Archive for the ‘Speakers’ Category
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Happy Wednesday UP blog readers! We took a great end of summer vacation last week but are back with lots of UP alumni news today! This past week:
UP 08 speaker Craig Kielburger took to The Huffington Post’s Canadian website to discuss the importance of long term action over one time aid in solving the problems of East Africa.
image courtesy of Flickr/Blyzz (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blyzz/4133624072/)
Blogs buzzed this week as it was announced that UP 09 speaker and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is joining with Seth MacFarlane to produce a new version of Carl Sagan’s popular mini-series “Cosmos.” MacFarlane might be more easily recognized as the man behind the hit Fox television series, “Family Guy.”
Meanwhile The Independent spent time examining the question, “Is David Eagleman the cleverest man in America?”
UP 09 speaker Robert Ballard, best known for his discovery of the wreck of the RMS Titanic, will be returning to the site of the shipwreck to photograph the ship’s stern for a new attraction dedicated to the Titanic in Belfast.
And, as everyone wraps up the summer travel season, UP 10 speaker David Pogue shares, “Five (and Then Some) Tech Tips For Travel.”
Have a great rest of the week!
Labels: Belfast, Carl Sagan, Cosmos, Craig Kielburger, David Eagleman, David Pogue, East Africa, Family Guy, Fox, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Robert Ballard, Seth MacFarlane, The Huffington Post, The Independent, The UP Experience, Titanic, travel technology
Categories: 2008 Speakers, 2009 Speakers, 2010 Speakers, Current events, Speakers, Uncategorized, conference
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
We are pleased to welcome Joshua Cooper Ramo, managing director of Kissinger Associates, and a scholar who clearly understands the cultural, historical, and political intricacies of China, viewed often as a conundrum by the rest the world.
Prior to entering the advisory business, Joshua was an award-winning journalist and the senior editor and foreign editor of TIME magazine. Among his nearly two-dozen cover stories were the 1997 Man of the Year profile of Andy Grove, an award-winning profile of Kofi Annan, and, most recently, reports on unemployment in America and China-U.S. relations. He is also the author of the New York Times best-selling book The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Order Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do About It, which has been published in nearly 20 languages.
A Mandarin speaker, Joshua divides his time between Beijing and New York City. He has been hailed “one of China’s leading foreign-born scholars” by the World Economic Forum, and he has written numerous papers on China’s development, which have been widely distributed in China and abroad. In 2008, Joshua served as China Analyst for NBC during the Summer Olympics in Beijing and shared an Emmy and a Peabody Award for his work on the opening ceremonies alongside Matt Lauer and Bob Costas.
Trained as an economist, Joshua holds degrees from the University of Chicago and New York University. He has been a Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Asia21 Leaders Program, a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders and Global Leaders for Tomorrow, an advisory board member of the Leaders Project, and co-founder of the U.S.-China Young Leaders Forum. In addition, he has spent two sabbaticals working with AIDS hospices in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
To learn more about Joshua Cooper Ramo and hear his fascinating insights on the future of China, sign UP today.
Categories: 2011 Speakers, Current events, Speakers, What is UP?, conference
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
This week UP 08 speaker, Craig Kielburger and his brother Marc wrote about a group with an interesting plan for peace in the Middle East. Friends of the Earth Middle East is working to save deteriorating and polluted water resources in the region, including The Dead Sea, while setting the framework for a plan for long term peace.
Sal Khan, a speaker joining us in October for UP 2011, and his Khan Academy are featured in the latest issue of Wired, in “How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education.” Do you think his method of teaching can change education in third world countries as we know it?
UP 08 speaker, Ray Kurzweil, who is well known for his quest to stop aging and merge humans with machines was recently featured in an article on “Biotrackers,” a movement whose participants track what once where thought to be qualitative characteristics of the body.
Manhattanhenge image courtesy of Tim Burke Photography http://www.flickr.com/photos/tburke/5779465576/sizes/l/in/photostream/
Meanwhile, UP 09 speaker and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson was included in a BBC article on “Manhattanhenge” a term he has coined to describe a unique phenomenon that allows New Yorkers to experience Stonehenge without leaving home.
