Northern Illinois University STEM Read and the NIU Libraries are partnering to offer a series of fun, fast-paced webinars to explore bleeding-edge science and mind-bending views of the future. Science fiction authors, publishers and research scientists will come together to discuss everything from how pandemics have shaped art to how scientists are mapping the human brain. The webinars are perfect for writers and aspiring writers, teachers, librarians, scientists and sci-fi enthusiasts. Professional development credits are available for educators and librarians.
The webinars will take place on Wednesdays, July 22, August 19 and September 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The $99 registration includes access to the live webinars, recordings of the webinars and the online community. The online community includes the recordings, references and resources from each talk, as well as discussion boards to facilitate conversation and relationships among scientists, authors and educators. For those seeking writing groups, science experts to review manuscripts, or writers and experts for classroom or library visits, this is a place to build connections.
Registration is open at go.niu.edu/futuretelling.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Past, Present and Futurism
Join experts in history and speculative fiction to hear how pandemics have shaped art and how this turbulent moment in world history is transforming the future of publishing and the genre. Speakers include Valerie Garver (Professor of History, Northern Illinois University), Lynne M. Thomas (Hugo Award Winning Publisher and Editor of Uncanny Magazine), and Mary Robinette Kowal (Award Winning Author of the Lady Astronaut Duology, President of the Board of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and Maurice Broaddus (Community Activist and Author of Pimp My Airship and The Usual Suspects).
Wednesday, August 19, 2020, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
This is Your Brain on Sci-Fi
Bobby Kasthuri is a neuroscientist developing technology and methods to create a complete map of the human brain. His work has implications for the future of everything from treating mental illness to reverse-engineering aspects of human creativity and personality for artificial intelligence. M.T. Anderson writes mind-bending books for readers of all ages. His award-winning novel Feed featured a near-future society where people have the internet beamed directly into their brains. His most recent sci-fi novel Landscape with Invisible Hand explores what would happen if Earth suddenly became a member of a galactic empire that dominated humanity with economic and technological superiority rather than hostile invasion. The two will share their work and share thoughts about the scientific and social impacts that might come from today’s bleeding-edge science.
Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Math and Physics are My Super Powers
S.L. Huang’s is an MIT educated mathematician and former Hollywood stuntwoman and armorer. Her books are filled with badass characters, high-tech weaponry, and math superpowers. Rebecca C. Thompson is a physicist and Head of Education and Public Outreach at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab. She’s also the author of Fire, Ice, and Physics: The Science of Game of Thrones and Spectra, The Laser Superhero series of physics comic books. Join them to geek out about everything from sword play to solid-state physics and answer burning questions about STEM, writing, and surviving stunts.
Registration and more information available at go.niu.edu/futuretelling.
