EXPERTS ON THE FUTURE GATHER IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

Terrorism, globalization, emerging diseases, and advancing technologies are among the myriad topics to be aired at this gathering of forward-thinkers, trend-trackers, and visionaries. The meeting, sponsored by the World Future Society, will be at the Grand Hyatt Regency Washington.

Kicking off the three-day event will be speeches by economist-author Jeremy Rifkin on hydrogen’s growing importance and inventor and high-tech entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil on the coming merger of human and machine.

"Hydrogen has the potential to end the world’s reliance on imported oil and help diffuse the dangerous geopolitical game being played out between Muslim militants and Western nations," says Rifkin. Potential developments could result in the first truly democratic energy regime in history.

Kurzweil will detail technologies that will profoundly effect our environment, our bodies, and our brains, vastly extending longevity, improving performance, and enhancing intelligence.

Closing the conference on Monday, Aug. 2, will be talks by former Colorado governor Richard D. Lamm on twenty-first century health care and Intel Corp. vice president David L. Tennenhouse on computers that anticipate human needs and act on our behalf.

Between the opening and the closing sessions, more than 180 futurists are scheduled to present to attendees. Highlights include:

Terrorism: Marvin Cetron (president, Forecasting International) and Stephen M. Millett (thought leader, Battelle) discuss long-term trends and likely outcomes of terrorist threats.

Sports: Kenneth Harris (chair, the Consilience Group) and Robin Gunston (chair, New Zealand Futures Trust) consider global attitudes and effects of community-based initiatives on the future of sports and games.

Health care: Clement Bezold and William Rowley (Institute for Alternative Futures) review choices for health care in the twenty-first century.

Emerging disease: Kimbal E. Cooper, Laszlo Kerecsen, and Tyler A. Kokjohn (Midwestern University) detail impacts of emerging disease on public health care, globalization, food production, and the environment.

Cyber insecurity: Bill Neugent (MITRE) shows how computer dependencies and threats are growing worse and what steps are urgently needed to mitigate oncoming cyber disasters.

Former U.S. ambassador to the UN John W. McDonald, will inaugurate the World Future Society’s Future Generations Fund, an exciting initiative to assist young people in acquiring the necessary knowledge to manage their personal futures. The Fund will go towards scholarships, classroom resources, and programs to enable students to become effective stewards of the future.

In addition to bringing together the experts, the World Future Society has focused on involving youth from all over the globe. Venezuelan students are earning World Future Society scholarships to attend the conference to hear about futurist developments first-hand, and present papers they have written.

Conference director Susan Echard reports that a number of U.S. high-school students--future problem-solvers who use futures curricula in their classrooms--are planning to attend and share their lessons learned.

Edward Cornish, editor of THE FUTURIST magazine, will launch his new book Futuring: The Exploration of the Future. This groundbreaking volume explains how people can anticipate future developments and plan their futures using techniques refined by scientists in think tanks.

To obtain press credentials, or for more information about WorldFuture 2004, e-mail ccoles@wfs.org or call 301/656-8274 (toll-free 800/989-8274).

Conference updates, schedules, and a complete list of presenters and topics are available at www.wfs.org.
7/13/04