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SUMMARY:Erna Hamburger Prize 2025 "What we get wrong about how technology 
 helps poor people"
DTSTART:20251007T183000
DTEND:20251007T210000
DTSTAMP:20260313T055010Z
UID:9a697bbdb24e219c84189c844a50b3638ff2fa471389c513ae0a3371
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Since 2006\, the Erna Hamburger Prize distinguishes influentia
 l\, leading women scientists who are transforming their field and executin
 g change. The prize is awarded by the EPFL-WISH Foundation (Women In Scien
 ce and Humanities).\n\nThe Erna Hamburger Prize 2025 will be awarded to :\
 nDr. Rose M. Mutiso\n\nDr. Rose M. Mutiso is a Kenyan scientist\, thought 
 leader\, and social entrepreneur. She is the Founder and Executive Directo
 r of the African Tech Futures Lab (ATFL)\, a new institute helping decisio
 n-makers across the continent navigate emerging science and technology acr
 oss energy\, climate\, AI and digital systems. Previously\, she was Resear
 ch Director at the global think tank Energy for Growth Hub\, where she led
  work on energy transitions and emerging energy technologies in Africa and
  other energy-poor regions. She currently holds joint appointments as Scie
 nce Advisor to the Energy for Growth Hub and Senior Fellow of the Conceptu
 al Investigations Unit at Stanford University. \n \nThe award ceremony w
 ill be held on Tuesday\, October 7th at 6:30 pm at the auditorium SG 1138.
  \n\nProgramme:\n6:30pm – Welcome words – Françoise Bommensatt Vice P
 resident for Finances\n6:35pm – Wish Foundation presentation – Giulia 
 Tagliabue WISH foundation Vice President\n6:45pm – Introduction of the L
 aureate –  Ginevra Larroux master student\n6:55pm – Lecture by Dr. Ro
 se Mutiso\n7:30pm – Q&A session \n7:55pm – Closing – Remarks – Pr
 ize is awarded\n8:00pm – Cocktail\n\nSummary of her presentation: "The c
 oncept of technological leapfrogging\, by which developing countries can s
 kip traditional development stages or specific incumbent technologies and 
 adopt newer approaches\, has dominated African development discourse for d
 ecades. Mobile phones are the canonical success story\, with Africa’s ra
 pid adoption in the mid-1990s to 2000s fueling optimism about replicating 
 this phenomenon across sectors. But too often\, these leapfrogging narrati
 ves are built on hype\, misdiagnosed problems\, and a reluctance to face h
 ard truths about poverty\, infrastructure gaps\, and structural inequality
 .\nIn this lecture\, I draw from my experiences working on energy transiti
 ons and innovation policy across the Global North and South to unpack what
 ’s missing in our conversations about technology and development. Why do
  promising innovations so often fall short of impact? What makes some succ
 eed against the odds? And what does it take to ensure that new technologie
 s actually serve the people who need them most? \nUltimately\, I argue fo
 r a shift from shortcut thinking to structural thinking\, and from tech op
 timism to tech realism\, as we imagine more inclusive and durable pathways
  for science and technology in Africa and beyond. As Africa faces new tech
 nological frontiers from artificial intelligence to biotechnology and next
 -generation energy systems\, the stakes of getting this right are higher t
 han ever."\n\n 
LOCATION:SG 1138 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SG%201138
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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