Sherry Turkle, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an expert in the field of people's relationship to technology, has been announced as the speaker for the April 26 Richard E. Snyder Presidential Lecture, according to Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser.
Glaser said that the talk, titled "CyberIntimacy/CyberSolitude," will be about "the importance of technology on children and society and the implications of the Web and all the changes that are happening."
He expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming lecture, part of a series that takes place every semester.
"We're really excited about her," Glaser said. "She's very highly regarded in her field, and she has a reputation for giving a really fabulous talk."
Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT. She has done extensive research on human cultural and psychological interaction with technology. She is currently studying robots and digital pets and companions.
Glaser noted that Turkle's area of expertise is especially pertinent to students.
"Her work is very cutting-edge; she's researching a part of our daily lives," he said. "It should be especially relevant for [the college student] generation … given that [they've] grown up with technology."
Glaser explained that in choosing speakers for the Snyder Lecture series, the university seeks to bring in individuals engaging in groundbreaking research.
"We are really interested in bringing to campus people who take on conventional wisdom, who challenge conventional wisdom," he said. "They are people who are breaking new ground in their fields … and [who we want] to celebrate … in our environment. They are major international figures who our students should know."
More details about the lecture and ticketing will be made available closer to the event date. Past lecturers have included Michael Pollan, Salman Rushdie and Freeman Dyson.
