Watch the lecture on the YouTube channel of the master.
Speaker: Edwin A. Valentijn - Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen The Netherlands
Abstract: Is everything Information? This is a tantalizing question which emerges in modern physics, life sciences, astronomy and in today’s information and technology-driven society. These questions are addressed in my latest popular science book “ The Powers of Two- The Information Universe”, a unique expedition through the world and scales of information resembling in a way the classic "powers of ten”. In my talk I will focus on one of the story lines in this book: the evolution from the “compute centric” paradigm to the “data centric” paradigm and next “Artificial Intelligence”. I will highlight the causality related properties of these three approaches. This topic becomes timely in a world in which discriminating Facts and Fakes becomes more and more a problem, likewise, in a world in which Open Science demands for Finding, Accessing, Interoperability and Reusability of research data, and after all for Reproducibility.
Short bio: Prof. Edwin A. Valentijn is among the leaders of Data Science in Europe. Currently he is professor of Astronomical Information Technology at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, the Netherlands. His research focusses on dark matter and Big Data information systems handling astronomical imaging surveys. In 2002 he founded, and he still leads, the astronomical data centre OmegaCEN; since 2008 he coordinates the Target initiative to port astronomical technologies to other disciplines. Valentijn founded the Target Holding company and the NL data center for the Euclid satellite. Currently, he leads the Target Field Lab with research program on Virtual reality and Facts and Fakes recognition. Valentijn initiated and is creative director of a digital planetarium in Groningen: DOTliveplanetarium, which is also the venue of The Information Universe Conference series.
He has recently published the popular science book: The Powers of Two – The Information Universe (Springer Nature 2021). Please, watch the trailer of the book
Download the poster.