Group XIII – Technology Seminar

Technology Innovation – How Is It Impacting Society?

Understanding the implications of technology, June 16-19, 2009, Madison.

Thanks to Seminar Sponsors – Badgerland Financial and Foremost Farms USA

Article written by Marcia Haase, Group XIII Fellow

Remember those episodes of Star Trek when the computers acquire superior intelligence and take over control?   While that remains science fiction, the concept of singularity” predicts that computers will have the equivalent of human intelligence by 2020.  Cool.  Incredible.  Scary?

This seminar exposed Class XIII to new technology in many areas.  We learned about patenting and licensing intellectual property, data mining, aligning information technology with business goals, the functions of the Wisconsin Technology Council, new energy technology, nanotechnology, health care technological advances, and biotechnology and stem cell research.

At her presentation on Ethical and Policy Issues Arising from Modern Biotechnology, Professor of Law and Bioethics, Alta Charo posed the query:  “Is it right or wrong to mess with the nature of nature?”    Should we create the super virus just so we can analyze it to formulate a potential antitode?  What about using human embryos for research?  Is any kind of cloning ethical?  It was very thought provoking and encouraged lively discussions within our Leadership Wisconsin cluster.

In our small group field trip, my colleagues and I addressed biotechnology and stem cell research.  Many difficult questions arose about the future.  Do we require registration of everyone’s DNA, or would that be the ultimate invasion of privacy?  Will insurance companies or potential companions use our genetic health markers to make decisions about us?  Is it ethical to use human embryos for research, knowing that human life is being destroyed in the process?  Does it make it more acceptable knowing that those embryos would otherwise be disposed of?  And why not concentrate on the adult stem cell arena and avoid the controversy?   An ethical conundrum for sure.

Are we to be burning books and saying that the knowledge we have will suffice?  Where do we draw the line in the sand? Or do we let the waters of knowledge and research create new patterns in the sand?   It’s been an issue facing many generations.

We finished this seminar with a presentation on the internet and its many forms of social and business interaction.  Our hands-on creation of a Wiki page was fun and frustrating at the same time.  Some burning questions:  If I tweet and tweetin with my tweeps on twitter, will I become a twitterholic and be in twubble with my tweetheart?  Will my friends still build on my Facebook wall or blog on my Wiki?  Will my Blackberry integrate with my RSS feed or will a little man jump out of my I-phone yelling YA-HOO!!

Yimeny Crickets!  Pour me a Nano-Schlager!

THANKS to Seminar Chairs:
Catherine (Cathy) Vrentas, Biotechnology Policy and Outreach Specialist and Juliet Fox, Professor, Communications Technology, UW Stout Alumni Group XII