SPECIAL EVENTS
(Updated on a regular basis. Please check back soon!)
SPECIAL EVENT
A Discussion of the Technology Roadmap for Productive NanosystemsIn June 2005, the Foresight Nanotech Institute and Battelle started the International Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems (UTRPN) (with funding from the Waitt Family Foundation). The roadmap provides a set of focused goals, milestones for achievement and a strong strategic plan to guide research and development productive nanosystems. Roadmaps help to coordinate the thinking and activity of key stakeholders including governments, corporations, research institutions, policy professionals, investors, educators, and the media.
The roadmap is the product of collaboration between noted researchers from universities and national labs as well as professionals working in various industries. The group plans for a first publication in the first half of 2007.
Panelists will provide an overview of the roadmap features and then discuss their preferred pathway to productive nanosystems.
Who should attend: Anyone interested in the first ever technology roadmap for productive nanosystems.
What will they learn: What experts consider key goals and milestones in the development of nanotechnology.
How can this new knowledge be applied: You will learn how you can impact the development of this field of technology.David Keenan, president and COE, Small Technology Consulting, Eagan, Minneapolis
Hank Lederer, senior associate, Institute for Molecular manufacturing, Minneapolis, Minnesota Steven C. Vetter, president, Molecular Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc., St. Paul, Minnesotakey words: nanotechnology roadmap, science
issue areas: Technology and ScienceSPECIAL EVENT
Synthetic Worlds, Digital Learners, and the Future of EducationEducation, by its nature, is a lagging sector, both in terms of what it teaches and how it presents material. The rise of the Internet and computers has only marginally changed schooling, basically mapping brick space learning into click space. The rapid rise of the Internet and its global presence has created a new generation of digital natives and growing numbers of immigrants. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the spread of synthetic worlds, massive multiplayer online games, and interpenetration of the membrane which currently separates the economic, social, and political worlds of the brick and click spaces. While the viral impact of this effect is most visible in the economic sector, it is increasingly clear that the rise of these synthetic environments will have a major impact on what we consider education and how it is delivered, pre-K to gray.
Who should attend: Educators, financial decision makers, government decision makers, education planners, and students.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn that the potential of synthetic worlds for economic, social, political, and global change is real and measurable, today. The impact on education will be particularly significant.
How this knowledge can be applied: Synthetic worlds are already having a significant global impact on all sectors, from commercial to social. Education, the lagging sector, will change in what is taught, how we learn, and how we utilize this paradigm shift in our daily lives.Tom Abeles, editor, On the Horizon, Minneapolis, Minnesota
David Pearce Snyder, consulting futurist, The Snyder Family Enterprise; lifestyles contributing editor, THE FUTURIST, Bethesda, Marylandkey words: education, virtual education, economics, global networks, business
issue areas: Learning and Education; Social and Cultural Trends; Futures Methodologies, Tools, and Processes
SPECIAL EVENT
Capacity to Govern Evolution: Will Video Games and the Internet Help or Hinder Environmental Sustainability?What will be the likely effect of today’s information technology (IT) on the brains and consciousness of young people? Will the new information environment of the Internet, coupled with the influence of sophisticated, multi-sensory, and interactive video games, help humans address the challenges of the twenty-first century, such as environmental stewardship? Or, will infoglut and video game escapism hinder consciousness-raising and capacity building? Even if many young people do become deeply “green” in their worldviews and politics, will they have sufficient political power to make a difference?
Who should attend: Anyone interested in global issues, sustainability, IT, and human consciousness.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn how new information technology may reshape human consciousness, the complexity of global environmental problems, and how capacity to govern evolution can best be built.
How this knowledge can be applied: This knowledge may be applied to build better educational programs.Walter Truett Anderson, political scientist; president, World Academy of Arts and Science; author, All Connected Now: Life in the First Global Civilization, San Francisco, California
William Crossman, CompSpeak 2050 Institute for the Study of Talking Computers and Oral Cultures; author, VIVO (Voice-In/Voice-Out): The Coming Age of Talking Computers, Oakland, California
Michael Marien, founder and editor, Future Survey, LaFayette, New Yorkkey words: Internet, environment, information, human consciousness
issue areas: Resources and Environment; Social and Cultural Trends; Technology and Science
SPECIAL EVENT
Megatrends and Transformation: State and National Networks as an Organizing Principle for Community TransformationA new type of society is emerging as a result of the interactions of megatrends that would fundamentally transform how we educate, how we govern, how we develop economically, how we lead, and even how we think. New approaches have developed to seed innovative capacities for community transformation. Of special importance is work with economic development and educational organizations, as well as chambers of commerce.
