Call for Creative Futures

Speakers

Lauri Lajunen

Professor Lauri Lajunen, born 2nd March 1950, graduated with Ph.D in 1976 from the University of Helsinki. Ever since he has worked as Professor of inorganic chemistry in the University of Oulu and as Rector since 1993. In 1985 he worked as a visiting professor in the Florida State University.

Rector Lajunen is a member of several national and international organisations in his field (eg. IUPAC IV Comission) and he has given lectures in international congresses on his own field and on the development of universities. As Rector of the University of Oulu he has participated actively in the discussion of Finnish science policy and university policy.

Rector Lajunen is Honorary Doctor of Arkhangelsk State Engineering University (1999); Honorary Professor of the University of Hainan, China (2002); Honorary Professor of the Moscow State University of Food Production (2005); Member of Finnish Academy of Technology (1996) and Member of Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (2001).

Mauri Ylä-Kotola

Mauri Ylä-Kotola (Ph.D.) is the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki and in August 2006 he has started as the rector of the University of Lapland. From the year 2004, he has also worked as the vice chairman in the European Insitute for a Sustainable Information Society. Dr. Ylä-Kotola has published ca. twenty books (f.ex. The Integrated Media Machine I-IV (EDITA ja Lapin yliopisto 2000-2004)). His field of expertise are applications of media technology in the experience industry and culture and arts. He has been managing over 30 media and design projects, of which the most famous one is the virtual representation of winter for the needs of tourism and entertainment industry.

Mika Aaltonen

Mika Aaltonen is a Head of Development, Ph.D. (Econ.), Adjunct Professor
Foresight & Complexity, at Lappeenranta University of Technology.
He divides his time between several interesting projects and people: He is
a planning committee member of American Council for United Nation
University Millennium Project in Washington, board member of
TimeAdventurers' Club in Copenhagen, editorial board member of E:CO
journal, and founding member of the Kenos Circle in Vienna.

Mika Aaltonen is working on sensemaking, strategy, complexity, foresight,
knowledge management and storytelling issues about which he has written 10 books
and several articles. His latest book is "Complexity as a Sensemaking
Framework" which he wrote (May 2005) together with Theodor Barth, John L.
Casti, Eve Mitleton-Kelly and T. Irene Sanders. And the forthcoming
book, due to September 2006 for Ashgate Publishing Limited, will be
called "Sense-Making and Strategic Decision-Making".

Pirjo Ståhle

Dr. Pirjo Ståhle is a professor in Knowledge Management at Department of Business Administration, Lappeenranta University of Technology and a visiting professor at the Finland's Futures Research Center.

Professor Ståhle has pioneered the research of knowledge management in Finland. She has written many fundamental books of Knowledge Management both in Finnish and in English. Currently her research interests are in 1.Innovations and Creative Knowledge Capital, 2. Measuring renewal Capability of organizations and 3. Connection between intellectual capital and value formation of organizations and nations.

Pirjo Ståhle has lead several extensive change- and innovation processes in companies, public organizations and higher education institutions. During 1998 to 2001 she worked in Sonera Oyj as the Chief Knowledge Officer.

www.stahle.fi/

Sara Diamond

Sara Diamond has been President of the Ontario College of Art & Design since July 2005. Sara Diamond received her post-secondary education in Canada and the United Kingdom as a social historian, communications and new media theorist and creative practitioner. Diamond comes to the Ontario College of Art & Design from The Banff Centre, Canada's national and international premier professional development institution. Diamond began her work there in 1992 and served as the Artistic Director of Media and Visual Art until 2003, and then as Director of Research for the entire Banff Centre from 2003 to 2005. She created the renowned Banff New Media Institute (BNMI) in 1995 and led this research and development centre for ten years. Diamond developed international summits and workshops that explored the near future of new media. She built alliances between artists, designers, architects, scientists, social scientists, and international and Canadian businesses. Under her leadership, BNMI developed award winning new media co-productions. She led research teams in data visualization, mobile new media content and engineering, fashion and technology, distance learning, collaborative methods and tools for collaboration, and art and technology. Diamond established new media and business development models and built and funded Accelerator initiatives. Diamond created and was Editor-in-Chief of www.horizonzero.ca, an on-line showcase for new media art and design, in collaboration with Heritage Canada.

