Imagine Human

The last thirty years of scientific advancement has made it possible for technology to benefit cognitive and emotional well-being at scale. This is due to increased understanding of the mind-body connection; scalability of the internet; and advancement in computing and biosensors. More than ever we have begun to recognize as a society that mental health affects all humans and has profound effects on our quality of life, relationships, and physical health.

In this episode, we are joined by Rui Ma, the co-founder of the Transformative Technology Academy, or TTA for short. The TTA is a free online academy that provides specific education to entrepreneurs developing technologies at the intersection of mind and body to improve human potential.

In this episode we are joined by Scott Koenig, a doctoral student in the neuroscience department at the City University of New York. Scott shares his work combining morality and neuroscience; he discusses his personal philosophy on morality, its basis in neuroscience, and how social media can influence and exacerbate our morality and emotions. Scott is passionate about communicating this work and has contributed to scientific journalism since 2015, writing for publications including Nautilus on topics at the intersection of science and business.

In this episode, we talk to Noor Siddiqui, a Thiel Fellow and Stanford University student. Noor is researching genetic screening of embryos to reduce the likelihood of Alzheimer’s and other genetic diseases. In this episode, we go in-depth into her research about how this screening technique could decrease the prevalence of diseases in a population and how one day we might live in a world without chronic diseases. Born to Pakistani immigrants, Noor also shares her personal story of how she first came be interested in entrepreneurship and her journey as a Thiel Fellow.

3D printing has been around longer than most people think first invented by an American engineer, Chuck Hull, in the early 1980s.

Despite its nearly 40 year existence, 3D printing has yet to take off as a viable alternative to widely-accepted manufacturing processes like injection molding. The technology remains fraught with issues such as low yield and high material cost. In February 2011, The Economist ran a story called “Print me a Stradivarius” - and even then the idea of mass printing of physical objects still seemed out-of-reach. However, over the past few years, 3D printing has finally evolved beyond a mere hobbyist’s tool and is now at the cusp of becoming a scalable manufacturing process.

Today, we interview Chris Prucha, founder of Origin, a company closing the gap between 3D Printing and what Chris identifies as the major three deficiencies preventing this technology from moving to the next stage.

In our discussion we explore the current state of global manufacturing. Chris shares how his experience working with consumer products has translated into solutions for these three pain points from software innovation and cost-savings perspectives. Chris shares details about the technology Origin will be debuting to the market later this year and reasons for the approach they have taken compared to competitors. Finally, Chris shares his vision for 3d printing in creating “impossible geometry” and new classes of products in industries like high performance footwear for mass customization.

In this episode we are joined by Ricky Yean, co-founder and CEO of Upbeat, to discuss how technology is disrupting journalism. After graduating from Stanford University, Ricky started Crowdbooster.com to help the UN, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nike, jetBlue, and many other organizations measure and optimize their social media channels. After reaching profitability, Ricky pivoted CrowdBooster into Upbeat, a platform which uses a combination of software and interpersonal storytelling to empower and optimize the delivery of stories for various businesses. In a time where fake news can sway a population and anyone can create a media empire from their laptop, Ricky discusses his goal to find the signal among the noise and deliver the right content to the right consumers.

This episode features a conversation with classically trained dancer Ariane Michaud who attended the Boston Conservatory. She is now a consultant for various organizations, including the Design for Dance Conference, which intersects dance, performing arts, and emerging technologies including virtual reality. We go through her unique trajectory that starts off in the traditional realm of the arts. We discuss how a master of her art form has successfully launched forward into a variety of sectors, defying traditional roles as an artist and bringing her love for the arts and championing it uniquely in today's modern society.

Please visit www.imaginehuman.com for further information and resources.

Please visit www.imaginehuman.com for further information and resources.

In an increasingly fast-paced, turbulent, and fearful world, millions around the globe are turning to the spiritual mind-body practices including meditation to find solace from stress and better emotional well-being. In this segment, we examine how technology can help us understand how these practices are impacting our emotional well-being as well as our physiological stress indicators.

In this episode we are joined by Eric Scott, a Partner at SciFi Venture Capital. Inspired at a young age by his family’s steel company, Eric shares his experiences and passion for entrepreneurship. He discusses his current role on the other side of the table, investing in synthetic biology and virtual reality companies as part of SciFi’s investment thesis.

In this episode we are joined by Jerica Lee, a Project Specialist at the World Economic Forum. Jerica shares her work with the Ocean’s initiative, what got her started, and how the World Economic Forum is leveraging synergies between public-private partnerships and this fourth industrial revolution of technology for global change.

For transcript, links, and other resources mentioned in the podcast, go here: https://imaginehuman.com/episode-2-the-world-economic-forum-tackles-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-5b768cb2a719

See full description here: https://medium.com/imagine-human/episode-1-inside-bitcoin-the-faceless-future-of-money-3449b74e02c8