Day 03. Activating Global Futures
Democratised scientific futures: community visions guiding science
Wednesday June 24, 1:00pm EDT
⚡ Lightning Talk, 15 minute session
Scientific bodies strive to create a culture of public engagement with the ideas of researchers. But while the cultural presence of science is growing daily, the opportunities for the public to influence research are sparse, and often dictated by long-term funding cycles. In this talk I will present a vision of scientific research that is underpinned by a diverse understanding of futures it could lead to, and which is informed by the visions and values of lay communities.
If science engagement is to inspire the public while simultaneously contributing fresh thinking in technical fields, new approaches will be required. I will discuss futures methods that can underpin these approaches and provide examples of projects seeking to democratise scientific research questions from the bottom up.
Finn Strivens
Designer & Researcher, Royal College of Art and Imperial College
Finn is a designer and researcher interested in how to use futures methods to engage people with complex issues and contribute new perspectives to participatory processes. He also investigates how to increase human connectivity across cultures and disciplines using new technologies and boundary objects. Finn is a student of the Global Innovation Design master’s program at The Royal College of Art and Imperial College. Before that he studied Biochemistry and combines a rigorous scientific approach with a desire to make things fun.