This particular field of applied biology is based on the use of living organisms, biological systems and their by-products for the improvement of products and technological processes in order to use them in medicine, the petroleum and food industries, and in other industries. The field of biotechnology includes not only genetic engineering and molecular biology, but also can also include chemical engineering, information technology, and molecular ecology. Knowledge Stream will present the most exciting advances of biotechnology, including, for example, radical life extension, processing and recycling of hydrocarbon waste, and the production of nanomaterials and nano instruments.
Courseras' team on the success and future of the greatest MOOC-project ever.
Today science and technology are probably developing faster than they ever have. This generation is witnessing here and now a technological explosion that will change our life in the very near future. Throughout the Forecast For Tomorrow lecture cycle leading developers and researchers from around the world will demonstrate their products, prototype solutions and intellectual concepts, all not long ago worthy of mention in science fiction. However, not long from now these innovations will become a part of daily life. The cycle will focus on key areas in the life of a person and the appearance of new practices: education, production, robotization, medicine and biotechnology, Big Data, media, the interaction between people and computers, and technology for business.
The Forecast For Tomorrow lecture cycle is part of IBS’ scientific enlightenment initiative Today is Tomorrow, a set of projects that incorporate one goal: to learn and propagate the knowledge of how life is changing for the better under the influence of science and modern technology.
The possible scenarios of the future depend on political and economic developments, on the social and cultural systems of many states, and the interactions between these states. In the lecture series on “The Future of the Future,” futurologists will present their conceptions of the future of human development. Analyzing the experience of previous generations and using modern methods of scientific inquiry, they promise to design a perfect world in which all will find harmony in nature and in society. For such a future to occur, we must heed the mistakes of our forbearers and take responsibility for the future of our planet.
“In the future there will be no doctors, only health,” claim doctor-innovators. The ideas contained within their lectures will prove this bold statement. From this lecture series you will learn about how, in the future, round-the-clock health monitoring will enable the detection of disease in its earliest stages, remote diagnostics will reduce the risk of the transmission of viruses and infections, and computer chips coupled with mobile applications will make healthcare easy and accessible to all, regardless of location and income levels.
The means of passing knowledge from one generation to another has changed thanks to availability of information and new possibilities of disseminating it. Training is becoming an uninterrupted, contextual, and constant process. Cognition, in which a person is involved throughout his entire life, helps to discover the brightest and strongest sides of one’s personality. A society that creates an effective system of training has maximum returns. In the framework of this series, Knowledge Stream will acquaint listeners with unique educational methods and technologies, which can help both in learning on one’s own and in teaching.
Gadgets, cars, interiors, clothes — they are all parts of the lifestyles we each choose. Sometimes our choices are influenced by the ever-changing fashion trends that come and go. What exactly influences these trends? How do various commercial industries interact? Today progressive designers are already integrating high technology into clothing and household items. You will learn about the most fantastic projects, which are still in development, during the “Lifestyle” series.
In the 21st century, narrow specialization in the sciences has transformed into a push for a multidisciplinary approach. A second no less brilliant trend is the practical applicability of scientific discoveries. Venture investments are beginning to work in the moment where science becomes technology. As an example, one might consider quantum technologies, where the fundamental achievements of physics are actively used for the acquisition of materials with fundamentally new, formerly undiscovered, properties. Among such materials one might consider quasi-crystals, which, according to its discovers, have extraterrestrial origins. The lecture series “Science for Geeks” presents scientific discoveries that generate innovative technological solutions.
In the healthy body is a healthy soul — that was already known to the ancient Greek athletes, but today's ideologues and sports marketers can say so much more! In the 21st century new technologies exist for the creation of champions, unique methods for the enhancement of human capabilities. Today, with the fierce competition for audiences, professionals must use the most advanced media technologies. Without a solid network of interactions between media, brand names and sports clubs, sports professionals will find it increasingly difficult to keep consumers interested in an athletic lifestyle. In this lecture series about sports technologies, you will learn about the professional aspects of the modern sports industry.
How do we envision the future of technological entrepreneurship? What inventions are capable of changing the face of the world as we know it? What happens when big ideas meet big money? These and many other subjects will be covered in our lecture series about technological trends. High-tech specialists will present their projects to us and answer the very pressing question of investment in this field.
With the accelerating pace of change, human life is becoming more and more sophisticated. The inventive minds of technologists produce mechanisms for understanding of the minds of the masses: political games, financial instruments, promotional stunts, an surplus of alternative products, and information asymmetry. The lecture series entitled “The Economics of Happiness” explores the research of neurologists, psychologists, and socialists, particularly their discoveries that make the processes of production, consumption, investment, and savings more comfortable and the participants in these processes happy.
The world of telecommunications is becoming limitless and boundless right before our eyes. The variety of ways to communicate, the personalization and creation of targeted content on the Internet, the struggle for a wide audience and the fight to control the flow of information — these are all trends that define our present. The lecture series “Future of Communication” will explore the evolution of human communication due to the development of digital technologies.
In the 21st century media has reached a single digital platform. As a result of this evolution, the term transmedia arose, marking new qualities of and opportunities for media, particularly interaction and convergence. Interaction with media audience provides constant feedback, and convergence is the distribution of content to multiple subscribers at once. More simply put, the technology of media production, processing and distribution has changed. The lecture series “Future of Media” will explore these new formats and the ways of promoting them.
Social networks, blogs, forums, social services, games, mobile sites and mobile applications — today it is difficult to imagine daily life with them. The paradigms of communications management are changing, and a number of studies are being carried out on the psychological and emotional effects that social networks and services have on business’s main resource: people. How does this trend influence business from within? How is the structure of companies changing? What of management style, internal communications, and corporate culture? Why should this trend, the socialization of communication in day-to-day work, not be ignored? In the lecture series “Workplace of the Future: Collaborative Systems, Social Intranet,” leading experts share their thoughts about the influence of Internet trends on businesses and discuss how these tools raise business effectiveness and efficiency.