Where’s the Juice

Tom Schumacher, Housing and Safety Signals Team

How do you keep the lights on during the next big power outage? The answer might be right in your refrigerator. Factors converging in the direction of distributed energy storage might one day make your home more energy resilient. Batteries are taking centerstage in this transition, and advances in battery technology are making the scenario more feasible. Read about whole-house batteries.

Pain in the Workforce

Jim Golembeski, Upward Mobility Signals Team

Recently I had the pleasure of getting a root canal. The experience was not as bad as I thought it would be, but the real problem was that the oral surgeon kept up a one-sided conversation to which I was unable to reply.  He kept talking about people unwilling to work. I wanted to say, “show me where they are,” but, under the circumstances… Read about Pain in the Workforce.

From Disney to Green Bay

Beverly French, Arts, Culture and Entertainment Signals

In 2015, our local Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau wanted to build a visitor center – a welcoming front door to our community. But, to create a welcome center that would require fundraising, building design, content creation, and programming. The Chamber needed the right leader to make it happen. Read about Cameron Teske and Discover Green Bay!

Thriving Neighborhoods

Fr. Paul Demuth, Housing and Safety Team

We constantly hear of the increased need for housing. At the same time, office and business space sits empty or half-used. Then, from an isolated, cost prohibitive lifestyle comes an affordable, inclusive living space that used to be a shopping mall  Read about this housing match made in heaven.

To Do Something That Matters

Devon Christianson, Board Member

“Water drew me here,” explains Bridget O’Connor: It was the view of the Fox River that brought Bridget here from Minnesota as an SNC undergrad. Today she is the president and CEO of the O’Connor Connective, a marketing and communications firm that seeks to “be the chosen partner for the advancement of our community.” Read about her efforts to apply Strategic Foresight for business success.

Easter 2050

Nanette Nelson, Board Member

Another Easter, another survey showing religion’s recent ebb: This one is from Gallup, confirming a deepening of the 21st-century decline in church attendance. But diminishment coexists with transformation… So let’s try to imagine how these trends might shape American religion a generation hence. 

Tomorrow’s classroom – with AI, BCI and more!

Beverly French, Arts, Culture and Entertainment Signals Team

With all the talk lately about AI trends, here is a thoughtful discussion on AI usage in education sixteen years from now.  Daniel Bron discusses the applications of AI (Artificial Intelligence), Web3 Technologies (the next generation), IoT (Internet of Things), BCI (Brain-Computer Interfaces), and ITS (Intelligent Tutoring Systems). “Imagine a classroom,” he says, “where the physical environment adapts to the needs of the lesson, lights adjust based on time of day, air quality is continuously monitored and improved, and interactive displays come to life when a student approaches”… then pile on equity, geography and regulation!  This article opens a window into the complexities we face.