Academics and Society, Automated Driving, Climbing Everest

Academics and Society, Automated Driving, Climbing Everest

The Matt Townsend Show - Season 5, Episode 244

  • Oct 12, 2016 4:00 pm
  • 2:25:53 mins

Academics are Losing Society (18:01) Dr. Andy Hoffman is a Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan. Professor Hoffman's research uses a sociological perspective to understand the cultural and institutional aspects of environmental issues for organizations. Parts of our society has deveolped what seems to be a deep dislike for anyone in academia.  Denying science has become part of politcs as government try and plan for the future. Is academia still relevant in our society today?  Is academics worth our time and investment?  Dr. Andy Hoffman shares his thoughts on this volitial subject.  Liana Tan - Embarrassing Moments (1:07:21) It’s interesting how our brains work. Sometimes you can’t remember your own kids’ names or how to make your favorite recipe… but you somehow remember that time you tripped in front of your crush or left your zipper down during a presentation. It seems like the things we want most to forget are often the things that are instilled in our brains, so I guess we might as well just bask in the embarrassment. Today our producer, Liana Tan, will help us learn how to do that by sharing with us 5 of her own embarrassing moments. Future of Automated Driving (1:11:48) Dr. Andrew Maynard is the Director of the Arizona State University Risk Innovation Lab. His current work spans emerging and converging technologies such as nanotechnology, synthetic biology, the internet of things and 3D printing, to innovative approaches to current and emerging risks more generally.   More and more Americans are being killed in car crashes every year. New studies also show that 94 percent of the crashes that cause injuries and fatalities are attributable to human choice or error. That leads to a fascinating question that deserves attention. Could driving your own car become as socially frowned on as other risky habits, like smoking? Dr. Andrew Maynard discusss the future of automated driving Climbing Mt. Everest Experience (1:56:07) Bart Williams is a Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor from Salt Lake City. He is an avid mountain climber. Do you still have dreams and goals from when you were a child that you haven’t accomplished yet? As we get older and our families grow up, sometimes it seems like our life goals are just dreams of the past. But it’s never too late to do what you want with your life. Bart Williams is a great example of this and shares his experience achieving his dream of climbing Mount Everest at age 61.