Steven Beckwith; Episode 139

In my normal life, I talk about the edge, edge compute, edge networking, smart devices; you know, the edge. When Professor Steve Beckwith talks about the edge, he's considering the universe. Professor Beckwith joins me this week for an incredible conversation on how AI and machine learning through tools like the Web and Hubble telescopes are informing us about the universe and all the gory, catastrophic, beautiful and fascinating stories it has to tell us.

It informs the world we live in today, the potential impact of technology as it's evolving. Professor Beckwith should know. He is currently the director of the Space Sciences Laboratory at Berkeley and has previously served as the director of many other similar institutions here in the States and internationally, including as the Vice President for research and graduate studies for the ten campus University of California system.

About Our Guest

Steven Beckwith is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley. His 40-year research career spans a many interests including the formation and early evolution of extra-solar planetary systems, the evolution of young stars, and the birth of galaxies in the early universe. In 2004, he led the team that created the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, the deepest visual image of the universe, resulting in the discovery of the most distant galaxies ever seen. He has published approximately 200 articles and won several international awards for his work. He lectures worldwide and advises organizations in the United States and Europe on research policy.

He received his BS in Engineering Physics from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology. He returned to Cornell in 1978 as an Assistant Professor of Astronomy and stayed on the faculty for 13 years. In 1991, he moved to Germany as Director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg, directing the institute's scientific program and the German National Observatory in Spain. He returned to the United States in 1998 as the Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, where he was responsible for the science operations of the Hubble Space Telescope. He became the telescope's leading public spokesman after NASA announced in 2004 that it would no longer service the telescope, successfully advocating for its continued operation (NASA reversed its decision in 2006). After stepping down as Director, he became a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University and a Distinguished Research Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute. In 2008, he was appointed Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies at the University of California systemwide office and a Professor of Astronomy at Berkeley. In July 2014, he left the Office of the President to resume his research at UC Berkeley.