WorldFuture 2012 logo

July 27-29, 2012 • Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

Preconference Courses: July 26-27, 2012 • Professional Members’ Forum: July 30, 2012

Sessions

The Evolution of Integral Futures

Since its introduction to the Futures community in 1998 by Richard Slaughter, Integral Futures has evolved through three distinct phases (perspective, methods, and sense making) and has emerged currently as a subject of vigorous debate and controversy.

Terry Collins, principal at Integral Futures Adjunct Faculty at University of Houston, co-author of “The Evolution of Integral Futures: A Status Update,” Houston, Texas, USA

Andy Hines is a lecturer and executive-in-residence at the University of Houston’s Graduate Program in Futures Studies, co-author of “The Evolution of Integral Futures: A Status Update,” Houston, Texas, USA

The Future of Crime Prediction

Predictive analytics has received a substantial amount of attention in the media. However, it is only recently that predictive analytics in policing has gone mainstream.

John Jarvis is chairman of the Futures Working Group and serves the FBI as the chief criminologist, Behavioral Science Unit, FBI, Quantico, Virginia, USA

Tom Dover, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Quantico, Virginia, USA

Andreas Olligschlager, Freedom, Pennsylvania, USA

Amanda Terrell-Orr is a member of the Colorado Springs Police Department, Colorado Springs. Colorado, USA

The Future of Global Drug Safety

Recent controversies over the safety of approved drugs such as rosiglitazone, rofecoxib, and the bisphosphonates have created the critical need for sound analysis of accumulating data on drug safety. Unfortunately, there is currently no organized way to collect data on patient adverse events on drugs and transmit risk information to physicians and patients.

Jay Herson is on the adjunct faculty in biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. He has authored numerous papers and a book on drug safety in his 40 years of working on the analysis of data from clinical trials, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA

The Future of Shopping: An Immersive Experience

The retail landscape is morphing into one of whimsy, fluidity, and customization. Each transaction equates to a unique experience. The buyer-seller market is focused on value in addition to profits. Tablet computing and open APIs (application programming interfaces) give merchants the ability to innovate solutions.

Emily Empel, graduate of the Houston Futures program, is a trend spotter, marketing disciple, and futurist, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, USA

Heather Schlegel, a futurist, technologist, and cacophonist; member of the Swift Innovation team, West Hollywood, California, USA

The Hackerspace Movement: Hacking the Future

In 2007, there were a handful of hackerspaces. Now there are more than 900 existing or forming throughout the world. All this has happened without a central organization and with very little money. This growing movement has exploded because individuals started these supportive communities where people can explore and do what they love.

Mitch Altman is a San Francisco-based hacker and inventor, best known for inventing TV-B-Gone remote controls, a keychain that turns off TVs in public places. He is one of the co-founders of Noisebridge, a San Francisco hacker space, and president and CEO of Cornfield Electronics, San Francisco, California, USA

Tomorrow Is Promised to No One: The Inevitability of Change

Change is inevitable, but what causes these changes? Demographics? Technology? Changes in status? The speaker will discuss long-term business cycles and watersheds, as well as where we are in these cycles and where we are going. New industries in food, water, and energy will be in the forefront of our economy, as will changes in education and medical delivery.

Bob Chernow, member of board of directors of the World Future Society, is CEO of Tellier Foundation, Grafton, Wisconsin, USA