Future Forecaster Advises Tomorrow’s Leaders to Think “Then,” Act Now
The CCT hosted Bob Johansen, an author and prominent social scientist with the Institute for the Future who has developed 10-year forecasts for some of the world’s top organizations, for a guest lecture on Wednesday, March 4 in LSU’s Life Sciences Annex.
As a forecaster, Johansen predicts the effects of technology on society, estimating the future for three to 10 years out. He has worked with the Institute for the Future since 1973, where he specializes in exploring the impact of new and emerging technologies, as well as religion and its impact on people, industry and culture. He has worked with clients from major corporations in many different industries, including Nokia, Proctor & Gamble, Sony, Old Navy and Gap.
The Institute for the Future has seen more than 70 percent of its predictions throughout the past 40 years “happen,” but Johansen cautioned the audience to be careful how they define “happened.” Ideally, he said, people should use forecasts for the future to make informed decisions in the present.
Johansen describes the future as a “VUCA world -- volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.” He predicts a coming world where technology makes information easily, universally and instantly accessible. Some products he envisions are bio-sensors that will allow people to gauge food safety, air quality and risk using hand-held devices. Sensors also will be part of non-traditional technology industries such as apparel, with sensory images projected from and onto clothing.
But, while technology and connectivity can create problems, they also are a great asset to solve problems, moving us from “volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous” to “vision, understanding, clarity and agility,” he said.
“It is indeed a VUCA world, but we have more potential now to address these dilemmas than we have ever had before, largely because of our connectivity,” Johansen said.
In his speech, Johansen outlined leadership skills today’s generation will need to succeed in the coming decade, including an ability to flip dilemmas, create immersive experiences, collaborate well with different groups and having bio-empathy for the planet. If people are aware these are the skills they need, they can begin developing them now.
“We can use insights from the future to provoke insight in the modern world,” Johansen said.
Johansen came to LSU as part of CCT’s Distinguished Lecture Series. He has held numerous roles with the Institute for the Future, including serving as its president and CEO from 1996 to 2004. He currently is a member of the Institute for the Future’s Leadership Team and serves on the Board of Directors.
Johansen is the author and co-author of six books, and he is a frequent keynote speaker at events throughout the world. He also has taught graduate and undergraduate students. He earned a bachelor of science degree from University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He also has a divinity degree in comparative religions from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
CCT in the News:
Adviser Doesn’t Predict Future
Source: The Advocate
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/40882382.html?showAll=y&c=y
Pats on the Back:
• Congratulations to Ashley Zebrowski, an undergraduate student with Shantenu Jha’s group, will be recognized with an undergraduate research award. She will receive this award at the Choppin Honors Convocation on March 12. Winners are chosen based on GPA, credit hours completed, especially in CSC courses, and merit. Ashley’s award is based on research she is working on here at the CCT. Congratulations to her for this honor!
Upcoming Lectures:
• Dentcho A. Genov from Louisiana Technical University will speak as part of the Colloquium Series on “Nanophotonics: From Imaging with Super Resolution to Mimicking Celestial Phenomenon in the Lab.” The lecture will take place Mar. 27 at 11:30 a.m. in Johnston 338.
Please Note:
• Interim Director Stephen David Beck has called a special ALL CCT meeting for Wednesday, March 11, at 3 p.m. in 338 Johnston. The meeting is for the CCT leadership to discuss current budget issues. Please make every effort to attend.
• Training for this week includes “Advanced Environment” on Mar. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon and “An introduction to the computational chemistry package” on Mar. 12 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. To register, please visit:
March 11 - http://www.hpc.lsu.edu//training/tutorials/index.php#spring09adv-env
March 12 - http://www.hpc.lsu.edu//training/tutorials/index.php#spring09gaussian
• The Louisiana Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Committee publishes regular newsletters to provide updates on research taking place at Louisiana's universities. The newsletters are available online through the Louisiana Board of Regents Web site, at http://www.laregents.org/www2/index.htm.
• CCT Distinguished Graduate Dissertation Fellowships are available to support outstanding graduate students in their final year of study toward a terminal degree in their field. The stipend is $22,000 for the 2009-2010 academic year.
Application deadline is March 15!
Eligibility
• Must be working with a faculty member associated with CCT
• Minimum GPA of 3.50
• Must have already passed all of the required exams in their department
• Must have finished all required course work and be working on the final dissertation
• Must devote full time to the completion of the dissertation preparation
• Must be enrolled in dissertation credit for nine hours during Fall and Spring semesters
• Other employment is prohibited! Students cannot hold another graduate fellowship or award
Application Process
Interested students should submit a description of the work in progress, a list of publications, presentations, honors and awards, transcript (copy), and a statement outlining the timetable for completing the dissertation within the year.
The total application may not exceed eight pages. The student should arrange that three letters of recommendation be sent directly to the Fellowships Committee. One of these letters must come from the dissertation advisor, who must include a statement that completion is likely within the Fellowship period. The application packet and letters of recommendation (in pdf format) should be sent to: jobs@cct.lsu.edu *Incomplete applications will not be considered
• ALL CCT meetings of the Spring 2009 semester will take place Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in Johnston 338. If you have any information, news or announcements you wish to include at the meeting, please notify Karen Jones, kjones@cct.lsu.edu. ALL CCT meetings for this semester are scheduled for March 18, April 15 and May 20. Please make every effort to attend.
• If you have any news for the CCT Weekly, please e-mail PR Manager Kristen Sunde directly at ksunde@cct.lsu.edu.
Upcoming Grant Deadlines:
Note: Please see the CCT deadline Web site, as many NSF deadlines are listed here:
http://www.cct.lsu.edu/about/grants/deadlines/events.php
Publish Date:
03-10-2009
