CANCELED: Curiosity Drives Progress Lecture Series: Impacting Communities (CSE Public Lectures)

CANCELED

What are the unexpected consequences of the sharing economy?

How can you help solve big data problems by participating in "people-powered" research?

How can we use science to reduce polarization and help our democracy function in a time when trust in institutions is at a historic low?


The Curiosity Drives Progress Lecture Series showcases CSE's top faculty in TED-style lightning talks. Join us for the next installment, which will highlight the work of three distinguished CSE professors who are quantifying the social impacts of science and technology, empowering citizens to participate in scientific discovery, and encouraging civility.

Lecture is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Seating is first-come, first-served the day of the event.


For more information about the talks, visit the Curiosity Drives Progress Lecture webpage.

 

About the Speakers

Saif Benjaafar

"The Rise of Global Online Platforms: The Promise and Perils of the Sharing Economy"

Saif Benjaafar
Department Head and Distinguished McKnight University Professor
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

We are witnessing two fundamental shifts in the economy: (1) the emergence of online platforms that connect many small suppliers with many individual buyers engaged in many small transactions anytime anywhere and (2) a growing shift away from private ownership to the on-demand and shared access to products and services facilitated by online platforms. In this talk, Professor Benjaafar will discuss these shifts and examine underlying technological, economic, and social drivers. He will also discuss the impact of these shifts on society, including the impact on consumers, workers, and the environment.

 

Lucy Fortson

"To the Zooniverse and Beyond: How Crowdsourcing Science is Solving Big Data Problems for UMN Researchers"

Lucy Fortson
Associate Department Head and Professor
School of Physics and Astronomy

What do lions, galaxies, cell nuclei and notes taken by the Justices of the United States Supreme Court have in common? Each of these is a topic of intense research by faculty at the University of Minnesota—and each suffers from a similar problem: too much complex data for researchers to properly analyze. You might think that computers should be able to tackle these problems, but in fact, pattern matching (a hallmark of analyzing complex data) is exactly where computers still lag behind even a human child.

So how can researchers make any progress in problems where human visual processing of millions of images is required? By turning to the general public and asking for their help. This talk will describe the Zooniverse project, and will take you on a tour of the engaging projects in the Zooniverse—from the lions in the Serengeti to galaxies in the furthest reaches of time and space. Along the way, Professor Fortson will describe the issues that researchers now face with “Big Data,” what crowdsourcing is, and how combining human intelligence with artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how science is being done.

 

 

Ellad Tadmor

"Can Truth Save Democracy? We’re Trying in Science Court"

Ellad Tadmor
Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics

Some say we live in a "post truth" world, but there is no such thing. Humans would not have survived as a species if they were not able to rationally assess the world about them and make sensible decisions. In “Science Court” we are trying to apply this common sense thinking to tackle controversial societal issues that divide us as Americans. The students participating in this Honors Seminar pick the topic, spend a semester researching the facts, and argue the pros and cons in a mock trial in front of a diverse jury of citizens.

Science Court draws on the traditions of the U.S. jury system, but adapts the process based on understanding from scientific research on how people reason and collaborate to maximize the likelihood of reaching consensus. The hope is that by spreading this model to other universities, Science Court will help to reduce polarization and help our democracy function in a time when trust in all institutions (including democracy itself) are at historical lows.

Start date
Tuesday, April 7, 2020, 6 p.m.
Location

 

Coffman Memorial Union, Theater
Minneapolis, MN 55455

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