Date: TBD

Suggested Readings

• Today nearly half the world's population lives in an urban area and by 2050, that number is expected to reach 70% due to an increase in Urbanization

• Urban areas and their large populations often hold power over governance, economic development, and international connectivity beyond their immediate regions

• With proper planning, urban centers can provide unique educational and economic opportunities to residents

• However, cities can also easily give rise to slums and increase income inequality

• With growing footprints, cities are also struggling to provide basic needs, essential services, and safety

• Urban planners must balance the speed of decision-making with the need for thoughtful, well-considered programs for development

• As urban areas expand, how can we develop areas that are efficient, resilient, and inclusive?

• What qualities in society should be valued most? 

• What is fair and equitable? 

• Whose interests will be served first? 

Date: TBD

Suggested Readings

• Antarctica is the highest, driest, and coldest continent with no permanent population 

• It is governed by a collection of agreements between fifty-four countries

• The Treaty System designates the entire continent and surrounding waters for scientific endeavors, bans on military activity, and promotions of environmental research and preservation

• Antarctica is the most remote place on Earth, yet it is highly regulated and heavily impacted by activities around the globe; parts of the continent are polluted by sewage, discarded machinery, fuel products, and rubbish

• Antarctica is thought to be rich in minerals and resources, though a ban on mining is in place through 2048

• Antarctica also holds over 60% of the Earth's fresh water in an ice sheet that contains 90% of the Earth's total ice volume

• As global temperatures rise, ice sheets are breaking apart and melting faster, endangering local wildlife and entire ecosystems

• Without a consistent population or a sovereign state, Antarctica possesses a unique space within political, economic, and environmental crossroads

• How can Antarctica be sustainably utilized yet simultaneously preserved to best benefit our global population?

Date: TBD

Suggested Readings

• Transport needs, desires, and realities are rapidly changing due to global growth and increased connectivity

• As transportation evolves, increasing levels of complexity and efficiency are pursued

• What role will autonomous vehicles, cars, airplanes, ships, etc., which operate without human intervention, play in this pursuit?

• Not all scenarios are programmable, so autonomous vehicles must learn to react by surveying their environment with sensors and AI

• Autonomous vehicles can deliver on demand, refuel, park, and store themselves

• How will the efficiency of autonomous vehicles affect the development of transportation, on land and sea, in the air, and possibly space? 

• How will autonomous transport cope with unexpected risk situations and ethical decisions? 

• In what ways will autonomous transport impact jobs, industries, infrastructure, and lifestyles?