Starmus IV New Speaker's Announcement

Posted by David Eicher
on Wednesday, March 15, 2017

PRESS RELEASE

STARMUS IV NEW SPEAKER'S ANNOUNCMENT

THE NEW LINEUP INCLUDES STEPHEN HAWKING WITH 10 NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS, BUZZ ALDRIN AND OLIVER STONE

Starmus IV, hosted by NTNU, runs from 18th June to 23rd June in Trondheim, Norway, tickets available from www.starmus.com

Stephen Hawking at Starmus III // Starmus Press Release
“Starmus is an important and very unique interdisciplinary festival of people working in different fields — astronomers, astronauts, cosmologists, physicists, philosophers, musicians, artists, biologists etc., who share an interest in the universe, how it began and is now and how we may explore and use its many facets.” -Professor Stephen Hawking

New Starmus participants consist of a combination of Nobel Laureates, astronauts, a filmmaker, sociologists and scientists of all stripes: Buzz Aldrin, Oliver Stone, Larry King, Brian Cox, Jaan Tallinn, Sir Chris Pissarides, Paul D.N. Hebert, Eugene Kaspersky, Alexandra Witze, Jeffrey Sachs, Christer Fuglesang, Nancy Knowlton, Nick Lane, Sir Anthony Giddens, Sue Bailey, Torsten Wiesel, John Delaney, Sergey Volkov, and  Alexander Volkov.

PRESS RELEASE

The legendary Buzz Aldrin will be joining fellow moonwalkers, Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmitt; the trio will come together, for the first time, in front of an audience to take part in a thrilling hour-long debate, titled “To The Moon And Beyond.” The moonwalkers will explore their incredible landings decades later and will share their different views on future missions to Mars.

“It has been my privilege to have attended two previous Starmus Conferences. I have never attended a conference with a more distinguished group of speakers. From Nobel Laureates to space voyagers to top scientists.The lectures were all informative, thought provoking and entertaining. I look forward to participating in Starmus IV, especially the panel discussion with my fellow moonwalkers.” -Charlie Duke

Critically acclaimed Filmmaker Oliver Stone and award winning television host, Larry King will participate in a lively debate on our existing global problems.

Starmus IV will celebrate outstanding contributions from women to the world of science and astronomy. Biologist, Nancy Knowlton, psychiatrist, Dame Sue Bailey and science journalist, Alexandra Witze, will join the incredibly high profile list of women speakers already on the programme, in sharing groundbreaking discoveries made in their field. A core aim of Starmus is to encourage and inspire more women to take an interest in science by presenting role models who are changing the world.

Technology will also be a more significant part of the programme this year with innovative ideas shared by leaders who have changed the way we communicate, such as Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn who will explore artificial intelligence.

Starmus logo // Starmus press release
New for 2017, Kaspersky Lab will install a major cybersecurity education hub, from which daily education sessions will be delivered by experts in the fields of both cybersecurity and science. During the festival, Eugene Kaspersky will be joined by other experts for a panel discussion about 'Industry 4.0', discussing the relationship between science, modern industry and cybersecurity.

Starmus IV will also introduce sociology and economics to the programme for the first time with 2004 Nobel Prize-winning economist, Finn Kydland, sociology professor, Lord Anthony Giddens and economics professor, Jeff Sachs and Regius Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, Chris Pissarides, discussing important global issues, including climate change, Brexit, Trump, and what impact they might have on politics and economics.

The Starmus board includes Stephen Hawking, Brian May, Peter Gabriel, Richard Dawkins, Alexei Leonov, and the festival's founder, Garik Israelian - these great minds have recruited the most intelligent, creative and artistic beings on the planet and devised an incredible programme.

Speakers are available for interview upon request

PRESS RELEASE

Starmus and its scientific and musical legacy:

Starmus Festival was born in 2011, the brainchild of astrophysicist Garik Israelian. His aim was to make the most universal science and art accessible to the public and that he achieved with three festivals that reached full capacity with participation from the world's most influentialscientists and astronomists along with superstar musicians. The magic of Starmus is not confined to science - music is also an essential component of the festival. One of the most prominent members of the Advisory Board, the great Peter Gabriel, former leader of UK band Genesis, highlights the close ties between astronomy and music: "Musicians explore and define what exists inside us, astronomers explore and define what exists outside of us. That's precisely what I love about Starmus: the combination of the two worlds".

With an unbeatable panel of great minds, the countdown shall begin to the next Starmus, in June 2017, amid considerable international expectation. Over the coming months, the organisation will unveil new features and surprises in connection with the world's most ambitious science event, which will in turn raise Trondheim's status as a city of culture, science and technology.

The music side to the festival shall be announced shortly.

About Trondheim and NTNU:

NTNU logo // Starmus press release
Trondheim is a renowned location for students and academics. It has been ranked several times as Norway's most impressive student city and has long standing traditions in education with a Cathedral School that has been in existence since 1152. The roots of today's university go all the way back to 1760, with the establishment of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS). The city has a population of more than 188,000, with 33,000 students attending and nearly 7000 employees working at the university, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The University contributes an incredibly high level of science, education and innovation. The university and its spin-offs is one of the main reasons why the city is referred to as the science and technology capital of Norway.

Trondheim also has a vibrant cultural life. The city hosts festivals in genres including jazz, blues, chamber music, world music, rock and pop all year round with a peak during the summer when the light almost never leaves. During the Starmus festival in Trondheim in June 2017, the sun will go down at midnight and rises at 3am.

Situated just above 63 degrees north, the coastal city which was founded more than a thousand years ago (997), with its strong academic traditions combined with a culture-loving population is the perfect location for a festival such as Starmus, which brings out the best of both worlds.

For further information please contact Nicole Ettinger Ettinger PR E. nicole@ettinger

pr.com T. +44 751 5394107

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