Gill Eapen's Blog, page 18
June 4, 2020
Prof. Julia Lane, Professor at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Democratizing our data - A manifesto. Improving the design of metrics, collection of data, analysis, and decision-making at the federal level
Prof. Julia Lane is a Professor at the New York University Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and an NYU Fellow for Innovation Analytics. She is a senior advisor in the Office of the Federal CIO at the White House, supporting the implementation of the Federal Data Strategy. She cofounded the Coleridge Initiative, whose goal is to use data to transform the way governments access and use data for the social good through training programs, research projects, and a secure data facility.
Prof. Julia Lane is a Professor at the New York University Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and an NYU Fellow for Innovation Analytics. She is a senior advisor in the Office of the Federal CIO at the White House, supporting the implementation of the Federal Data Strategy. She cofounded the Coleridge Initiative, whose goal is to use data to transform the way governments access and use data for the social good through training programs, research projects, and a secure data facility.
Conversation with Prof. Julia Lane, Professor at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Democratizing our data - A manifesto. Improving the design of metrics, collection of data, analysis and decision-making at the federal level
Dr. Ian Williams, author, sculptor and biochemist
Humans, bacteria, intelligence, consciousness, life and everything else
Ian Williams was born in England in 1954. He trained as a biochemist at the Universities of Bristol and Oxford and received an MFA from Bennington College in Vermont. He worked for Pfizer for twenty years heading the Molecular Sciences Department and serving in the Research strategy group. He and his wife, Nancy Hutson, have a farm in Connecticut containing over 50 large-scale sculptures that Williams has made over the last decade. Together with Nancy, he has ridden in horseback safaris in many parts of the world. He may be reached at ian.inc@mac.com
Ian Williams was born in England in 1954. He trained as a biochemist at the Universities of Bristol and Oxford and received an MFA from Bennington College in Vermont. He worked for Pfizer for twenty years heading the Molecular Sciences Department and serving in the Research strategy group. He and his wife, Nancy Hutson, have a farm in Connecticut containing over 50 large-scale sculptures that Williams has made over the last decade. Together with Nancy, he has ridden in horseback safaris in many parts of the world. He may be reached at ian.inc@mac.com
Podcast: Conversation with Dr. Ian Williams, author, sculptor and biochemist.
Humans, bacteria, intelligence, consciousness, life and everything else
May 25, 2020
Dr.Pierre Etienne, co-Director of the Alzheimer’s disease prevention program at McGill University
COVID-19, clinical trial processes, pharmaceutical R&D, vaccine development, use of preventative medications,Alzheimer's, PTSD, and other areas.
After obtaining his medical degree in Belgium in 1972, Pierre Etienne moved to McGill University, where he did postgraduate work in neurochemistry. There he directed a program on the biochemical, physiological, and neuropathological basis of Alzheimer's disease. After a brief passage in experimental medicine at Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis), he went back to McGill in 1987, dividing his time between the Montreal Neurological Institute and the Allan Memorial Institute. In 1989 he joined Pfizer as Director of Experimental Medicine, responsible for all Phase 2 A programs for US and Japan discovered compounds. In 2003, he became CEO of PhageTech, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company based in Montreal, Canada. PhageTech exploited a proprietary platform based on phage-bacterial intracellular interactions to research and develop new classes of synthetic antibiotics. Phagetech later became Targanta Therapeutics that went public on NASDAQ (TARG) in the summer of 2008. In December 2009, he started a new life as a physician at the Douglas Institute. In July 2011, he was appointed Director of the Clinical Research Division. He is the co-Director of the Alzheimer’s disease prevention program (Stop-AD).
After obtaining his medical degree in Belgium in 1972, Pierre Etienne moved to McGill University, where he did postgraduate work in neurochemistry. There he directed a program on the biochemical, physiological, and neuropathological basis of Alzheimer's disease. After a brief passage in experimental medicine at Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis), he went back to McGill in 1987, dividing his time between the Montreal Neurological Institute and the Allan Memorial Institute. In 1989 he joined Pfizer as Director of Experimental Medicine, responsible for all Phase 2 A programs for US and Japan discovered compounds. In 2003, he became CEO of PhageTech, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company based in Montreal, Canada. PhageTech exploited a proprietary platform based on phage-bacterial intracellular interactions to research and develop new classes of synthetic antibiotics. Phagetech later became Targanta Therapeutics that went public on NASDAQ (TARG) in the summer of 2008. In December 2009, he started a new life as a physician at the Douglas Institute. In July 2011, he was appointed Director of the Clinical Research Division. He is the co-Director of the Alzheimer’s disease prevention program (Stop-AD).
Podcast: Conversation with Dr. Pierre Etienne
We talk about various subjects including COVID-19, clinical trial processes, pharmaceutical R&D, vaccine development, use of preventative medications, and other areas. We also discussed Dr. Etienne's current research on Alzheimer's disease and PTSD.
https://anchor.fm/scientificsense/episodes/Conversation-with-Dr-Pierre-Etienne-of-Douglas-Institute-at-McGill-University-eegd2d
https://anchor.fm/scientificsense/episodes/Conversation-with-Dr-Pierre-Etienne-of-Douglas-Institute-at-McGill-University-eegd2d
May 24, 2020
Scientific Sense Podcast: Conversation with Dr.Pierre Etienne of Douglas Institute at McGill University
Published on: May 24, 2020 at 12:24 PMWe talk about various subjects including COVID-19, clinical trial processes, pharmaceutical R&D, vaccine development, use of preventative medications, and other areas. We also discussed Dr. Etienne's current research on Alzheimer's disease and PTSD.https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/eegd2d
November 22, 2019
Concentrating Solar: The right first step toward zero cost energy
Nearly zero cost energy is a real possibility for humans living in close proximity to a large fusion device with billions of years of fuel left. However, the immediate need to push away from fossil fuels has led to massive investments into inefficient alternatives such as photovoltaic cells and wind turbines. Both of these have inherent limitations and in the absence of hitherto unknown materials, these technologies could never reach the required efficiencies to be useful. This is another reminder that a focus on incremental innovation is not the right approach to solve big problems. Recent news (1) that concentrating solar with an array of reflectors driven by Artificial Intelligence could generate temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees is welcome news. Although initial applications could be industrial, power production cannot be too far behind.
