November 3, 2017
Creative Writers/Artists Tech Talk
1:30 p.m. | Levis Faculty Center, third floor lecture hall (919 West Illinois Street, Urbana, IL)
Lynnée Denise, John Jennings, Stacey Robinson and Alex Shakar talk about the role of technology and the creative imagination. They combine presentations of their work with personal reflections on the influence of technology on their craft and the impact of creative thinking on how we speculate about the future.
Inside NCSA: Reception + Interactive Demonstrations
5:30–7:00 p.m. | National Center for Supercomputing Applications, lobby (1205 W. Clark St., Urbana, IL)
This event opens the doors of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) to share some of the audio-visual rich transdisciplinary research supported by the center. Experience NCSA’s digital scholarship differently with this collection of immersive and interactive demonstrations from the Advanced Visualization Lab, the Critical Technology Studies Lab, and more. Learn more about the Interactive Demonstrations.
November 4, 2017
Creating for the Future Workshop
10:00 a.m. | Champaign Public Library, Pavilion A&B (200 W Green St, Champaign, IL)
For students in Grades 6–12
Interested in writing science fiction or creating sci-fi art? Meet the pros at this free event for students in grades 6–12 and learn what drew them to speculative fiction, how they made it in their industry, and how they go about their creative process. Come with questions for these stellar fabulists!
Imagining Futures
2:00 p.m. | Electrical and Computer Engineering Building Auditorium (306 N Wright St, Urbana, IL)
English undergraduates, inspired by their engineering counterparts, share their speculative futures concepts in fast-paced Pecha Kucha style presentations that will spark an interactive discussion with our creative guests and the audience.
Worlds Colliding
3:30 p.m. | Electrical and Computer Engineering Building Auditorium (306 N Wright St, Urbana, IL)
In a panel format moderated by five-time Hugo award winner Lynne M. Thomas, our creative guests—Lynnée Denise, John Jennings, Stacey Robinson, and Alex Shakar—discuss where the worlds of the humanities, science, and engineering collide. Inspired by the technologies they have seen during their stay and questions from the audience, they will address issues related to how science fiction, speculative futures, and science and engineering interact and how this interaction serves to motivate, inspire and otherwise facilitate their work.