Author: Andrew Maynard

Andrew Maynard is a scientist, author, and one of the nation’s leading thinkers on socially responsible and ethical innovation.

Categories
Films from the Future Risk

Channel-specific YouTube searches

I’ve been playing around with a way to search a given YouTube channel from a simple form input, and the form below seems to work pretty well.

Multi channel search

I specifically wanted a way to search the growing number of YouTube videos of readings from Films from the Future, allowing people to find videos that tackle specific topics. But it’s also a promising way to search the videos on other channels, including Risk Bites.

I’ll be developing a fuller version of this when the Future Rising video cycle is complete.

Categories
Education

Congratulations to this year’s Master of Science and Technology Policy graduates!

One of the many hats I wear is Chair of the Master of Science and Technology Policy program at Arizona State University – a really interesting program that prepares its graduates to be policy experts in a tech-rich future.

It’s always a bittersweet moment when it’s time to graduate our students — bitter as I love having them around and working with them, and sweet as I get to see the amazing ways they go out and change the world.

This year, with coronavirus, we didn’t have thew chance to congratulate them in person, and instead held a virtual convocation for all of the school’s graduating students.

Here’s my brief address as part of that – my CONGRATULATIONS to some of the most fantastic students I get to work with:

… and because I, quite frankly, was disturbed by the pomp and ceremony of donning full academic regalia for this as we’re all learning to navigate the impacts of coronavirus from our homes, and authenticity is more important than ever as we do, here’s my “you’ve got to be kidding …” making of 🙂

Enjoy!

Categories
Personal

Taking a Twitter Time Out

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Twitter over the years.

In the beginning, I used to love the feeling of community and connection — getting to know people I never would have otherwise met, and developing personal and professional relationships along the way.

But recently, I’ve found the platform to be a harsh, unwelcoming place, and one that more often than not reveals my inadequacies and lack of worth — and sheer irrelevance — without the counterbalance of meaningful connections.

And I’ve found it tougher than I would have expected when people I connected with years back stop engaging with me, or colleagues I’ve known and worked with for a long time actively unfollow me — and I know you’re not supposed to take this personally, but I do.

But more than this, it’s the sheer weight of combined social messaging that keeps up a constant barrage of signals that tell me what I secretly know — I’m not valued, that I’m a bore, that I have nothing of worth to say or give; that I should just be quiet.

And so I’m going to be quiet — at least for the month of May. Then we’ll see how I feel after a few weeks away from the platform.

With that, Twitter’s gone from my phone and my computer. The browser window’s been closed. And I’ll be resisting the temptation to take a peek, just to see what’s going on.

In the meantime, I do need to work out where else to get my news from …

Categories
Films from the Future

Listen to Films from the Future for free

In a moment of insanity the other day, I decided to record myself reading Films from the Future aloud, and post the videos on my personal Youtube channel.

It’s a decision I may come to regret for many reasons. But heck, now I’ve started, I might as well persevere …

There was some method to my madness — I wanted to make Films as accessible as possible to people who are grappling with the isolation brought about by coronavirus. And in the absence of being able to give the book away, I set out to do the next best thing and post recordings of myself reading from the book on YouTube.

Continue reading “Listen to Films from the Future for free”
Categories
Future Rising Book

Earthrise

When I started writing my forthcoming book Future Rise, the intent was publish it today, April 22 2020 — the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day.

Sadly, publishing timelines and coronavirus ended up scuppering this plan, and the publication date has been pushed back. Yet despite this, the book remains deeply influenced by, and relevant to, our relationship with the planet we live on, and the future we’re building with it.

And so, to mark this year’s Earth Day, I’m posting the book’s introduction and the first chapter, in recognition of our relationship with the future, and our increasingly important responsibility to it.

Continue reading “Earthrise”
Categories
General

Why study science and technology policy at ASU? Ten reasons …

As chair of the Master of Science and Technology Policy program at Arizona State University, one of my responsibilities is making sure potential students know about the program, and how it aligns with their career goals and aspirations.

To help get the word out, we’re working on a series of short videos that explore ten reasons why someone might be interested in the program. And because I really don’t like polished corporate video content, these are not your usual recruitment videos 🙂

We already have the first two up (not in order of course – why think in straight lines when you don’t have to!), and there will be eight more to come over the next few weeks.

