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Keynote
Sessions
Luncheon Keynote
"A Call to Action: Forging a University/Industry Partnership to Place New York at the Forefront of Computational Biology"
Keynote Speaker
Robert McGrath, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President Brookhaven Affairs, Stony Brook University
Keynote Panelist
Ajay Royyuru, Senior Manager, Computational Biology Center, IBM
Robert Rizzo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Applied Math & Statistics, Stony Brook University;
Charles S. Peskin, Ph.D., Professor, Mathematics, New York University; Wolf von Maltzahn, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Acting Vice President for Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Introduction: Nathan Tinker, Ph.D., Executive Director, New York Biotechnology Association
Eight of New York’s leading research universities, including Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Columbia, NYU, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University at Albany, University at Buffalo, and Cornell, have proposed a consortium to propel New York State to the forefront of computational biology. The Consortium will build upon existing research capabilities as well as the computing power of two, new Blue Gene/L, 100 teraflop supercomputers. Each has the potential to process 100 trillion computations per second making them two of the most powerful supercomputers in the world available for non-classified research. The Consortium
seeks Industry partnerships to help guide the development of these unique resources.
Closing Keynote
David Ewing Duncan
Best-selling author of "Masterminds" & co-host of NPR's "Biotech Nation"
Will humans soon be living to be 150 years old? Will we be able to regenerate brains, hearts and livers using stem cells? Will China and India surpass the United States as a scientific super-power by 2050? Are scientific discoveries--and advances--dismissed when they don't fit a preferred ideology or political agenda? And how, exactly, are new drugs "discovered" and then tested?
David Ewing Duncan has always sought out stories and issues where clashes of ideas, cultures and discoveries occur--be they conquistadors or disruptive technologies in biotech. A profiler of the world's most prominent and influential researchers and geneticists, his approach is unique in that he profiles not just the science but also the individuals behind the discoveries.
The co-host of National Public Radio's "Biotech Nation," Duncan is also a best-selling author, and radio and film producer. His 2006 book, "Masterminds: Genius, DNA and the Quest to Rewrite Life" (Harper Perennial), focuses on the particular motives of scientists: Did the scientist credited for sequencing the human genome have a familial attachment to the issue? Were money and fame an aid to his ambition?. His documentaries have aired on ABC and the Discovery Channel, and he has corresponded and produced for ABC's "Nightline" and "20/20."
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