X-Message-Number: 7689
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 1997 19:29:35 -0800
From: Paul Wakfer <>
Subject: New Prometheus Project Science Advisor

As documented at our Web Site, some time ago the Prometheus Project
established a Board of Science Advisors. The purpose of this board is to
"be actively involved in the formulation of the scientific plans and,
later, the oversight of the execution of the Project". A few months ago,
the first appointment to the Board was Thomas Donaldson, PhD. a well
known cryonicist who is particularly knowledgeable about brain
operation. His CV is on display at the Prometheus Project Web Site.

     Today, it gives me great pleasure to announce that Prof. Lester
Ingber, PhD. has accepted appointment to the Board of Science Advisors.
As documented in his full CV at http://www.ingber.com/ingber_CV.txt,
Prof. Ingber has been a leader in several physical and research
disciplines. Today, primarily via the Internet, he works with many
groups world-wide who use his codes and algorithms, e.g., his Adaptive
Simulated Annealing (ASA) optimization C-code, available to the public
from his Internet archive. He also aperiodically performs short-term
consulting, maintains the ASA code, and regularly helps others apply
these sophisticated techniques. Since 1992, he has worked with thousands
of people to apply his ASA code across many disciplines. ASA
applications have been made by other scientists, e.g., neural networks,
imaging, chaos, etc.
     Prof. Ingber has recently brought to a reasonable focus several
major research projects in multivariate nonlinear stochastic systems
which he has pursued for several years. He has developed some powerful
models and algorithms for extracting signal out of noise for certain
classes of systems, e.g., that typically arise in such diverse fields as
finance, neuroscience, and combat simulations. The abstract of a recent
paper serves to summarize some of the main features of his work:

ABSTRACT: A modern calculus of multivariate nonlinear multiplicative
Gaussian-Markovian systems provides models of many complex systems
faithful to their nature, e.g., by not prematurely applying quasi-linear
approximations for the sole purpose of easing analysis. To handle these
complex algebraic constructs, sophisticated numerical tools have been
developed, e.g., methods of adaptive simulated annealing (ASA) global
optimization and of path integration (PATHINT). In-depth application to
three quite different complex systems have yielded some insights into
the benefits to be obtained by application of these algorithms and
tools, in statistical mechanical descriptions of neocortex (short-term
memory and electroencephalography), financial markets (interest-rate and
trading models), and combat analysis (baselining simulations to exercise
data).

SCIENTIFIC PURSUITS.
Lester Ingber has published over 85 papers and books in the categories
of: theoretical nuclear physics, neuroscience, finance, general
optimization, combat analysis, karate, and education.

NUCLEAR PHYSICS: From 1965-1972, he published in atomic, nuclear,
astro-, and elementary particle physics. His major work was to develop a
nucleon-nucleon interaction described by exchanged mesons, and to apply
this interaction to calculate properties of nucleon-nucleon scattering,
the deuteron, nuclear matter, and neutron stars. In 1983-1986, he used
modern methods of nonlinear functional analysis developed in the late
1970's to discover contributions induced by velocity-dependent
potentials to nuclear matter binding energies.

NEUROSCIENCE: Since 1978, he has developed a statistical mechanics of 
neocortical interactions applicable to a broad range of spatial and
temporal scales, using modern methods of nonlinear nonequilibrium
statistical mechanics to calculate brain `observables' from neuronal
dynamics, e.g., short-term memory and EEG analyses.

FINANCE: Since 1980, he has developed a statistical mechanics approach
to financial markets, e.g., to multivariable term structure and
stochastic markets. His publications in neuroscience in 1983 and in
finance in 1990 were the first papers accepted on these subjects in the
premier physics journal Physical Review.

OPTIMIZATION/MODELING: Since 1987 he has developed Adaptive Simulated
Annealing (ASA), one of the most powerful optimization algorithms for
nonlinear and stochastic systems, working with thousands of users. Other
codes have been developed to model multivariate nonlinear stochastic
systems. In 1994-1995, as principal investigator (PI) of an NSF
Supercomputer grant, he ported his codes onto parallel supercomputers.