This session presents new strategies and methods for educational and economic transformation using core transformational nodes. As examples, the session introduces innovative approaches being used by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and National Community Development Services, Inc.Who should attend: Local and state leaders, educators, economic developers, NGOs, elected officials, and those interested in rethinking traditional concepts for a constantly changing society.
What you’ll learn: Participants will be introduced to new ideas and methods of community transformation that will prepare citizenries, workforces, and communities for continuous innovation in order to adapt to a changing society.
How this knowledge can be applied: Local, national, and international leaders can apply these ideas and methods to their own communities to help prepare us for an ever- changing global world.Howard Benson, president and CEO, National Community Development Services, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
Marvin Cetron, founder and president, Forecasting International; former consultant to the White House from 1961-1998; co-author, Hospitality 2010: The Future of Hospitality and Travel, Falls Church, Virginia
Gloria McCall, vice chancellor, Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), Versailles, Kentucky
Rick Smyre, president, Center for Communities of the Future, Gastonia, North Carolinakey words: community, trends, government, economics
issue areas: Governance and Communities; Social and Cultural Trends
SPECIAL EVENT
Education 2030This session draws on the work of the United Nations University Millennium Project, sharing its research findings and methodologies in such areas as collective intelligence, nanotechnology, and genetic enhancement. The role of nutrition, stem-cell research and the neurological sciences in IQ, learning potential, and innovative educational technologies will be tied to the global strategic landscape and scenarios to the year 2030.
Who should attend: Anyone interested in the future of human potential and technological enhancements, along with an update on the global strategic landscape, and futures research methodology.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn about educational scenarios to the year 2030.
How this knowledge can be applied: This knowledge can be used in educational planning, research and policy priorities, and improved futurist consulting.Jerome C. Glenn, director, Millennium Project for the American Council for the United Nations University; co-author, 2007 State of the Future, Washington, D.C.
Theodore J. Gordon, senior fellow, Millennium Project for the American Council for the United Nations University; founder, The Futures Group; co-author, 2007 State of the Future, Old Lyme, Connecticutkey words: global futures, education
issue areas: Learning and Education; Technology and Science; Futures Methodologies, Tools, and Processes
SPECIAL EVENT
Conversation with JoeJoseph Coates, author of more than 500 articles and reports on the future, shares his years of expertise on futures issues with the futurist community in this conversational, informal session. This dialogue forum is meant as a place where conference attendees may discuss interests and concerns about the future. Through informal exchanges with the audience, Coates will converse on any topic of interest—there are no constraints on the questions other than they be about the future.
Joseph F. Coates, president, Joseph F. Coates Consulting Futurist, Inc.; co-author, 2025: Scenarios of U.S. and Global Society Reshaped by Science and Technology, Washington, D.C.
issue area: Social and Cultural Trends
SPECIAL EVENT
Future Applications of BiotechnologyResearch and commercialization of new biological technologies is once again moving quickly ahead after a lull following the completion of the Human Genome Project. A graduate course in futures studies at the University of Houston has been investigating some of the more startling applications of these technologies. This session reviews the overall state of biotechnology research and commercialization and showcases some fascinating breakthroughs in five different domains: 1) human health—researchers are now growing neurons that attach to and directly communicate with computer chips; 2) biofuels—microbes might produce hydrogen for fuel from biomass more cheaply than from other energy sources; 3) transgenic animals—goats’ milk can be the source of spider web material which is stronger, lighter, and more flexible than steel; 4) bioweapons—some claim that it is too easy to construct and distribute a highly contagious disease vector; and 5) environmental remediation—microbes could close the recycling loop from waste products back to useful resources.
Who should attend: Anyone interested in long-term technological developments.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will gain an overview of the science and technology that allows us to manipulate living organisms, the applications of that technology for agriculture, industry, and medicine, and some potential social consequences of using that technology, particularly on human beings.
