Human Space
bodies (biology, health, neuroscience), behavior (business, education,
foresight, governance, innovation, pre-digital technology, society), minds
(psychology, spirituality), human systems theory (ecological psychology,
memetics)
Education
A Visit to the
University of Advancing Technology's Tech Forum
2008
[Commentary by Iveta Brigis] Last week,
John Smart and I traveled to Phoenix for UAT's
Tech Forum 2008 (they say
they are three years ahead of the curve). Twice a year, the university flies in
industry leaders to speak to and network with their students at a three-day
conference. The ASF was privileged to have
John present How to Be a Tech Futurist (slides available here).
UAT is a haven
for teenage techies whose parents want them to have a solid liberal arts
education along with their CS, video game design, and network securities
classes. And the administration really cares about preparing their students for
jobs in the real world, which is why they bring in experts from companies like
Microsoft, Red Storm Entertainment, and Security Horizon. I sat in on some very
informative sessions, like Anna Sweet's presentation on
Women in Gaming and Evan Robinson's Software
Development Practices: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Anna shared some
personal experiences being one of the few women at Microsoft Game Studios and
recommended that all the students, not just the women, jump on the chance to
work on games tailored for women because it is such a large potential market.
Evan shared some practical management tools and tips for working in software
development.
UAT's balance of hard-core techi-ness and liberal arts is a
boon for young adults growing up in this time of accelerating change. We applaud
UAT for their work and look forward to seeing where they go next.
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