wellesley College and a Master of Science in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. | |||
| 12:15 PM | 2:45 PM |
Lunch
DARPA Demos | Exhibit Hall 1 |
DARPA works with thousands of amazing engineers and scientists in hundreds of programs to change what’s possible. Come see what we’re up to today!
| |||
| 2:45 PM | 4:00 PM |
Breakout Session 1
| |
Future Biotech, Future Law
A glimpse into the future of global security,
rogue technologies, and the law | Room 222 | ||
A glimpse into the future of disruptive technologies, societal comfort levels and the law
Revolutionary advances in the biological sciences promise a host of new capabilities, from programmable microbes to brain-machine interfaces that interpret and correct disruptive neural wave forms or allow direct control of devices through thought alone. But advances like these are poised to raise difficult ethical and legal quandaries. Join us for a discussion that will take us into a near future where these technologies and quandaries are real, and witness a mock court in which expert commentators act as advocates and judges to probe some of the policy decisions and other societal challenges that lay ahead.
Alta Charo
R. Alta Charo is the Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the law and medical schools of the University of Wisconsin. Her expertise includes biotechnology regulation, bioethics, public health law, food and drug law, stem cell policy, torts and legislative drafting. Charo served on President Obama's transition team, where she was a member of the HHS review team, focusing her attention particularly on transition issues related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bioethics, stem cell policy and women's reproductive health. From 2009 to 2011, she served as a senior policy advisor on emerging technology issues in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. A member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Committee on Science, Technology and Law, she co-chaired the committee that drafted the National Academies' Guidelines for Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Charo has a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. in biology from Harvard University.
Geoff Ling
Dr. Geoffrey Ling is the founding director of the Biological Technologies Office. He began his DARPA service in 2004 as a Program Manager in the Defense Sciences Office (DSO). He created and managed a broad research portfolio, spanning neuroscience, infectious disease, pharmacology, and battlefield medicine. His Revolutionizing Prosthetics program developed advanced arm prostheses controlled either non-invasively or directly by a user’s brain. His Preventing Violent Explosive Neuro Trauma program developed new understanding and treatment of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). He was the 2009 DARPA Program Manager of the Year and served as the DSO Deputy Director from 2013-2014. Dr. Ling has spent his career providing critical care to patients suffering from neurological trauma. He served as an officer in the United States Army Medical Corps for 27 years before retiring as a Colonel in 2012. As a military neurointensive care physician, he deployed with the 44th Medical Command (Airborne) to Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2005. At the direction of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, COL Ling deployed on four “Gray Team” missions to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009-2012 to evaluate and recommend improvements to war-theater TBI care. Dr. Ling received his medical degree from Georgetown University and his Doctor of Philosophy in pharmacology from Cornell University's Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a neuropharmacology research fellowship at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a neurointensive care fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to his role at DARPA, Dr. Ling serves as a Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is an attending neurocritical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is board certified in both neurology and neurocritical care. From 2012-2013, he served as the Assistant Director for Medical Innovation of the Science Division at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Ling has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews and book chapters, including the TBI chapter in Cecil's Textbook of Medicine and several DoD Guidelines for managing head injury. He is a fellow of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical Care Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit and an “A” designated neurologist. 
Justin Sanchez
Justin Sanchez joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013 to explore neurotechnology, brain science and systems neurobiology. Before coming to DARPA, Sanchez was at the University of Miami, where he served as an associate professor of biomedical engineering and neuroscience and a faculty member of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He directed the university's Neuroprosthetics Research Group, where he oversaw development of neural-interface medical treatments and neurotechnology for treating paralysis and stroke, and for deep-brain stimulation for movement disorders, Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is an elected member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers, holds seven patents in neuroprosthetic design and authored a book on the design of brain-machine interfaces. Sanchez holds a Ph.D. and an M.Eng. in biomedical engineering, and a B.S. in engineering science, all from the University of Florida. 
Doug Weber
Doug Weber joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013. His interests are in neural engineering, specifically neural interface systems and how to apply them to acquiring and decoding neural signals for controlling assistive and prosthetic devices; and neural stimulation technologies for restoring or retraining sensory, motor and autonomic functions. Weber came to DARPA from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He also served the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a research biomedical engineer in the VA Pittsburgh Health System. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Weber holds a Ph.D. and an M.S., both in biomedical engineering, from Arizona State University and a B.S. in biomedical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. | |||
Science, Disrupted
Beyond the limits of intuition, computation, and measurement
| Room 220-221 | ||
Beyond the limits of intuition, computation, and measurement
Advances in physical sensing, leaps in computing power, an abundance of data and a host of other capabilities are advancing a revolution in science unlike any in the last 400 years, and are allowing us to tackle wicked problems that were intractable just a few years ago. New materials are being designed and constructed one atom at a time, for example, and intelligent computers are becoming active partners in scientific discovery, reading scientific papers and generating new hypotheses. Scientists are using lasers to chill individual atoms to ultracold temperatures and capturing those atoms in predefined lattices to uncover the deepest mysteries of matter, including superconductivity. Such advances, in turn, are disrupting long-held scientific intuitions and the conduct of science itself—the discoveries, the communities, the fundamental theories. Join us in planning the revolution as we discuss new opportunities - and perhaps some new limits - that await us at the scientific frontier.
Ivan Amato (Moderator)
For almost 30 years, Ivan Amato has chronicled the story of some of the most influential drivers of our times: science and technology. He is the author of three books—Super Vision: A New View of Nature (2003), Pushing the Horizon: Seventy-Five Years of High Stakes Science and Technology at the Naval Research Laboratory (1998), and Stuff: The Materials The World Is Made Of (1997). A fourth book about the Navy's historic role in the U.S. space program is scheduled for publication in 2016. Amato's career has included writing and editing positions at publications including Science and Chemical & Engineering News. He has been a correspondent for National Public Radio and contributed to media outlets including Time, Fortune, the Washington Post, Nature, Technology Review and the Discovery Channel. He has also served as an editorial consultant to the President's Council of Advisors for Science and Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History. | |||
AI Ascendant
Designing AIs to do the right thing
| Room 230-231 | ||
Designing artificial intelligence to do the right thing
Computer scientist John McCarthy summarized the central conjecture of artificial intelligence (AI) in a proposal for a two-month conference held at Dartmouth College in 1956: "[E]very aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it." Sixty years of research has produced remarkable progress in every aspect of artificial intelligence: speech understanding, language translation, computer vision, machine learning, robotics, text mining, neuromorphic systems and much more. AI technologies pervade web search engines, advertising, recommendation services, social media, fraud detection and drug discovery. AI programs beat the world champions of chess and "Jeopardy!," but more importantly, AI technology is starting to be integrated into our critical infrastructure, our economy and our defense. This panel will explore the issues that these changes raise. What new AI capabilities will be required? What safety and cybersecurity challenges must be addressed? What are the potential economic and strategic impacts? Join us to help shape the future of AI.
