Dr. William Halal

Dr. Halal is Professor Emeritus of Science, Technology, and Innovation at George Washington University. An authority on emerging technology, strategic planning, and institutional change, Dr. Halal has worked with AT&T, the Department of Defense, the Asian Development Bank, and various government agencies. His work has appeared in journals such as Nature BioTechnology and Strategy & Business, and his articles have appeared in The New York Times, Executive Excellence, and The Futurist.

Technorati Tags: artificial intelligence, climate change, environment, globalization, renewable energy, robotics

Jim Thebault

Jim Thebaut is the president and CEO of The Chronicles Group and writer, director, and producer. As an environmental planner trained in landscape architecture, Mr. Thebaut created hundreds of impact statements and planning and energy studies, and analyzed environmental influences in the Pacific Northwest. He then turned to a career in filmmaking and has produced films about the water crisis that cut across the political spectrum.

Mr. Thebaut’s films have been screened around the world and in the United States at water conferences, festivals, and most recently on public television this year. In July 2008, Mr. Thebaut spoke at the United Nations International Water Conference in New York City. His film, Running Dry — A Call to Action was screened for the audience.

Mr. Thebaut’s newest film is The American Southwest — Are We Running Dry?, hosted and narrated by Emmy Award– and Golden Globe Award–winning actress, Jane Seymour.

Technorati Tags: documentary films, environmental conservation, Global Warming, water conservation

Raymond Francis

Raymond Francis is an MIT-trained scientist, internationally recognized leader in optimal health maintenance, and author of the breakthrough books Never Be Sick Again and Never Be Fat Again. Raymond has proposed an entirely new concept of health along with a simple program for achieving it called the Beyond Health Model.

Never Be Sick Again

He is also the founder and president of the nonprofit, Health-e-America Foundation. The foundation’s purpose is to end the epidemic of chronic disease by applying revolutionary technology to the basics of good health. The foundation is the sponsor of The Project to End Disease, a growing international movement to teach people how to end disease in their lives.

In our SCIENCE AND SOCIETY interview, Raymond Francis discusses

• Simple methods for restoring good health – addressing both deficiencies and toxicities
• Using advanced scientific methods at both the cellular and molecular levels
• How toxicity causes overweight
• Addressing cancer directly as a systemic disease

Technorati Tags: anti-aging, cancer research, Nutrition, obesity, omega-3 fatty acids

Orson Scott Card is the national bestselling author of the Ender’s Universe novels. His newest book, ENDER IN EXILE, is published by Tor. Most recently, Mr. Card was awarded the 2008 Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in Young Adult literature from the American Library Association.

ENDER IN EXILE

The Ender novels have impacted other areas of pop culture, inspiring a Marvel Comics series, a forthcoming video game from Chair Entertainment, and pre-production on a film version. Mr. Card offers writing workshops and occasionally teaches writing and literature at universities.

In our SCIENCE AND SOCIETY interview, Mr. Card discusses the tremendous cross-over appeal of the Ender novels, comparable to that of the Harry Potter novels and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He offers insight on character development, the creative process, and what constitutes a good story. Mr. Card also discusses the critical importance of developing young peoples’ literacy skills and reading habits.

Technorati Tags: ender in exile, ender's game, orson scott card, science fiction

Dr. Neal Kaufman is the Founder of DPS Health; Co-Director of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities; and Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at the UCLA Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

Dr. Kaufman founded DPS Health in 2004, after a 26-year career in academic general pediatrics and public health. The weight management division at DPS Health, in association with the University of Pittsburgh, has developed the web-based Virtual Lifestyle Management service. The VLM service draws on cutting-edge technology to enhance efficiency and success of health care provider weight management programs.

In our wide-ranging SCIENCE AND SOCIETY interview, Dr. Kaufman discusses

• How the practice of medicine should extend beyond the medical office to help patients adopt and sustain healthy behaviors
• Patient self-management
• Lifestyle coaching for behavior change
• Transforming an “obesogenic environment”
• Future applications to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and beyond . . .

Technorati Tags: diabetes, expert systems, obesity, patient self-management

Joy Hakim is a former journalist and the author of The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New DimensionThe Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension. Einstein Adds a New Dimension is the recipient of the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Award in the category of Education/Teaching/Academic. It has also received the 2008 National Science Teachers Association Selector’s Choice – Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12.

