Past Dorsett Fellows

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In case you missed it, watch with your Dartmouth ID here.

Technology is changing everything, but it's also moving more quickly than we can keep up with—how can we make sure it works for us instead of against us? Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and former editor-in-chief of WIRED, says that  innovations have improved our lives in countless ways—"We live longer, eat better, and keep powerful computers in our pockets"—but we need vigilant journalism and an engaged society that is prepared to keep Big Tech in check. An award-winning author and former editor at The New Yorker, Nicholas teaches us what technology like ChatGPT can mean for our society, and how we can thrive in a future defined by new rules, new values, and new possibilities.

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Watch here with your Dartmouth ID

STEVEN PINKER asks the big questions about human progress—and sets out, in public, to answer them. In 2018's Enlightenment Now, Pinker argues that, despite the headlines, the world is getting better, not worse. (Bill Gates calls it "my new favorite book of all time.") In optimistic keynotes, full of sharp wit, common sense, and dazzling argumentation, Pinker makes the case for reason, science, and humanism. These Enlightenment ideals, in the face of tribalism, authoritarianism, and other modern dangers to democracy, are worth celebrating—and protecting.

"Enlightenment Now is not only the best book Pinker's ever written. It's my new favorite book of all time"

— Bill Gates on Enlightenment Now

January 27, 2020 at 4:30 WATCH HERE

Nina Tandon is at the cutting edge of science where sci-fi meets reality. She works on growing artificial hearts and bones that can be put into the body, and studies the new frontier of biotech: homes, textiles, and videogames made of cells. Named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business, and one of Foreign Policy's 100 Leading Global Thinkers, Tandon speaks on the future of healthcare and technology. 

Nina Tandon is leading the charge of biology's industrial revolution. She is the founder and CEO of EpiBone, the world's first company growing living human bone for skeletal reconstruction. The benefits of this revolutionary stem cell technology, which has already been approved by the FDA for clinical trial, include simplified surgery, improved bone formation, and shorter recovery times for patients. "Being able to use your own cells means you're empowered to heal yourself as well," says Tandon, who also co-authored Super Cells: Building with Biology, a book cataloguing the latest biotech inventions "using nature's building block: the cell."

Nina Tandon believes that the era of engineered tissues—like, for example, a replacement kidney grown in the lab—is just beginning. Tandon shows us how we (and our bodies) have lived through most of history (Body 1.0), and then how we evolved into "cyborgs" with implants (such as pacemakers and artificial joints, Body 2.0). Now, Body 3.0 is all about growing our OWN body parts. For her Ph.D. thesis, Tandon grew cardiac cells that beat like tiny hearts. In this thrilling and eye-opening talk, she explains the process of growing tissue and transplants, and the future of medical science. With the help of manufacturing and information technology, we are on the verge of being able to grow human tissue—and Tandon is here to walk us through this unbelievably exciting era.