Trevor Darrell
Trevor Darrell is on the faculty of the computer science division of the electrical engineering and computer science department at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also head of the Computer Vision Group at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) affiliated with the university. Darrell's group develops algorithms for large-scale perceptual learning, including object and activity recognition and detection, for a variety of applications including multimodal interaction with robots and mobile devices. His interests include computer vision, machine learning, computer graphics and perception-based human-computer interfaces. Darrell was previously on the faculty of the electrical engineering and computer science department at MIT, where he directed the Vision Interface Group. He received his Ph.D. and S.M. from MIT and his B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Tom Dietterich
Tom Dietterich is president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University. As one of the earliest researchers in machine learning, he has made contributions to many aspects of the field including multiple-instance learning, multi-class learning, structured prediction, hierarchical reinforcement learning and end-to-end learning in AI systems. Dietterich earned his Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Illinois and an A.B. in mathematics from Oberlin College. He is a Fellow of AAAI, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 
Yolanda Gil
Yolanda Gil is director of knowledge technologies and associate division director at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California, and research professor in the university's computer science department. She leads a group that conducts research on various aspects of interactive knowledge capture. Her research interests include intelligent user interfaces, knowledge-rich problem solving, and the semantic web. She initiated and chaired the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Provenance Working Group that led to a community standard for establishing the authenticity and trustworthiness of web-related processes and data. Gil has served in the Advisory Committee of the Computer Science and Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation. She is chair of ACM's Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI) and was elected Fellow of the AAAI in 2012. She received her Ph.D. and M.S., both in computer science, from Carnegie Mellon University. 
Hadas Kress-Gazit
Hadas Kress-Gazit is an associate professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. Her research focuses on formal methods for robotics and automation and more specifically on creating verifiable robot controllers for complex high-level tasks using logic, verification, synthesis, hybrid systems theory and computational linguistics. She received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in 2010 and a DARPA Young Faculty Award in 2012. Kress-Gazit received her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in electrical and systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from the Technion in Haifa, Israel. 
Steve Lohr (Moderator)
Steve Lohr has covered technology, business and economics for the New York Times for more than 20 years. In 2013, he was part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. He was a foreign correspondent for a decade and served as an editor, and has written for magazines including the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic and Washington Monthly. Lohr is the author of Data-ism, which examines the field of data science and decision-making (2015). He is also the author of a history of software and computer programming, Go To (2001). | |||
Technology by the People, for the People
Platforms to enhance innovation: Circuits
| Room 228-229 | ||
Building communities to eliminate barriers to technology
Start with the creative and collaborative mentality of the burgeoning do-it-yourself and maker movements. Add to that the powerful electronics and manufacturing technologies previously accessible only in the rarified high-tech sector. What might you get? How about innovation in innovation itself, in which the opportunity to develop far-reaching capabilities opens up to millions, even billions more people? It's all about expanding the open-source software model—in which code is openly shared with others for iterative improvements—and applying it to hardware and brainware. Imagine what could quickly erupt in such an open ecosystem: cameras that could track and recognize thousands of objects simultaneously; miniature sensors that could help us integrate, learn and communicate with our environment; circuits that would allow for extracting information from mounds of tangled, unstructured data; and algorithms that could be readily embodied in efficient, specialized hardware. Now, overlay on all of that today's global connectivity to get the biggest innovation multiplier of all: the ability of kindred brains to find and work with each other wherever in the world they might be. Where and how will this revved-up open-source ethic prove most consequential? What kinds of standards, protocols and technical giveaways might best encourage creativity and success? Join us as we explore the potential implications of an unleashed open-source technology movement.
Prabal Dutta
Prabal Dutta is a Morris Wellman Faculty Development Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. He enjoys building real systems that attack challenging societal problems. His work has yielded dozens of hardware and software systems, has won four best paper awards, has received several design awards, has been directly commercialized by a dozen companies and indirectly by many dozens more, and has been utilized by thousands of researchers and practitioners worldwide. Dutta's work has been recognized with an NSF CAREER award, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, an Intel Early Career Award, and a Popular Science Brilliant Ten of 2014 Award. He served on DARPA's Information Science and Technology (ISAT) study group from 2012 to 2015, where he co-organized a number of ISAT workshops. Dutta holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Ohio State University. 
Andreas Olofsson
Andreas Olofsson founded Adapteva in 2008 with a mission to create a new class of massively parallel processors to increase computing energy efficiency by an order of magnitude. Since its inception, Adapteva as a semiconductor company has achieved two world firsts: first to build a microprocessor with 50 gigaflops-per-watt processing efficiency and first to successfully crowdfund a chip. Starting in 1996, Olofsson has worked in silicon process flow development all the way up to system-level definition. Prior to starting Adapteva, he worked at Analog Devices for 10 years, developing the TigerSHARC microprocessor for wireless communication and low-cost, mixed-signal system-on-a-chip (SOC) imaging applications. Olofsson holds an M.S. in electrical engineering, a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in physics, all from the University of Pennsylvania. 
Nigel Paver
Nigel Paver is vice president of engineering at ARM Research, a division of ARM Ltd, a global semiconductor and software design company. He is responsible for driving innovative research programs in diverse areas, from silicon technologies and sensors to IT architecture and high-performance computing. Nigel is an ARM Fellow with more than 25 years of experience in and around the ARM architecture and ecosystem. He holds 31 U.S. patents and has published more than 30 papers and received the British Computer Society (BCS) Award. Paver received his Ph.D. in computer science and an M.S. in systems design, both from the University of Manchester (UK), and a B.S. in electronics from the University of Manchester Institute of Technology (UK). 
Tom Kalil (Moderator)
Tom Kalil is deputy director for technology and innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and senior advisor for Science, Technology and Innovation for the National Economic Council. In these roles, he serves as a senior White House staffer charged with coordinating the government's technology and innovation agenda. Prior to serving in the Obama Administration, Kalil was special assistant to the chancellor for science and technology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2007 and 2008, he was chair of the Global Health Working Group for the Clinton Global Initiative. Previously, he served for eight years in the Clinton White House, ultimately as the deputy assistant to the president for technology and economic policy and the deputy director of the National Economic Council. Kalil received a B.A. in political science and international economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and completed graduate work at Tufts University's Fletcher School. | |||
Wrangling Complexity
Designing systems that work
| Room 226-227 | ||
Designing systems that work
Today's complex and sophisticated technologies are built from components that assemble into mid-level systems that, in turn, integrate into systems of systems. Automobiles…civilian and military aircraft…the Internet…the Global Positioning System…the power grid…communications satellites…. All are systems of systems, embodying this architecture's disadvantages (including intense complexity and a need for unprecedented coordination) and advantages (including the potential for synergistic effects and smaller odds of catastrophic failure if one of several components fails or is lost). As we as individuals and a Nation come to rely increasingly on these systems of systems, we need to develop new design principles and methods that help us maximize their potential benefits and minimize their risks. Join us for a discussion about the technical, design, logistical, operational and other challenges associated with systems of systems in both civilian and military contexts.
