IHMC Evening Lectures

Eileen Collins, Former NASA Astronaut and Retired Air Force Colonel, is currently Chairman of the Space Operations Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. Collins was formerly Space Shuttle Commander and Pilot for four spaceflights, and she has held positions as Astronaut Safety Officer, Spacecraft Systems Branch Chief, CAPCOM, and Kennedy Space Center Launch Support Person. Collins was selected by NASA in January 1990 and became an astronaut in July 1991. A veteran of four space flights, Collins’ career at NASA has been punctuated by fi rsts. She was the first woman selected as a pilot astronaut, the first woman to serve as a shuttle pilot and the first woman to command a U.S. spacecraft. Collins first flew the Space Shuttle as pilot in 1995 aboard STS-63, which involved a rendezvous between Discovery and the Russian space station Mir. In 2005, Collins commanded STS-114, NASA’s “return to flight” mission to test safety improvements and resupply the International Space Station (ISS) and became the first astronaut to fly the space shuttle through a complete 360-degree pitch maneuver. Collins received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics from Syracuse University; Master of Science in Operations Research from Stanford University; and a Master of Arts in Space Systems Management from Webster University. Among Collins special honors include the following: Defense Superior Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for service in Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury, October 1983), French Legion of Honor, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Space Flight Medals, Free Spirit Award, and the National Space Trophy. Eileen Collins has a Space Observatory named in her honor- The Eileen Collins Observatory and she is an inductee of the National Women’s Hall Of Fame. She has been recognized by Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the top 300 women in history who have changed the world.

The power of process will be essential for unemotional investing in this age of turbulence. Will the national election results influence the stock market? Learn how smart investors can master today’s turbulent markets and potentially profit from them. Charles “Chuck” Carlson has 26 years of experience in the financial markets. He is Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Publishing, one of the oldest investment newsletter publishers in the country. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Investment Services, a money management concern. Mr. Carlson is editor of DRIP Investor investment newsletter and is a contributing editor of Dow Theory Forecasts investment newsletter. Mr. Carlson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Northwestern University (1982) and an MBA from the University of Chicago (1993). He is the author of eight books, including the best-selling Buying Stocks Without a Broker (McGraw-Hill) and Eight Steps to Seven Figures (Doubleday). Mr. Carlson’s comments appear in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post, Money, Business Week, Forbes, Barron’s, and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Mr. Carlson speaks frequently on television and radio shows, including CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, NBC’s Today Show, and Chicago’s WBBM radio. He lives in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Just as an interest in art history and topology took Fraser Stoddart into the molecular world of the Borromean Link so did the chance discovery of the molecular Solomon Link, amongst some Borromeates, take him back into the arena of art history. And so the process goes on and on. One culture feeds off the other in a seamless manner. Sir James Fraser Stoddart is a Scottish chemist who is currently the Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University. He works in the area of supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology. Stoddart has developed highly efficient syntheses of mechanically-interlocked molecular architectures such as molecular Borromean rings, catenanes and rotaxanes utilizing molecular recognition and molecular self-assembly processes. He has demonstrated that these topologies can be employed as molecular switches and as motor-molecules. His efforts have been recognized by numerous awards including the 2007 King Faisal International Prize in Science. Fraser Stoddart was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and undertook his higher education in chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, earning a B.S. in 1964, a Ph.D. in 1966, and a Doctor of Science degree in 1980. After his postdoctoral work at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, he was a lecturer in chemistry at the University of Sheffield and worked at the Imperial Chemical Industries’ Corporate Laboratory in Runcorn. In 1990, Stoddart moved to the England’s University of Birmingham, where he was professor of Organic Chemistry, until America beckoned. In 1997, Stoddart joined the University of California, Los Angeles, where he held chairs in Organic Chemistry and NanoSystems Sciences and has served as the director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the New Year’s Honours December 2006, by the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II. Stoddart’s work is well known for the distinctive “cartoon”-style of representation he has developed. He was one of the first researchers to make extensive use of color in chemistry publications and the different colors usually correspond to the different parts of a cartoon representation of the molecule, but are also used to represent specific molecular properties. Stoddart maintains this standardized color scheme across all of his publications and presentations, and his style has been adopted by other researchers reporting molecular machines based on his syntheses.

