October 25, 2001-Vol33n8: Q&A

VOLUME 33, NUMBER 8

THURSDAY, October 25, 2001


	Turkkan

Jaylan Turkkan is vice president for research. She will convene a major international forum to be held at UB Nov. 2 and 3 at which leading figures in information technology, computer sciences, digital arts, and the behavioral and social sciences will discuss the effects of digital technologies on our lives.

How did you come up with the idea for the summit, "Digital Frontier: The Buffalo Summit 2001"?

I got the idea from seeing the need to change perceptions about Buffalo with respect to our excellence in information and digital technology areas. Moreover, I wanted to highlight and further encourage a convergence between technology enthusiasts—those who see technology as a tool for creative expression—and those who would like to highlight the humanistic aspects of technology.

There is so much written about digital technologies in books, newspapers, magazines and on the Internet itself. What can the digital summit add to the discussion?

The Digital Summit is going to take the conversation about technology to the next level and discuss the "implications" of that technology in our personal relationships, in our lives and as a culture. So, the emphasis will be about how digital technology can work for us as human beings, rather than our being driven by the technology itself. The summit speakers have told me that this is, in fact, the direction that their own thinking is evolving toward, as you can tell from some of the titles of their presentations.

A very unusual mix of dozens of speakers will present here, including some very big names in several fields. Who we can expect to see?

The quality and mix of the presentations is really at the heart of what makes this summit so great. We have speakers from academia, government, corporations, start-up businesses and law firms. To highlight some of the featured speakers, Michael Paige, who will open the summit, is director of the famous Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). This is the place where the graphical user interface, which the Macintosh later exploited, was invented. Jaron Lanier coined the term "virtual reality" and is a veritable guru of next-generation thinking about virtual space. Brenda Laurel has published extensively on such topics as interactive fiction, computer games, autonomous agents, virtual reality and political and artistic issues in interactive media. Steve Mann will walk around the streets of Toronto projecting and interacting with the audience through his wearable computer, consisting of a pair of eyeglasses! John Pittas will forecast a future in which all media will be available online as a societal "leveler." And Cliff Stoll, a UB alum—who many will recognize as the person who foiled the German hacker when he was at Lawrence Livermore—will talk about his skepticism about the ubiquitous use of computers with young people. Russ Bessette, executive director of New York State's Office of Science Technology and Research (NYSTAR), will give a fascinating historical background to the invention of the semiconductor.

Can you tell us something about the exhibits and hands-on technology that will be available for participants to look at and experience?

Some of the exhibits planned are a handwriting recognition analysis demonstration, virtual immersive experiences with a portable ImmersaDesk and, possibly, a virtual "party" with UB participants onscreen in virtual space.

What's your own view of the digital future?

My own view of the digital future is driven by all of the science fiction that I have read. I have already seen it and I can't wait for us to actually get there!

Is there anything else you'd like to say?

I'd like everyone to know that the registration fees have been waived for faculty and staff. The summit also will be Webcast in realtime, starting at 8:30 a.m. Nov 2. The Web site for the summit, http://digitalsummit.buffalo.edu, will direct viewers to the Webcast.