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David Brin

Dr. David Brin

NIAC External Council

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Dr. David Brin is a scientist, speaker, technical consultant and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. His 1989 ecological thriller, Earth, foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and near-future trends such as the World Wide Web*. A 1998 movie, directed by Kevin Costner, was loosely based on The Postman. Brin serves on advisory committees dealing with subjects as diverse as national defense and homeland security, astronomy and space exploration, SETI and nanotechnology, future/prediction and philanthropy. His non-fiction book – The Transparent Society: Will Technology Make Us Choose Between Freedom and Privacy? – deals with secrecy in the modern world. It won the Freedom of Speech Prize from the American Library Association. As a public “scientist/futurist” David appears frequently on TV, including “The Universe” and the History Channel’s best-watched show “Life After People.” He also was a regular cast member on “The ArciTECHS.” Brin’s scientific work covers an eclectic range of topics, from astronautics, astronomy, and optics to alternative dispute resolution and the role of neoteny in human evolution. His Ph.D in Physics from UCSD – the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) – followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the California Space Institute and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His patents directly confront some of the faults of old-fashioned screen-based interaction, aiming to improve the way human beings converse online. Additional details about Dr. Brin’s accomplishments can be found on his website: http://www.davidbrin.com/biography.htm