Venue has changed to Master’s Common Lounge

Abstract:

During the course of our lives we get lots of advice about how to be successful. “Get good grades.” “Go to a good school.” “Study a practical major,” and so on and so forth, but what is the value of this advice, and how do we sort through it to map a course for the life that we would like to live? This talk examines how the widespread availability of low- or no-cost information empowers us all and how the stories we tell ourselves are crucial elements in what we think, feel, and do. The talk starts with the case of Jack Andraka, a 14-year old inventor who came up with a new means of detecting pancreatic cancer. It considers other young entrepreneurs and those who are able to formulate and live their dreams at an early age. Active and experiential learning exercises help demonstrate the power of reframing and rewriting personal narratives or stories in ways that serve a person’s goals and aspirations. The talk concludes with a discussion of the practice of journaling as a way to notice, reflect, and tell the story of your future success.

About the Speaker:

Based in Douglas, MI on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan, Dave Goldberg is President of ThreeJoy Associates, Inc. a training, consulting, and coaching firm and Co-Founder of Big Beacon, a global movement for the transformation of engineering education. Prior to founding ThreeJoy & Big Beacon, Dave was the Jerry S. Dobrovolny Distinguished Professor in Entrepreneurial Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was known for his path-breaking research in genetic algorithms and evolutionary computation, for his role in co-founding ShareThis, Inc (www.sharethis.com), as well as his work as co-founder and co-director of the Illinois Foundry for Innovation in Engineering Education (iFoundry). Dave holds BSE, MSE, and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. His first book, Genetic Algorithms in Search, Optimization & Machine Learning is among the most cited computer science references on Google Scholar. His 2002 text The Design of Innovation explores the connection between evolutionary computation and genetic algorithms and processes of human creativity and innovation. His two most recent books are The Entrepreneurial Engineer and Philosophy and Engineering: An Emerging Agenda (edited with Ibo van de Poel). Dave continues hands-on educational transformation through regular assignments as a trainer, coach, and advisor to senior leadership, most recently at Illinois, TUDelft, Singapore Polytechnic, NUS, and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).