Diamond taught at Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, The California Institute for the Arts and remains Adjunct Professor, University of California, Los Angeles in the Design/Media Department. Diamond is a practicing artist and designer, working in video installation, artist's television and most recently conversation visualization software, artificial intelligence and performance. She has represented Canada in international biennials and festivals and her art and design work has won awards in Canada and abroad. Her work resides in collections such as the National Gallery of Canada and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She contributes to scholarly journals and books, speaks about media history and practice around the world and is the curator of video and new media exhibitions in Canada and abroad. She has acted as a new media consultant to Heritage Canada, and DFAIT, as well as international governments, institutions and agencies as diverse as China, United Kingdom, Argentina, Finland, Australia, Brazil and the USA.

Roope Mokka

Roope Mokka (MA) civic interventionist, researcher and an
entrepreneur. He the founding member of Finland's first independent
think tank Demos Helsinki.

At Demos Helsinki Mokka is currently working on the reformation of the
Finnish welfare society. His other topics of interests include
democracy and climate change, the future of cities and urban
lifestyles and co-produced media. Previously Mokka has been working as
a new markets analyst and a journalist. Mokka is also the publisher of
a urban culture magazine, Läs.

Aleksi Neuvonen

Aleksi Neuvonen (MA) is civic entrepreneur and researcher. He is the
founding member of Finland's first independent think tank Demos
Helsinki.

At Demos Helsinki Neuvonen is currently working on the reformation of
the Finnish welfare society. His current topics of interest include
democracy and climate change, the future of cities and urban
lifestyles. Previsously he has been writing, presenting and lecturing
on the foundations of future studies, innovation policy, technological
foresight, urban planning, creative industries, challenges of public
sector and sustainable development. Neuvonen is the founder and the
chairman of the ecological NGO Dodo and vice chair for the Finnish
Association for the Club of Rome.

Sandra M. Dingli

Dr. Sandra M. Dingli is Director of The Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking at the University of Malta where she lectures on creativity and innovation, on the de Bono thinking techniques, on philosophy of mind and on the philosophy of artificial intelligence to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Institute was initially set up as a Programme in collaboration with Professor Edward de Bono in October 1992. The Edward de Bono Institute launched a unique postgraduate degree, a Master of Arts in Creativity and Innovation, in October 2004, which Dr. Sandra Dingli has designed and coordinated.

She obtained her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Durham in 2002. Her Ph.D. thesis was entitled On Thinking and the World: John McDowell on Mind and World. Her research interests are in the areas of creativity and innovation, as well as in the areas of thinking, philosophy of mind, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, organizational creativity audits, education and foresight.



