Dr. Paul Tinari: Sustainability, 3D Printing, and Star Trek

Image of Dr. Paul Tinari

Dr. Paul Tinari, greenSPEAK guest speaker

Futurist, Visionary

Dr. Paul Tinari, billed as Dr. Future, visited UFV on March 17, 2016 as part of the greenSPEAK seminar series. In an invigorating seminar, Dr. Tinari challenged participants to envision the future that could be built using technology such as 3D printers.

Seismic Shift

Past technological breakthroughs such as the steam engine, the automobile, the industrial revolution and the transistor caused huge societal changes, and the sky is definitely not the limit for the next round of innovations.

mage from page 374 of "Inventory of the West End Street Railway Company" (1897)

Steam Engine, circa 1897

Dr. Tinari made a compelling case for the future democratization of design and technology where the facility to create, repair and enhance everything we need—food, shelter, technology, and power—lies with local communities rather than distant corporate or public bodies. This would significantly reduce the environmental cost of production by using Just-On-Order-Making protocols that reduce transportation, raw material and obsolescence costs.

One of the main drivers for this revolution will be 3D printing, and this technology is already creating the future for today and tomorrow:

Star Trek

Interlaced between visions of technology past, present and future, we were reminded of the future imaginings of Gene Roddenbury and Arthur C. Clarke. While some of their predictions have not come true yet (e.g. the matter transporter or the murderous artificial intelligence, HAL 9000), some of the more impossible-seeming technology, such as the replicator, are being tested already. And if Matt Damon had had a 3D printer on Mars, he might have been able to subsist on more than just poop potatoes.

Disruption

There is growing evidence that we are rapidly reaching a turning point, and while I was listening to Dr. Tinari, a post on Twitter caught the eye of my colleague, Christine Nehring:

This report from Deloitte outlines the challenges to Canadian businesses posed by changes in technology, and identifies many of the issues that Dr. Tinari has been raising for the last few years. While companies are struggling to adapt, new research shows the generation after the Millennials (Generation K), are primed to be innovators:

Members of Generation K increasingly value things they can actively co-create. It is a generation of makers, creators and inventors. From Sarah, who builds her own computers, to Jake, who loves making horror films with his pals on his iPhone, today’s teenagers don’t only want to buy stuff, they want to imprint their voice on products, services and media, and become part of the design and creation process. Producing something themselves has value for this generation. It resonates with their desire to be self-sufficient, and to have physical experiences in a digital world – as well as their desire to have agency and impact.

Back to the Future

There is no doubt that technological advances are already changing the way we live and work, and there are an increasing number of warnings about job security across the board. Some types of employment will be lost, and some sections of society will be impacted more than others. The recent reports from World Economic Forum and CitiGroup make it clear that we are already well down the road of disruption.

There are challenges ahead, for sure, but Dr. Tinari demonstrated that the future we make could be a great deal brighter and equitable: communities empowered to solve local issues, and a multitude of home-based makers unfettered by gatekeepers.

Two weeks after the seminar, I am still thinking about the possibilities and opportunities. Are you ready for the coming disruption?

 

Related Links

Dr. Tinari talks about 3D printing houses and cars (video)

Dr. Tinari’s website

The JOOM Destiny (book by Dr. Tinari)

Age of Disruption, Deloitte Future of Canada series (PDF)

The Future of Jobs Employment: Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum (PDF)

Digital Disruption: How FinTech is Forcing Banking to a Tipping Point   CitiGroup (PDF)

Image credits

Image of Dr. Paul Tinari used with permission from Dr. Tinari.

Steam Engine image from Flickr Commons, no known copyright

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Fresh Ideas at the ABT Expo

Rubys Social House and RemindMe! team members

Rubys Social House and RemindMe!

We recently hosted the second ABT Expo for students who started the ABT program in September 2015. As part of the seven-week Web-based Business Communications course, they took a product from initial idea to product launch and created an online marketing campaign that included social media elements such as blogging on WordPress and Twitter. The culmination of all this work was a trade show held at the Clearbrook Centre where teams showcased their creations.

WonderEgg 360 and Visit the Fraser Valley team members

WonderEgg 360 and Visit the Fraser Valley

The February 2016 ABT Expo featured 10 teams from two cohorts, and ideas ranged from local tour and food guides, shopping apps, a student scheduling app and other student services, to an outdoor multi-tool. It was a high-energy event where teams enthusiastically showcased their creations.

The excitement in the room was infectious! It was fun to see how students envisioned their products, and the displays were fantastic. Great work, everyone!

