2016 Geschke Lecture Series Begins July 14

On Thurs., July 14 at 8 pm. David Mindell, MIT professor and author of Our Robots, Ourselves: Robots and the Myths of Autonomy will give a lecture on artificial intelligence and human/machine relationships at Great Harbor Yacht Club as part of the Nantucket Atheneum’s 2016 Geschke Lecture series.

Each summer for more than a decade, the Atheneum presents a diverse roster of speakers who address the issues of the day as part of the Geschke Lecture Series. The 2016 Geschke Lecture Series tackles the national and international affairs critical to America. In keeping with the Nantucket Atheneum’s long-standing tradition of providing cultural and intellectual programs to the island, these lecturers are among the best and the brightests in their fields.

David Mindell, an historian and electrical engineer, is Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing, and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. He is an expert on human/machine relationships in broad technical, social, and historical context. He has degrees in Literature and in Electrical Engineering from Yale University, and a doctorate in the history of technology from MIT. David Mindell’s current research examines human/machine relationships in extreme environments, including human spaceflight, military robotics, undersea exploration, aviation, and surgery, with the goal of understanding the fundamental phenomena at work in complex socio-technical systems. This is the subject of the new book, Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myths of Autonomy.

His previous books include War, Technology, and Experience aboard the USS Monitor, Between Human and Machine: Feedback, Control, and Computing before Cybernetics and Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight. Before coming to MIT Mindell worked as a research engineer in the Deep Submergence Laboratory of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he is currently a Visiting Investigator. Mindell has consulted on engineering and policy for a number of industrial and research organizations including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the National Academy of Sciences. He is currently developing acoustic methods for modeling 3-d structures buried in the seafloor.

The 2016 Geschke Lectures continue on July 27, when Jay Famiglietti, Senior Water Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, will talk about Water & Climate Change. On August 3, Reporter Robin Wright will talk about the situations in The Middle East, and on August 8, Dr. Wayne Shreffler will talk about Food Allergies.

Each lecture has a $25 admission, discounted to $20 for students. Tickets are available online at nantucketatheneum.org or at the Nantucket Atheneum 1 India Street.

The Geschke Lecture Series is made possible by the Geschke Foundation, by the National Endowment for the Humanities and by generous library donors.