Professional Development Event
Evolution and Technology: forces shaping women’s roles and opportunities
27 January 2025 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM PST | Moscone West, Community Stage (Level 2)
Join us for lunch and explore how human evolution and technology have shaped women's roles and opportunities, and what the future holds for gender equality.
As a consequence of human evolution, women bear the disproportionate energetic cost of propagating the species, a fact that shaped women’s historical roles. In the last 12,000 years, technology has emerged as force that has both hindered and helped equality of the sexes. This talk will examine how these two forces brought us to the current state of women’s opportunities, and what the future might bring.
Presenter: Jennifer Barton
Jennifer Kehlet Barton received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She previously worked for McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) on the International Space Station program. She is currently the Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and is additionally appointed in Optical Sciences, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Medical Imaging at the University of Arizona. She has served as department head of Biomedical Engineering, Interim Vice President for Research, and is currently Director of the BIO5 Institute, a collaborative research institute dedicated to solving complex biology-based problems affecting humanity. She is a Fellow and 2024 President of SPIE, the International Society for Optics & Photonics.
MENU: Boxed lunch service for the first 80 guests. Gluten-free and vegetarian options available. Soft drinks and water provided.
SETUP: Round tables with approximately 8 chairs per table.
Join us for a day of panel presentations, lightning talks, and networking.
Separate registration is required. Member $50*, Non-Member $75.*
More information can be found here
Evolution and Technology: forces shaping women’s roles and opportunities
As a consequence of human evolution, women bear the disproportionate energetic cost of propagating the species, a fact that shaped women’s historical roles. In the last 12,000 years, technology has emerged as force that has both hindered and helped equality of the sexes. This talk will examine how these two forces brought us to the current state of women’s opportunities, and what the future might bring.
Presenter: Jennifer Barton
Jennifer Kehlet Barton received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She previously worked for McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) on the International Space Station program. She is currently the Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and is additionally appointed in Optical Sciences, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Medical Imaging at the University of Arizona. She has served as department head of Biomedical Engineering, Interim Vice President for Research, and is currently Director of the BIO5 Institute, a collaborative research institute dedicated to solving complex biology-based problems affecting humanity. She is a Fellow and 2024 President of SPIE, the International Society for Optics & Photonics.
Event Details
FORMAT: Lunchtime education session with presentation followed by live audience Q&A.MENU: Boxed lunch service for the first 80 guests. Gluten-free and vegetarian options available. Soft drinks and water provided.
SETUP: Round tables with approximately 8 chairs per table.
Attend a Celebration of Women in Optics on Sunday 26 January.
Join us for a day of panel presentations, lightning talks, and networking.
Separate registration is required. Member $50*, Non-Member $75.*
More information can be found here