Overview

Speculative Futures Phoenix invites you to a chat with physicist-turned- futurist Andrew Maynard about his recent book Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow. Doc Martens and Graciela Guadarrama Baena will also be joining us as special guest panelists bringing their unique perspectives at the intersection of design, technology, research and strategy.

This will be an interactive panel discussion, so all guests will be welcome to share their thoughts and questions live.

Author Bio

Andrew Maynard (he/him) started his professional career as a physicist, but has since worked across so many areas he frequently finds himself disciplinarily confused. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an Associate Dean in the Arizona State University College of Global Futures, and author of the books Films from the Future, and Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow. His work focuses on socially responsible and ethical innovation, and spans emerging and converging technologies from nanotechnology and synthetic biology to autonomous vehicles, neurotechnologies and artificial intelligence.

Panelist Bio

Doc (Dana) Martens (they/them/theirs) is a designer, creative technologist, maker, educator, life-long student and geek with a passion for educating others to embrace speculative mindsets and practices to better understand the future impact of emerging technologies. They currently work as a UX Designer at Teach for America by day and an Adjunct Professor at Parsons School of Design by night, designing educational initiatives and consulting on the role of technology-led design for social impact entrepreneurship. In their spare time, Doc pursues their love of speculative design by co-organizing the NYC chapter of Speculative Futures, and acting as the Communications and Special Programming Director for the Design Futures Initiative. They also publish SciFly, a biweekly newsletter that curates events from around the world with a focus on speculative design, fiction, art, and emerging technology, as well as news, projects, and resources. Doc holds a Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Economics from Smith College and Master of Fine Arts with Honors in Design + Technology from Parsons School of Design.

Graciela Guadarrama Baena (she/her) is a globetrotter, originally from Mexico. Her experience encompasses Innovation and Design; from the search for problems to their solution, those complex “wicked” problems, critical for a sustainable future. Her professional career begins in Product Innovation; among her favorite areas are Social Innovation, Critical Design, and Systems thinking & Mapping. She incorporates primary and secondary research methodologies into her practice. In addition, her interest and experience include Experiential Futures and Strategic Foresight, as she has a master's degree in Strategic Foresight and Innovation. Graciela has worked with the public sector, NGOs, startups, UNESCO, WFP, EU as well as multinationals such as BASF and Compass Group. She is co-founder of Futures Space, The Digital Home for Futurists, a global community of futurists and futures activists where they challenge each other. Among her multiple participations in “Futures”, since 2018 she has been the co-chair of the APF Futures Festival, whose mission is to provide an inclusive platform for foresight professionals. Graciela is also an Associate of the IPD (Institute for Development Planning) a think-tank based in Mexico City which projects focus on social development, where she assists with research, strategic foresight, and design.