John G. Clark
John G. Clark is director of the Focused Technology Roadmaps organization within Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Advanced Development Programs (Skunk Works). He is responsible for identifying, maturing, demonstrating and transitioning technology to address the needs for all Lockheed Martin aeronautics platforms. He directs a portfolio of technology roadmaps to implement business strategy and meet near-term R&D needs and platform pursuits. His portfolio comprises the Survivability, Software Systems, Electronic Warfare, Weapons, Sensors, Cyber, and Anti-Tamper Technology teams. Clark also previously served as the program manager of the Open System Architecture and Software Technology Roadmap for Skunk Works, where he worked on multiple command-and-control and autonomy program activities related to unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Clark holds an M.B.A. from Texas Christian University and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. 
Kathleen Fisher
Kathleen Fisher is a professor of computer science at Tufts University. Previously, she was a principal member of the technical staff at AT&T Labs Research, a consulting faculty member in the computer science department at Stanford University, and a program manager at DARPA. Fisher's research focuses on advancing the theory and practice of programming languages and on applying ideas from the programming language community to the problem of ad hoc data management. Recently, she has been exploring synergies between machine learning and programming languages and studying how to apply advances in programming languages to the problem of building more secure systems. Fisher is an ACM Fellow and is past chair of the ACM Special Interest Group in Programming Languages (SIGPLAN), past co-chair of CRA's Committee on the Status of Women (CRA-W) and a former editor of the Journal of Functional Programming. Fisher earned her Ph.D. in computer science and B.Sc. in math and computational science from Stanford University. 
Evan Fortunato
Evan Fortunato is the co-owner of Apogee Research, a small business focused on research and development in areas of national security. Fortunato leads a number of efforts associated with the development of adaptive and resilient cyber-physical systems by combining techniques from a range of technical fields including: information theory, stochastic control systems, program analysis, multi-modal data estimation, statistical analysis and optimization. One of his current research interests is in managing complex systems by understanding their underlying algebraic symmetries. Fortunato received his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and a B.S. in physics from MIT. 
Richard Murray
Richard Murray is currently the Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control & Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering at the Caltech. Murray's research is in the application of feedback and control to networked systems, with applications in biology and autonomy. Current projects include analysis and design biomolecular feedback circuits; specification, design and synthesis of networked control systems; and novel architectures for control using slow computing. Murray earned his Ph.D. and M.S., both in electrical engineering and computer sciences, from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Caltech. 
Nan Mattai (Moderator)
Nan Mattai serves as senior vice president of engineering & technology of Rockwell Collins, where she guides the corporation's technology vision and provides strategic leadership. She also leads the corporation's Advanced Technology Center. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Aviation Week Strategic Media & Conferences, an external research panel at Sandia National Laboratories' Defense Systems and Assessments, and the Stevens Institute of Technology's School of Systems and Enterprises. She was named a 2014 influential woman in Defense Electronics and to the Army Technology Top 10 list of the Defense Industry's most powerful women in 2015. Mattai graduated from the University of Windsor, Canada with an M.S. in nuclear physics and completed all graduate courses for a Ph.D. in physics. | |||
Launching New Trajectories in Space
New capabilities, new cost curves
| Room 223 | ||
New capabilities, new cost curves
For the half-century since the Soviets launched Sputnik, space has been largely the domain of government entities. Launch sites and opportunities have been limited, and operating in space has been exquisitely expensive. However, evolving business models are opening the field to new entrants, and new technologies are enabling unprecedented capabilities. Advances in electronics, for example, have led to expanded functionalities in smaller satellites. Advanced manufacturing techniques have facilitated lower-cost rocket launches. How will this proliferation of new capabilities in launch and on-orbit operations, and today's bending of the cost curve, change the way we use and operate space? Join us as we consider the expanding universe of possibilities in space.
Craig Clark
Clark is the founder/CEO of Clyde Space Ltd and regarded by many as a pioneer of the 'Newspace' revolution that is currently changing the face of the space industry. In 2005, and after 11 years designing and building small satellites with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Clark founded Clyde Space Ltd., which focuses on the development of cutting-edge products for the space market, particularly in the area of tiny satellites called CubeSats. The company's successes include the design, launch and operation of Scotland's first satellite, UKube-1. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the United Kingdom's Space Leadership Council and the British Interplanetary Society. Clark earned his M.Sc. in satellite engineering from the University of Surrey (UK), and a B.Eng. in power engineering from the University of Glasgow (UK). 
Stan Dubyn
Stan Dubyn is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Millennium Space Systems, which specializes in design and development of one-of-a-kind, high-performance spacecraft that are affordable and schedule responsive. Prior to founding Millennium Space Systems, he was president and chief operating officer of SpaceDev and concurrently served as chief executive officer of Integrated Space Systems (ISS), previously a subsidiary of SpaceDev. Before SpaceDev, Dubyn was the co-founder, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Spectrum Astro from 1990 to 2000. Prior to Spectrum Astro, he held key management and technical positions at TRW Space & Electronics and at Hughes Space & Communications Group. In those positions, he worked numerous satellite programs, was responsible for the planning and implementation of a dedicated mission ground station, and for development and execution of integrated ground and flight operations and extravehicular (EVA) training for Space Shuttle astronaut crews. 
Debra Facktor Lepore
Debra Facktor Lepore is vice president and general manager of strategic operations for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. She is the company's senior executive in the Washington, D.C., area and leads the company's Washington-area operations, communications and strategic development. Previously, she was an industry professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, served as director of strategic programs for the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) and conducted research on expedited systems engineering programs for the U.S. Department of Defense. Lepore has extensive entrepreneurial business experience including serving as president of DFL Space LLC; president of AirLaunch LLC, funded by DARPA and the U.S. Air Force; and vice president of business development and strategic planning for Kistler Aerospace Corporation. Lepore is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and former board chair of Women in Aerospace. Lepore holds an M.S.E. and B.S.E., both in aerospace engineering, from the University of Michigan. 