Dr. Dan Arvizu became the eighth Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on January 15, 2005. NREL, in Golden, Colorado, began operations in 1977 and is the Department of Energy’s primary laboratory for energy efficiency and renewable energy research and development. NREL is operated for DOE by Midwest Research Institute (MRI) and Battelle. Dr. Arvizu also is a Senior Vice President with MRI, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to joining NREL, Dr. Arvizu was the chief technology officer with CH2M HILL Companies, Ltd. Before joining CH2M he was an executive with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He started his career and spent four years at the AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories. In 2004, Dr. Arvizu was appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to the National Science Board (NSB), the governing board of the National Science Foundation and national science policy advisory body to the President and the Congress. Dr. Arvizu serves on a number of Boards, Panels and Advisory Committees including the American Council on Renewable Energy Advisory Board; the Energy RD&D Policy Project Advisory Committee at the Harvard Kennedy School; the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Alternative Energies; the Singapore Clean Energy International Advisory Panel; and the Colorado Renewable Energy Authority Board of Directors. He is presently co-chairing the Task Force on Sustainable Energy for the National Science Board. He has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New Mexico State University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

With a highly-anticipated Space Shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope in fall 2008, astronauts, engineers, and scientists will be upgrading the capabilities and extending the operating life of one of NASA’s most successful missions. The Hubble’s discoveries have fundamentally changed mankind’s perspective of our universe. In the wake of the Columbia accident, this upcoming Shuttle mission is not without risk, but the scientific discoveries still possible with the Hubble are ultimately worth such risks. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin will discuss the deeper understanding we now have of the synergy between science and human spaceflight, as demonstrated over the life of the Hubble Space Telescope, a rich history of perseverence, daring, and ingenuity. Nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate, Michael Griffin began his duties as the 11th Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on April 14, 2005. As Administrator, he leads the NASA team and manages its resources to advance the U.S. Vision for Space Exploration. Prior to serving as NASA Administrator, Griffin served as Space Department Head at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. He was previously President and COO of In-Q-Tel, Inc., and also served as CEO of the Magellen Systems division and GM of the Space Systems Group at Orbital Sciences Corporation. Griffin has also served as chief engineer and as associate administrator for exploration at NASA, and as deputy for technology at the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and George Washington University. He is the lead author of more than 2 dozen technical papers, as well as the textbook, “Space Vehicle Design.” He is a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the AIAA Space Systems Medal, and the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given to a non-government employee. Griffin received a B.A. in physics from Johns Hopkins University; a M.S. in aerospace science from Catholic University; a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland; a M.S. in electrical engineering from the USC; a M.S. in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University; a M.S. in business administration from Loyola College; and a M.S. in Civil Engineering from George Washington University. He is a certified flight instructor with instrument and multiengine ratings.

Three-time space-walker Tom Jones joined the NASA astronaut corps in 1990, and his four shuttle flights put him at the center of cutting-edge orbital research and the planning and building of the Space Station. His crew flew the longest shuttle mission ever, aboard orbiter Columbia, and he describes its tragic demise in 2003 with special poignancy. Jones takes his audience on an inside-the-spacesuit voyage into the cosmos, beginning with the pressure cooker of astronaut training, through the rush of an astronaut’s first launch, the thrill of spacewalks 200 miles above a luminous Earth, to possible future landings on the dusty surfaces of the asteroids, Moon, and Mars. In his Sky Walking talk, Jones discusses in clear terms the most advanced technology of our time, but at the core of this talk are the people the astronauts and their families — who ride those fragile ships into space. Tom Jones is a veteran astronaut with a critical eye on our uncertain future in space: where will we go, what will we do there, and most important, do we still have the will to be leaders on the final frontier? Thomas D. Jones, PhD is a veteran NASA astronaut, scientist, speaker, author, and consultant. He holds a doctorate in planetary sciences, and in more than eleven years with NASA, flew on four space shuttle missions to Earth orbit. In 2001, Dr. Jones led three spacewalks to install the centerpiece of the International Space Station, the American Destiny laboratory. He has been privileged to spend fifty-three days working and living in space. Tom is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He piloted B-52D strategic bombers, studied asteroids for NASA, engineered intelligence-gathering systems for the CIA, and helped develop advanced mission concepts to explore the solar system prior to joining NASA’s astronaut corps. Tom writes frequently about space exploration and aviation history in magazines such as Air and Space Smithsonian, Aerospace America, and Popular Mechanics. Tom’s current book is Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir, published in 2006 by Smithsonian Books-Collins. The Wall Street Journal selected Sky Walking as one of its “Five Best” books about space. Tom’s newest title, Hell Hawks!, a true story of an aerial band of brothers in WWII, will be published by Zenith Press in May 2008. Dr. Jones’ awards include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, four NASA Space Flight Medals, the NASA Exceptional Service Award, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. Tom is a member of the NASA Advisory Council, serves on the board of the Association of Space Explorers, and is a regular on-air contributor for Fox News Channel’s spaceflight coverage