On the other hand, room temperature superconductivity, something engineers have been dreaming about for many decades is yet to materialize. Just like photovoltaic cells, the focus here has been incremental. Because of this, we are not too far from where we were a few decades ago. A few 10s of Kelvin higher temperature, albeit interesting scientifically, has no real practical implications. Rather than nourishing this toward room temperature slowly, engineers should throw out the templates they are working on and start with the requirement of finding superconductivity at room temperature, nothing less.
With efficient harvesting of heat through well designed concentrating solar devices moving toward central power production, it is imperative that we make advances in superconductivity as the transmission and distribution of power will become more important in the future. If concentrating solar wins, we will have to shelve all the contemporary inefficient and costly attempts for distributed power production.
Incrementalism is not a good approach to solve big problems.
(1) https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-power-heliogen-bill-gates-2019-11
On the other hand, room temperature superconductivity, something engineers have been dreaming about for many decades is yet to materialize. Just like photovoltaic cells, the focus here has been incremental. Because of this, we are not too far from where we were a few decades ago. A few 10s of Kelvin higher temperature, albeit interesting scientifically, has no real practical implications. Rather than nourishing this toward room temperature slowly, engineers should throw out the templates they are working on and start with the requirement of finding superconductivity at room temperature, nothing less.
With efficient harvesting of heat through well designed concentrating solar devices moving toward central power production, it is imperative that we make advances in superconductivity as the transmission and distribution of power will become more important in the future. If concentrating solar wins, we will have to shelve all the contemporary inefficient and costly attempts for distributed power production.
Incrementalism is not a good approach to solve big problems.
(1) https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-power-heliogen-bill-gates-2019-11
November 15, 2019
Chicago, catching up?.
The University of Chicago, with an abysmal record of creating criminals per capita, compared to its ivy league peers, is about to catch up. They got a real live fish in the whiter house who is responsible for many of the criminal activities by the “most powerful man on Earth.” Chicago, albeit a bit slower to its East coast peers, always catches up. Chicago wins, in criminal activists or otherwise, the solace is that it did not teach “finance,” to the worst possible criminal in the world. That belongs to the “best school,” who was sued not to release the grades of its most famous graduate. The quadrangle that is responsible for our freedom and knowledge now apparently has produced somebody who is aiding crime in Washington. The graduates of this illustrious institution hope that the professors who taught this guy law and other things, come out and say that he did not learn much when he was scrambling in Hyde Park. The “best school,” will not do that as they are cowards who fear repercussions from the famous man. That is why they will never be the “best school". Academics, in addition to seeking tenure, have an obligation, to tell the truth. Chicago graduates expect their teachers to be true and not sell out to the worst criminals. hashtag
#policy
#policy
November 12, 2019
No Artificial Intelligence without Consciousness
Artificial Intelligence, a nebulous area, has been around from the advent of computers. Every decade, aided by increasing computing power and cheaper memory, those who just got out of school start to believe they found something new. Most often, new terms are invented to relabel what has been known forever. In the latest iteration, terms such as machine and deep learning have been trending. More interestingly, in the current wave, a new profession is coined, aptly called, "data science." Consulting firms, running out of ideas, strategies and PowerPoint magic, have been jumping in, to make a fast buck. The larger ones have assembled "thousands of data scientists," to make AI for their clients. The smaller ones have raised many 100s of millions of $ to "change the world." Now that we are approaching practical quantum computing within a decade, the next wave is just about to start. The behemoths, stuck with excess cloud capacity, have been providing "tools," so that they can download the costs of the stranded investments to the users. Unfortunately, all of these could be rendered obsolete in a few years. It may be a warning sign for educational institutions scrambling to create more data scientists on-line or not.
Autonomous automobiles and aircrafts are not AI, they are transportation modalities with a computer onboard. Robots that can put nuts and bolts together, assemble objects of use and occasionally jump in magnificent ways are not evidence of AI, just expert logic embedded in mechanical systems. Fooling people into thinking there is a human on the other side of the telephone is not AI just a set of rules fed into a synthesizer. Machines beating humans in prescriptive games is not AI - they are either a massive set of rules fed into high powered computers or pattern-finding neural nets (some call it deep learning) on steroids. None of these use cases have anything to do with AI, generalized or not. They just make some feel important and make a lot of positive economics for their proponents.
However, we cannot move an inch forward in AI without a coherent theory of consciousness. Engineers have been on a quest to define what they do not seem to understand, by quantitative means. It is possible that consciousness is a property that is externally applied. If so, the entities with consciousness are unlikely to understand it. In the absence of a theory from within, one possible explanation is that consciousness is induced by the simulator of the game. If so, it is likely that consciousness is a democratized property and is not limited to humans, let alone living things. This may explain why humans locked in a mathematical jail seem unable to understand it.
Those chasing AI may need to spend more time thinking about a possible theory of consciousness. Without that, it is just age-old statistics.