Check them out here – irrespective of whether you are a science and technology policy geek, or just want some light entertainment!

Categories
Communication

Science Videos Made Simple

A few years ago, I developed and ran a couple of workshops for scientists on how to create simple but effective whiteboard-style videos, using little more than a smartphone, tripod and computer.

At the time, I produced a series of training modules to accompany the workshops. I’ve just posted these on this website as a resource for anyone who’s interested in creating effective science communication videos, and is looking for some guidance.

There are eight modules and an overview – it’s worth starting with the overview, but you can jump straight to the different modules here:

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. FOCUS
  3. SCRIPT
  4. STORYBOARDING
  5. VOICEOVER
  6. FILMING
  7. EDITING
  8. FINISHING TOUCHES

The training modules use the short video below as an example of what can be achieved on a budget.

(This is one of two example videos – the other uses a whiteboard to produce the visuals)

Please feel free to use, and pass along!

Categories
Health

How do face masks work?

Over the past few weeks, advice on using face masks and respirators to slow the spread of COVID-19 has shifted from general use being discouraged, to a growing push for widespread use–including the use of DIY face masks.

The move makes sense: reducing the potential for infected users to spread the virus through coughs, sneezes, or simply breathing, is important. Yet just because something looks like a mask, doesn’t mean that it works like one.

This is where it’s helpful to have an idea of the science behind how face masks and respirators work, and it’s why we created this short Risk Bites primer:

The primer doesn’t go as far as providing advice on how to make a DIY face mask. But it does give some insights into the science behind making a DIY face mask that is more effective. These include:

  • Recognizing that, apart from the largest particles, face masks don’t act like a sieve;
  • Using non-woven textiles if possible such as swiffer cloths or blue shop towel (as in this great article); And
  • Realizing that air–and the particles it carries–follow the path of least resistance, meaning that if there’s a leak or a gap around the edge of a face mask, that’s where the particles will go.

Of course, masks made out of whatever fabric is available are probably better than nothing (as long as they don’t make it hard to breathe, or don’t end up saturated with infectious droplets), especially where they capture or deflect large droplets from coughs and sneezes.

Yet if you know something about what makes masks work better, it’s easier to make one that’s more likely to protect the user and others, and not just look like it does.

Categories
Research

An introduction to aerosol dynamics

Back in the early 2000’s I taught a graduate course at the University of Cincinnati on aerosol dynamics. It was an introductory course that covered the basics of airborne particle physics, including how they behave, what affects this behavior, and how to sample and characterize them.

With the growing coronavirus-inspired interest in face masks and respirators–especially DIY ones–I dug my course notes out, and was surprised at how detailed they are.

And so, just in case anyone’s looking for a crash course in aerosol dynamics, either because they are simply curious, or they want to build a better face mask, here are those notes:

DOWNLOAD: INTRODUCTION TO AEROSOL DYNAMICS

These were written for the class participants rather than for public consumption, and so they are a little clunky in places. And of course, the state of the science has moved on since they were last updated in 2004. Yet the notes still do a surprisingly good job of covering the basics of aerosol behavior in a way that remains relevant today.

Please feel free to share and use – they are provided under a Creative Commons CC- BY-SA license

UPDATE: One of the key resources for this course was an Excel spreadsheet developed by a good friend and colleague Paul Baron that included an exceptionally comprehensive set of calculations for determining, predicting and modeling aerosol behavior. That “aerosol calculator” can be downloaded here.

Categories
Risk Innovation

A new blog from the Risk Innovation Nexus

A couple of years ago, we created the Risk Innovation Nexus (formerly the Risk Innovation Accelerator) at ASU — a unique initiative aimed at helping entrepreneurs, startups and others navigate an increasingly complex risk landscape between good ideas and social and economic success.

Having spent the past 18 months developing a growing set of resources and tools for entrepreneurial communities, we’re beginning to engage with a larger community of entrepreneurially-minded individuals and organizations, and with this, we have finally launched our long-anticipated blog: Rethinking Risk.

You can read my first post on risk in a time of coronavirus here — as well as signing up for regular updates from the Nexus.