Decisions and Future
All of us have to make decisions – everyday. Small ones, big ones, some being just for the moment, yet others are for a time far ahead in the future. How do we make these decisions? We can listen to our gut feelings. We can search the internet for advice. We can use scenarios to practice the future. We can move through simulated moments, events, places as if we were already living in them. We can take a walk or go running. We can write down the pros and cons of each of our options. We can ask our friends and family for advice. Or talk to people who were faced with the same choices and find out what they think or what actions they took. Everybody has their own and varied ways to find the right decisions for the future.
Karlsruhe has a range of experts on this topic – it is a place with a history for breaking new ground and exploring the future. More than 40,000 students attend university and college in the Karlsruhe region, many people work in research and other graduate professions, in start-ups and as freelancers in creative jobs. All of them make the Karlsruhe Region a place that is very much alive, full of entrepreneurial spirit and ideas.
At TEDxKIT 2016, we want to hear about these ideas and listen to various people from various backgrounds: What do they think about decisions and future?
Program
1:30 pm
Admission & Registration
2:00 pm
Session 1
- Opening Introduction
- TED Introduction video
- Speaker 1: Michael Feindt
- Speaker 2: Schoole Mostafawy
- Speaker 3: Andreas Ch. Braun
Break
Session 2
- TED video
- Speaker 4: Bijan Khazai
- Speaker 5: Theresa Himmelsbach and Anthea Müller
Meet & Talk
Session 3
- TED video
- Speaker 6: Rafaela Hillerbrand
- Speaker 7: Nils Menrad
- Speaker 8: Christof Weinhardt and Margeret Hall
Presenter
Markus Brock
TELEVISION, RADIO AND EVENT PRESENTER
Markus Brock, born 1963, works as a television presenter for 3sat, arte and SWR. He presented „MuseumsCheck“ for 3sat, „Die Grenzgänger“ for arte, „Musikalische Reise“ for SWR, MDR, RBB and HR, as well as big live feature programmes for SWR. For many years he has moderated SWR’s primetime infotainment talkshow „SamstagAbend“, and the television magazine “Nachtkultur”. Furthermore the trained journalist with studies in politics and sociology used to present “Landesschau Baden-Württemberg” for several years, and hosted numerous radio programs for 10 years at the SWR – in addition to various other shows for ARD, ZDF and SWR. Moreover he regularly anchors congresses, discussion meetings, forums and events addressing a broad range of topics.
Speakers
Up until now, people found it difficult to make the right rational decisions. Usually one acted intuitively. This has proved successful in evolution but in the age of digitalization this is no longer up-to-date.
Andreas Ch. Braun
TOPIC: TRUST AND FUTURE – HUMAN BEINGS AND DECISIONS IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX WORLD
The world is getting more and more complex each day. Along this process, automated decision making tools are increasingly applied. Although computers are far more efficient than human beings in some cases, (…)
The world is getting more and more complex each day. Along this process, automated decision making tools are increasingly applied. Although computers are far more efficient than human beings in some cases, for instance, to crunch large sets of numbers. The human mind is the worlds most advanced tool when it comes to taking generalized and synoptic decisions. Shouldn’t we rely more on ourselves and our generalizing capabilities than we rely on computers? Shouldn’t we trust more in each others diligent consideration more than we trust in arithmetically computed figures?
People move. They leave their existing homes and find themselves new places. This fate is shared by things. Without doubt, works of art are the mirror of the global achievements of civilization. Depending on the area or country they come from, the period they belong to, and the context they are in, they seem familiar, foreign or exotic. A closer look, however, reveals that they are much more complex: Works of art prove the diversity and far-reaching interrelations between nations and cultures in a world that has been networked for a long time. Once things are viewed from this perspective, the sociopolitical debates of our time seem to lose their explosive nature. The collection exhibition “WeltKultur / GlobalCulture“ deals with the phenomenon of having one’s home in one place and in many places, the phenomenon of the productive exchange between cultures, people, and things.
Rafaela Hillerbrand
TOPIC: UNCERTAIN PREDICTIONS FOR AN UNCERTAIN WORLD. HOW TO REALIZE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE NONETHELESS
The ballpark figure of the expected global warming has not changed since the 1970s. And still, mankind spends enormous amounts to improve climate models in order to reduce the uncertainty about our future. (…)
The ballpark figure of the expected global warming has not changed since the 1970s. And still, mankind spends enormous amounts to improve climate models in order to reduce the uncertainty about our future. Humankind is like a rabbit caught in the headlights when it comes to dealing with uncertain information. But the future is and will remain uncertain. How we are capable of acting nonetheless is the topic of this talk.
Bijan Khazai
TOPIC: IGNITING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SUPPORTING DECISIONS IN NATURAL DISASTERS
Disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and floods have devastating impacts on a community’s ability to thrive. Actionable decisions to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters require a personalized understanding of risk. (…)
Disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons and floods have devastating impacts on a community’s ability to thrive. Actionable decisions to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters require a personalized understanding of risk. Most existing catastrophe risk assessment models consume huge amounts of time and data and are costly to use. They are commonly applied for assessment of high-value facilities, but numerous small and medium enterprises throughout disaster prone regions typically do not have the capacity and financial means to employ these modeling tools and services. Opening up risk models to a wider community and communicating risk outputs in a way that is useful to ordinary citizens and businesses can play a pivotal role in being better prepared for natural disasters. At the KIT Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM) and through the Karlsruhe-based innovation group – Risklayer – we are working on new solutions that create a personalized understanding of risk through informative and interactive assessments of the present and future risk environment.
