Several of the foremost scientists and thinkers behind the creation of the Internet will gather in Ann Arbor on October 8 for a day-long symposium to honor Professor Daniel E. Atkins, founding dean of the School of Information and former dean of the University of Michigan College of Engineering and associate vice president for research cyberinfrastructure.

"Learning and Discovery in the Connected Age" brings together some of the extraordinary people Atkins has worked with over the years, including many of those fields' top executives, to speak on contemporary topics where Atkins has made contributions. Panelists include world-renowned computer scientist Vint Cerf, one of the creators of the Internet, as well as vice presidents from Google and Microsoft, and Hewlett and MacArthur Foundation executives.

The day is organized into four panels: Cyberinfrastructure for Academic Enterprise (9 a.m.); The Information School Movement (10:30 a.m.);  Collaboratories and  Digital Libraries (1:30 p.m.); and Cyber Enabled Learning (3:00 p.m.)

Panelists include Stu Feldman, Google Vice President of Engineering; Timothy Killeen, President of the SUNY Research Foundation; Dan Reed, Vice President of the Microsoft Corporation; and Connie Yowell, Director of Education for the MacArthur Foundation. The entire guest list is available on the UMSI event listing.

The symposium honors Professor Atkins, who is celebrating his 40th year at the university and an academic career that has spanned over 50 years of the computer revolution.  Atkins began his career as a computer architecture researcher, designing and building early computers used in science and medicine. As technology improved, and as computing and communication merged into the Internet and Web, his focus shifted to the blended technical and social aspects of systems that support learning and discovery. Atkins then helped found the U-M School of Information, intended to produce leaders to understand, design and use such systems.

The symposium will be held at the Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty, Ann Arbor. Check-in is from 8-8:30 a.m., followed by opening remarks presented by Atkins at 8:30 a.m. A box lunch is provided and closing remarks begin at 4:15 p.m. For those who cannot attend, the School of Information will be webcasting the symposium and taking questions via Twitter. 

The event is free and open to the public but registration is required. For more details and to register, go to www.bit.ly/atkins_symposium.

The symposium is sponsored by the School of Information, the College of Engineering, the office of the Chief Information Officer, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and Microsoft Corporation.