— Lauren Froehlich, ABT student
Deals Ahoy and the ABTool team members

Deals Ahoy and the ABTool

Some students had visited or exhibited at a trade show before; for many, it was the first time they had experienced this type of event. There were ingenious methods of ensuring curb appeal for each display including many delicious treats to sample!

Student SOS and Deal$ on U$ team members

Student SOS and Deal$ on U$

The Web-based Business Communications course was added to the ABT program last year to help prepare students for the demands of modern administrative careers.

I totally enjoyed doing a trade show in the ABT program; marketing is the key for success for any business and I found the trade show to be a very rewarding experience. I feel like I learned so much on advertising for a business during this part of the program, and how marketing for a business has changed through time. Having to learn about blog posting has already helped me in my practicum and I know I will be able to use this experience in my future career. We also learned how to advertise on Twitter, and making my own poster to display my product was a fun and rewarding experience.

— Colleen Wrana, ABT student
The Kaffeine ShacK and Nature's Delights of the Fraser Valley team members

The Kaffeine ShacK and Nature’s Delights of the Fraser Valley

The AB3 cohort (students who started the ABT program in January 2016) also visited the event, and were impressed with the quality of work on display. In a few weeks, it will be their turn to take up the challenge!

Photo Credit: All images taken by Christine Nehring and used with permission.

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Countdown to the New Semester!

Christine Nehring and Mary Higgins preparing for the new ABT students

Christine and Mary work on the orientation PowerPoint in the ABT lab

Eleven days until the new semester.

Fall semester starts on September 8, 2015, and preparations for the new Applied Business Technology (ABT) students are gathering momentum. On the first day we run an orientation event that gives new students the opportunity to meet instructors, receive timetables, tour the facilities, and ask questions. It is the start of a six-month journey, and helps make students feel at ease in their new environment.

New ABT Alumni Facebook Group.

After all the excitement of the end of term activities and convocation in June, we have been busy working with the UFV Alumni Association on setting up a Facebook group for UFV ABT Alumni. If you are one of our alumni, you can now sign up for news updates, job postings and networking opportunities here: www.facebook.com/groups/UFVABTAlumni

A few places left for September.

Picture of the ABT winter 2015 cohort

This is the AB3 winter 2015 cohort – do you want to be an ABT student?

There are still a few places available to start the program in September 2015, and you can find out more information about the program and funding opportunities on the ABT website: www.ufv.ca/abt/ You can start the application process online https://www.ufv.ca/abt/apply-now/ , and you can email the program head, Christine.Nehring@ufv.ca, if you have any questions. There is only a few days left, so contact us and get your application in quickly!

We also have another intake of students in January 2016, so if you are interested in the program you can come to one of our information and assessment sessions to find out more. The dates are on the ABT website https://www.ufv.ca/abt/assessment-dates/ and the next session is September 25, 2015. Please email Christine.Nehring@ufv.ca if you wish to attend.

ABT Blog Home

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Recent Events: Web Comms Expo and Convocation!

Image of AB3 Winter 2015 class in Clearbrook Centre lobby

AB3 Winter 2015 Class

We are using our first blog post on the new ABT blog to tell you about two recent events: the inaugural ABT Web Comms Expo and Convocation 2015.

Web Comms Expo

In January 2015, the ABT program added a new course to the already-comprehensive list. Web-based Business Communications has been developed to give students the skills and experience they need to successfully manage online communications in today’s online business world. During the seven-week course students work in teams to develop a marketing strategy for a product or service. As part of that work, they use project management tools such as timelines to keep their project on track, create blog posts and a product home page on the ABT WordPress website, and post Tweets on Twitter.

On June 3, 2015, the AB3 cohort was the first to have the opportunity to take part in a trade-show event called the Web Comms Expo. Each team created a booth and presented their product or service to judges. It was an exciting morning, and the judges were very impressed with the booths and the students. Here are the teams with their booths:

Image showing Team 1 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 1, ABT Web Comm Expo

Image showing Team 2 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 2, ABT Web Comm Expo

Image showing Team 3 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 3, ABT Web Comm Expo

Image showing Team 4 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 4, ABT Web Comm Expo

Image showing Team 5 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 5, ABT Web Comms Expo

There are more pictures from the Expo on the UFV Flickr site.

Convocation, 2015

On June 12, 2015, many of the 2014–2015 students who successfully completed the ABT Certificate Program crossed the stage at the Abbotsford Entertainment Centre to receive their certificates. It was a joyous occasion and a fitting way to cap all the hard work that they did!

The photos below were generously sent in by some graduates, and we would be happy to add more from ABT grads (just email them to Christine). There are also official pictures on the UFV Flickr site that feature some of our grads (you might need to scroll down the page).

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