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.
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.
Tom Schumacher, Housing and Safety Signals Team
Could deaths from fentanyl be declining? New testing that is a thousand times more sensitive than anything we’ve known before suggests this might be the case. Imagine this 2030 headline!
Beth Kowalski, Arts, Culture and Entertainment Signals Team
The Arts, Culture and Entertainment signals team uses the SparkGGB! report to guide its work toward more robust regional opportunities in their area of focus. Learn more about the arts.
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.
Beverly French, Arts, Culture and Entertainment Signals Team
Imagine a university music department offering, under one roof, transformative artistic encounters musical practices that include beatboxing, beat-making, Djing, dance, fashion, poetry, theater, and visual arts. Mark Katz, Professor of Music at UNC-Chapel Hill, challenges higher education in his article called 2040 Vision: What will Arts Education Look Like in the Triangle 20 Years From Now? He suggests we might find “The 9th Wonder Department of Hip Hop” at Duke University. Professor Katz is proposing a fundamental change in the way universities teach music and the arts in general. Learn about Duke University.
Judy Nagel, Upward Mobility Signals Team
Fifteen thousand satellites have been sent to space since 1957, and only half are still working. Others are floating uselessly or have burned up. Orbit Fab is now building gas stations in space, providing hydrazine, the most common fuel for satellites. Read more on satellites.
We recently welcomed leaders from eight local organizations to Strategic Foresight training at the St. Norbert Abbey Center for Spirituality. Meet them here and discover what brought them to foresight training.
We welcome to our Board of Directors a chief strategy officer in the food production industry, a retired printing executive, and a consultant and executive coach. Meet them.
Judy Nagel, Upward Mobility Signals
Assertion: The United States is the most powerful country in the world. We do not need to change our policies.
Twenty years ago, the US made up 46.9% of world capitalization, by 2020 the share of world capitalization had increased to 54.6%The United States is first in world nominal GDP at 40.7% with China at 34.27%. China is first in PPP (purchasing power parity) GDP since 2014. Continue Reading Here