FYI France Extra: Conf.des Grandes Ecoles -- France & Technology The Grandes Ecoles -- "Mines", "Ponts et Chausse'es", "Normale Sup.", etc. -- have educated most of France's engineers since the Revolution. They have in addition, because of France's unique higher education system, trained most of the country's leading politicians, and its decision - makers in most strategic areas. There are over a hundred of them: a score of "corps" schools, and dozens of others. They have been meeting regularly as a group since 1991, in an "International Symposium" coordinated jointly with MIT and UC Berkeley, trying to keep up to date with developments in their field, and searching for decision rationale in a rapidly - changing hi - tech world. This year's Confe'rence des Grandes Ecoles "International Symposium III", to be held in Sophia Antipolis -- one of France's several Silicon Valleys -- near Cannes, May 27 - 30, will address, "A New Technological System for a Global Society". Because what interests the Grandes Ecoles is of such interest to all of France, I thought I would present the conference outline here. You will see a notable lack of the insularity for which the French are famous and in which they themselves take pride: these people in fact are interested in everything in hi - tech, and they are not behind the US in it, as both they and others so often think. For the full conference program and details please see: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/IS3/ a site sponsored by the Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE and ably managed by UC Berkeley Library's Roy Tennant. For inquiries about the Symposium, in English or in French, please send email to Jack Kessler at kessler@well.sf.ca.us, or Jean - Pierre Tubach at tubach@ds.enst.fr, or M. Bernard Sutter at sutter@paris.ensmp.fr . International Symposium III / Symposium international III Europe -- Etats-Unis "A new technological system for a global society" / "Vers un nouvel ordre technologique pour une socie'te' globale" 27-30 mai 1996 Sophia-Antipolis -- France On the Invitation of the Confe'rence des Grandes Ecoles, Jacques Le'vy, Pre'sident the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research, Patrick Holmes, President the University of California, Berkeley, Chang Lin Tien, Chancellor the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Charles Vest, President Sous le haut patronage de Monsieur Jacques Chirac, Pre'sident de la Re'publique Francaise et de Monsieur Jacques Santer, Pre'sident de la Commission Europe'enne Sponsored by la Commission Europe'enne le Ministe`re des Affaires Etrange`res le Ministe`re de l'Industrie le Ministe`re de l'Education national, de l'Enseignement Supe'rieur, de la Recherche et de l'Insertion Professionelle In coooperation with le Conseil Re'gional Provence-Alpes Co^te d'Azur le Conseil Ge'ne'ral Nice-Co^te d'Azur France Te'le'com Comite' scientifique / Scientific Committee * Confe'rence des Grandes Ecoles Bernard Sutter, Inge'nieur ge'ne'ral des Te'le'communications, Conseiller aupre`s du Pre'sident Jean - Pierre Chevillot, Conseiller a` la DG XII -- Commission Europe'enne Gilbert Frade, Directeur adjoint de l'Ecole des Mines de Paris Pierre Conruyt, De'le'gue' Ge'ne'ral de France Te'le'com a` Sophia - Antipolis * Conference of European Schools for Advanced Education and Research / CESAER Philippe D. Grosjean, Secre'taire ge'ne'ral * University of California, Berkeley Richard Buxbaum, Dean of International and Area Studies Bernard Sadoulet, Director, Center for Particle Astrophysics * Massachusetts Institute of Technology Philipp L. Clay, Associate Provost David Litster, Vice - President and Dean for Research Groupes de Travail / Working Groups [subject to change. jk] Summary Groupe 1: Syste`mes de concurrence et de partenariat/ Systems of partnership and competition Groupe 2: Infrastructure de recherche de base / Infrastructure of basic research Groupe 3: Multime'dias et re'seaux de te'le'communications / Multimedia and telecommunication networks Groupe 4: Bioinge'nierie et environnement / Bioengineering and environmental engineering Detail Groupe 1: Syste`mes de concurrence et de partenariat/ Systems of partnership and competition Armand HATCHUEL Professeur de Management industriel, Ecole des mines de Paris Michel HOLLARD Professeur d'Economie, Universite' de Grenoble David MOWERY Professor, Haas School of Business, Univ. of California, Berkeley Eugene SKOLNIKOFF Professor of Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology D. Eleanor WESTNEY Professor of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Le de'veloppement de la concurrence mondiale ame`ne les firmes a` se livrer a` une compe'tition accrue et complexe, mais aussi a` de'velopper entre elles des accords de coope'ration, en re'action a` cette e'volution. Peut-on trouver des formes plus efficaces d'une coope'ration non plus "re'active"; pour en me^me temps favoriser le progre`s technologique et mai^triser une concurrence sauvage pre'judiciable a` l'homme? Quels me'canismes institutionnels au niveau des