COSM 2021

Stephen Meyer — Senior Fellow, Discovery InstituteArthur Herman — Senior Fellow, Hudson InstituteRobert J. Marks — Director, Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Carver Mead, computer pioneer and Professor Emeritus of Engineering and Applied Science at California Institute of Technology, reflects on the promise of self-training neural networks.

We are on the cusp of a Roaring 2020s. Mark Mills proposes that the convergence of revolutions in three technology spheres is unleashing the next great economic boom: the means for accessing and propagating information, the machines that represent the means of production, and the materials domain from which we fabricate everything that exists. 

At COSM 2021, Dr. Julie Love, Director of Quantum Computing Business Development at Microsoft, describes the challenges of quantum computing, exposes some of the myths regarding the technology, and describes the types of applications that quantum computers are best suited to address — including clean combustion, energy, and water, and energy efficiency.

Dr. Jim Tour, Professor of Chemistry at Rice University, gives a riveting tour of how waste products can be converted to graphene, an extremely valuable material with a host of useful applications — from medical applications to new strong and lightweight materials to an energy source for zero CO2 emissions.

Matt McIlwain, Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group, moderates a panel on exciting innovations in biotech that are offering new ways to both eliminate diseases and extend life. Panelists include Dr. Steve Meyer, Director of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, and Dr. Jim Tour, Professor of Chemistry at Rice University.

Matt McIlwain, Managing Director of Madrona Venture Group, moderates a panel at COSM 2021 on exciting new investment tools: SPACs, IPOs, and Direct Listings. Panelists include Kristin Zimmerman, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, Michael Nordtvedt, Partner at Wilson Sonsini, and Byran Mistele, CEO of INRIX.