How this knowledge can be applied: The effects of biotechnology will go well beyond the strict use of micro-organisms in agriculture, industry, and health. It could even change how we think about the world. Until now, machines were the most complicated systems that we understood in our world so that mechanistic and hierarchical models of systems are common today, if not required. As we understand more about how living organisms work, however, we may be able to design and build systems and organizations that are more organic, responsive, evolutionary, and robust than the mechanistic systems we have today.Peter Bishop, associate professor of Strategic Foresight; coordinator, graduate program in Future Studies, University of Houston; president, Strategic Foresight and Development, Houston, Texas
Jim Lee, student, Future Studies graduate program, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Mark Niles, student, Future Studies graduate program, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Kerry Ramirez, student, Future Studies graduate program, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Jason Siko, student, Future Studies graduate program, University of Houston, Houston, Texaskey words: biotechnology, research, science, living organisms
issue areas: Technology and Science; Health Futures
SPECIAL EVENT
Exploring Global Talent Ecosystems: How the New Paradigms of Work and Life are Changing Our OrganizationsThis presentation explores the nonphysical and connected economy and how our traditional corporate organizations are beginning to implode from within. We will explore how global ecosystems are shaping the business landscape of today, discuss the need for new leadership role models, and compare the “old world’ perspective of globalization with the “emergent view” of economies on the rise. We’ll also examine how Enterprise 2.0 is replacing the blue chip model. Finally, we will conclude with a new definition of talent as connected, collaborative, and committed.
Who should attend: Business executives, academics, consultants, and anyone interested in exploring the ways organizations are changing.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn about the emerging trends that are slowly beginning to influence and reshape the current views on talent, leadership, and organizations.
How this knowledge can be applied: Participants will be able to take this knowledge and apply it to their own organizations and businesses.Anna Tavis, founder, Talent, Leadership, and Organization Effectiveness, New York, New York; former director of learning and development, United Technologies Corporation, Hartford, Connecticut
key words: business, leadership, talent, organizational change
issue area: Business and Careers
SPECIAL EVENT
The Demographic Singularity: The Changing Face of the FutureMany of our assumptions about the social, political, economic, technological, and environmental trends of the future are based on a set of demographic assumptions that reflect the past more than the future. The face of the future is radically changing in America. Everyday between now and the year 2043, the face of America will become more black, more brown, more Asian, indeed more non-white, while at the same time, the population of the country will become more grey. Already nearly half of America’s children under five years of age are racial or ethnic minorities. Will this radical change in our population create the effect of a “demographic singularity” where the context for our national identity becomes something many of us are unable to recognize?
Who should attend: Anyone whose work involves the general public.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn new population statistics reflecting a wide range of segments of society and what the implications of these changes may mean for the social, political, economic, environmental, and technological trends of the future.
How this knowledge can be applied: Attendees will use this information to help guide their companies and organizations through these demographic changes.Nat Irvin II, founder, FutureFocus 2020; executive professor of future studies and assistant dean of MBA student development, Babcock Graduate School of Management, Wake Forest University; member, World Future Society Board of Directors, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
key words: demographics, population, society
issue area: Social and Cultural Trends
SPECIAL EVENT
The Future of Immigration: Global Solutions and ImplicationsOnly a Global Mindset Will Provide Solutions to Undocumented Immigration
Illegal immigration is one of the greatest dilemmas we face as a nation. Proposed solutions merely patch the problem, which is too vast and growing too rapidly for this approach to bring noticeable improvement. Focusing exclusively on symptoms is not an effective solution. A better strategy is to address the source of the problem. This session will explore potential international synergies to deal with immigration and will show how globalization and illegal immigration are linked. We’ll also look at how illegal immigration can be reduced to a level at which corrective measures can be implemented effectively.
Who should attend: Law enforcement, government, corporate executives, and anyone interested in how immigration affects the world.
What you’ll learn: Attendees will learn about the reasons behind the undocumented migration to the United States as well as possible ways in which to reduce and manage it.
How this knowledge can be applied: Participants will be able to apply the knowledge acquired by demanding more comprehensive coverage on this issue from the media and more realistic solutions from their representatives.Hector Garcia, former vice president, International and Domestic Emerging Markets, Wells Fargo; former coordinator, AHANNA (African, Hispanic, Asian, Native and New American communities) on civic and public policy issues; co-founder and executive director, Minnesotans for NAFTA, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Borders of the Future: Conduits or Compounds?This presentation is a guided reflection on the evolving concept of “borders” in its political, economic, and social aspects. Even while global telecommunications are fundamentally changing our conceptions of national boundaries and national sovereignty, the reality of global terrorism is strengthening and reinforcing the impulse toward greater physical security and immigration control among nations. As people come closer together virtually, they may also be growing more distant physically and politically. Borders have always served as avenues for interaction and security buffers against threats. In an environment of heightened danger, the security concerns assume a greater priority. This talk explores the interaction and implications of these tendencies, and presents several themes to guide future thinking and policy making in this area.
