The Limits and Promise of Prediction

“On the Limits and Promise of Prediction,” an IMPACT Symposium, will engage in an interdisciplinary conversation about the power of prediction—its promise as well as its limitations, focusing in particular on energy, the environment, and economics.

The event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 21, 2013, in the Mack Ballroom of the Umphrey Lee Center (lunch included) on the SMU campus. It is free and open to the public but registration is required.

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Susan Hough, (Geophysicist, US Geological Survey)

Dr Hough received her A.B. in Geophysics from the University of California, Berkeley and her PhD in Earth Sciences from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. She is currently the Scientist-in-Charge, U.S. Geological Survey, Pasadena, CA. In addition to being the author of over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, Dr. Hough is the author of five books. Her most recent book is titled Predicting the Unpredictable: The Tumultuous Science of Earthquake Prediction (Princeton, 2009).

Moderator: Jan Hart Black: former City Manager and former head of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce

1:00-1:50: Macrotrends: Long-Range Forecasting

Confirmed panelists:

Professor Mark Davis, Cox School of Business
Professor James L. Smith, Cox School of Business
Professor Neil Tabor, Huffington Department of Earth Sciences (confirmed)

2:00-2:50: Microtrends: Big Data

Confirmed panelists:

Professor Tom Fomby, Department of Economics (confirmed)
Professor Elfi Kraka, Department of Chemistry (confirmed)
Richard Rodts, Manager, Solution Specialist Team, IBM (confirmed)

This event is supported by the Embrey Family Foundation and the Richard B. Johnson Center for Economic Studies.