The Tuscan hill town of Montalcino shows two faces to the world … an inward looking medieval village with its unwritten rules and strong family networks within the diverse social structure of a Tuscan hill town … and the recent fame and fortune of Brunello and the encroachment of the modern world. The social and cultural price is high as Montalcino strives to preserve a world of tradition and culture and yet keep its young people focused, living and marrying in the village. How does Montalcino thrive and survive as it attempts to maintain past culture and traditions yet flexibly accept immediate changes whilst forging a future for its families? Isabella Dusi is a polished and professional speaker whose amusing and entertaining presentations are often a memorable source of inspiration. Her presentations offer moments of tension, laughter and relief as she turns her life experiences into opportunities. Isabella’s character was no doubt shaped by dramatic events in her early life. She was shot at in Spain, chased out of Italy by the Carabinieri, the wheels of her car ran over a man with a wooden leg in Greece and she collided with a logging truck on a mountain road in what was then Yugoslavia, sleeping with the goats until help arrived. Widowed with a baby at 26 years of age, Isabella navigated the obstacles and rebuilt her life. Interior Design is the field in which Isabella forged an early career, and where she soon learned that psychology and diplomacy are vital tools of trade. Her people skills and design ability won her many coveted projects over 25 years as a design professional. Formerly a lecturer in interior design, a radio commentator on Interior Design and a teacher of interior design, Isabella is a regular columnist and feature writer for International Design magazines, observing trends and bringing Italian design to a wide audience. Her published articles on a variety of subjects appear in Luxury Home Design, Contemporary Home Design, Queensland Homes, New Zealand Herald, Otago Daily, North Shore Times, La Nazione, Panorama Italia, and Noosa Magazine. Isabella’s current passion is to understand the social structure of a medieval village in Tuscany. She has authored two internationally successful books about the life and people of the village of Montalcino. She is presently engaged on a committee in her neighborhood to save a 1000 year old historic church building in Montalcino. Her sheer determination to succeed with this breathtaking challenge has led to her motivating and inspiring others in Montalcino and throughout the world.

Jerry Kerr is recognized as one of the leading authorities on the use of Segways by people with disabilities. Jerry is disabled, and still makes daily use of a wheelchair, however, in early 2003, soon after its introduction he began using the Segway as his primary means of mobility both inside and outside of the home. Kerr is a strong advocate for the adoption of universally designed technology solutions as the only sustainable approach for continued improvement in quality of life issues effecting people with disabilities and senior citizens and the opportunities these solutions offer for extending the independent life of the baby boomer generation and people with disabilities. Jerry is a featured speaker and presenter at international symposiums and national conferences focusing on issues that effect people with disabilities and addressing the benefits that technology and universal design can provide. In May 2006, he testified before the U.S. Congress on access issues effecting people with disabilities in the National Park System. He recently agreed to serve as a consumer member of a Scientific Advisory Panel of a Multidisciplinary Clinical Consortium researching solutions and treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury suffered by returning combat veterans. In January 2008, Disability Rights Advocates for Technology (DRAFT), an all-volunteer 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, co-founded by Kerr, was certified as one of America’s best charities. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5%, meet or exceed the standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this seal. In 2005, Kerr and his organization started the Segs4Vets program, awarding Segways to returning military who had sustained severe and permanent injuries while serving our nation in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The Segs4Vets program has provided Segways and training to the physical and occupational therapy staff at four major military medical centers. In August 2006, DRAFT, for its Segs4Vets program, became the only organization in the United States to receive a blanket waiver from the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force and the Department of Defense allowing a donation to active duty military personnel in excess of $1000. To date, the Segs4Vets program has awarded 78 Segways, funded entirely through donations.