The Story of Science series also includes Aristotle Leads the Way and Newton at the Center, and has been praised widely from The New York Times to Timemagazine. Joy Hakim is also the author of A History of Us, a ten-volume history of America for young readers. The series won the first James Michener Prize in Writing.

Technorati Tags: K-12 education, physics, Science Education

G. Tracy Mehan III is Principal with The Cadmus Group, an environmental consulting firm, with offices in Arlington, VA.

Mr. Mehan served as Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2001-2003 pursuant to presidential nomination and senate confirmation. In that capacity he directed both the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts programs including permitting, infrastructure finance, wetlands regulation, standards and watershed management. During his tenure as Assistant Administrator, Mr. Mehan developed new policies and guidances on watershed-based permitting and water quality trading. He also promoted expanded ambient water quality monitoring and innovative approaches to meeting the challenge of the infrastructure financing gap. He served as Environmental Stewardship Counselor to the 2004 G-8 Summit Planning Organization (2004).

He is the recipient of the 2004 Environment Award from the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) and the 2003 Elizabeth Jester Fellows Environmental Partnership Award from the Association of State & Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASWIPCA).

In our wide-ranging SCIENCE AND SOCIETY interview, Mr. Mehan discusses

• The biggest threats to water quality, both in the U.S. and globally
• How to improve existing approaches to water management
• How existing laws and policies play into water management concerns
• What can citizens do to help?
• What is symphonic watershed management?

Technorati Tags: environment, renewable resources, water quality

Dr. Eva Surmacz is an internationally recognized expert in cancer biology. Dr. Surmacz is the Director of the Obesity and Cancer Program at Sbarro Health Research Organization. Her research interests include the link between obesity and cancer, crosstalk between growth factor and steroid receptors in cancer progression, and development of anti-cancer targeted strategies.

Dr. Surmacz’s research has been funded over the past 12 years by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, and several private foundations and organizations.

In our wide-ranging SCIENCE AND SOCIETY interviews, Dr. Surmacz discusses

• The hormonal control of breast cancer growth and progression
• The link between obesity and cancer
• How fatty tissue secretes proteins that are involved in the development of cancer
• How reduction of obesity should be a key part of any cancer prevention program
• How diet might modulate the expression of cancer-related genes
• New treatments for cancer

Technorati Tags: breast cancer, cancer research, obesity

1. Assignment in Eternity by Robert Heinlein
2. The War Against the Rull by A.E. Van Vogt
3. The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov
4. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
5. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
6. Dune by Frank Herbert
7. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
8. Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling
9. Neuromancer by William Gibson
10. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
11. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan (contemporary bonus)

We could have made a Top 10 list solely out of Robert Heinlein’s books. Or A.E. Van Vogt’s. Or Isaac Asimov’s.

Everyone knows Heinlein and Asimov and Herbert. Not everyone is familiar with Van Vogt and Alfred Bester, who IMO are two of the visionary geniuses of the sci-fi genre.

Van Vogt’s genius was in his wide-ranging imagination, his deep understanding of human character, and his sophisticated knowledge of politics, money, and warfare.

Bester’s stories are likewise built on sheer genius. The Demolished Man is only one of several action-packed, highly imaginative books. When you read Alfred Bester, buckle-up! You’re in for a wild ride.

We hope you enjoy these books as much as we have. All of these authors have become lifelong “friends” - you know you can count on them!

Technorati Tags: science, science fiction, space travel

Dr. Michael W. Deem is Professor in Biochemical and Genetic Engineering at Rice University. Dr. Deem works in the areas of evolution and immunology. focusing on biological issues involving randomness, diversity, and correlations.

Dr. Deem has developed a physical theory of the competition that allows HIV to escape from the immune system, and the first exact solution of a mathematical model of evolution that accounts for cross-species genetic exchange.

In our wide-ranging SCIENCE AND SOCIETY interview, Dr. Deem discusses

• How evolvability itself is a selectable trait
• The development of complex organs like the eye (Darwin’s famous example)
• Possible underlying pressure for evolution to speed up over time
• Modularity and horizontal gene transfer
• Implications of more rapid evolution for our immune systems

Technorati Tags: Evolution, genetic engineering, HIV