Horizons 2016 Archive
February 25
Deep Science:
The Secret Lives of Groupers
Chris Koenig
Few bottom-dwelling fish in the world’s oceans are as popular – or fascinating – as grouper. Unraveling the science behind their curious lives has been the focus of Chris Koenig’s research for more than 30 years. As one of the foremost grouper biologists working in the Gulf region, Koenig – based out of FSU’s marine lab – offers a compelling, visually exciting summary of his findings on three of the most well known groupers in the Gulf of Mexico.
March 24
Wheels on Mars:
The Adventures and Discoveries of the Mars Rovers
James Rice
James W. (Jim) Rice is a specialist on the geology of Mars. Based within the Mars Spaceflight Facility at Arizona State University, Rice has more than 25 years of experience studying the surface geology of Mars including the planet’s strange history of water. Rice has been involved in Mars landing site selection and certification activities for every NASA Mars mission since Mars Pathfinder in 1995. He also serves on several NASA groups challenged with planning manned missions back to the Moon and Mars.
April 28
The Amazing Swarm:
How Honeybees Get Smart
Tom Steeley
Tom Seeley is a biologist within Cornell University’s Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and a pioneering researcher into the behavior and social life of honeybees. He’s author of three books on the subject, the latest of which is the acclaimed Honeybee Democracy published in 2010. The book vividly outlines honeybees’ astonishing use of collective fact-finding, vigorous debate and consensus building to find and build their homes. His research has demonstrated how a swarm of bees can achieve a high collective I.Q. – as if the swarm were a single organism – to accomplish extraordinary feats.
May 25
Wright Brothers Revisited:
Climbing Aloft on the AI Wing
Ken Ford
Ken Ford is founder and chief executive officer of the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, a not-for-profit research institute located in Pensacola, Florida. The institute has grown into one of the nation’s premier research organizations aimed at amplifying and extending cognitive and perceptual capacities between humans and machines. A computer scientist by training, Ford is author of six books and hundreds of scientific articles on topics ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) to robotics in industry.