nations, des groupes d'Etats ou des re'gions permettent ces nouvelles formes de coope'ration, les accompagnent dans leur croisssance ou les inhibent ? Quelles en sont les conse'quences sur la formation des scientifiques et des inge'nieurs de demain ? This group will examine current competitive practices in the world and their usually "reactive" character, which tend to lead to a sterile acceleration of competition. It will also review the growing number of international cooperative agreements between companies and will attempt to delineate what could on the contrary be a "proactive" attitude balancing competition and partnerships. It will delineate the institutional mechanisms which, at the regional or national levels, could support these new forms of cooperation. It will examine the impact that the current evolution should have on the training of scientists and engineers. Groupe 2: Infrastructure de recherche de base / Infrastructure of basic research Michel SPIRO Chef du service de physique des particules - DAPNIA - Centre d'e'tudes nucle'aires de Saclay Bernard SADOULET Director, Center for Particle Astrophysics, Univ. of California, Berkeley J. David LITSTER Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Kenneth A. SMITH Professor of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology La recherche de base vise a` repousser les frontie`res de la connaissance. Par son universalite' et ses implications humaines, elle devrait e^tre un champ de coope'ration par excellence. Pourtant, par ses retombe'es technologiques, par les grands e'quipements dont elle a besoin, par le prestige qu'elle confe`re, la recherche fondamentale est le lieu d'une compe'tition acharne'e et les accords de collaborations ne se font pas sans mal. Comment mettre en place le me'canismes de de'cision ne'cessaires pour de'finir une strate'gie globale a` long terme de construction et d'utilisation des grands e'quipements qui prenne en compte la limitation des ressources? Seront pris comme exemples les domaines de l'astrophysique, de la physique des particules, de la fusion, de la matie`re condense'e et de la biologie. Comment utiliser cette dynamique pour promouvoir de manie`re exemplaire le de'veloppement international, l'emploi et l'environnement? Comment, a` travers l'e'volution de la recherche scientifique, pre'server la dimension humaine de ce de'veloppement et, de manie`re plus ge'ne'rale, comment la science peut-elle reconstituer pour la socie'te' des repe`res qui lui font actuellement de'faut? This working group will review the international aspects of basic research. The decision mechanisms in place for large research facilities and the strategies used for long-term research projects reveal a tension between the desire to maintain and improve a national or regional competitive position and the realities of limited resources which argue for an overall coordination and cooperation. On the basis of examples taken from particle and condensed matter of physics, astronomy, space science and biology, the group will examine the current practices as experienced by base scientists, institution managers, funding agency officials and governments. It will attempt to outline the cultural and institutional obstacles to coordination and cooperation. It will also focus on the international component of scientific training, the collaboration practices and the personnel exchange policies which are necessary to promote these goals. Groupe 3: Multime'dias et re'seaux de te'le'communications / Multimedia and telecommunication networks Premie`re partie -- (technical, economic, regulatory context) Animateur : M. Jack KESSLER (BRIE, UC Berkeley) - M. Christian Van GHELDER (Hewlett Packard, Director of Marketing, Telecom Systems Business Unit) : "the use of networks in companies" - Mme. Camille WANAT (Director of the Engineering Library, UC Berkeley) : "online information for engineers" - M. J.M. CHADUC (Ministe`re de l'Industrie, des Postes et Te'le'communications) : "regulatory aspects in Europe and USA" - M. Roy TENNANT (Project Manager, Digital Library Research and Development, UC Berkeley) : multimedia demonstration Deuxie`me partie -- (use in higher education) Animateur : Pr Knud Erik SKOUBY (Center for Tele-Information at the Technical University of Denmark) - Pr Hal VARIAN (UC Berkeley : Dean, School of Information Management Studies) "building a school of information management studies" - Pr P. PURCELL (sabbatical professor, Imperial College, London) "the context for distance learning" - Pr Martial VIVET, Universite' du Maine, France : "personalized teaching and multimedia" Troisie`me parti : "table ronde" (impact on society, ethics) Moderator : Pr Nicolas CURIEN (CNAM) - Pr Michel CALLON (ENSMP, Centre de Sociologie de l'Innovation) - Pr Stephen COHEN (co-director BRIE, UC Berkeley) - M. Michel COLONNA D'ISTRIA (Le Monde, Paris) - M. Yves MICHAUD (former Director of ENS des Beaux Arts) - M. Nicolas PIOCH (internet, cyberspace...) - Pr Ge'rard POGOREL (ENST, Economics Dept) - M. Serge SOUDOPLATOFF (CP2I : entreprise and innovation) This