On Thursday, 16th May, the White House kicked off We the Geeks, a new series of Google+ Hangouts to highlight the future of science, technology, and innovation here in the United States. Topics such as commercial space exploration, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, turning science fiction to science fact, and others will be discussed with administration officials and key private sector contributors.
The first We the Geeks Hangout will focus on Grand Challenges–ambitious goals on a national or global scale that capture the imagination–and demand advances in innovation and breakthroughs in science and technology. Grand Challenges are an important element of President Obama’s Strategy for American Innovation. On2 April, the President called on companies, research universities, foundations and philanthropists to join with him in identifying and pursuing the Grand Challenges of the 21st century.
During the 16 May, We the Geeks Hangout, Assistant Director for Grand Challenges, Cristin Dorgelo; White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Deputy Director for Technology and Innovation, Tom Kalil; and an extraordinary panel of innovators from around the country discussed the elements of an “all hands on deck” effort to pursue Grand Challenges. Participants included:
- Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Matt Grob, who discussed the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, and other bold research initiatives at Qualcomm
- IBM Fellow, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at IBM Watson Solutions, Rob High, who talked about what’s next for Watson, and the field of cognitive computing
- Kathryn Latham, a recent graduate from Duke University with a degree in engineering, and a participant in the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenge Scholars Program
- Sebastian Thrun, a research professor at Stanford, a Google Fellow, and a co-founder of Udacity, who discussed Google’s self-driving car and Google X
So, tune in to WhiteHouse.gov, as a new series of future-focused Hangouts from the White House begins. You can also join into future conversations on Twitter, with the hash tag, #WeTheGeeks.
Learn more at WE THE GEEKS.