Talbot Jaeger
Talbot Jaeger is the founder and chief technologist at NovaWurks Inc., a provider of high-technology space products and services. Jaeger leads the NovaWurks team and is responsible for product development and all projects at the company. With more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry, Jaeger has managed and directed project concepts, systems engineering and 10 spaceflights from initial design through project completion. In addition, he led the development of the Mayflower CubeSat, a highly integrated building-block space technology, delivering the product from initial design in just six months. Prior to establishing NovaWurks, Jaeger held positions at TRW and Northrop Grumman Corporation, including director of Northrop Grumman's NovaWorks research unit. His career also included stints as the lead on the launch of vehicle design and concept developments at Scaled Composites and chief architect for the seedling study and Phase 1 research of DARPA's System F6 program. Jaeger has degrees in biochemistry, information computer science and electrical engineering from the University of California, Irvine. 
Amit Mehra
Amit Mehra co-founded Ventions, LLC in 2004, and currently serves as chief financial officer and managing partner. Prior to starting Ventions, he worked as chief engineer at D-STAR Engineering, where he was responsible for developing an advanced turbine engine for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). He has also worked as a management consultant with Dean and Company, a strategy consulting firm in the Washington, D.C. area, in its energy and telecom practices. His graduate research was awarded first prize at the Merrill Lynch Global Innovation Grants Competition for its widespread commercial potential. Mehra has received various awards including recognition as one of the top 12 technology innovators of Indian descent in the United States, a best paper award at the International Fluid Dynamics conference, and the Caltech Carnation Merit Fellowship. Mehra holds a Ph.D. and M.S., both in aeronautics/astronautics, from MIT and a B.S. in engineering and applied science from Caltech. 
Mike Gold (Moderator)
Mike Gold is Bigelow Aerospace's director of D.C. operations & business growth. Gold is responsible for a broad array of activities, including international business development, legal issues, congressional affairs and strategic planning. Gold was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to serve on and chair the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC), a federal advisory committee comprised of leading commercial space industry executives that advises the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Additionally, he was appointed by the National Research Council to serve on the Space Technology Industry-Government-University roundtable, which provides direction and advice to NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. Gold has written three law review articles describing the intersection between the commercial space industry and export controls, has had two editorials entered into the Congressional Record, and testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to address issues related to commercial space development. | |||
| 4:00 PM | 4:30 PM | Break | |
| 4:30 PM | 5:45 PM |
Breakout Session 2
| |
Future Biotech, Future Law
A glimpse into the future of global security,
rogue technologies, and the law | Room 222 | ||
A glimpse into the future of disruptive technologies, societal comfort levels and the law
Revolutionary advances in the biological sciences promise a host of new capabilities, from programmable microbes to brain-machine interfaces that interpret and correct disruptive neural wave forms or allow direct control of devices through thought alone. But advances like these are poised to raise difficult ethical and legal quandaries. Join us for a discussion that will take us into a near future where these technologies and quandaries are real, and witness a mock court in which expert commentators act as advocates and judges to probe some of the policy decisions and other societal challenges that lay ahead.
Alta Charo
R. Alta Charo is the Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the law and medical schools of the University of Wisconsin. Her expertise includes biotechnology regulation, bioethics, public health law, food and drug law, stem cell policy, torts and legislative drafting. Charo served on President Obama's transition team, where she was a member of the HHS review team, focusing her attention particularly on transition issues related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bioethics, stem cell policy and women's reproductive health. From 2009 to 2011, she served as a senior policy advisor on emerging technology issues in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. A member of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Committee on Science, Technology and Law, she co-chaired the committee that drafted the National Academies' Guidelines for Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Charo has a J.D. from Columbia University and a B.A. in biology from Harvard University.
Geoff Ling
Dr. Geoffrey Ling is the founding director of the Biological Technologies Office. He began his DARPA service in 2004 as a Program Manager in the Defense Sciences Office (DSO). He created and managed a broad research portfolio, spanning neuroscience, infectious disease, pharmacology, and battlefield medicine. His Revolutionizing Prosthetics program developed advanced arm prostheses controlled either non-invasively or directly by a user’s brain. His Preventing Violent Explosive Neuro Trauma program developed new understanding and treatment of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). He was the 2009 DARPA Program Manager of the Year and served as the DSO Deputy Director from 2013-2014. Dr. Ling has spent his career providing critical care to patients suffering from neurological trauma. He served as an officer in the United States Army Medical Corps for 27 years before retiring as a Colonel in 2012. As a military neurointensive care physician, he deployed with the 44th Medical Command (Airborne) to Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2005. At the direction of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, COL Ling deployed on four “Gray Team” missions to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009-2012 to evaluate and recommend improvements to war-theater TBI care. Dr. Ling received his medical degree from Georgetown University and his Doctor of Philosophy in pharmacology from Cornell University's Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a neuropharmacology research fellowship at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a neurointensive care fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to his role at DARPA, Dr. Ling serves as a Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is an attending neurocritical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is board certified in both neurology and neurocritical care. From 2012-2013, he served as the Assistant Director for Medical Innovation of the Science Division at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Ling has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews and book chapters, including the TBI chapter in Cecil's Textbook of Medicine and several DoD Guidelines for managing head injury. He is a fellow of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical Care Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit and an “A” designated neurologist.
Justin Sanchez
Justin Sanchez joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013 to explore neurotechnology, brain science and systems neurobiology. Before coming to DARPA, Sanchez was at the University of Miami, where he served as an associate professor of biomedical engineering and neuroscience and a faculty member of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He directed the university's Neuroprosthetics Research Group, where he oversaw development of neural-interface medical treatments and neurotechnology for treating paralysis and stroke, and for deep-brain stimulation for movement disorders, Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He is an elected member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers, holds seven patents in neuroprosthetic design and authored a book on the design of brain-machine interfaces. Sanchez holds a Ph.D. and an M.Eng. in biomedical engineering, and a B.S. in engineering science, all from the University of Florida.
Doug Weber
Doug Weber joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013. His interests are in neural engineering, specifically neural interface systems and how to apply them to acquiring and decoding neural signals for controlling assistive and prosthetic devices; and neural stimulation technologies for restoring or retraining sensory, motor and autonomic functions. Weber came to DARPA from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. He also served the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a research biomedical engineer in the VA Pittsburgh Health System. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience and a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Weber holds a Ph.D. and an M.S., both in biomedical engineering, from Arizona State University and a B.S. in biomedical engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. | |||
Science, Disrupted
Beyond the limits of intuition, computation, and measurement
| Room 220-221 | ||
Beyond the limits of intuition, computation, and measurement
Advances in physical sensing, leaps in computing power, an abundance of data and a host of other capabilities are advancing a revolution in science unlike any in the last 400 years, and are allowing us to tackle wicked problems that were intractable just a few years ago. New materials are being designed and constructed one atom at a time, for example, and intelligent computers are becoming active partners in scientific discovery, reading scientific papers and generating new hypotheses. Scientists are using lasers to chill individual atoms to ultracold temperatures and capturing those atoms in predefined lattices to uncover the deepest mysteries of matter, including superconductivity. Such advances, in turn, are disrupting long-held scientific intuitions and the conduct of science itself—the discoveries, the communities, the fundamental theories. Join us in planning the revolution as we discuss new opportunities - and perhaps some new limits - that await us at the scientific frontier.
