Science (non) Fiction: It’s A Brave New World

A Fundraiser to benefit the Boston Book Festival - SOLD OUT!

Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 6:00pm
at the MIT Media Lab
75 Amherst Street, Cambridge

The Boston Book Festival invites you to join us at the newly constructed MIT Media Lab for a thrilling exploration of research that is merging man and machine and pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human. An incredible view, a delicious meal, and great conversation will follow.

As you take in your breathtaking surroundings, you'll hear from two pioneers of science fiction-worthy technology: HUGH HERR, who, after losing both legs in a climbing accident as a teenager, now designs award-winning prosthetic limbs, and CYNTHIA BREAZEAL, who directs the Personal Robots Group at the Media Lab and designs "sociable robots. Bestselling author and experimental psychologist STEVEN PINKER will host the event, which will be held on the top floor of the stunning glass and steel structure described as "the world's most exquisite building."

Following the presentations, you will enjoy the merging of elegant and casual with a lovely family-style dinner designed to encourage human-to-human interaction.  We guarantee an out-of-this world event.

 

Seats are $125/person, or join the Boston Book Festival Founder's Circle and enjoy special benefits like VIP seating passes to BBF 2011 and a private tour of the MIT Media Lab.

This event is now SOLD OUT--please join our e-mail list to learn about future fundraising events!

 

	Hugh Herr is Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and directs the Biomechanitronics Group at MIT's Media Lab. A double amputee himself, he works to develop prosthetics that fuse muscle mechanics with neural control merging the body with man-made machine. See why Boston magazine says "Herr is redefining what it means to be human."
	Cynthia Breazeal, author of Designing Sociable Robots, is Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she founded and directs the Personal Robots Group at the Media Lab.  Cynthia and her team have developed some of the world's most famous robots, including Kismet the social robot and Leonardo the expressive robot. Listen to Breazeal discuss the impact of personal robots in the day-to-day lives of people.
	Steven Pinker is the bestselling and award-winning author of seven books including The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, and most recently The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window Into Human Nature. Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, he is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The New Republic, and Time. Read a sample of Pinker's analysis of language and the way irregular verbs impact the evolution of speech.