Dawn or Doom is more than its presentations: 7 opportunities for hands-on fun and learning
Immerse yourself in the future with virtual reality demos at the Envision Center.
Dawn or Doom has a battery of great national and Purdue speakers, but we also want attendees to engage with the topics discussed, to touch and interact with the technology, and to think and reflect on ideas through more than listening to a talk.
The conference partners with units across campus to give everyone the chance to discover something new at Dawn or Doom. This year, the event is aligned with Purdue's Giant Leaps Sesquicentennial Campaign and is part of the Ideas Festival theme, “Giant Leaps in Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, and Automation: Balancing Humanity and Technology.” The Ideas Festival is the centerpiece of the Giant Leaps campaign and connects world-renowned speakers and Purdue expertise in a conversation on the most critical problems and opportunities facing the world.
Seven ways to engage @ Dawn or Doom
1) Learn about how technological innovation is improving the lives of those with disabilities. Design Good Now includes Purdue students from biomedical engineering, Polytechnic and Krannert, along with 30 other universities worldwide. Teams come together for a 48-hour hackathon to build their ideas using devices such as 3-D printers and other tools. Details: To see prototypes from the Design Good Now challenge, visit the student expo in the Stewart Center, Room 302, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6. For more information visit https://www.designgoodnow.com.
2) Read a fiction book selected for its integration of technology. “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead, chosen by the English Department, demonstrates technology’s “doom” aspect through its focus on eugenics and designing humans. Details: Join panelists Kristina Bross, Frank Dooley, Jennifer Freeman Marshall, and Zahra Tehrani in discussing the book from 9-10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6, in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center.
3) Attend an art exhibit that highlights how surveillance culture permeates our everyday lives. Artist Björn Schülke, hosted by the Ringel Gallery in Stewart Center, is showcasing drone-like sculptures that combine elements of infrared surveillance and interactive video and sound that monitors or reacts to humans. Details: Visit the gallery next to Fowler Hall between talks. Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
4) Write an essay about a Dawn or Doom presentation that gets you to explore more about the topic at hand. First place will receive a new Dell laptop. Second place will collect a $500 Amazon gift card. Third place will be awarded a $250 Amazon gift card. Every entrant receives a Dawn or Doom T-shirt. Details: For full contest rules and registration: https://www.purdue.edu/dawnordoom/contest.html.
5) Immerse yourself in the future with virtual reality demos at the Envision Center. Interactive virtual and augmented reality demonstrations will allow attendees the opportunity to experience several different devices including the Google Glass headset along with the Microsoft Kinect, Razer Hydra and Novint Falcon. Additionally, demonstrations of several virtual environments will take place in the Envision Center’s CAVE, a reconfigurable VR theater. Details: 1-5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 5, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the Envision Center, Stewart Center, room B001. Check out more information about the technology at https://www.rcac.purdue.edu/envision/hci.
6) Attend a workshop with Jennifer Lyons presenting, “Effective Data Visualization: Communicating Your Findings for Maximum Impact,” co-sponsored with Purdue Libraries. Attendees can expect to walk away with an improved ability to communicate information more efficiently with peers, colleagues, and clients. Details: 3-6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 5, in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center, Room B058. Register at: http://go.lib.purdue.edu/events/dawnordoom.
7) Eat lunch! “One million jobs over the next 10 years: How do employees adapt to lifelong learning?” is a luncheon panel featuring Blair Milo, secretary of career connections and talent for the State of Indiana, John Dennis, mayor of West Lafayette, Tony Roswarski, mayor of Lafayette, and Emilie Syberg, reporter and Morning Edition host for WBAA. Details: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 5, in the Purdue Memorial Union North Ballroom. Buy lunch at: http://www.conf.purdue.edu/DawnDoomLunch.
