Monday, April 2, 2018

9:30 – 10:30 THE ARTS

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden 3.0

Speaker: Dana Murdoch, Architect and Design Project Manager

After 25 years and over 8 million visitors, Minnesota’s iconic outdoor destination was in need of some very serious TLC. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, a partnership between the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Walker Art Center, closed for more than a year to undergo some not-so-noticeable infrastructure reconstruction as well as some very-noticeable design and art changes. The almost 10-year funding, planning, design, and construction process resulted in a more sustainable, accessible, and refreshed 3.0 version that more than half a million visitor enjoyed in the first summer it was reopened.

10:45 – 11:45  SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The Internet of Things (IoT)

Speaker: Justin Grammens, Co-founder of Lab651; Owner of IoT Weekly;
Co-founder of IoT Fuse;
 Adjunct Professor at University of St. Thomas

The Internet of Things (IoT) can be found in your home, your office, your car, your city–really it’s everywhere around you–but what is it? How is it being used and what’s in store for the future? The IoT is the network of ordinary, everyday objects being embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and connectivity. This gives them intelligence that they never had before and will change our world. Products like smart cars, thermostats controlled from a smartphone, streetlight sensors, and medication dispensing devices are already creating efficiency, safety, and comfort. With more than 20 billion connected devices projected by 2020, the IoT is one of the fastest growing areas of technology today. This presentation will discuss where the IoT came from, where it is today, and where it is headed in the future. We will also look at some real world examples of where technology and connected products and devices are making a difference.

11:45 – Noon ANNOUNCEMENTS
12:00 – 1:15 LUNCHEON

1:15 – 2:15  WRITERS AND READERS

The Bride Price

Speaker: Mai Neng Moua, Lawyer and Author

What happens when the established customs of your native culture clash with the culture of your new land? What is the significance of the bride price in the Hmong culture? Moua came to the United States as a young child. She has a poignant story about her life experiences growing up between two diverse cultures. She struggled with her mother’s insistence on following Hmong tradition with regard to the bride price and with all the repercussions that followed.