This conference brings together multiple disciplines to comment and reflect on issues relating to the acquisition, evaluation, and use of information in today’s knowledge economy. We invite presentations on topics illustrating how the dissemination and use of information is being affected by technological, political, and industrial influences. Drawing on topics in science, business, government, and ethics, these important issues cut across academic disciplines. The goal of this conference is to be a forum for helping a community of scholars identify and define issues associated with knowledge rights in academic, personal, and social responsibility in information sharing.

As an example, those in the humanities are invited to discuss their views on the moral and ethical issues that bear upon government and industry influence in the dissemination of knowledge and the free exchange of ideas.

We have lined up an impressive set of keynote speakers for this conference including:

- Seth Shulman, Author of “Owning the Future”, and “Undermining Science: Suppression and Distortion in the Bush Administration”. Shulman is a prolific writer specializing in science and technology and the free exchange of ideas across society.
- John M. Barrie, Ph.D. President and CEO of Turnitin, Dr. Barrie developed the world’s leading plagiarism detection software.
- Don McCabe, Ph.D., Professor of Management & Global Business at Rutgers University. Dr. McCabe is an authority on the subject of college education and ethical development.
- Wade Maki, M.A., Lecturer Department of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is an active scholar in applied ethics and political philosophy and a leader in developing digital problem-based cases to teach ethics.
- Jeff Wirth, M.F.A., founder and Director of the Interactive Performance Lab (http://www.iplonline.org/) in the UCF School of Film & Digital Media. Jeff and his group will be giving a live demonstration of IPL’s new “Ethics Box”, a simulated experience designed to better teach students ethics and decision making by immersing the learner in ethical dilemmas.

The deadline for proposals is December 1st. Decisions on papers and panel presentations will be finalized by December 20th. Please tell students about this conference as well. The University of Central Florida and the Initiative for Information Fluency (www.if.ucf.edu), as well as other sponsors of this conference, are especially interested in the participation of both graduate and undergraduate students (as well as faculty and other professionals) from the many disciplines that touch upon issues associated with the sharing and dissemination of knowledge – disciplines across the humanities and the sciences. In other words, this is a multi- and inter-disciplinary international conference welcoming researchers, faculty members, and students from all areas and from all higher education levels.

Information on accommodations, registration, the full call for papers, and related items are available at the web site (http://www.if.ucf.edu). If you have any questions or require assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me, the conference organizer, by phone or by e-mail (or even by surface mail if that is your preferred method of communication). The phone number is 407-882-0298; my e-mail is sfiore@ist.ucf.edu, and my address appears below.

For information on UCF generally, please see the web site at http://www.ucf.edu. UCF is a major metropolitan research university with a student enrollment of well over 45,000. It is situated on an expansive and beautiful campus that is not far from major area attractions such as the Kennedy Space Center, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and many others. There are an ample number of hotels in the area and there are many restaurants and points of interest in the area. Orlando International Airport is about 20-25 minutes from campus.