Ivan Amato (Moderator)
For almost 30 years, Ivan Amato has chronicled the story of some of the most influential drivers of our times: science and technology. He is the author of three books—Super Vision: A New View of Nature (2003), Pushing the Horizon: Seventy-Five Years of High Stakes Science and Technology at the Naval Research Laboratory (1998), and Stuff: The Materials The World Is Made Of (1997). A fourth book about the Navy's historic role in the U.S. space program is scheduled for publication in 2016. Amato's career has included writing and editing positions at publications including Science and Chemical & Engineering News. He has been a correspondent for National Public Radio and contributed to media outlets including Time, Fortune, the Washington Post, Nature, Technology Review and the Discovery Channel. He has also served as an editorial consultant to the President's Council of Advisors for Science and Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History. | |||
AI Ascendant
Designing AIs to do the right thing
| Room 230-231 | ||
Designing artificial intelligence to do the right thing
Computer scientist John McCarthy summarized the central conjecture of artificial intelligence (AI) in a proposal for a two-month conference held at Dartmouth College in 1956: "[E]very aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it." Sixty years of research has produced remarkable progress in every aspect of artificial intelligence: speech understanding, language translation, computer vision, machine learning, robotics, text mining, neuromorphic systems and much more. AI technologies pervade web search engines, advertising, recommendation services, social media, fraud detection and drug discovery. AI programs beat the world champions of chess and "Jeopardy!," but more importantly, AI technology is starting to be integrated into our critical infrastructure, our economy and our defense. This panel will explore the issues that these changes raise. What new AI capabilities will be required? What safety and cybersecurity challenges must be addressed? What are the potential economic and strategic impacts? Join us to help shape the future of AI.
Trevor Darrell
Trevor Darrell is on the faculty of the computer science division of the electrical engineering and computer science department at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also head of the Computer Vision Group at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) affiliated with the university. Darrell's group develops algorithms for large-scale perceptual learning, including object and activity recognition and detection, for a variety of applications including multimodal interaction with robots and mobile devices. His interests include computer vision, machine learning, computer graphics and perception-based human-computer interfaces. Darrell was previously on the faculty of the electrical engineering and computer science department at MIT, where he directed the Vision Interface Group. He received his Ph.D. and S.M. from MIT and his B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Tom Dietterich
Tom Dietterich is president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University. As one of the earliest researchers in machine learning, he has made contributions to many aspects of the field including multiple-instance learning, multi-class learning, structured prediction, hierarchical reinforcement learning and end-to-end learning in AI systems. Dietterich earned his Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Illinois and an A.B. in mathematics from Oberlin College. He is a Fellow of AAAI, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Yolanda Gil
Yolanda Gil is director of knowledge technologies and associate division director at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California, and research professor in the university's computer science department. She leads a group that conducts research on various aspects of interactive knowledge capture. Her research interests include intelligent user interfaces, knowledge-rich problem solving, and the semantic web. She initiated and chaired the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Provenance Working Group that led to a community standard for establishing the authenticity and trustworthiness of web-related processes and data. Gil has served in the Advisory Committee of the Computer Science and Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation. She is chair of ACM's Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI) and was elected Fellow of the AAAI in 2012. She received her Ph.D. and M.S., both in computer science, from Carnegie Mellon University.
Hadas Kress-Gazit
Hadas Kress-Gazit is an associate professor at the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. Her research focuses on formal methods for robotics and automation and more specifically on creating verifiable robot controllers for complex high-level tasks using logic, verification, synthesis, hybrid systems theory and computational linguistics. She received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in 2010 and a DARPA Young Faculty Award in 2012. Kress-Gazit received her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in electrical and systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from the Technion in Haifa, Israel.
Steve Lohr (Moderator)
Steve Lohr has covered technology, business and economics for the New York Times for more than 20 years. In 2013, he was part of the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. He was a foreign correspondent for a decade and served as an editor, and has written for magazines including the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic and Washington Monthly. Lohr is the author of Data-ism, which examines the field of data science and decision-making (2015). He is also the author of a history of software and computer programming, Go To (2001). | |||
Technology by the People, for the People
Platforms to enhance innovation: Spectrum
| Room 228-229 | ||
Building communities to eliminate barriers to technology
Start with the creative and collaborative mentality of the burgeoning do-it-yourself and maker movements. Add to that the powerful electronics and manufacturing technologies previously accessible only in the rarified high-tech sector. What might you get? How about innovation in innovation itself, in which the opportunity to develop far-reaching capabilities opens up to millions, even billions more people? It's all about expanding the open-source software model—in which code is openly shared with others for iterative improvements—and applying it to hardware and brainware. Imagine what could quickly erupt in such an open ecosystem: cameras that could track and recognize thousands of objects simultaneously; miniature sensors that could help us integrate, learn and communicate with our environment; circuits that would allow for extracting information from mounds of tangled, unstructured data; and algorithms that could be readily embodied in efficient, specialized hardware. Now, overlay on all of that today's global connectivity to get the biggest innovation multiplier of all: the ability of kindred brains to find and work with each other wherever in the world they might be. Where and how will this revved-up open-source ethic prove most consequential? What kinds of standards, protocols and technical giveaways might best encourage creativity and success? Join us as we explore the potential implications of an unleashed open-source technology movement.
Elad Alon
Elad Alon is an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-director of the Berkeley Wireless Research Center. His research focuses on energy-efficient integrated systems, including the circuit, device and communications techniques used to design them. Previously, he held positions with Lion Semiconductor, Wilocity, Cadence, Xilinx, Oracle, Intel, AMD, Rambus and IBM, working on integrated circuits for a range of applications. He received the IBM Faculty Award in 2008, the 2009 Hellman Family Faculty Fund Award, the 2010 UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award, the 2010 ISSCC Jack Raper Award for Outstanding Technology Directions Paper, the 2011 Symposium on VLSI Circuits Best Student Paper Award, and the 2012 and 2013 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference Best Student Paper Award. Alon received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D., all in electrical engineering, from Stanford University. 
Matt Ettus
Matt Ettus is president and founder of Ettus Research, a division of National Instruments. He was a core contributor to the GNU Radio project, a free framework for software-defined radio, and the creator of the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP). USRPs are in use in more than 110 countries for everything from cellular and satellite communications to radio astronomy, medical imaging and wildlife tracking. In 2010, the USRP family won the Technology of the Year award from the Wireless Innovation Forum. In the past, Ettus has designed Bluetooth chips, GPS systems and high-performance microprocessors. Before that, he received an M.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in electrical engineering and a B.S. in computer science from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2011, Ettus was named an eminent member of Eta Kappa Nu, the IEEE's honor society for electrical and computer engineering, and was awarded the Wireless Innovation Forum International Achievement Award in 2015. 
