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2012 Symposium Keynote Speakers

 

 

Merlyna Lim holds a joint appointment in the Consortium of Science, Policy, and Outcomes and the Justice and Social Inquiry Program of the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University.  She earned a Ph.D. in Science & Technology Studies and Technology & Development from the University of Twente in the Netherlands.  Her teaching and research interests revolve around the mutual shaping of technology and society and the political culture of technology in relation to issues of globalization, democratization, livability, and equity.  Drawing upon her earlier career as an architect, her work addresses the interaction of physical and social places (such as public squares) and emerging cyberspaces.  She is also an active blogger in multiple languages.

 

 

Baratunde Thurston is a politically-active, technology-loving comedian from the future. He co-founded the political blog Jack and Jill Politics and served as director of digital for The Onion.  Baratunde travels the world, speaking and advising on the subjects of our digital future and storytelling, satire and democracy, and race and politics.  He has written for Vanity Fair and the UK Independent, performs standup in NYC, and appears on cable news regularly to say smart things in funny ways.  Then-candidate Barack Obama called him “someone I need to know.”  He was named Foursquare Mayor of the Year for holding a real-world rally to defend his virtual mayorship, and every year he live hate-tweets the Twilight movies.  He resides in Brooklyn, lives on Twitter, and has over 30 years experience being black.  His first book, How To Be Black, is a New York Times bestseller.