“In recent decades, technology has so enhanced our ability to gather data that the sheer volume of data now outstrips our capacity to deal with it. Informatics is taking this seemingly unmanageable flood of data and transforming it into information that helps solve key problems in fields like medicine, genetics, chemistry, Internet security and engineering. —J. Michael Dunn, dean of the IU School of Informatics

Reed

Dunn

Examples of sophisticated and evolving technology are easy to spot, according to computing expert Daniel Reed, advising any doubting naysayer to look no further than the world of video games.

“When PlayStation 2 appeared, it was phenomenal. We had two thoughts: One was, this is a further democratization of computing. Then two, and even more interesting, is the notion that it offered a way for hundreds of millions of people to purchase the technology—for a couple hundred dollars—who may not be able to afford a PC,” said Reed, director of the Institute for Renaissance Computing, vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

While spotting evolving technology is easy enough, Reed suggests the greater challenge for researchers is finding ways to turn emerging technologies into opportunities for discovery and creative expression in the arts, humanities, science and engineering. The field of informatics, according to Reed, offers common ground for researchers to explore human potential, taking full advantage of changing technology.

Reed offered an historical perspective—from the Internet’s precursor to technology adoption cycles—during his keynote address at the “Informatics: Defining the Research Agenda” conference. His speech marked the opening of the Sept. 10-12 event. The conference was organized by the IU School of Informatics and the Office of the Vice President for Research, and held on the IU Bloomington campus.

Reed, previously director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and a current member of President George W. Bush’s information technology advisory committee, said one of the most exciting elements of working within the field of informatics is looking for new ways to work as interdisciplinary teams “to spread educational technology and knowledge to an even broader community.”

Reed described modern-day computing as an “intellectual lever,” opening a pathway to discovery. “Computing has also become deeply embedded in the social fabric of everyday life, with profound implications for commerce and the arts,” he said. The great challenge is preventing information overload, said Reed.

J. Michael Dunn, dean of the IU School of Informatics, shared Reed’s concern. “In recent decades, technology has so enhanced our ability to gather data that the sheer volume of data now outstrips our capacity to deal with it,” Dunn said in a pre-conference press release. “Informatics is taking this seemingly unmanageable flood of data and transforming it into information that helps solve key problems in fields like medicine, genetics, chemistry, Internet security and engineering.”

Reed’s opening address laid groundwork for the weekend’s program line-up. Other experts offered talks on the latest developments in cyber security, medical informatics, bioinformatics, chemical informatics, human-computer interaction, information technology in developing countries, international communication networks and the use of computers in analyzing the aesthetic qualities of music. For additional information on topics explored during the conference:

http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/ra/default.asp