Other events
Past events
Martine Rothblatt - Honorary Doctor of Laws
DR. MARTINE ROTHBLATT
Nominated by the Chair in Transgender Studies
In 2017, Forbes Magazine named Dr. Martine Rothblatt as one of the “100 Greatest Living Business Minds of the past 100 years.” On Wed., Nov. 13th, 2019, Martine Rothblatt received an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree from the University of Victoria. Watch her inspirational convocation speech now on YouTube.
On the following evening, Thurs., Nov. 14th, 7:30 PM, Martine Rothblatt joined Aaron Devor, Chair in Transgender Studies, for a "Fireside Chat" about her remarkable life and accomplishments.
"FIRESIDE CHAT"
Thurs., Nov. 14th, 2019, 7:30PM
David Lam Auditorium, MacLaurin Bldg., UVic
By donation ($20 suggested)
Accessibility Information
ABOUT MARTINE ROTHBLATT
CEO Of Geostar GPS
Founded Sirius Satellite Radio
Founded United Therapeutics,
maker of medicines & procedures that have saved 1000s of lives
Built world’s 1st electric helicopter
Transhumanist: leader in robotics & artificial intelligence
Transgender role model
To learn more about Martine Rothblatt, and why she is so deserving of this recognition, download her bio. and watch our video about her and her contributions.
Martine Rothblatt, PhD, MBA, JD, is a dual Canadian/American citizen, who is an entrepreneur, lawyer, author, and a tremendously accomplished trans woman. Rothblatt has a stellar record of creating new advances that have enhanced the lives of people around the globe. As a renaissance thinker, trailblazing innovator, and pioneering leader, she has spent decades at the forefront of satellite communications, and life-saving pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.DOWNLOAD EVENT POSTER
Lynn Conway - Honorary Doctor of Engineering
Honorary Doctor of Engineering
Lynn Conway (honorary doctor of engineering, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m.) is a computer scientist and engineer who helped to pioneer modern information technology and is a leading advocate for transgender rights.
Conway did foundational research in computer architecture at IBM in the 1960s. The company fired her in 1968 as she underwent gender transition and she had to rebuild her career in “stealth” in a new name and identity.
A decade later she was teaching at MIT, co-authoring with Carver Mead the foundational engineering textbook, Introduction to VLSI Systems, innovating an Internet e-commerce system for rapid silicon-chip prototyping that led to today’s industrial models for microelectronics design and production, and receiving many high honors for that work.
Conway came out upon retirement in 1999 as emerita professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan. A tireless voice for trans people, she was included in Time magazine’s 2014 list of 25 transgender people who have influenced American culture.
FREE Public Events
Wednesday, Nov. 9th, 2016
10:00am
Convocation Ceremony
| Watch Video | Download Convocation Speech |
2:30-4:00pm
Coffee & Conversation with Lynn Conway
7:30-9:00pm
Public Talk: "Our Travels Through Techno-Social Space-Time: Envisioning Incoming Waves of Technological Innovation"
Presented in partnership with the Faculty of Engineering and the Chair in Transgender Studies.
How can we visualize our life-journeys through an ever-more rapidly-changing techno-social landscape? How did the processes of social-change begin speeding-up in the first place? Where are we headed as we enter the looming techno-social age? These questions are on ever-more minds all around the world. For some insights we reflect on, and then follow, these words of wisdom from Winston Churchill:“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see.”
| Watch Video | Download Presentation |
Thursday, Nov. 10th, 2016
7:00-8:30pm
Public Talk: "An Invisible Woman: The Inside Story Behind the Microelectronic Computing Revolution in Silicon Valley"
Presented in partnership with the Chair in Transgender Studies, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Greater Victoria Public Library.
In 2015 Megan Smith, Chief Technology Officer of the United States, raised profound questions about women’s contributions in science, engineering and math being erased from history. In this talk we explore a case study of such erasure, and surface a very counter-intuitive conjecture about the underlying causes and effects.
| Watch Video | Download Presentation |
"The Many Shades of Out" - Lynn Conway (2016)
"Our Travels Through Time: Envisioning Historical Waves of Technological Innovation" - Lynn Conway (2015)
"A Place to be Wild" - VIDEO (2014)
"Thank Lynn Conway for your cell phone" - Nicole Casal Moore (2014)