University Scholars Discuss “Futures” Symposium Topics and Keynote Speakers at 2012 Fall Retreat
The University Scholars gathered at the annual USP Fall Retreat to visit with returning Unis, meet the new graduate, professional and undergraduate Unis, and to brainstorm ideas for seminars and the annual spring symposium. This year's topic, "Futures," provoked animated discussion and great ideas for symposium topics and keynote speakers. The ideas flew fast and furious as USP Director Victoria Lodewick scrambled to jot things down on the white board.
- Suggested keynote speakers for USP "Futures" symposium
Proposals for keynote speakers for the "Futures" symposium included:
Pradav Mehta (sp?) creator (?) of "How It's Made" television show (n.b. I couldn't find any connection between someone named Pradav Mehta and the show. I welcome clarification from whoever made the suggestion.
Bill and/or Melinda Gates – The foundation's work on contemporary efforts to fight diseases – what's next in the arsenal, what's the next big disease battlefield?
Mark Jordan, professor of Religion at Washington University of St. Louis – future of religion
James Reynolds, professor of Environmental Science and Biology at Duke- human domination of the earth
Alex Galloway, professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU with a Ph.D. from Duke's renowned Program in Literature. Galloway is a founding member of the Radical Software Collective, works on gaming and network theory, and contemporary continental philosophy.
Slavoj Zizek, Slovenian philosopher of psychoanalysis, political and cultural theory (for a more in depth perspective, see Zizek's biography from the European Graduate School website), frequent visitor to Duke's Program in Literature
- More keynote speaker suggestions
A science fiction writer working on near future possibilities – suggestions for names welcome!
Winner of Royal Canadian Mint electronic wallet challenge, a.k.a. "The MintChip Challenge"
Elon Musk – co-founder of Paypal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX, and Solar City
Achille Mbembe, visiting professor and Franklin Humanities Institute Research Scholar in Romance Studies and English at Duke, is a Cameroonian philosopher working on globalization, decolonialism, post/modernity and contemporaneity. He's teaching a course at Duke this semester on "The Future of Nature". He is also affiliated with the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
