School for Advance Research Announces Creative Thought Forum 2019-2020 "The Future of Work"

SANTA FE, N.M., August 20, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In a world increasingly dominated by automation and artificial intelligence, what kinds of jobs will be left for humans? If, as some experts are predicting, nearly half of the positions currently held by American workers are at risk of being made obsolete in the next few decades, how will our institutions and communities adapt, and what role does cultural heritage play in the ongoing conversations about our shared future?

The series begins on October 16, 2019, with Thomas Malone, the Patrick J. McGovern Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the founding director of the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence. In 2004 Malone summarized two decades of research in his critically acclaimed book The Future of Work. His newest book, Superminds, appeared in May 2018 and presents new insights into the power of collective intelligence and collaborative working in a world of quickly changing new technologies.

He notes, "Many people today are talking about artificial intelligence and computers as essentially competition for humans—computers vs. people. From a long enough perspective, things in the future will be done by a combination of people and computers. Instead of drawing a circle around people and one around the machine and trying to determine which one is better, we should draw one circle around the human and the machine together and figure out how to make that combination as good as possible."

The kickoff lecture is presented at the Santa Fe Convention Center and in partnership with Innovate+Educate as part of the annual CLOSE IT Summit, a global gathering of innovators in education and technology. Innovate+Educate founder and CEO Jamai Blivin shares, "We are so pleased to collaborate with SAR for the launch of 'The Future of Work' series. Thomas Malone's talk will fit in perfectly with the CLOSE IT Summit. We are pleased to have the attendees of the summit have this opportunity to be part of the Creative Thought Forum."

The series continues into 2020 with Creative Thought Forum speakers examining trends in social sciences and related fields that address where we are headed in the realm of work. From advances in archaeology to the economics of equality, the series offers a broad look at how we move forward in a changing world.

2019 – 2020 Creative Thought Forum series schedule and details:

Superminds: The Surprising Power of People and Computers Thinking Together
Thomas Malone / Presented in partnership with Innovate+Educate / Wednesday, October 16, 2019 / 6:30 P.M. / Santa Fe Convention Center / Free for SAR members and Close It attendees; $10 not-yet-members /
Register for the lecture at sarweb.org / Register for the full Close It Summit at Closeit.org

Linda S. Cordell Lecture
Chaco Landscapes: Sensory and Political Engagements with Place
Ruth Van Dyke / Presented in partnership with the New Mexico Museum of Art / Thursday, February 13, 2020 /
6:30 P.M. / St. Francis Auditorium / Free for SAR; $10 not-yet-members / Register for the lecture at sarweb.org

Archaeologist Ruth Van Dyke shares insights into social, political, and sensorial relationships across the greater Chaco landscape, past and present. She explores how archaeologists can work together with Native peoples to influence the public understanding of contemporary economic/extractive projects, including those in northwest New Mexico.

Turning the Lens: Brazil's Kayapo Communities' Use of the Warrior Image
Glenn Shepard / Thursday, March 26, 2020 / 6:30 P.M. / James A. Little Theater / Free for SAR members; $10 general admission / Register for the lecture at sarweb.org

Glenn Shepard is the ethnology curator at the Goeldi Museum in Belém do Pará, Brazil. Shepard, an ethnobotanist and anthropologist, presents on work by Kayapo communities who use their warrior image and outside power symbols to combat—via film and new media approaches—the rise of mining and logging projects on Indigenous lands.

What It Takes to Solve America's IT Skills Gap
Ankur Gopal / Thursday, April 9, 2020 / 6:30 P.M. / James A. Little Theater / Free for SAR members;
$10 general admission / Register for the lecture at sarweb.org

Ankur Gopal is the founder of Interapt, an award-winning IT services firm that implements innovative technologies and develops IT workforce training. Interapt's IT apprenticeship models are being implemented across the nation. Their team is now leading a ten-year plan to help Kentuckians build a sustainable technology ecosystem. His talk explores how families traditionally linked to coal-mining culture are grappling with the need for changing skills in the twenty-first century and the impact of economic inequality on access to training and education.

Annual President's Lecture
Why Things Are the Way They Are
Robert Krulwich / Presented in partnership with Creative Santa Fe / Thursday, May 28, 2020 / 6:30 P.M.
Lensic Performing Arts Center / Special pricing applies / Register at Lensic.org

Co-host of NPR's Radiolab, Robert Krulwich is one of the most original and widely listened to broadcasters in the world. His series, Radiolab, explores "big ideas" and the mysteries of science and life through visceral storytelling. In his talk, Krulwich draws from decades of experience as a special correspondent for ABC News; his regular contributions to Nightline, ABC News Tonight, and Good Morning America; and his role as host and executive editor of PBS's documentary series NOVA scienceNOW to share insights on where technology can take us and why communities trust the sources they do when it comes to information about potential futures.

Each Creative Thought Forum talk is paired with a speaker-led salon discussion the morning after the lecture. Hosted at SAR, the salons are free to SAR members and offer lively face-to-face engagement with these influential writers and scholars. Advanced registration is required for the salons and encouraged for the lectures.

About the School for Advanced Research (SAR): Founded in 1907, the School for Advanced Research (SAR) is one of North America's preeminent independent institutes for the study of anthropology, related social sciences, and humanities. SAR is home to the Indian Arts Research Center, one of the nation's most important Southwest Native American art research collections. Through prestigious scholar residency and artist fellowship programs, public programs, and SAR Press, SAR advances intellectual inquiry in order to better understand humankind in an increasingly global and interconnected world. Additional information on the work of our resident scholars and Native American artists is available on the SAR website, http://www.sarweb.org; on Facebook, facebook.com/schoolforadvancedresearch.org/; on Twitter, @schadvresearch; and on Instagram @schoolforadvancedresearch.

About CLOSE IT 2019: CLOSE IT is in its seventh year. This annual summit comes to Santa Fe after being hosted in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington DC. CLOSE IT brings together forward-thinking leaders from across corporate, education, human resources, technology, philanthropy, and workforce worlds to address the CRITICAL SHIFT in the future of working and learning equity. This year's summit will focus on blurring the lines between traditional learning and work. We continue to drive action on equity and shifting our economy to a greater emphasis on skills—the technologies and innovations that are at the forefront of change. This summit is produced by nonprofit Innovate+Educate, based in Santa Fe and working internationally.

SOURCE SCHOOL FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH

Related Links

http://www.sarweb.org