Roboticist and bestselling author Daniel Wilson will present Carleton’s weekly convocation on Friday, Jan. 26. Wilson will explore how Hollywood and academia shape humanity's imagination about our scientific future in his presentation titled “Sci-fi Destroys the Future... Science Builds It.”
Carleton convocations are held from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. on Friday mornings in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. They are also recorded and archived for online viewing.
Science fiction has a strong influence on real-world research and development, often shaping the look and behavior of new inventions. But every new technological advance also works to shape authors’ sci-fi imaginings. From dystopia to utopia to boring old reality, how does the exchange of ideas between Hollywood and academia help prepare humankind to imagine new and amazing futures? Wilson’s experience on both the academic and imaginative sides of science lend him an intriguing insight into the relationship and implications of changes in how we understand and imagine science.
Wilson is known as the "resident roboticist" for several publications including Popular Mechanics magazine. He has published New York Times bestselling novels including "Robopocalypse" (Vintage Contemporaries, 2012), currently being adapted for film by Steven Spielberg, and its sequel, "Robogenesis" (Vintage, 2015). His other books include "How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion" (Bloomsbury USA, 2005), "How to Build a Robot Army: Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Alien Invaders, Ninjas, and Zombies" (Bloomsbury USA, 2008), "A Boy and His Bot" (Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2011), "Amped" (Vintage Contemporaries, 2013), and his newest novel, "The Clockwork Dynasty" (Doubleday, 2017).
A Cherokee citizen and native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wilson earned degrees in robotics and machine learning, as well as a PhD in robotics, from Carnegie Mellon University. His thesis work, Assistive Intelligent Environments for Automatic Health Monitoring, focused on providing automatic location and activity monitoring in the home via low-cost motion detectors and contact switches. He has worked as a research intern at Microsoft Research, the Xerox PARC, Northrop Grumman, and Intel Research Seattle. More about Wilson can be found on his website.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located at First and College Streets in Northfield.