Theresa Himmelsbach and Anthea Müller
TOPIC: INDEPENDENCE ENCOURAGES RESPONSIBILITY
Everyone is familiar with the “need of making a decision”, however, the members of Engineers Without Borders appreciate the “liberty of making a decision”. This student club offers an unique opportunity for taking responsibility. (…)
Everyone is familiar with the “need of making a decision”, however, the members of Engineers Without Borders appreciate the “liberty of making a decision.” This student club offers young students an unique opportunity for trial and error and taking responsibility. An extraordinary additional training or more likely a serious work space for future engineers? Anthea Müller and Theresa Himmelsbach speak about having concrete in your hair and pro and cons of flexible rules and regulations.
Christof Weinhardt and Margeret Hall
TOPIC: DO WE CHOOSE WHAT WE DESIRE? USING PARTICIPATORY DECISIONS TO PERSUADE CITIZENS TO MAKE CONSISTENT AND SUSTAINABLE DESCISSIONS
A dilemma in future smart cities with tremendous effects on citizens’ wellbeing is the unconscious tradeoff between short- and long-term goals. (…)
Christof Weinhardt studied Business Engineering and completed his doctorate in economic sciences in 1989 at the Technical University in Karlsruhe. Currently he is professor at the Institute for Information Systems and Marketing (IISM) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). 2006 he became a member of the advisory group “Internet of Energy” of the German Industry Association (BDI). For the period from 2010 – 2013 he was appointed official expert in the Enquete Commission “The Internet and the digital Society” of the German parliament. Together with his research group he is involved in a large number of research projects – both in science and in industry.
Margeret Hall is Senior Researcher and head of the Strategic Initiative ‘Participation and Crowd Services’ at the Karlsruhe Service Research Institute (KSRI). Dr. Hall’s research investigates the integration of digital systems and people, and the digital lifestyle. Her PhD concentrated on the measurement of health and happiness for the creation of sentiment-based indicators for community management, specifically in the case of online communities. Prior to starting her PhD, she worked at the United Nations Office in Geneva and at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Audit and Legal Affairs, and at Bayer Business Services in Training and Process Management. She completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Policy studies in the United States, Lebanon, and Switzerland. As a member of the ACM-W Europe Outreach committee, she actively promotes the gender equality in science in technology by raising awareness of the importance of women in STEM professions.
Nils Menrad
TOPIC: MAGIC DWELLS IN EACH BEGINNING
Three years ago I came up with the idea to found a documentary festival in Karlsruhe – dokKa (www.dokka.de). Now I have reached the point to look back, to see things from a certain distance; and I am wondering about how I took the decision to start something like this. (…)
Three years ago I came up with the idea to found a documentary festival in Karlsruhe – dokKa (www.dokka.de). Now I have reached the point to look back, to see things from a certain distance; and I am wondering about how I took the decision to start something like this.Venue
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Campus South
Building 11.30
Engelbert-Arnold-Straße 2
76131 Karlsruhe
Directions
Coming from North: Frankfurt and Heidelberg (A5)
- Exit the motorway A5 (direction Karlsruhe/Basel) at the Karlsruhe-Durlach exit.
- Continue towards Karlsruhe (first exit).
- Follow the four-lane road (Durlacher Allee), and then turn to the right (Adenauerring).
- After a short distance you reach the main entrance on the left.
Coming from Northwest: Köln and Koblenz (A61)
- Follow the motorway A61 until you reach the A5 (direction Karlsruhe/Basel)
- Exit the motorway A5 at the Karlsruhe-Durlach exit.
- Continue towards Karlsruhe (first exit).
- Follow the four-lane road (Durlacher Allee), then turn to the right (Adenauerring).
- After a short distance you will reach the main entrance on the left.
Coming from East: Munich and Stuttgart (A8)
- Follow the motorway A8 direction Karlsruhe until you reach the junction Karlsruhe.
- Proceed to the motorway A5 to Frankfurt.
- Exit the motorway A5 at the Karlsruhe-Durlach exit.
- Continue towards Karlsruhe (first exit).
- Follow the four-lane road (Durlacher Allee), then turn to the right (Adenauerring).
- After a short distance you will reach the main entrance on the left.
Coming from South: Basel and Freiburg (A5)
- Exit the motorway A5 direction Frankfurt at the Karlsruhe-Durlach exit.
- Continue towards Karlsruhe (first exit).
- Follow the four-lane road (Durlacher Allee), then turn to the right (Adenauerring). After a short distance you will reach the main entrance on the left.
The exact times of departure are available on the website of the Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund (stop „KIT-Campus Süd“). Information about travel data of the railway is provided by the Deutsche Bahn.
Airport Stuttgart
Take tram line S2 or S3 to Hauptbahnhof Stuttgart, then change to a train to Karlsruhe (for exact times of departure, please refer to the train schedule of German Rail).
- There are various ways to reach Campus North or Campus South by bus or tram. The exact times of departure are available on the website of Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund.
- If you wish to proceed to Campus North or Campus South by car, make sure to approach us from the east.
- Check the website of Stuttgart Airport for flight connections.
Airport Frankfurt
- The long-distance train station is in close proximity of the airport. Once you get there, take a train to Karlsruhe (for exact times of departure, please refer to the train schedule of German Rail).
- There are various ways to reach Campus North or Campus South by bus or tram. The exact times of departure are available on the website of Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund.
- If you wish to proceed to Campus North or Campus South by car, make sure to approach us from the north.
- Check the website of Frankfurt Airport for flight connections.
Airport Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden (Baden-Airpark)
- The buses available at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport will take you to the train stations of Rastatt or Baden-Baden where you will find trains leaving to Karlsruhe. The Baden-Airpark-Express line will take you to Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof.
- There are various ways to reach Campus North or Campus South by bus or tram. The exact times of departure are available on the website of Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund.
- If you wish to proceed to Campus North or Campus South by car, make sure to approach us from the south/southwest.
- Check the website of Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport for flight connections.
