Tickets Now Available to the Opening Session of 'The Atlantic Meets the Pacific,' October 7-9, 2012

WASHINGTON and LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Tickets to the opening session of "The Atlantic Meets the Pacific," a three-day forum dedicated to exploring innovations in science, energy, health, and technology, are available today for $25. To register, please visit www.atlanticmeetspacific.com. The event, presented by The Atlantic and the University of California San Diego from October 7-9, 2012, draws together individuals working on the cutting-edge of innovation in their respective fields. Now in its second year, the forum will be held at venues on and around UC San Diego.

The event kicks off Sunday, October 7 at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla. Programming includes:

• Stacey Snider, partner, co-chairman, and CEO of DreamWorks Studios and producer of Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," interviewed by Atlantic editor in chief James Bennet;
• Tal Ben-Shahar, best-selling author of Happier, Being Happy, and the forthcoming Choosing the Life You Want, speaking about the science of happiness;
• Steve Schmidt, senior strategist for John McCain's 2008 presidential bid, interviewed by National Journal editorial director Ronald Brownstein;
• A discussion on the state of the 2012 election featuring Steve Schmidt; Samuel Popkin, a UC San Diego professor and author of The Candidate; James Fowler, a UC San Diego professor and author of Connected: How Your Friends' Friends' Friends Affect Everything You Feel, Think, and Do; and Dan Yankelovich, a longtime pollster famous for founding the The New York Times/Yankelovich poll, as well as James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic.

To register for the event, either Sunday's opening session or the entire three-day forum, please visit www.atlanticmeetspacific.com.

Previously announced participants of the full program include:

• Deborah W. Brooks, co-founder and executive vice chairman of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research;
• Chris Cox, the product development leader at Facebook;
• Jessica Jackley, the entrepreneur who pioneered peer-to-peer micro-lending through her start-up, Kiva;
• Jane McGonigal, a world-renowned designer of alternate reality games;
• V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist and New York Times best-selling author of The Tell-Tale Brain;
• Ben Rattray, founder and CEO of Change.org, the world's fastest-growing platform for social action;
• Gretchen Rubin, international best-selling author of The Happiness Project;
• Eric Topol, MD, a leading cardiologist combining genomic and digital technologies to reshape the future of medicine;
• J. Craig Venter, PhD, a pioneer in genomic research;
• Spencer Wells, director of the Genographic Project at National Geographic.

In addition to headline interviews and panel discussions, event attendees will witness innovation first-hand. Many of the event's conversations will take place at the Scripps Seaside Forum, an ocean-front conference center located in the heart of the UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). The forum will include behind-the-scenes tours at SIO, UC San Diego's Calit2 digital media laboratory, and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute.

Participants will be joined by some of The Atlantic's leading editorial voices, including: James Bennet, editor in chief; Mark Bowden, national correspondent; Steve Clemons, Washington editor at large; James Fallows, national correspondent; Corby Kummer, senior editor; and Alexis Madrigal, senior editor, plus Ronald Brownstein, editorial director of National Journal.

To register for The Atlantic Meets the Pacific, please visit the registration site. Please note that Sunday's $25 tickets do not include access to that evening's reception and seated dinner. General admission, which includes access to all main-stage programming, a choice of lab tours, and the welcome dinner and subsequent meals, is $795.00.

The presenting underwriter of The Atlantic Meets the Pacific is the Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch. The contributing underwriters are Life Technologies Corporation and Qualcomm.

Since 1857, The Atlantic has played a central role in shaping the national debate on current affairs and cultural trends. Dedicated to bold, independent, diverse, and highly reasoned perspectives, its writers, bloggers, and critics represent the best in American journalism. The Atlantic's award-winning commentary and coverage can be found in its magazine, on its Website at www.TheAtlantic.com, and at more than 70 events a year produced by its industry-leading events division, AtlanticLIVE.

UC San Diego Extension (www.extension.ucsd.edu) is recognized internationally for linking the public to the knowledge resources of the University of California. As the continuing education and public programs arm of the university, UC San Diego Extension educates approximately 56,000 enrollees a year, which translates to over 26,000 students in more than 4,900 courses. 

SOURCE The Atlantic Meets the Pacific