Lecture to Examine Responsibilities of Technological Innovation
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty member Craig A. Miller will present the concluding lecture in the college’s Centennial Colloquia Series on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
Miller, an assistant professor of history/political science, will offer a talk titled “Technology, Power and Responsibility” in the college’s Klump Academic Center Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public.
At a college of applied technology, Miller says, it is important to discuss and assess the responsibilities associated with technological innovation.
To illustrate the maxim “choices have consequences,” Miller will evaluate the technological, economic, environmental and cultural issues that surrounded the construction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways, a massive undertaking that involved technological innovation, colossal financing, unique labor arrangements and the displacement of American Indians from Minnesota to California.
He revisits the challenges, costs, consequences and benefits of the railroads with an eye toward the present and future.
Examining the history of the transcontinental railway from all angles helps to reveal the unintended consequences of historical choices. Recognizing such consequences in a complex, interconnected society improves our ability to make informed choices.
A faculty member at Penn College since 2011, Miller holds a doctorate in history from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, with specialties in Native American, Atlantic, and constitutional and legal history. He is a native of Woodstock, N.Y.
Penn College presents the Centennial Colloquia Series in celebration of 100 years of education on its campus. The series features presentations by nationally known authors and Penn College faculty that challenge our thinking about the impact of technology on the past, present and future.
In the spirit of all colloquia, a question/answer period will follow Miller’s presentation; the conversation can also continue during the reception that will follow.
For more about the college, which is celebrating its Centennial throughout 2014, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
Miller, an assistant professor of history/political science, will offer a talk titled “Technology, Power and Responsibility” in the college’s Klump Academic Center Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public.
At a college of applied technology, Miller says, it is important to discuss and assess the responsibilities associated with technological innovation.
To illustrate the maxim “choices have consequences,” Miller will evaluate the technological, economic, environmental and cultural issues that surrounded the construction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways, a massive undertaking that involved technological innovation, colossal financing, unique labor arrangements and the displacement of American Indians from Minnesota to California.
He revisits the challenges, costs, consequences and benefits of the railroads with an eye toward the present and future.Examining the history of the transcontinental railway from all angles helps to reveal the unintended consequences of historical choices. Recognizing such consequences in a complex, interconnected society improves our ability to make informed choices.
A faculty member at Penn College since 2011, Miller holds a doctorate in history from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, with specialties in Native American, Atlantic, and constitutional and legal history. He is a native of Woodstock, N.Y.
Penn College presents the Centennial Colloquia Series in celebration of 100 years of education on its campus. The series features presentations by nationally known authors and Penn College faculty that challenge our thinking about the impact of technology on the past, present and future.
In the spirit of all colloquia, a question/answer period will follow Miller’s presentation; the conversation can also continue during the reception that will follow.
For more about the college, which is celebrating its Centennial throughout 2014, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.