Labels: BBC, Biotrackers, Craig Kielburger, Friends of the Earth Middle East, Khan Academy, Manhattanhenge, Middle East, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, peace, Ray Kurzweil, Sal Khan, Stonehenge, The Dead Sea, Wired
Categories: 2008 Speakers, 2009 Speakers, 2011 Speakers, Current events, Speakers, UP Speakers In The News, Uncategorized
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
Who guessed it? The clues we posted on Friday to our mystery UP Alumni guest all point to one person, Brené Brown!
Brené wowed attendees in 2009 with a frank, engaging and moving talk on her studies of shame in our society. Her research has gone on to focus on leadership, vulnerability and “wholeheartedness.” She’ll join us again at UP 2011 for an update on the last few years of her work.
Check out her talk from UP 2009 here.
If you are not already familiar with Brene, she holds her Ph.D, LMSW, and is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work. Her sense of humor, along with 10 years of research studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame make her an extraordinary presenter who helps us all look at the UP side of being vulnerable.
Brené spent the first five years of her decade-long study focusing on shame and empathy, and is now using that work to explore a concept that she calls Wholeheartedness. She poses these questions: How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to recognize that we are enough – that we are worthy of love, belonging, and joy?
Brené is the author of The Gifts of Imperfection: Letting Go of Who We Think We Should Be and Embracing Who We Are and I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power. She is also the author of Connections, a psycho-educational shame-resilience curriculum that is being facilitated across the nation by mental health and addiction professionals. Her next book, Wholehearted: Spiritual Adventures in Falling Apart, Growing Up, and Finding Joy, will be released in 2011.
Register now to see Brené in October!
Labels: authenticity, Brene Brown, compassion, connection, Connections, courage, empathy, I Thought It Was Just Me, imperfection, leadership, LMSW, shame, social work, The Gifts of Imperfection, The UP Experiernce, University of Houston, UP 2011, UP Alumni, vulnerability, Wholehearted, wholeheartedness
Categories: 2009 Speakers, 2011 Speakers, Current events, Mini-UP's, Speakers, UP Speakers In The News, Uncategorized, What is UP?, conference
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
This past week, UP 10 speaker, David Pogue featured a guest post on his blog from Nasahn Sheppard, director of industrial design at Smart Design, the company that designed the Flip cam. As many of you know, Cisco discontinued the Flip cam a few months back and many, including Pogue, were quite upset about it. In Sheppard’s post he examines the elements of a “hot product” and makes a compelling case for “single-purpose” gadgets in our lives.
image courtesy of Flickr/AJC1
Many of you probably saw the four-page ad in the New York Times this past week commemorating IBM’s 100th birthday. The ad generated sharp commentary from UP 10 speaker Kevin Kelly on “long-termism” , which then drew additional comments from Steve Denning at Forbes. There’s no doubt “short-termism” is a dominant force in many companies, but what are the lessons to be learned from “long-termism?”
The press continues to be filled with stories on the end of Nasa’s space shuttle program. UP 09 speaker and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson spoke with NPR on the end of the shuttle program and its achievements including, “the largest global collaboration outside of waging war.”
Sir Ken Robinson, one of the speakers during the first UP Experience in 2008, is in the press again for the release of a new edition of his book, Out of Our Minds: Learning To Be Creative. He spoke with Fast Company recently to share his thoughts on the changing climate of business and the expanding value of creativity.
Labels: Cisco, Creativity, David Pogue, Fast Company, Flip camera, Forbes, gadgets, IBM, industrial design, Kevin Kelly, long-termism, NASA, Nasahn Sheppard, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, New York Times, NPR, Out of Our Minds, short-termism, Sir Ken Robinson, Smart Design, space shuttle, Steve Denning, The UP Experience
Categories: 2008 Speakers, 2009 Speakers, 2010 Speakers, Current events, Speakers, UP Speakers In The News, Uncategorized, What is UP?, conference
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
On Friday, we were so excited to share the news of our new speaker feature for UP 2011 – Houston UP Close. This new session in our speaker lineup will feature some incredible, talented experts from right here in Houston.
