Immigrants: we get the job done. But at what cost to our identity? You are invited to a one-hour discussion about the identity of immigrants to the United States. Illah Nourbakhsh's personal story spans Iran, the United States, NASA, Silicon Valley entrepreneurship and the life of a university professor. He will use his personal background to discuss the blurring of identities for immigrants who dive deep into technology innovation in a world of increasing inequity and inequality. After remarks and an in-depth community conversation, He will provide ten copies of his book, Turn Left, to members of the audience through a raffle.
Illah Reza Nourbakhsh is Kavcic-Moura Professor of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, inaugural Executive Director of the Center for Shared Prosperity, and co-director of the Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment Lab. He was the Inaugural K&L Gates Professor of Ethics and Computational Technologies. He obtained his PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University. In 2009 the National Academy of Sciences named him a Kavli Fellow. In 2013 he was inducted into the June Harless West Virginia Hall of Fame. He was previously Robotics Group Lead for NASA/Ames during the MER landings, and is a retired civil servant, NASA GS15/10. In 2019 he was named a Hastings Fellow. He has co-authored textbooks and popular literature, including Robot Futures and AI and Humanity. He is a trustee of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Winchester Thurston School and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project. He is a Director at Open Planet, a London-based Community Interest Corporation, and also President and a director at Friends of Open Planet, a 501(c)3 based in the United States.
ADA Accommodation Requests