Biophysicist Shawn Douglas and designer Chaim Gingold discuss their inspirations and strategies for building computational tools that introduce new ways to play and think. Recently, they have been collaborating on Gelbox, a simulation and visualization tool for teaching Gel Electrophoresis—a notoriously hard to learn yet foundational tool in biology. This project grew directly out Shawn’s earlier work in making computational tools to transform laboratory practices (e.g. Cadnano, a CAD tool for DNA nanostructures), and Chaim’s work in designing interactive simulations and games (e.g. Earth: A Primer, a science book you play with).

Panel discussion with Jennifer Dunne, Kate Greene, Mark Nelson, & David Stout. Recorded live 6/7/18 at the InterPlanetary Festival in Santa Fe, NM.

What’s the minimal requirement for a self-sustaining ecosystem? Ecosystems crash all the time, closed ones included. What does a fully closed, man-made, functional ecosystem look like? What processes lead to living planets? What’s required for stable ecosystems and long-term stability? Are we capable of building an autonomous ecosystem? Are there general signs of the impact of intelligent species on ecosystems? What leads to stable planetary habitability? Can a non-living planet be turned into a living one? How can a living planet be turned into a non-living planet?

“Planetary Policy & Regulation” with Linda Sheehan and Jeff Ubois. Recorded live 6/7/18 at the InterPlanetary Festival in Santa Fe, NM.

Panel discussion with Stefani Crabtree, Martine Rothblatt, and Van Savage. Recorded live 6/7/18 at the InterPlanetary Festival in Santa Fe, NM.

“Intelligent Systems” with David Krakauer, Vanessa Ferdinand, Graham Spencer, Jonah Nolan, and Kurt Squire. Recorded live 6/8/18 at the InterPlanetary Festival in Santa Fe, NM.

Intelligence, says SFI President David Krakauer, is something very precious and very rare in the world. Intelligent systems range from ant and termite colonies to humans to human-created artificial intelligence. This panel discussed issues of intelligence, including how we define it, how it is transmitted through culture, how we fail — and succeed — in education, and the pitfalls of transmitting our cultural biases as we train AI.

Panel discussion with Caleb Scharf and Chris Kempes. Recorded live 6/8/18 at the InterPlanetary Festival in Santa Fe, NM.

“The Search for Life in the Universe” with Pete Worden. Recorded live 6/7/18 at the InterPlanetary Festival in Santa Fe, NM.

Is there life in the universe beyond Earth? Can we travel between stars? Pete Worden of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation is a recognized expert in astrophysics and space sciences. In this keynote address, he describes a global initiative to address the most fundamental questions surrounding the origins and extent of life in the universe.

“Visualization and Designing the Impossible” with Seamus Blackley, Doug Church, Scott Ross, & Sasha Samochina. Recorded live 6/8/18 at the InterPlanetary Festival in Santa Fe, NM.

“The End of the World?” with Annalee Newitz, Armin Ellis, and Lauren Oliver. Recorded live 6/8/18 at the InterPlanetary Festival in Santa Fe, NM.