The speakers for our first ever Houston UP Close session will be:
Laura Spanjian. Spanjian joined the City of Houston in 2010 as Mayor Annise Parker’s Sustainability Director. In her position, Laura is responsible for directing and coordinating projects and initiatives that improve air, land, and water quality, and support and expand renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, recycling and composting, alternative and clean transportation, local food production, and more livable and vibrant neighborhoods. Since embarking upon Houston, Laura has initiated a weekly farmer’s market outside City Hall, as well as the “Green Office Challenge,” which encourages businesses to compete with one another to reduce water and energy consumption. In addition, she is transforming Houston into an electric-car hub, a national leader in wind-power investment, and an advocate for energy efficiency.
Dr. Stephen Klineberg. Dr. Klineberg is a Professor of Sociology at Rice University. Stephen is a graduate of Haverford College, with an M.A. from the University of Paris and a Ph.D. from Harvard. After teaching at Princeton, he joined Rice University’s Sociology Department in 1972. In 1982, he and his students initiated the annual “Houston Area Survey,” now in its 30th year of tracking the remarkable changes in the demographic patterns, economic outlooks, experiences, and beliefs of Harris County residents. The recipient of 10 major teaching awards at Rice, including the Lifetime Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Piper Professor Award, Stephen is writing a book on the Houston studies and serving as Co-director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
Labels: Annise Parker, City Hall, composting, demographics, eco-friendly, electric-car, energy efficiency, farmer's market, green, Green Office Challenge, Harris County, Harvard, Haverford College, Houston, Houston Area Survey, Houston UP Close, Kinder Institute, Laura Spanjian, Princeton, recycling, renewable energy, Rice University, sociology, sustainability, The UP Experience, University of Paris, wind-power
Categories: 2011 Speakers, Current events, Speakers, UP Speakers In The News, What is UP?, conference
Friday, July 8th, 2011
This year, we’re adding a new twist The UP Experience. The day will now also include a “Houston UP Close” session, which will feature two local professionals who are making a real difference in our own community.
Image Courtesy of Houston TranStar/Flickr
Astounding change and innovation is happening all over the world, and that’s what The UP Experience likes to highlight. But amazing things are also happening in our own backyard, and we feel compelled to spread the word and bring you UP to speed on the fantastic accomplishments taking place right here in Houston.
Our first “Houston UP Close” presenter is someone who…
Drove a Smart Car from his or her home in San Francisco to lead a bold new initiative in Houston.
Is transforming Houston into an electric-car hub, a national leader in wind-power investment, and an advocate for energy efficiency.
Has a most ambitious goal of getting every Houstonian access to single-stream, curbside-pickup recycling, trying to drastically improve our quality of life in Houston for many years to come.
Our second “Houston UP Close” presenter is someone who...
Is a professor at Rice University and has been the recipient of 10 major teaching awards, including the George R. Brown Lifetime Award for Excellence in Teaching.
With the help of Rice University students in 1982, initiated an annual survey that holds the distinction of being the longest-running study of any metropolitan area’s economy, population, life experiences, beliefs, and attitudes.
Is a catalyst to help Houston stay ahead of economic and demographic trends and understand the changing attitudes and concerns of the public.
Leave your guesses below and check back next Tuesday and learn who will be speaking during the “Houston UP Close” session at UP 2011.
Labels: demographics, economy, electric-car, George R. Brown Lifetime Award, green energy, Houston, population, renwable energy, Rice University, San Francisco, single-stream recycling, Smart Car, survey, teaching, The UP Experience, wind-power
Categories: 2011 Speakers, Current events, Speakers, UP Speakers In The News, Uncategorized, What is UP?, conference
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
Is having the next big idea the key to success? Or is "tweaking" an idea better? Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/bazik/395792175/
UP 08 speaker Malcolm Gladwell got quite a bit of press in business and marketing media this week for his presentation at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. His most talked about comments were about why it might be better for business leaders to “tweak” instead of innovate.
Fellow UP 08 speaker Ray Kurzweil has also been all of late night talk and news shows discussing his vision of The Singularity, blogger Jason Silva at The Huffington Post declared, “The Singularity is here,” this. Meanwhile 60 Minutes posted several outtakes from their interview with Kurzweil.
