WHO?
Professor Hiroaki Kitano
CEO of Sony Computer Science Lab
President of the Systems Biology Institute Tokyo (And he has opened its first international node at Monash University: SBI Australia)
Professor at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa
Famous for founding RoboCup, AIBO and for his pioneering work in Systems Biology
WHAT?
Public Lecture: ‘Act Beyond Borders‘
WHEN & WHERE:
MELBOURNE
7 October: (6-7pm) Lecture
Storey Hall, RMIT
SYDNEY
10 October: (5-6pm) RoboCup Match and (6-7pm) Lecture
Leighton Hall, Scientia Building, University of New South Wales
WHY?
Contemporary society is faced with challenges that are complicated, diverse and constantly changing. As a Maths of Planet Earth Australia ambassador Professor Kitano is all too aware of the pivotal role the mathematical sciences play in solving these challenges.
‘Mathematics is the common language of science and technology. It is essential for describing, and defining, the fundamental principles of our universe. Maths is not only a tool to apply ideas practically, but it is a tool of thought,’ said Professor Kitano.
This October, wearing his MPE ambassador hat, Professor Kitano will deliver two public lectures; one in Melbourne, the other in Sydney.
In these non-technical talks Professor Kitano will explain how mathematics is essential to the health and longevity of our society. He will introduce some of his celebrated projects, including; the robotic dog AIBO and RoboCup – the international robotic soccer tournament that inspires research through play.
‘Programming robots to work together, as they do in RoboCup, has lead to many technological spin-offs. The most successful is used in warehouse management. This spin-off is so sophisticated that Amazon acquired it — for a huge big chunk of money — and now the system is used for most of the e-commerce side of the business,’ Professor Kitano said.
From sport to sustainability, Professor Kitano will then explain how open energy systems increase the reach and reliability of renewable energy — especially important to the new world.
As a small boy Professor Kitano loved to make things, as an adult this love has developed a new area of research – Systems Biology. Systems biology gives us a new language to describe biological processes. And Professor Kitano’s current research focus applies this new language and high powered computing to medicine, in drug design and discovery.
One of these drugs, developed with a major pharmaceutical company, is in phase-II clinical trials in the USA. He is also working with the US Food and Drug Administration on cancer management drugs.
Professor Kitano hopes that Act Beyond Borders will convey that working with other nations and moving freely among all scientific disciplines is essential. And that you too will realise that mathematics is more important to society than it has ever been before.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
SBI Profile of Professor Kitano
Maths of Planet Earth Ambassador Video Interview
FOR INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR KITANO:
Stephanie Pradier, AMSI
M: 0424 568 314 E: stephanie@amsi.org.au
