An Outstanding Conference!

Once again, our conference exceeded expectations of the attendees and the organizers, in terms of the keynotes, the special events and even the tour of Argonne National Lab! Both the Education Summit on Innovation and Creativity in Learning and the Professional Forum, with its international tour of foresight work on China, India, Iran, New Zealand and Europe were very well attended and got excellent reviews. Opening Keynoter Don Tapscott delivered a first rate vision of the impact of digital technology on coming generations, the conference closed with John Challenger’s vision of the post recession employment boom. Finally, to our immense pleasure, one of the winners of the 2009 High School Essay Contest was able to attend the conference and we will be capturing her impressions and those of other winners later on this web site and in World Future Review.   

We have already begun preparing for WorldFuture 2010, and invite you to participate in what will surely be an extraordinary experience. See you in Boston, Massachusetts!  

Click here to enjoy highlights of the presentations

Don Tapscott, professor, and chairman of the nGenera Innovation Network, bestselling author of the book Grown Up Digital, and was a WorldFuture 2009 keynote speaker is a strong believer in the “Net Generation.” In this interview with World Future Review, he says that technology is, indeed, affecting the lives, values, and development of teens...by enabling them to transform society for the better.

John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, is one of the most quoted labor and employment experts in America. He’s become a regular fixture on CNN, CBS, and a host of other networks and was a featured speaker at WorldFuture 2009, the annual conference of the World Future Society. 

During his address at WorldFuture 2009, he noted View an excerpt of Challenger's presentation.

Challenger recently told THE FUTURIST magazine that he's begun to feel more optimistic about the U.S. labor market.

Barry Kellman,  DePaul University weapons expert, says bioviolence will become a greater threat as the technology becomes more accessible.  His May-June 2008 article in THE FUTURIST (PDF) on the subject proved prescient. Last December a congressionally-chartered bi-partisan panel made headlines in the U.S. when it reported that a bio-attack was likely in the next five years. THE FUTURIST went back to Kellman, a WorldFuture 2009 speaker, to ask him how he perceives the threat of bio-violence now and how governments might better protect their citizens from one of the biggest threats of the 21st century.

 

Highlights of the Education Summit: Innovation and Creativity in Learning

Order Audio Proceedings Conference audio proceedings are now available. Order individual sessions or the whole conference.

Click here to peruse the wide array of books on futures-oriented subjects that were available at the conference bookstore.

 

 

The conference volume is now available!
Innovation and Creativity in a Complex World: $29.95, or $24.95 for Society members.

Download a PDF of the final program