COMBAT SIMULATION: From 1986-1989, as PI of an Army contract, he applied
these methods of mathematical physics, leading a team of scientists and
officers to develop mathematical comparisons of Janus computer combat
simulations with exercise data from the National Training Center (NTC),
developing a testable theory of combat successfully baselined to
empirical data.

PRESENT: Through Lester Ingber Research (LIR), he develops projects in
several areas of expertise as documented at: http://www.ingber.com.

EDUCATION AND POSITIONS.
He received: his diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1958;
his B.S. in physics from Caltech in 1962; his Ph.D. in theoretical
nuclear physics from UC San Diego in 1966, having studied at the Niels
Bohr Institute in 1964, and having consulted at RAND in 1965-1966. He
was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Berkeley in
1967-1968 and at UC Los Angeles in 1968-1969, an Assistant Professor in
physics at SUNY at Stony Brook from 1969-1970, and a research physicist
in the Physics department and in the Institute for Pure and Applied
Physical Sciences (IPAPS) at UC San Diego from 1970-1972. From
1970-1986, he was President of Physical Studies Institute (PSI), a
nonprofit corporation he founded in 1970, which was an agency account in
IPAPS from 1980-1986. From 1970-1972, he developed teaching
methodologies for academics and fine arts, instructing in and
administrating a six-course program through UC San Diego Extension. From
1972-1978, though PSI, he founded, funded, and instructed in an
experimental alternative high school offering 30+ courses in academics,
fine arts, and physical disciplines. He was a Research Associate at UC
San Diego in the Music department from 1972-1974 and in IPAPS from
1980-1986. He was awarded a Senior Research Associateship for 1985-1986
by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of
Sciences, taken at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, CA.
>From 1986-1989, he was Professor of Physics at NPS at a GS-15 Step 10
equivalent position. In March 1988 he was officially offered an ES-4
Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment as Assistant Director of the
Joint Tactical C3 Agency (JTC3A); he declined in order to complete his
projects. From February through June 1989, he was on extended temporary
duty at US Army Concepts Analysis Agency (CAA) in Bethesda, MD. In 1989,
he won a second NRC Senior Research Associateship, taken at the Naval
Ocean Systems Center (NOSC) in San Diego. From 1989-1990, he was
Research Professor of Mathematics at The George Washington University
(GWU), D.C. Since 1990, through Lester Ingber Research, he has consulted
on projects in his fields of expertise.

OTHER PURSUITS.

KARATE: From 1958-1988, he founded and instructed karate classes at:
Caltech, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, SU New York at Stony Brook, UC San
Diego, PSI, and NPS. He has developed and published in several textbooks
techniques promoting the learning of attentional skills in parallel with
the learning of traditional physical skills. He received his black belt
in karate in 1961 and became the first Westerner to receive the
Instructor's (Sensei) degree from the Japan Karate Association in 1968.
>From 1989-1991, he was Director of Scientific Studies of the American
JKA Karate Associations (AJKA). Now he is a 7th Dan karate Sensei.

BUSINESS: He is married to Louise Frazer Ingber, previously Principal
Ballerina and Director, Conservatory of Ballet Arts Company in CA. They
have grown Dansant Boutique since 1987 into a retail and mail-order
business serving the ballet community.

Lester Ingber may be contacted as follows:
email:       ,
FTP:         ftp://ftp.ingber.com,
Web Site:    http://www.ingber.com, or
postal mail: Prof. Lester Ingber, PO Box 857, McLean, VA 22101-0857

     It is indeed a pleasure to have Prof. Ingber as one of the
supporters of the Prometheus Project's revolutionary goal.

-- Paul --

Paul Wakfer
email:  phone:909-481-9620  pager:800-805-2870

HELP TO ACHIEVE - PERFECTED SUSPENDED ANIMATION WITHIN 20 YEARS!

Check out the Prometheus Project web site at URL:
http://www.prometheus-project.org/prometheus/


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