Bill McKibben will be one of many
noteworthy presenters brought to
campus by the Gannett Project over the
2008-2009 school year, and it’s difficult
to find something that wouldn’t pique
your curiosity.
Ray Kurzweil
September 17, 2008
Gordon Field House, 7:00 p.m.
A legendary futurist and inventor
whose work in artificial intelligence
has dazzled technological
sophisticates for more than
three decades will present “The
Singularity is Near: When Humans
Transcend Biology.” Kurzweil is set
on expanding your mind, making
you think, and sharing his vision
of the future.
Edward Burtynsky
January 21, 2009
Webb Auditorium, 8:00 p.m.
Burtynsky is one of Canada’s most
respected photographers. His work
focuses on landscapes transformed
by industry. According to Burtynsky,
his photographs are “meant as
metaphors to the dilemma of our
modern existence; they search for
a dialogue between attraction and
repulsion, seduction and fear.”
Mark Frauenfelder & Carla Sinclair
March 26, 2009
Webb Auditorium, 8:00 p.m.
Authors, journalists, and bloggers
beware: Frauenfelder co-founded
Boing Boing & Make magazine;
Sinclair is a “Net Chick,” and
edits Craft magazine. Both will be
presenting a show entitled “The
Happy Mutant’s Guide to Pocket
Creation.” Need we say more?
Maira Kalman
April 6, 2009
Ingle Auditorium, 8:00 p.m.
With a plethora of interests,
Kalman seems to be more than
prepared for her part in the
Gannett Series. This innovative
children’s book author, illustrator,
product designer, and librettist
will be coming to campus to
present “Just Looking.”
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| Robert Modzelewski |
In March of 2006, Dr. Mary Lynn Broe,
a professor of humanities at RIT, was
appointed Gannett chair and was, in
her words, “given the charge of ‘exploring the
intersection of science, technologies, social
sciences, and humanities.” Thus, the Gannett
Project, an interactive project that brings
notable speakers, workshops, related events,
and even new classes to the RIT campus every
year, was born.
In the first year of the project, the main focus
was “Darwinian science in our everyday lives,”
according to Broe. For the 2007-2008 series,
however, the focus was shifted more towards
innovation; thus, the series was named
“Visionaries in Motion.” This year, Broe promises
that the project will “stretch the fragile human
membrane across disciplinary borders, court
wildness, reframe problems, and take risks to
change worlds.”
Choosing the speakers has proven to be one
of the most important facets of organizing the
series. An advisory group consisting of six RIT
faculty members (all of differing disciplines),
one University of Rochester faculty member,
and an RIT student researches and discusses
each speaker. The chosen speakers are typically
those who are involved in fields that are
challenging and of particular interest to RIT.
“The process is long and thorough,” commented
Broe, as it is “one that involves much back-and-forth
discussion among ourselves and with the
speaker whom we are considering.”
One speaker of note chosen for this year is Bill
McKibben, a scholar in residence at Middlebury
College who will be presenting on November 6
at 8:00 p.m. in RIT’s own Gordon Field House.
McKibben is an environmental activist and
writer who focuses on often controversial topics
such as global warming, alternative energy, and
local economies. He is also the author of Deep
Economy, the required reading for all entering
RIT freshmen, and is a frequent contributor to
various magazines including the New York Times,
Harper’s, and Rolling Stone.
McKibben feels his book was chosen “because
the message, about local economies, is neither
conservative nor liberal. It’s about something
beyond ideology — the practice of human
neighborliness.” He hopes that his manifesto
will have an impact on this incoming class,
saying, “I hope it gets people to think about
whether the model we’re all programmed for
— individual success — is the best way to think
about the future, or whether we need to factor in
the community much more strongly.”
