POPULAR MECHANICS BREAKTHROUGH AWARDS* COMPLETE COVERAGE: Live from 2008 Breakthrough Awards Events* PLUS: The 4 Best (Fictional) Video-Game CitiesSESSION 1 /// 1pm NEXT STEPS ON MARS In recent months, the Phoenix Mission has confirmed the existence of water ice on Mars and dramatically advanced our understanding of the red planet. Phoenix team leaders discuss the future of Mars exploration and what these findings mean for the search for life throughout the solar system. PANELISTS: BARRY GOLDSTEIN, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory ED SEDIVY, Lockheed Martin Space Systems PETER SMITH, University of ArizonaSESSION 2 /// 2pmENGINEERING FOR A BETTER WORLD Scientists and engineers are paying increased attention to the problems of the world’s poorest billion people. Panelists including Amy Smith, 2008 Breakthrough Leadership Award winner, explore how appropriate design, coupled with attention to local needs, can improve lives across the globe. PANELISTS: GREG ALLGOOD, Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program, Procter & Gamble DANIEL OLIVER, Intelligent Mobility International AMY B. SMITH, Massachusetts Institute of Technology SESSION 3 /// 3:15pmTHE ENERGY OF TOMORROW, TODAY An explosion of ingenuity in the development of solar power, biofuels, and automotive design is raising hopes for a world challenged by climate change and limited energy supplies. Leading innovators delve into what’s real, what’s hype and what our near-term energy future will really look like. PANELISTS: KINKEAD REILING, Amyris Biotechnologies D. BRUCE OSBORN, Stirling Energy Systems CHARLES E. ANDRAKA, Sandia National Laboratories LONNIE JOHNSON, Johnson ElectroMechanical Systems STEVE FAMBRO, Aptera Motors SESSION 4 /// 4:45pm VIDEOGAMES AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: ONE-ON-ONE WITH WILL WRIGHT Over the past few years, computer gameplay has evolved from linear problem-solving toward an open-ended, creative enterprise. Wright led the way in this transformation. His resume includes some of the most successful games in history–SimCity, The Sims and this year’s Breakthrough Award-winning Spore, in which players guide the development of life itself. Wright sits down with Popular Mechanics Senior Technology Editor Glenn Derene.Got a question for one of our brilliant Breakthrough Award winners? Leave it in the chat box below. We’ll pose our favorite questions from readers to our panelists on Wednesday. > /»Media Platforms Design TeamCLICK FOR MOREMeet All of the 2008 Breakthrough Innovators