Who should attend: Law enforcement and security specialists, international business and immigration work professionals, personnel and human capital professionals.
What you’ll learn: The audience will gain information on major security issues involved in policing and controlling the border, major themes in future migration issues, and some insight into the effect of global knowledge collaboration on physical border security.
How this knowledge can be applied: These themes will illustrate potential threats and opportunities in future global migration patterns and will help law-enforcement security specialists and corporate professionals devise effective plans in their respective areas in light of these trends.Joseph Greene, former director, Office of Training and Development, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Washington, D.C.
key words: borders, security, global migration, immigration
issue areas: Social and Cultural Trends; Governance and Communities
SPECIAL EVENT
The Future of Work, Money, and Business: A New PerspectiveNew ideas have always been the catalyst to positive change. The human mind and heart have come a long way in terms of helping us to understand our fellow humans, a trend that has the potential to radically change how we relate to one another, professionally, economically, and spiritually in the twenty-first century. Will greed and pure self-interest continue to be the foundation of our economic system in the future? How do we reconcile our personal desire for money with our evolving understanding of human decency? Can our work lives serve as a path to intellectual, social, and spiritual evolution? Work, money, and business touch each of our lives everyday. Come see how a shift in our collective consciousness can create a positive change for humanity, and discover how our working and material lives may have a greater, global purpose.
Who should attend: Entrepreneurs, business leaders, educators, community leaders, those who work for a living or depend on money to support their lifestyle, and anyone interested in personal and professional growth.
What you’ll learn: Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how we have developed as a society in terms of work, money, and business, and where we are headed in the future.
How this knowledge can be applied: Attendees will discover their place and power in the larger worldview of work, money, and business, and how each individual can affect change for the future.Monika Mitchell Ressler, chief executive, The Ressler Mitchell Group; co-founder, The Center for Good Business; co-author, Spiritual Capitalism: How 9/11 Gave Us Nine Spiritual Lessons of Work and Business, New York, New York
Peter Ressler, chief executive, The Ressler Mitchell Group; co-founder, The Center for Good Business; co-author, Spiritual Capitalism: How 9/11 Gave Us Nine Spiritual Lessons of Work and Business, New York, New Yorkkey words: work, money, business, society, evolution, positive change
issue areas: Business and Careers; Values and Spirituality
SPECIAL EVENT
Corporate Foresight: Comparing U.S. and European ExperiencesSuccessful businesses recognize the necessity of long-term thinking despite having to act on a short-term basis. Corporate foresight in the U.S. and Europe is widespread and diverse. This session combines the experience of a leading European think tank and a leading U.S. foresight consulting group, with corporate foresight practitioners. BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, has been employing corporate foresight techniques for decades. This session compares the U.S. and European foresight experience and considers the lessons, as well as practical advice, on how to build foresight capabilities within corporations.
Who should attend: Practicing futurists, industry leaders, innovation experts, and strategists.
What you’ll learn: Participants will learn about success factors of corporate foresight, comparisons of developments in Europe and the U.S., and lessons for more effective foresight.
How this knowledge can be applied: This knowledge can be applied by anyone who already works in corporate foresight or wants to start such a process. The presented models and case studies can be used for their own needs in any foresight project.Clement Bezold, chairman of the board and founder, Institute for Alternative Futures; contributing editor, THE FUTURIST magazine, Alexandria, Virginia
Cornelia Daheim, project director of international research, Z_punkt GmbH—The Foresight Company, Essen, Germany
Klaus Heinzelbecker, director of strategic projects, BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germanykey words: global, foresight, business
issue areas: Business and Careers; Futures Methodologies, Tools, and Processes
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For more information
contact: World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, Maryland 20814;
Tel: 1-800-989-8274 or 1-301-656-8274; Fax: 1-301-951-0394; Web Site: www.wfs.org; E-mail: sechard@wfs.org.