Call for Creative Futures Programme Workshops Organizers Location Speakers Registration Live Stream Follow-up		Speakers Lauri Lajunen Professor Lauri Lajunen, born 2nd March 1950, graduated with Ph.D in 1976 from the University of Helsinki. Ever since he has worked as Professor of inorganic chemistry in the University of Oulu and as Rector since 1993. In 1985 he worked as a visiting professor in the Florida State University. Rector Lajunen is a member of several national and international organisations in his field (eg. IUPAC IV Comission) and he has given lectures in international congresses on his own field and on the development of universities. As Rector of the University of Oulu he has participated actively in the discussion of Finnish science policy and university policy. Rector Lajunen is Honorary Doctor of Arkhangelsk State Engineering University (1999); Honorary Professor of the University of Hainan, China (2002); Honorary Professor of the Moscow State University of Food Production (2005); Member of Finnish Academy of Technology (1996) and Member of Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (2001). Mauri Ylä-Kotola Mauri Ylä-Kotola (Ph.D.) is the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki and in August 2006 he has started as the rector of the University of Lapland. From the year 2004, he has also worked as the vice chairman in the European Insitute for a Sustainable Information Society. Dr. Ylä-Kotola has published ca. twenty books (f.ex. The Integrated Media Machine I-IV (EDITA ja Lapin yliopisto 2000-2004)). His field of expertise are applications of media technology in the experience industry and culture and arts. He has been managing over 30 media and design projects, of which the most famous one is the virtual representation of winter for the needs of tourism and entertainment industry. Mika Aaltonen Mika Aaltonen is a Head of Development, Ph.D. (Econ.), Adjunct Professor Foresight & Complexity, at Lappeenranta University of Technology. He divides his time between several interesting projects and people: He is a planning committee member of American Council for United Nation University Millennium Project in Washington, board member of TimeAdventurers' Club in Copenhagen, editorial board member of E:CO journal, and founding member of the Kenos Circle in Vienna. Mika Aaltonen is working on sensemaking, strategy, complexity, foresight, knowledge management and storytelling issues about which he has written 10 books and several articles. His latest book is "Complexity as a Sensemaking Framework" which he wrote (May 2005) together with Theodor Barth, John L. Casti, Eve Mitleton-Kelly and T. Irene Sanders. And the forthcoming book, due to September 2006 for Ashgate Publishing Limited, will be called "Sense-Making and Strategic Decision-Making". Pirjo Ståhle Dr. Pirjo Ståhle is a professor in Knowledge Management at Department of Business Administration, Lappeenranta University of Technology and a visiting professor at the Finland's Futures Research Center. Professor Ståhle has pioneered the research of knowledge management in Finland. She has written many fundamental books of Knowledge Management both in Finnish and in English. Currently her research interests are in 1.Innovations and Creative Knowledge Capital, 2. Measuring renewal Capability of organizations and 3. Connection between intellectual capital and value formation of organizations and nations. Pirjo Ståhle has lead several extensive change- and innovation processes in companies, public organizations and higher education institutions. During 1998 to 2001 she worked in Sonera Oyj as the Chief Knowledge Officer. www.stahle.fi/ Sara Diamond Sara Diamond has been President of the Ontario College of Art & Design since July 2005. Sara Diamond received her post-secondary education in Canada and the United Kingdom as a social historian, communications and new media theorist and creative practitioner. Diamond comes to the Ontario College of Art & Design from The Banff Centre, Canada's national and international premier professional development institution. Diamond began her work there in 1992 and served as the Artistic Director of Media and Visual Art until 2003, and then as Director of Research for the entire Banff Centre from 2003 to 2005. She created the renowned Banff New Media Institute (BNMI) in 1995 and led this research and development centre for ten years. Diamond developed international summits and workshops that explored the near future of new media. She built alliances between artists, designers, architects, scientists, social scientists, and international and Canadian businesses. Under her leadership, BNMI developed award winning new media co-productions. She led research teams in data visualization, mobile new media content and engineering, fashion and technology, distance learning, collaborative methods and tools for collaboration, and art and technology. Diamond established new media and business development models and built and funded Accelerator initiatives. Diamond created and was Editor-in-Chief of www.horizonzero.ca, an on-line showcase for new media art and design, in collaboration with Heritage Canada. Diamond taught at Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, The California Institute for the Arts and remains Adjunct Professor, University of California, Los Angeles in the Design/Media Department. Diamond is a practicing artist and designer, working in video installation, artist's television and most recently conversation visualization software, artificial intelligence and performance. She has represented Canada in international biennials and festivals and her art and design work has won awards in Canada and abroad. Her work resides in collections such as the National Gallery of Canada and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She contributes to scholarly journals and books, speaks about media history and practice around the world and is the curator of video and new media exhibitions in Canada and abroad. She has acted as a new media consultant to Heritage Canada, and DFAIT, as well as international governments, institutions and agencies as diverse as China, United Kingdom, Argentina, Finland, Australia, Brazil and the USA. Roope Mokka Roope Mokka (MA) civic interventionist, researcher and an entrepreneur. He the founding member of Finland's first independent think tank Demos Helsinki. At Demos Helsinki Mokka is currently working on the reformation of the Finnish welfare society. His other topics of interests include democracy and climate change, the future of cities and urban lifestyles and co-produced media. Previously Mokka has been working as a new markets analyst and a journalist. Mokka is also the publisher of a urban culture magazine, Läs. Aleksi Neuvonen Aleksi Neuvonen (MA) is civic entrepreneur and researcher. He is the founding member of Finland's first independent think tank Demos Helsinki. At Demos Helsinki Neuvonen is currently working on the reformation of the Finnish welfare society. His current topics of interest include democracy and climate change, the future of cities and urban lifestyles. Previsously he has been writing, presenting and lecturing on the foundations of future studies, innovation policy, technological foresight, urban planning, creative industries, challenges of public sector and sustainable development. Neuvonen is the founder and the chairman of the ecological NGO Dodo and vice chair for the Finnish Association for the Club of Rome. Sandra M. Dingli Dr. Sandra M. Dingli is Director of The Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking at the University of Malta where she lectures on creativity and innovation, on the de Bono thinking techniques, on philosophy of mind and on the philosophy of artificial intelligence to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Institute was initially set up as a Programme in collaboration with Professor Edward de Bono in October 1992. The Edward de Bono Institute launched a unique postgraduate degree, a Master of Arts in Creativity and Innovation, in October 2004, which Dr. Sandra Dingli has designed and coordinated. She obtained her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Durham in 2002. Her Ph.D. thesis was entitled On Thinking and the World: John McDowell on Mind and World. Her research interests are in the areas of creativity and innovation, as well as in the areas of thinking, philosophy of mind, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, organizational creativity audits, education and foresight. Read more: Sandra Dingli's Bio/cv (pdf)