Tom Rondeau
Tom Rondeau is the maintainer and lead developer of the GNU Radio project and a consultant on signal processing and wireless communications. Rondeau is active in many conferences and workshops around the world to help further research and technology in these areas, and he has consulted with many companies and government organizations on new techniques in wireless signal processing. He is also a visiting researcher with the University of Pennsylvania and has published widely in the fields of wireless communications, software radio and cognitive radio. Rondeau holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech and won the 2007 Outstanding Dissertation Award in math, science and engineering from the Council of Graduate Schools for his work in artificial intelligence in wireless communications.
Tom Kalil (Moderator)
Tom Kalil is deputy director for technology and innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and senior advisor for Science, Technology and Innovation for the National Economic Council. In these roles, he serves as a senior White House staffer charged with coordinating the government's technology and innovation agenda. Prior to serving in the Obama Administration, Kalil was special assistant to the chancellor for science and technology at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2007 and 2008, he was chair of the Global Health Working Group for the Clinton Global Initiative. Previously, he served for eight years in the Clinton White House, ultimately as the deputy assistant to the president for technology and economic policy and the deputy director of the National Economic Council. Kalil received a B.A. in political science and international economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and completed graduate work at Tufts University's Fletcher School. | |||
Wrangling Complexity
Designing systems that work
| Room 226-227 | ||
Designing systems that work
Today's complex and sophisticated technologies are built from components that assemble into mid-level systems that, in turn, integrate into systems of systems. Automobiles…civilian and military aircraft…the Internet…the Global Positioning System…the power grid…communications satellites…. All are systems of systems, embodying this architecture's disadvantages (including intense complexity and a need for unprecedented coordination) and advantages (including the potential for synergistic effects and smaller odds of catastrophic failure if one of several components fails or is lost). As we as individuals and a Nation come to rely increasingly on these systems of systems, we need to develop new design principles and methods that help us maximize their potential benefits and minimize their risks. Join us for a discussion about the technical, design, logistical, operational and other challenges associated with systems of systems in both civilian and military contexts.
John G. Clark
John G. Clark is director of the Focused Technology Roadmaps organization within Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Advanced Development Programs (Skunk Works). He is responsible for identifying, maturing, demonstrating and transitioning technology to address the needs for all Lockheed Martin aeronautics platforms. He directs a portfolio of technology roadmaps to implement business strategy and meet near-term R&D needs and platform pursuits. His portfolio comprises the Survivability, Software Systems, Electronic Warfare, Weapons, Sensors, Cyber, and Anti-Tamper Technology teams. Clark also previously served as the program manager of the Open System Architecture and Software Technology Roadmap for Skunk Works, where he worked on multiple command-and-control and autonomy program activities related to unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Clark holds an M.B.A. from Texas Christian University and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Kathleen Fisher
Kathleen Fisher is a professor of computer science at Tufts University. Previously, she was a principal member of the technical staff at AT&T Labs Research, a consulting faculty member in the computer science department at Stanford University, and a program manager at DARPA. Fisher's research focuses on advancing the theory and practice of programming languages and on applying ideas from the programming language community to the problem of ad hoc data management. Recently, she has been exploring synergies between machine learning and programming languages and studying how to apply advances in programming languages to the problem of building more secure systems. Fisher is an ACM Fellow and is past chair of the ACM Special Interest Group in Programming Languages (SIGPLAN), past co-chair of CRA's Committee on the Status of Women (CRA-W) and a former editor of the Journal of Functional Programming. Fisher earned her Ph.D. in computer science and B.Sc. in math and computational science from Stanford University.
Evan Fortunato
Evan Fortunato is the co-owner of Apogee Research, a small business focused on research and development in areas of national security. Fortunato leads a number of efforts associated with the development of adaptive and resilient cyber-physical systems by combining techniques from a range of technical fields including: information theory, stochastic control systems, program analysis, multi-modal data estimation, statistical analysis and optimization. One of his current research interests is in managing complex systems by understanding their underlying algebraic symmetries. Fortunato received his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and a B.S. in physics from MIT.
Richard Murray
Richard Murray is currently the Thomas E. and Doris Everhart Professor of Control & Dynamical Systems and Bioengineering at the Caltech. Murray's research is in the application of feedback and control to networked systems, with applications in biology and autonomy. Current projects include analysis and design biomolecular feedback circuits; specification, design and synthesis of networked control systems; and novel architectures for control using slow computing. Murray earned his Ph.D. and M.S., both in electrical engineering and computer sciences, from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Caltech.
Nan Mattai (Moderator)
Nan Mattai serves as senior vice president of engineering & technology of Rockwell Collins, where she guides the corporation's technology vision and provides strategic leadership. She also leads the corporation's Advanced Technology Center. She is a member of the Advisory Board for Aviation Week Strategic Media & Conferences, an external research panel at Sandia National Laboratories' Defense Systems and Assessments, and the Stevens Institute of Technology's School of Systems and Enterprises. She was named a 2014 influential woman in Defense Electronics and to the Army Technology Top 10 list of the Defense Industry's most powerful women in 2015. Mattai graduated from the University of Windsor, Canada with an M.S. in nuclear physics and completed all graduate courses for a Ph.D. in physics. | |||
Launching New Trajectories in Space
New capabilities, new cost curves
| Room 223 | ||
New capabilities, new cost curves
For the half-century since the Soviets launched Sputnik, space has been largely the domain of government entities. Launch sites and opportunities have been limited, and operating in space has been exquisitely expensive. However, evolving business models are opening the field to new entrants, and new technologies are enabling unprecedented capabilities. Advances in electronics, for example, have led to expanded functionalities in smaller satellites. Advanced manufacturing techniques have facilitated lower-cost rocket launches. How will this proliferation of new capabilities in launch and on-orbit operations, and today's bending of the cost curve, change the way we use and operate space? Join us as we consider the expanding universe of possibilities in space.
Craig Clark
Clark is the founder/CEO of Clyde Space Ltd and regarded by many as a pioneer of the 'Newspace' revolution that is currently changing the face of the space industry. In 2005, and after 11 years designing and building small satellites with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Clark founded Clyde Space Ltd., which focuses on the development of cutting-edge products for the space market, particularly in the area of tiny satellites called CubeSats. The company's successes include the design, launch and operation of Scotland's first satellite, UKube-1. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the United Kingdom's Space Leadership Council and the British Interplanetary Society. Clark earned his M.Sc. in satellite engineering from the University of Surrey (UK), and a B.Eng. in power engineering from the University of Glasgow (UK).
