Sethuraman Panchanathan

The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan is a computer scientist and engineer and the 15th director of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF is an $8.5B independent federal agency and the only government agency charged with advancing all fields of scientific discovery, technological innovation, and STEM education.

Dr. Panchanathan has a distinguished career in science, technology, engineering, and education that spans more than three decades. He served as executive vice president of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise, where he also founded the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing. Prior to becoming director of NSF, Panchanathan served on the National Science Board for six years and has also served on and chaired numerous high-level research and innovation organizations. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association for Computing Machinery, and other prestigious science and engineering organizations. Dr. Panchanathan’s scientific contributions have advanced the areas of human-centered multimedia computing, haptic user interfaces, person-centered ubiquitous computing technologies for empowering individuals with a range of abilities.

Presentation title:  Innovation and Invention: The importance of investments in fundamental science & engineering

Abstract:  The glass we see and touch, how and what it transforms, and even the utility it brings, is part of a complex sustainability story. The deeper meaning comes from what we cannot see, that glass is made from basic, inert ingredients with glass-making processes that are marvels of modern technology and engineering. The result is a product that can be recycled and reused infinitely. The ingredients and the final product won’t harm the earth, the oceans, or what is stored inside. Glass is a product, as history teaches, that will sustain not just our need to create and inspire, but also our inspiration to transform what we do and how we do it in pursuit of a more sustainable way of life.