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September
20, 2004 Vol. 75, no. 4F
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| Join Dean Newton and Bill
Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp.,
as they discuss future technology trends, the benefits of collaborative
research, and the impact of a global technology ecosystem. |
Bill Gates
comes to Zellerbach Hall for a conversation on computing’s future
Bill Gates, chairman and
chief software architect of Microsoft Corp., is coming to Berkeley to
speak with engineering students.
During his 9 a.m. talk on Friday, October 1, in Zellerbach Hall, Gates
will engage in a conversation with Dean Richard Newton as well as answer
questions from the audience. Along with his vision for the future of
technology, his discussion with Dean Newton will focus on the increasingly
global nature of the technology sector, societal impacts like spam and
privacy, and the benefits from research collaboration between academia
and industry.
Although Gates was in such a hurry to start Microsoft that he left Harvard
without a degree, he is known as a strong advocate of education. According
to Gates, a solid grounding in science and engineering empowers young
minds with the tools needed to make technological breakthroughs and
invigorate creativity.
“The computer industry needs new energy and fresh minds,”
Gates told an audience of students at Harvard last February.
When he started Microsoft in 1975, Gates envisioned personal computers
as a staple at every workstation. That vision brought about both the
success of Microsoft and the absolute transformation of the workplace.
The company wrote easy-to-use software that bridged the hardware differences
of computers of the time.
Gates’ leading-edge technological predictions have kept Microsoft
in the forefront of the fiercely competitive technology sector and fired
the imagination of technology junkies and aspiring entrepreneurs. Clearly,
Gates -– who often sports a Microsoft SPOT watch that can receive
e-mails, weather, baseball scores, and news – is one of the biggest
technology enthusiasts of all.
When speaking with engineering students, Gates often points out the
enormous potential growth of computer science.
“It’s ironic that today people underestimate computer science
more than ever,” he says. “What we have today will seem quite
limited compared with what we’ll see in five to 10 years.”
He sees computer security issues as the biggest hindrance to a wired
future because it undermines trust in digital systems and slows the
movement to a truly seamless experience where people can access their
information anywhere and any time.
In the future, Gates says, technology will manage our information using
linked devices at work, at home, and in our pockets.
“The hardware is already here or coming soon,” he says. “The
challenge is creating the software, and we need the college students
of today to produce it.”
Gates predicts that “the major developments in technology over
the next ten years will be in software,” he adds, “Of course,
I’m biased.”
Free tickets will be available
only engineering students on Friday, September 24. For more details
on how to get your ticket, go to the announcements
section.
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