Information Universe Conference

The key topic of the Information Universe (IU) conference series is: “What is the role of information in the Universe and its description?”. In an epoch where scientists need to handle big data and simulations, find highly organized systems in nature and grapple with the role of information in physics and other sciences, this appears to be one of the more fundamental questions that need to be answered in order to understand the world around us. The IU conference intends to unite various approaches, addressing the fundamental role of information both in nature (in vivo) and in data analysis, theory and computer modelling (in vitro).

The conference will approach the key role of information from the point of view of several disciplines: e.g. cosmology, physics, mathematics, life sciences, computer science (including quantum computing) and neuroscience. The deeper role of information is formulated in different ways by these various disciplines, leading to a multitude of fundamental questions such as:

• Is there a deeper physical description of space-time and gravity based on information?
• The Big Data Universe and our Universe: are our numerical simulations and Big Data repositories (in vitro) different from real natural system (in vivo)?
• Will quantum systems dominate the future of computing?
• What is the role of information in highly organized complex life systems and genetics?
• What will be the role of machine learning in the future of science?
• How will big datasets from new experiments, such as Euclid, help us in understanding fundamental cosmological problems: dark matter, dark energy, inflation and structure formation?
• Is the universe one big information processing machine, a hologram, one of many?

The conference will be held in the 260 seater planetarium theatre in Groningen, which provides an immersive 3D full dome display. This enables speakers to show unique and inspiring visuals, e.g. numerical simulations of the formation of our Universe, the brain in 3D, and anything else that springs from the imagination of the presenters.

More information is available at the website: www.informationuniverse.rug.nl
Instructions for registration and abstract submission will follow shortly.

Best Regards,

The Scientific Organizing Committee
Prof. Dr. Eric Bergshoeff (Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity)
Prof. Dr. Edwin Valentijn (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute)
Prof. Dr. Konrad H. Kuijken (Leiden Observatory)
Prof. Dr. Rien van de Weijgaert (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute)

The Local Organizing Committee
Dr. Margot Brouwer (Contact: brouwer astro.rug.nl)
Dr. Rees Williams (Center for Information Technology)