The UP 08 speaker news continues with Shawn Achor who was also featured in The Huffington Post discussing the connection between happiness and weight loss.
UP 09 speakers Peter Diamandis and Michio Kaku were both included in Big Think’s panel at SAP’s Sapphire Now event in Florida to present there visions of the future. Diamandis predicts an “Age of Abundance” while Michio Kaku described his version as “perfect capitalism.” Read more here.
Labels: 60 Minutes, Age of Abundance, Big Think, business, Cannes, Cannes Lions, Florida, future, happiness and weight loss, innovate, Jason Silva, Malcolm Gladwell, marketing, Michio Kaku, Peter Diamandis, Ray Kurzweil, SAP, Sapphire Now, Shawn Achor, Singularity, The Huffington Post, The UP Experience
Categories: 2008 Speakers, 2009 Speakers, Current events, Speakers, UP Speakers In The News, Uncategorized, What is UP?, conference
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
The UP Experience is pleased to welcome Bob Stutman, former head of the New York office of the Drug Enforcement Agency, the largest DEA office in the world. Spending 25 years on the front lines of the drug wars, Bob became one of America’s highest-profile drug busters. During his UP presentation – “Drugs in America 2011 & Beyond – Who, What & Why“-Bob will share facts and statistics surrounding the staggering level of substance abuse across our country, specifically among our youth, our communities, and in the workplace.
Coined “the most famous narc in America” by New York magazine, Bob is considered to be one of the nation’s leading experts on drugs, and has received numerous awards and honors for his work throughout the United States and from the governments of many other countries. His insight, and the data he has collected over the years, is astounding. According to Stutman, one out of six U.S. employees has a substance abuse problem, and nearly 2,000 Americans die every month because of the effects of illicit drug use. Based on statistics such as these, along with his vast experiences with the DEA, Bob is passionate and outspoken about the fact that drugs are devastating our communities, homes, and workplaces.
Bob has been the Special Consultant on substance abuse for CBS News, and has appeared frequently on hundreds of TV shows, including 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, 48 Hours, Today, and Oprah. He was recently featured in the PBS Frontline documentary titled Drug Wars and the VH 1 special titled The Drug Years. His best-selling autobiography, Dead on Delivery, was published by Warner Books and was the basis for the television movie Mob Justice.
Upon retiring from the DEA, Bob formed The Stutman Group, a Management Consulting firm that designs and implements comprehensive and practical substance abuse prevention programs for communities, corporations, and school systems across the nation. Bob has traveled to more than 70 countries, speaking to corporations, employees, parents, families, and students. His presentations are eye-opening, and one attendee was quoted as saying, “I went in a skeptic; I came out an activist.”
To learn more about Bob Stutman and the devastating impact of illegal drugs in our society, sign UP today.
Labels: 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, America, Bob Stutman, CBS News, DEA, Dead on Delivery, drug busters, Drug Enforcement Agency, drug wars, Drugs in America, Good Morning America, management consulting, Mob Justice, narc, New York, New York Magazine, Oprah, PBS Frontline, substance abuse, The Drug Years, The Stutman Group, Today, Warner Books
Categories: 2011 Speakers, Current events, Speakers
Friday, June 17th, 2011
It really doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, what you do, or where you do it…our next speaker will present a topic that impacts everyone, in some form or fashion. The 9th speaker to take the UP stage is someone who:
Has been called “one of our nation’s heroes” by Dan Rather, and “an S.O.B. on the side of angels” by Boston Herald magazine.
Has been targeted for assassination simply because of his or her line of work.
Has worked with thousands of companies, management teams, employees, school systems, educators, parents, students, and government agencies throughout the U.S. and around the globe sharing his or her passion, insights, statistics, and vision for the future.
Leave us your best guess below and check back on Tuesday and learn who will take the stage for 20 inspiring minutes at UP 2011.
Labels: Boston Herald, Dan Rather, educator, government, hero, management, school, students
Categories: 2011 Speakers, Current events, Speakers, What is UP?
