Accidents and Eccentricity #261

Dr Mario Livio is an internationally known astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, the institute which conducts the scientific program of the Hubble Space Telescope, and will conduct the scientific program of the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. He has published more than 300 scientific papers on topics ranging from Dark Energy and cosmology to black holes and extrasolar planets. Dr Livio is also the author of five popular science books, including "The Golden Ratio" (for which he received the "Peano Prize" and the "International Pythagoras Prize") and "Is God A Mathematician?". Livio's recent book, "Brilliant Blunders", received rave reviews, was in October 2013 on the Bestsellers List of the New York Times, and was selected by the Washington Post as one of the "2013 Best Books of the Year."

Bernie Carlson is Chair and Professor in the Department of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia and he holds a joint appointment with the History Department. Bernie is an expert on the role of innovation in American history and his research focuses on how inventors, engineers, and managers used technology to create new systems and enterprises between 1875 and 1925. His publications include "Innovation as a Social Process: Elihu Thomson and the Rise of General Electric, 1870-1900", "Technology in World History", and "Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age". In addition to his books, Bernie has filmed 36 lectures on "Inventions that Changed the World." He has just finished a five-year term as Executive Secretary for the Society for the History of Technology.