With help from Google, and NASA, the Singularity University is being unveiled today. Founded by Ray Kurzweil, and Peter Diamandis, the objective of the Singularity University is that of preparing humanity to best face its challenges, using the tools that the accelerating technological change makes possible. These tools don’t emerge spontaneously from the background noise of economic or scientific activities: they have to be actively pursued, and sometimes are the application of the intersection of apparently distant fields. These interdisciplinary approaches characterize the curriculum of the Singularity University, which will start offering its nine week graduate program this summer.
On top of this extensive course, there will be also ten day, and three day intensive executive courses for industry managers and CxOs, who will be able to recognize the important trends analyzed during the lectures, and apply them to the planning, and execution of their companies’ strategies.
The opportunities that the Singularity University offers for getting a glimpse into what the leading developments are in a variety of advanced fields are unique, as well as the networking, and potential formation of startups ready to be funded by the institutions corporate sponsors.
See a brief video presentation of the Singularity University:
Learning is such a fundamental activity for today’s world, which changes fast around us! Adapting to these dynamic conditions cannot be just a question of biological, genetic evolution. That also happens, of course, but its ways are much too slow for us to wait and let them catch up. Our culture, and its technological applications, have an impact in the day to day activities of each of us, and we have to make sure that we are equipped to face the challenges that are posed by them. Even new ways of learning, and new ways of thinking can be necessary, and applying techniques that are adept in finding the right connections between different fields, and different methods, can lead to unexpectedly effective results.
The academic track includes an excitingly eclectic coverage of what are some of the most important fields in today’s world:Future Studies & Forecasting, Networks & Computing Systems, Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, Nanotechnology, Medicine, Neuroscience & Human Enhancement, AI, Robotics, & Cognitive Computing, Energy & Ecological Systems, Space & Physical Sciences, Policy, Law & Ethics, Finance & Entrepreneurship
It hasn’t been reported by the numerous articles covering the announcement of the Singularity University, but Ray confirmed to me, and it is rather important, that all the lectures, and the course materials that are going to be developed and delivered at its sessions are going to be made available online under a liberal license. This is going to be equivalent to or more liberal than the license applied to the Open Courseware Consortium‘s content, of which famously MIT‘s courses are also a part. This means that all the materials of the Singularity University are going to be published under Creative Commons Attribution license!
Full disclosure: I am a Singularity University Advisor.
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