The Far Reach of Science : conference sponsored by Life magazine in cooperation with faculty members of the California Institute of Technology, Detroit, Mich., November 26, 1983

The idea for this conference was born in October of 1966 when several of us from LIFE attended the 75th anniversary convocation at the California Institute of Technology. We were intrigued at that time by reports of advances made in many of the scientific disciplines. In the weeks that followed, we decided that LIFE could serve a most useful function by disseminating this information to an even wider audience. "The Far Reach of Science," an exchange of ideas between scientists and businessmen, was the result.

Three conferences have been held: in Lincoln Center, New York, on March 18, at the Ambassador Hotel in Chicago, on March 20, and at the Detroit Athletic Club, on November 26, all in 1968. The transcript on the following pages is a digest of the Detroit meeting. It deals with real things that are happening now or will happen soon. In a few short years they will affect the way we live and the kind of work we do. Even more important, they will enormously complicate the world our children seem so eager to start running.

Just a few days after the Detroit conference, the moderator, Dr. Lee DuBridge, Caltech's president, was appointed science advisor to the Nixon Administration. His colleagues at Caltech and we at LIFE, even in our short association, have recognized the brilliance which brought Dr. Du Bridge this new honor and responsibility. As to the conference, obviously we could not begin in one day to close all the gaps in our knowledge that have occurred since most of us last sat in a university hall. But it seemed to us that the impact of new information on our body social and political is now so profound that we must somehow begin to find a wisdom to match our knowledge. This conference may be at least a start in the right direction. All of us at LIFE hope that this record of the proceedings will refresh your recollection of what we trust was a stimulating day.