Satellite-based Internet for the developing world

Apr 2008


(49 min)

Prof. Thomas Zurbuchen presents:

History has shown that access to the internet advances many facets of life including education, economic growth, and health care. Currently, only approximately 20 percent of the world population has access to the internet, which is mainly focused in North America, Australia, and Europe.

More specifically, Africa being the most unconnected continent in the world has only 5 percent of its population utilizing the internet, whereas 70 percent of the population uses the internet in North America. It is predicted that these unconnected areas of the world will soon be serviced via land lines in the coming decades.

However, no short term solution to this problem currently exists. The students from the Space Systems Engineering program at the University of Michigan have worked on designing a low-cost system that fulfills this "gap" in internet connectivity. This presentation will focus on their proposed solution to delivering such capabilities to the rural populations of Africa. In addition, upcoming technologies will be discussed that will impact similar missions in the future.

The bio of the speaker:

Associate Professor, University of Michigan Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences; Director, College of Engineering Center for Entrepreneurial Programs; Ph.D., M.S., University of Bern

Apollo's Fire

Mar 2008


(58 min)

On March 27, 2008, Rep. Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks discussed their book, Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy:

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy ignited America's Apollo Project and sparked a revolution in space exploration. Today the New Apollo Energy Project is poised to revolutionize the production of energy and thereby save our planet. The nation that built the world's most powerful rockets, its most advanced computers, and its most sophisticated life support systems is ready to create the world's most powerful solar energy systems, its most advanced wind energy turbines, and its most sophisticated hybrid cars. This will result in nothing less than a second American Revolution.

The bio of the speakers:

Jay Inslee is a Representative in the United States House of Representatives, representing the First District of the State of Washington, in the Seattle area. Bracken Hendricks is a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress and former executive director of the Apollo Alliance, an organization of environmental organizations, businesses, and labor organizations dedicated to building a new energy future for America.

When the Moors Ruled in Europe

(1 hr 42 min)

English historian Bettany Hughes presents in the ABC TV documentary. "This handsome film sets out to capture something of the image of Spain before 1492," a reviewer said. It is a forgotten image of Moors.

Marketing@Google: Mohanbir Sawhney

Mar 2008


(63 min)

Mohanbir Sawhney, Kellogg School of Management Professor of Technology and Director of the Center for Research in Technology & Innovation, visits Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters to discuss the principles of engagement marketing in digital media.

Welcome to Your Brain

Mar 2008


(57 min)

Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang visit Google's Mountain View, CA headquarters to discuss their book "Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life."

Bio of the speakers:

Sandra Aamodt, Ph.D., is the editor in chief of Nature Neuroscience, the leading scientific journal in the field of brain research. Before becoming an editor, she did her graduate work at the University of Rochester and was a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience at Yale University.

Sam Wang, Ph.D., is an associate professor of neuroscience at Princeton University. Before becoming a professor, he studied at Caltech, Stanford, and Bell Labs. He has published over forty articles on the brain in leading scientific journals and has received numerous awards.

The Art of Learning

Apr 2008


(57 min)

Chess champion Josh Waitzkin discusses his book "The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence."

Why Nuclear Disarmament Matters

Apr 2008


(61 min)

Hans Blix--former head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission--visits Google's Mountain View, CA, headquarters to speak about his book, "Why Nuclear Disarmament Matters."

Standing up to the Madness

Apr 2008


(1 hr 10 min)

The award-winning sister-brother team of Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, and investigative journalist David Goodman traveled the country to detail the ways in which grassroots activists have taken politics out of the hands of politicians. "Standing up to the Madness" tells the stories of everyday citizens who have challenged the government and prevailed.

The bio of the speakers:

Amy Goodman is an internationally acclaimed journalist and host of the daily grassroots global news hour Democracy Now!, which airs on more than 600 radio and TV stations around the world and on Democracynow.org.

David Goodman is an award-winning independent journalist, the author of seven books, and a contributing writer to Mother Jones.

Go to www.democracynow.org/ for more on the daily TV/radio news program Democracy Now!.

On Global Memory: Thoughts on the Barbaric Transmission of Culture

Apr 2008


(1 hr 30 min)

Speaker: Homi Bhabha, Department of English, Harvard University