The nation is facing a critical challenge in maintaining leadership and preeminence in the fields of Science Technology Engineering and Math {STEM}. Some prominent leaders have referred to this situation as “The Gathering Storm”. This talk discusses this critical issue; why we should be concerned about it; and, describes numerous efforts to address the problem! General Lester Lyles has had a long and distinguished career in leading large, high technology organizations involved in aeronautical and astronautical research, development, acquisition and logistics. General Lyles completed a remarkable military career in 2003, retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a four-star general. His last Air Force position was as Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The command conducts all Air Force research, development, test and evaluation worldwide, and provides all acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapons systems in a state of readiness. Earlier in his 35 year Air Force career, Gen Lyles served as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force in the Pentagon, Director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in Washington D.C., Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, and Commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Since his Air Force retirement, General Lyles has served as an independent aerospace consultant through the Lyles Group, based in Vienna, Virginia. During this time, he has been engaged on the Board of Directors of General Dynamics, MTC Technologies, USAA, the Air Force Association, and Dayton Power and Light. In 2004 General Lyles received a Presidential appointment to the President’s Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy and in 2005, he was appointed to the NASA Advisory Council. General Lyles holds the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University, and an M.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering from New Mexico State University. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from New Mexico State University in 2002. In addition to being a tireless community servant, General Lyles has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; the Astronautics Engineer of the Year Award from the National Space Club; the National Black Engineer of the Year Award; and NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal. In 2003, General Lyles received the Black Engineer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2004 he was inducted into the Aviation Week and Space Technology Hall of Fame.

America’s workforce has been pushed further and further away from job centers to fi nd homes they can afford - which increases our commutes, decreases time with families, raises stress levels and contributes to poor air quality. No longer just an issue for the very low income, our moderate income workforce and seniors often fi nd themselves the casualties of gentrifi cation. The most successful communities look closely at how housing, jobs, traffi c, air quality, health and transportation all play an important and interconnected role in our quality of life, however, to achieve this goal, there must be a commitment of resources and a network of diverse decision makers to encourage the development of housing for all people in all stages of life. Hattie B. Dorsey is a leading advocate for housing issues. One of her most important accomplishments has been the shifting of perceptions about the importance of revitalized neighborhoods and the critical need for an affordable, mixed income housing approach that includes all segments of the population. As the Founder and former Chief Executive Offi cer of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Alliance (ADNP), a non-profit corporation organized in 1991 to formulate and implement community development strategies, she insured that housing issues was always on the agenda. Dorsey’s passion and “doer” attitude compelled her to confront the blight and urban decay in Atlanta’s neighborhoods. ADNP promotes sustainable mixed income communities and on-going revitalization and has strengthened Metro Atlanta neighborhoods and community development corporations (CDCs) that work in specifi c communities through a variety of services and activities. A large part of Dorsey’s expertise lies in an innate ability to develop fi nancial resources from all sectors — private, public and philanthropic. Through her public service on numerous Boards and task forces, Dorsey continues to impact local and national dialogues, including community development, race relations, economic development, regional equity and public policy. Her consultant company, HBDorsey & Associates provides organizational development, strategic development and fund raising support to community based organizations, foundations and local government agencies. Hattie Dorsey was the First Vice Chair for the State of Georgia’s Democratic Party for eight years. She is the former National President of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and founding president of the group’s metro Atlanta chapter. She has served on the Emory University Board of Visitors, the Atlanta Women’s Foundation board, and the Spelman College Corporate Roundtable. She is the recipient of numerous national honors and awards.

