About the speakers

Doug Van Houweling
Douglas Van Houweling is president and chief executive officer of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID). Dr. Van Houweling was named to the position on October 1, 1997. UCAID's membership consists of more than 100 U.S. research universities, which, in collaboration with private and public sector partners, is engaged in the Internet2 project to advance networking technology and applications for the research and education community. Dr. Van Houweling is taking a leave from his professorship in the School of Information at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He also served as the University's vice provost for Information and Technology and was responsible for the University's strategic direction in the information technology arena. In addition, as dean for Academic Outreach, he was responsible for providing access to the University's learning environment, research activities, and service programs unconstrained by space and time. Dr. Van Houweling has played a major role in the developing Internet environment in the United States. He was vice chair of the Steering Committee of the Internet2 project with responsibility for partner relations. He is chairman of the board of MERIT, Inc., a Michigan statewide computing network. MERIT, in partnership with IBM, MCI, and the Michigan Strategic Fund, was awarded responsibility for operation and management of the NSFNet national backbone network. Dr. Van Houweling is also chairman of the Board of Advanced Network and Services Corporation, a nonprofit organization which implemented and operated the world's largest Internet backbone network from 1991 until 1995. Advanced Network and Services has transferred its operational capability to America Online through a $40 million sale, and is using the proceeds to support networking for education and research. He has also been active in interuniversity initiatives, serving on the EDUCOM Board and playing roles in establishing numerous initiatives to establish cooperative information technology efforts among universities. He was a founder of EDUCOM's Networking and Telecommunication Task Force and the Interuniversity Consortium for Educational Computing. Dr. Van Houweling is chairman of the board of the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan, a research and development enterprise serving government and industry in the information access and processing arena. Dr. Van Houweling received his undergraduate degree from Iowa State University and his doctorate in government from Indiana University.

Richard Wiggins and Charles Severance
Wiggins and Severance host the TV show Nothin' but the Net. Richard Wiggins is author of The Internet for Everyone: A Guide for Users and Providers and manages the Central Systems Services group in the Computer Laboratory at Michigan State University. He coordinates the deployment of MSU's campus-wide information system (CWIS) using Gopher and World-Wide Web. He has been active in the Gopher and WWW communities since early 1992, and organized the first Gopher Workshop in August 1992. He began working with computer networks in 1979 as a consultant helping users of the Merit network. Previously he has contributed to a book on the VM/C MS operating system and to Computer Language magazine and the Internet Letter. He moderates the Usenet News group comp.infosystems.announce. He presented at the Special Libraries Association annual conference in June, 1998. Charles Severance is Director of the Division of Engineering Computer Services (DECS) in the MSU College of Engineering and author of High Performance Computing from O'Reilly and Associates. He is an Assistant Professor in the MSU Department of Computer Science and Engineering. His research is the area of high performance parallel computing.

Michele Bowman
As a Principal of Global Foresight Associates, Ms. Bowman's work focuses on helping organizations to develop strategies for the long-term future by exploring the dynamics of social, economic and technological changes affecting business, government and society. Her methods and expertise assist organizations in creating a structure and culture of futures thinking that brings creativity to the fore and helps clarify key issues for decision-makers. Ms. Bowman has successfully used these processes in private and public sector engagements in such diverse industries as health care, education and the government. Ms. Bowman has been involved in a wide range of consulting and research projects, including developing scenarios for the American Cancer Society and a Fortune 500 health care company. As an Associate at the Institute far Alternative Futures she managed a series of Foresight Seminars which brought Congressional members and staff together with industry leaders to explore trends and emerging issues in health care policy. She co-created and developed Preferred Futures Design, a futures studies curriculum and guidebook that uses scenarios and visioning exercises to help participants plan for the future. In addition to her futures work, Ms. Bowman has served as a legislative analyst to two State Representatives. In that capacity, she was responsible for drafting and tracking legislation as well as producing policy and issues briefs for members. As a Project Analyst for the Pacific Business Center, she provided a variety of management consulting services to existing and venture businesses. Ms. Bowman holds a Masters Degree from the University of Hawai`i -Manoa, one of only two schools in the United States to offer an advanced degree in Futures Studies. Her professional affiliations include the World Future Society and the World Futures Studies Federation.