Stan Dubyn
Stan Dubyn is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Millennium Space Systems, which specializes in design and development of one-of-a-kind, high-performance spacecraft that are affordable and schedule responsive. Prior to founding Millennium Space Systems, he was president and chief operating officer of SpaceDev and concurrently served as chief executive officer of Integrated Space Systems (ISS), previously a subsidiary of SpaceDev. Before SpaceDev, Dubyn was the co-founder, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Spectrum Astro from 1990 to 2000. Prior to Spectrum Astro, he held key management and technical positions at TRW Space & Electronics and at Hughes Space & Communications Group. In those positions, he worked numerous satellite programs, was responsible for the planning and implementation of a dedicated mission ground station, and for development and execution of integrated ground and flight operations and extravehicular (EVA) training for Space Shuttle astronaut crews.
Debra Facktor Lepore
Debra Facktor Lepore is vice president and general manager of strategic operations for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. She is the company's senior executive in the Washington, D.C., area and leads the company's Washington-area operations, communications and strategic development. Previously, she was an industry professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, served as director of strategic programs for the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) and conducted research on expedited systems engineering programs for the U.S. Department of Defense. Lepore has extensive entrepreneurial business experience including serving as president of DFL Space LLC; president of AirLaunch LLC, funded by DARPA and the U.S. Air Force; and vice president of business development and strategic planning for Kistler Aerospace Corporation. Lepore is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and former board chair of Women in Aerospace. Lepore holds an M.S.E. and B.S.E., both in aerospace engineering, from the University of Michigan.
Talbot Jaeger
Talbot Jaeger is the founder and chief technologist at NovaWurks Inc., a provider of high-technology space products and services. Jaeger leads the NovaWurks team and is responsible for product development and all projects at the company. With more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry, Jaeger has managed and directed project concepts, systems engineering and 10 spaceflights from initial design through project completion. In addition, he led the development of the Mayflower CubeSat, a highly integrated building-block space technology, delivering the product from initial design in just six months. Prior to establishing NovaWurks, Jaeger held positions at TRW and Northrop Grumman Corporation, including director of Northrop Grumman's NovaWorks research unit. His career also included stints as the lead on the launch of vehicle design and concept developments at Scaled Composites and chief architect for the seedling study and Phase 1 research of DARPA's System F6 program. Jaeger has degrees in biochemistry, information computer science and electrical engineering from the University of California, Irvine.
Amit Mehra
Amit Mehra co-founded Ventions, LLC in 2004, and currently serves as chief financial officer and managing partner. Prior to starting Ventions, he worked as chief engineer at D-STAR Engineering, where he was responsible for developing an advanced turbine engine for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). He has also worked as a management consultant with Dean and Company, a strategy consulting firm in the Washington, D.C. area, in its energy and telecom practices. His graduate research was awarded first prize at the Merrill Lynch Global Innovation Grants Competition for its widespread commercial potential. Mehra has received various awards including recognition as one of the top 12 technology innovators of Indian descent in the United States, a best paper award at the International Fluid Dynamics conference, and the Caltech Carnation Merit Fellowship. Mehra holds a Ph.D. and M.S., both in aeronautics/astronautics, from MIT and a B.S. in engineering and applied science from Caltech.
Mike Gold (Moderator)
Mike Gold is Bigelow Aerospace's director of D.C. operations & business growth. Gold is responsible for a broad array of activities, including international business development, legal issues, congressional affairs and strategic planning. Gold was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to serve on and chair the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC), a federal advisory committee comprised of leading commercial space industry executives that advises the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. Additionally, he was appointed by the National Research Council to serve on the Space Technology Industry-Government-University roundtable, which provides direction and advice to NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. Gold has written three law review articles describing the intersection between the commercial space industry and export controls, has had two editorials entered into the Congressional Record, and testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to address issues related to commercial space development. | |||
Friday, September 11, 2015
Coming Soon: Videos will be posted on Monday, September 14th.
| |||
| 7:00 AM | 8:15 AM |
Continental Breakfast
DARPA Demos | Exhibit Hall 1 |
DARPA works with thousands of amazing engineers and scientists in hundreds of programs to change what’s possible. Come see what we’re up to today!
| |||
| 8:30 AM | 8:35 AM |
Welcome to the Day
ARATI PRABHAKAR, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
| 8:35 AM | 8:55 AM |
9/11 Remembrance
Reflections from:
Mick Maher Rich Field Meredith Saunders Mark Micire Victoria Coleman | Ferrara Theatre |
Personal perspectives on 9/11
| |||
| 8:55 AM | 9:45 AM |
Are We Alone and Have We Been?
JEFF GORE, MIT
MARK NORELL, AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY LUCIANNE WALKOWICZ, ADLER PLANETARIUM MODERATOR: GEOFF LING, DARPA | Ferrara Theatre |
Hear how a molecular biologist focused on fossils, a physicist fascinated by population dynamics, and an astrophysicist looking for life are exploring the rich intersection of biology, technology and data.
Jeff Gore
Jeff Gore joined the Physics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an Assistant Professor in January 2010 after spending the previous three years in the Department as a Pappalardo Fellow working with Alexander van Oudenaarden. With the support of a Hertz Graduate Fellowship, in 2005 he received his Ph.D. from the Physics Department at the University of California, Berkeley. His graduate research in single-molecule biophysics was done in the laboratory of Carlos Bustamante, focusing on the study of twist and torque in single molecules of DNA. Dr. Gore was named the 2013 Allen Distinguished Investigator, was a recipient of the 2012 NIH New Innovators Award, was named 2011 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences and is the recipient of a 2011 Sloan Research Fellowship and 2011 NSF CAREER Award. 
Mark Norell
Mark Norell is Division Chair and Curator-in-Charge, Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History and Professor, Richard Gilder Graduate School. Dr. Norell works in several areas of specimen-based and theoretical research. He works on the description and relationships among coelurosaurs and studies elements of the Asian Mesozoic fauna. He analyzes important new "feathered" dinosaurs from Liaoning, China, and develops theoretical methods for better understanding phylogenetic relationships and patterns in the fossil record. Dr. Norell's theoretical work focuses on developing methodology for evaluating the effect of missing data on large data sets, sensitivity methods for character weighting, and using phylogeny to estimate patterns in the fossil record such as diversity and extinction. Much of his new research focuses on the evolution of the avian brain. He also studies the relationship between stratigraphic position and phylogenetic topology. Dr. Norell received his bachelor's degree from California State University, his masters from San Diego State University and his M.Phil and Ph.D. from Yale University. 