Dr. Harrison Schmitt has the diverse experience of a geologist, pilot, astronaut, administrator, businessman, writer, and U. S. Senator. He received his B. S. from Caltech, studied as a Fulbright Scholar at Oslo, attended graduate school at Harvard and received his Ph.D. in geology in 1964. Selected for the Scientist-Astronaut program in 1965, Schmitt organized the lunar science training for the Apollo Astronauts, represented the crews during the development of hardware and procedures for lunar surface exploration, and oversaw the final preparation of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Descent Stage. He served as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 17 -- the last Apollo mission to the moon. On December 11, 1972, he landed in the Valley of Taurus-Littrow as the only scientist and the last of the only 12 humans to stand on the Moon. In 1975, Harrison Schmitt was elected to a six-year term in the U.S. Senate, the only “natural scientist” in the Senate since Thomas Jefferson was Vice-President of the United States. He was a member of the Senate Commerce, Banking, Appropriations, Intelligence, and Ethics Committees and held the position of Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space and of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. He later served on the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, the President’s Commission on Ethics Law Reform, the Army Science Board, as Co-Chairman of the International Observer Group for the 1992 Romanian elections, and as Vice Chairman of the U.S. delegation to the 1992 World Administrative Radio Conference in Spain. Schmitt has been Chairman of the NASA Advisory Council since November 2005, leading its deliberations on issues related to Aeronautics, Audit and Finance, Biomedicine, Exploration (systems development), Human Capital, Science, and Space Operations. He presently is Chair Emeritus of The Annapolis Center (risk assessment) and is Adjunct Professor of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Current board memberships include Orbital Sciences Corporation, Edenspace Systems Corporation, and PhDx Systems, Inc., and, as a retired Director, he is a Member of the Corporation of the Draper Laboratory. He also has served as a member of the Energy Department’s Laboratory Operations Board. In 1997, Schmitt co-founded and is Chairman of Interlune-Intermars Initiative, Inc., advancing the private sector’s acquisition of lunar resources and Helium-3 fusion power and clinical use of medical isotopes produced by fusion-related processes. He is the author of, “Return to the Moon” (2006 Springer-Praxis) that describes a private enterprise approach to providing lunar helium-3 fusion energy resources for use on Earth.

Computer crime has been a growing concern for well over two decades. Computer viruses and hackers used to be the biggest threat, but now we face botnets, phishing, spamming, and a steady parade of faults leading to break-ins and system abuses. At the same time, there seem to be more and more security products and tools available. Is the security situation getting worse or better? What does the future hold? This talk will look at trends and characteristics of the current cyber security landscape, and draw some conclusions about what comes next. Gene Spafford has been on the faculty at Purdue University since 1987. He is currently a professor of computer science and executive director of CERIAS. Gene is widely known for work in information security and privacy, software engineering, and computing policy. He is one of the most senior and recognized leaders in the fi eld of computing. Dr. Spafford has a long record of accomplishment as a senior advisor and consultant on issues of security, cybercrime and policy to a number of major companies, law enforcement organizations, and government agencies including Microsoft, Intel, Unisys, the US Air Force, the National Security Agency, the FBI, the Department of Energy and two Presidents of the United States.

Chris Taylor is currently the Director of the Harvard Defense and Security Initiative. He recently held the position of Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Blackwater Worldwide, a professional security, training, peace support, and stabilization operations firm, where he was responsible for developing and leading strategic initiatives and alliances, building new business, and assisting in the development and implementation of corporate strategy. He was also responsible for the sales and marketing efforts for all business units and acted as the primary media and public relations point of contact for Blackwater. Chris has been instrumental in developing security, training, stabilization, and counterterrorism initiatives in the Middle East, Asia, Central Asia, Africa, and South America. These programs include counterterrorism strategy and training, emergency response and disaster relief programs, C4I systems design and implementation, integrated vulnerability assessments and physical security solutions, strategic force transformations, political and economic consequences consulting, and turnkey solutions for unique security challenges. With 14 years in the U. S. Marine Corps as an enlisted infantryman and Force Recon Marine, Chris has held both operational and policy leadership positions. Chris earned his undergraduate degree on active-duty, left the Marine Corps in 1999 and attended graduate school at The College of William & Mary, earning an MBA in 2002. Chris is the founding Chairman of the International Peace Operations Association and the founder of Future American Leaders. He is a member of the World Affairs Council and has attended Harvard University’s Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Chris is enrolled as a graduate student in international security and political economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and he frequently speaks at various professional forums on private sector contributions to national and international security challenges, and humanitarian and stabilization operations.