working group will examine the revolution of multimedia and telecommunications networks, which appears to be leading us into a global "society of information". The group will study its influence on markets and business within the very different contexts of Europe, North America, and Asia, considering both the competition and the cooperation among various actors which is occurring or which might occur. The group will take into account ethical, social and cultural aspects of this revolution, and outline the principals of a possible "ecology of communication." It will delineate the demands that these developments put on the training of scientists and engineers, and the contribution of these new technologies to both higher education and global professional training. Groupe 4: Bioinge'nierie et environnement / Bioengineering and environmental engineering Calude MILLIER Directeur scientifique - ENGREF Brigitte AHRING Professor, Institute of Environmental science and engineering, Technical University of Denmark Brian BARSKY Professor of Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley Kent UDELL Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley Wesley WALLENDER Professor, Dept. of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis Mai^triser le de'veloppement de la technologie prend un tout autre caracte`re d'urgence de`s lors gu'il s'agit de toucher a` l'essence me^me de la vie et de son cadre. La re'volution de la bioinge'nierie et la remise en cause des proce'de's industriels pour inte'grer la dimension environmentale ne se conc,oivent pas sans une nouvelle forme de coope'ration entre les partenaires mondiaux, coope'ration qui se doit d'allier encore plus e'thique et technique. Quels sont aujourd'hui les chemins parcourus dans ce sens, les difficulte's rencontre'es, les dangers affronte's? Comment, a` la rencontre des sciences du vivant et des sciences sociales, concilier dans la formation des jeunes le gou^t de l'entreprise, de la de'couverte et en me^me temps le sens des responsabilite' qui leur e'choient? Quelles normes, quelles re`gles, quelles conventions introduire dans la compe'tition pour qu'elle ne freine pas le progre`s, et dans la coope'ration pour qu'elle stimule la cre'ation? Quelle dynamique enfin pour cette re'flexion qui ne peut e^tre statique? The working group will examine the challenges triggered by the bioengineering revolution - in particular genetic engineering - and the new engineering approach to environmental protection and remediation. It will study the technical issues in dealing with the "living world," the global aspects of any intervention, and the new ethical and social responsibilities of the engineer. The group will review the current practices, outline the potentials in these fast-moving fields, and review the institutional mechanisms which are being or should be put in place to regulate the process. It will also examine the changes needed in the training of scientists and engineers in these fields. Little is left out, as I said. The French appear to be interested in everything. The symposium will be addressed by, among others, Jacques Le'vy, who is both Director of the Ecole des Mines and President of the Confe'rence des Grandes Ecoles, Chang Lin Tien, who is Chancellor of UC Berkeley, Professor David Litster, who is Vice President for Research of MIT, and France's Senator Pierre Laffitte. The May 30 finale will offer round table discussions by panels of special guests. And there is rumored to be some good entertainment planned for the evenings in between. And it is taking place in France, in Springtime. For inquiries about the Symposium, in English or in French, please send email to Jack Kessler at kessler@well.sf.ca.us, or Jean - Pierre Tubach at tubach@ds.enst.fr, or M. Bernard Sutter at sutter@paris.ensmp.fr. XXX FYIFrance (sm)(tm) e - newsletter ISSN 1071 - 5916 * | FYIFrance (sm)(tm) is a monthly electronic newsletter, | published since 1992 as a small - scale, personal, | experiment, in the creation of large - scale | "information overload", by Jack Kessler. Any material / \ written by me which appears in FYIFrance may be ----- copied and used by anyone for any good purpose, so // \\ long as, a) they give me credit and show my e - mail --------- address and, b) it isn't going to make them money: if // \\ if it is going to make them money, they must get my permission in advance, and share some of the money which they get with me. Use of material written by others requires their permission. FYIFrance archives may be reached online at http://infolib.berkeley.edu , or via gopher to infolib.berkeley.edu 72 (path: 3. Electronic Journals (Library-Oriented)/ 6. FYIFrance/ or http://www.univ-rennes1.fr/LISTES/biblio-fr@univ-rennes1.fr/ (BIBLIO-FR econference archive), or gopher.well.sf.ca.us , or via telnet to a.cni.org , login brsuser (PACS / PACS-L econference archive). Suggestions, reactions, criticisms, praise, and poison - pen letters all will be gratefully received at kessler@well.sf.ca.us . Copyright 1992 by Jack Kessler, all rights reserved. XXX end