Lucianne Walkowicz
Lucianne Walkowicz is an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and Henry Norris Russell Fellow in the department of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University. She studies stellar magnetic activity and its effects on planetary habitability using data from NASA's Kepler Mission. Selected Honors: Kavli Fellow Frontiers of Science (2012); TED Senior Fellow (2012); TEDGlobal Fellow (2011); SpokeStar of the Year; Light Pollution Advocacy; Astronomical League (2012); and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention (2004). Walkowicz has a Ph.D. and M.S. in astronomy from the University of Washington and a B.S. in physics from Johns Hopkins University.
Geoff Ling (Moderator)
Dr. Geoffrey Ling is the founding director of the Biological Technologies Office. He began his DARPA service in 2004 as a Program Manager in the Defense Sciences Office (DSO). He created and managed a broad research portfolio, spanning neuroscience, infectious disease, pharmacology, and battlefield medicine. His Revolutionizing Prosthetics program developed advanced arm prostheses controlled either non-invasively or directly by a user’s brain. His Preventing Violent Explosive Neuro Trauma program developed new understanding and treatment of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). He was the 2009 DARPA Program Manager of the Year and served as the DSO Deputy Director from 2013-2014. Dr. Ling has spent his career providing critical care to patients suffering from neurological trauma. He served as an officer in the United States Army Medical Corps for 27 years before retiring as a Colonel in 2012. As a military neurointensive care physician, he deployed with the 44th Medical Command (Airborne) to Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2005. At the direction of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, COL Ling deployed on four “Gray Team” missions to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009-2012 to evaluate and recommend improvements to war-theater TBI care. Dr. Ling received his medical degree from Georgetown University and his Doctor of Philosophy in pharmacology from Cornell University's Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He completed his residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a neuropharmacology research fellowship at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and a neurointensive care fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in History from Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to his role at DARPA, Dr. Ling serves as a Professor of Neurology, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is an attending neurocritical care physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is board certified in both neurology and neurocritical care. From 2012-2013, he served as the Assistant Director for Medical Innovation of the Science Division at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Ling has published more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, reviews and book chapters, including the TBI chapter in Cecil's Textbook of Medicine and several DoD Guidelines for managing head injury. He is a fellow of the American Neurological Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Neurocritical Care Society, and the Society for Neuroscience. He is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit and an “A” designated neurologist. | |||
| 9:45 AM | 10:40 AM | Break | |
| 10:40 AM | 10:45 AM |
Interdependencies
STEFANIE TOMPKINS, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Explore how new mathematical foundations for complex systems might change how we understand our world, how we make new discoveries and how we create technological surprise.
Dr. Stefanie Tompkins is the Director of the Defense Sciences Office (DSO). DSO explores the constantly changing research landscape across the nation and the world to identify and accelerate potentially game-changing technologies for national security.
She has previously served as the DARPA Chief of Staff, as well as the Deputy Director of and a program manager in the Strategic Technology Office, where she developed and managed programs in advanced navigation systems, as well as optical element design and manufacture. Prior to joining DARPA, Dr. Tompkins spent 10 years in industry, working first as a senior scientist conducting research in planetary geology and spectroscopy, and later as the manager of a research and development center developing new approaches to imaging spectroscopy and data analysis. She has also served as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army. Dr. Tompkins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology and Geophysics from Princeton University and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Geology from Brown University. | |||
| 10:45 AM | 11:15 AM |
Let There Be Light (and Thus, Time)
JUN YE, NIST & JILA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Find out how lasers are used to manipulate atoms inside and out for ultra-precise clocks.
Jun Ye is a professor of physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) and a fellow of both the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and JILA, a joint institute between NIST and CU. His research focuses on the frontier of light-matter interactions and includes ultrasensitive laser spectroscopy, optical frequency metrology, quantum optics using cold atoms and the science behind ultrafast lasers.
Awards and honors include three Gold Medals from the U.S. Commerce Department, a Frew Fellowship from the Australian Academy of Science, the I. I. Rabi Prize from the American Physical Society, the European Frequency and Time Forum Award, and the Carl Zeiss Research Award. Ye has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an M.S. in physics from the University of New Mexico and a B.S. in applied physics from Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. He has co-authored more than 300 technical papers and has delivered more than 400 invited talks. | |||
| 11:15 AM | 11:20 AM |
Neurotechnology
JUSTIN SANCHEZ, DARPA
| Ferrara Theatre |
Explore how applied neuroscience is opening new worlds of independence and experience, as well as important questions about privacy, enhancement and the core societal value of personal autonomy.
Dr. Justin Sanchez joined DARPA as a program manager in 2013 to explore neurotechnology, brain science and systems neurobiology.
Before coming to DARPA, Dr. Sanchez was an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience at the University of Miami, and a faculty member of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He directed the Neuroprosthetics Research Group, where he oversaw development of neural-interface medical treatments and neurotechnology for treating paralysis and stroke, and for deep brain stimulation for movement disorders, Tourette’s syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Dr. Sanchez has developed new methods for signal analysis and processing techniques for studying the unknown aspects of neural coding and functional neurophysiology. His experience covers in vivo electrophysiology for brain-machine interface design in animals and humans where he studied the activity of single neurons, local field potentials and electrocorticogram in the cerebral cortex and from deep brain structures of the motor and limbic system. He is an elected member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers, holds seven patents in neuroprosthetic design and authored a book on the design of brain-machine interfaces. He has served as a reviewer for the NIH Neurotechnology Study Section, DoD’s Spinal Cord Injury Research Program and the Wellcome Trust, and as an associate editor of multiple journals of biomedical engineering and neurophysiology. Dr. Sanchez holds Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Engineering degrees in Biomedical Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Science, all from the University of Florida. | |||
| 11:20 AM | 11:50 AM |
Lighting the Brain
KARL DEISSEROTH, STANFORD UNIVERSITY
| Ferrara Theatre |
Discover how optogenetics—the new art of choreographing neural activity with light—is fueling breakthroughs in brain research and could lead the way to revolutionary treatments.
Karl Deisseroth is the D.H. Chen Professor of Bioengineering and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.
His laboratory has worked on developing and applying high-resolution tools for controlling (optogenetics.org) and mapping (clarityresourcecenter.org) specific well-defined elements within intact and fully-assembled biological systems. His research laboratory continues to develop and apply these and other tools (integrated with optical, electrophysiological, computational, molecular, and behavioral approaches) for the study of neural physiology and behavior in freely moving mammals. His research group is interested both in natural behaviorally relevant neural circuit dynamics, and in pathological dynamics underlying neuropsychiatric disease symptomatology and treatment. Deisseroth has an M.D. from Stanford University Medical School, a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Stanford University and a B.A. in biochemical sciences from Harvard University. | |||
| 11:50 AM | 12:00 PM |
Closing
ARATI PRABHAKAR, DARPA
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