IDEAS Boston

Martin Wattenberg: Turning Words into Pictures
Martin Wattenberg
October 30, 2008
00:18:06
Martin Wattenberg describes his work in transforming data into evocative charts and graphs that are as informative as they are arresting.
Paul Watanabe: Challenging Immigrant Invisibilty
Paul Watanabe
October 30, 2008
00:24:50
Paul Watanabe talks about his family’s experience in an internment camp during World War II and suggests that one way to challenge invisibility and exclusion would be to give non-citizen immigrants the right to vote in local elections. This lecture is part of the 2008 IDEAS Boston conference.
Life Beyond Earth?
Sara Seager
October 30, 2008
00:19:20
Sara Seager says that there is life beyond Earth. What’s more, she predicts that we will detect its biosignature on planets beyond our solar system in her lifetime.
Daniel Schrag: Geoengineering
Daniel Schrag
October 30, 2008
00:26:04
Geochemist Daniel Schrag argues that climate change is actually far worse than people are led to believe. Locally, he suggests a feasible project to raise the height of the Charles River Dam, providing Boston with additional protection in the event of future storm flooding and sea-level rise.
Space Suit: The World's Smallest Spacecraft
Dava J. Newman
October 30, 2008
00:23:36
Dava Newman describes and demonstrates her innovative custom-fitted space suit, which combines science, engineering, and art, and gives astronauts greater mobility while conserving energy as they explore the surface of the moon or Mars.
NOTES: Incision-Free Surgery
David Rattner
October 30, 2008
00:20:32
David Rattner talks about his belief that an emerging scar-free surgical technique that accesses diseased organs through the body’s orifices can transform health care to the benefit of patients everywhere.
Vikram Kumar: Software Solutions to Societal Problems
Vikram Sheel Kumar
October 30, 2008
00:21:05
Vikram Kumar explains in detail his current projects and why he believes that “behind every societal ill is a solvable software problem.” He has developed, among other things, an electronic medical records system used by tens of thousands of people in Zambia; software that can detect clinical depres
Sheila Kennedy's Soft House
Sheila Kennedy
October 30, 2008
00:22:40
Sheila Kennedy’s approach to architecture invites us to reconsider the boundaries of the material world by integrating high technology and architecture. Her innovative multi-disciplinary design practice brings together experts in various fields to create design concepts with practical applications.