*** Danger! Danger! Danger! ***
- Q: What is the Dangerous Ideas Seminar?
The Dangerous Ideas Seminar is a informal seminar designed to spur
cross-pollination of ideas in the lab and to foster creativity by
challenging students, faculty, and research staff with each others'
ideas.
MIT, and particularly the labs in this building, have a history of
daring innovation and visionary research which change the way the
rest of the world works. We think this is how it ought to be, and
are organizing these seminars to help stimulate people to think
big.
- Q: How does it work?
Each week, we invite a speaker from the labs. That person may be a
grad student, faculty, or research staff. They are encouraged to
present something *different* from their most recent paper/talk.
Emphasis is on informality, vision, and inspiration. In particular,
we invite the speaker to consider the following questions when
preparing their presentation:
- Why should I fear your research?
- Why should I rejoice that it's being done?
- What should I tell my mom about it?
- What's your most interesting discovery?
- What's your most recent discovery?
The speaker's presentation is expected to last for approximately
20 minutes, at which point the floor is opened up for discussion
for the remaining 40 minutes, to be moderated if necessary by the
organizers. Audience members are encouraged to challenge ideas in
the presentation, make connections to other, disparate fields of
research, or say anything else they want.
- Q: Who should come to the Dangerous Ideas Seminar?
We invite all members of CSAIL to attend.
We particularly encourage you to come when the speaker's research
is not closely related to your own.
- Q: Why are these ideas so dangerous?
Because they should violate the status quo, and unsettle us from
out comfortable seats in the ivory tower. If there aren't revolutionary
consequences to our work, why are we doing it here and not leaving
it for [fill in your least-favorite university here]?
- Q: How often will Dangerous Ideas Seminars happen?
Roughly once every two weeks.
Announcements and reminders go to
csail-seminar@ai, which encompasses ai-seminar@ai and seminars@lcs.
- Q: Will there be snacks?
Of course. This is a CSAIL seminar!