Igniting inspiration in young minds is at the heart of WIRED Next Generation. And the one-day event – of which previous speakers include actor Andy Serkis, astronaut Tim Peake and hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks – has announced the first guests taking up the baton this year.
Curated for schoolchildren aged 12 to 18, WIRED Next Generation seeks to engage the age group by introducing attendees to trends that may impact them in years to come. The event also makes the case for stronger science, technology, engineering, arts and maths education in Britain, and provides workshops and hands-on product demonstrations to stimulate and engage young minds.
WIRED Next Generation’s speakers are the main draw, and this year’s initial line-up covers a broad range of specialisms including robotics, space, polar science, anti-FGM activism and therapy and venture capitalism. Each area of expertise will be discussed and presented to attendees. The speakers now confirmed to do so are:
Silas Adekunle, CEO and co-founder of Reach Robotics. Leading projects that combine gaming, robotics and biology, Adekunle is the creator of MekaMon, the smartphone-controlled AR gameplay platform that lets real-life robots fight and level up.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Sky at Nightpresenter and space scientist. Aderin-Pocock is also the presenter of Do We Really Need the Moon?, Do We Really Need Satellites? and Brave New World.
Head of imaging at Core Research Laboratories, Farah Ahmed, a specialist in intriguing internal discoveries. Ahmed’s role involves visualising the internal anatomy of fossil skulls, finding bubbles of Martian atmosphere in meteorites, digitising the huge skeleton of the blue whale and uncovering the final meals of deep-sea anglerfish.
Polar scientist and former research director of the European Space Agency, Beth Healey. Healey is a medical doctor specialising in the research of human health in extreme environments; an area that is key to the future of space travel and interplanetary colonisation.
Leyla Hussein, a founder of the Dahlia Project – the UK’s first specialist therapeutic service for FGM survivors. Hussein is an anti-FGM activist, psychotherapist and founder of Daughters of Eve, a charity working to end gender-based violence.
The final of the six announced speakers is the founder of The Twenty Minute VC podcast, and part of the Atomico VC fund team, Harry Stebbings. Not only is Atomico Europe’s largest VC fund, Stebbings’ podcast is the biggest venture-capital podcast in the world, with more than 185,000 listeners.
With such expertise in attendance, and more speakers to be announced, the day looks set to be an energising and engaging opportunity for young minds. The whole-day programme will offer inspiration on an array of topics. Half-day tickets are also available.
WIRED Next Generation will take place on Saturday November 4, at Tobacco Dock, London – following WIRED Live, also at Tobacco Dock on November 2-3.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
