Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow

Would you help me welcome Author Andrew D. Maynard who published the book Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow (Physics of Time, Climate Change, Future of Humanity).

I received a copy of Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow in exchange for a spot in our Christmas Gift Guide Shopping for: Men.

“Maynard has written a thoughtful and thought-provoking response to the moment we’re in, chronicling how we got here, where we’re going, and what role we have in that journey forward”. —Ramona Pringle, Director of Creative Innovation Studio and Associate Professor, Ryerson University

#1 New Release in Science & Math and Time

Human beings can—and do—change the future. Over the course of the past 14 billion years, humanity has gained the ability not only to imagine the future, but to design and engineer it. At times entertaining and at others profound, Future Risingby Dr. Andrew Maynard, professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at ASU, provides a highly original perspective on our relationship with the future.

We have a responsibility to change the future for the better. As a species, we have become profoundly talented architects of our own future. And yet, we so often struggle to come to terms with what this means and the responsibility that comes with this ability. As our world is driven along by the breakneck speed of innovation and rapidly-shifting norms and expectations, we sometimes need to find a still, quiet place to pause and think. Future Rising sets out to create such a quiet place, where we can take advantage of our species’ knowledge of the environment, world history, and the importance of science to piece together a positive picture of the future.

To create a good future, rediscover the past. Our relationship with the future is inextricably intertwined with where we’ve come from, who we are, and what we aspire to. Written to be easy to pick up and hard to put down, Future Rising starts at the beginning of all things with the Big Bang and traces a pathway along the emergence of intelligent life, through what makes humans uniquely capable of imagining and creating different futures, to the profound responsibilities that this comes with.

In a series of sixty short reflections, Future Rising takes you on an often-startling journey into:

• What “the future” actually is
• How it molds and guides our lives
• How we can use the history of the world to change our future

If you enjoy nonfiction science and history books like Until the End of Time, Humble Math, or When, then you’ll love Future Rising.

About Andrew D. Maynard

Andrew Maynard is the author of Future Rising: A Journey from the Past to the Edge of Tomorrow, and Films from the Future: The Technology and Morality of Sci-Fi Movies. He is an Associate Dean in the Arizona State University College of Global Futures, and Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Nexus. His work lies at the nexus between technology, society and the future, and focuses on socially responsible innovation.

Andrew was born in Preston in the UK in 1965, and moved to the US in 2000. Following an early passion for science, he studied Physics a the University of Birmingham, graduating with a B.Sc.in 1987.

After a brief interlude as a management trainee for Severn Trent Water (where he developed a fascination for water treatment and reclamation), he started studying for his doctoral degree in 1989, and graduated with a PhD in Electron Microscopy and Aerosol Physics from the University of Cambridge in 1993.

Between 1992 and 1999 Andrew conducted and led research into occupational aerosol exposure with the UK Health and Safety Executive, and in January 2000 he moved to the US to develop a research program addressing nanoparticle exposure in the workplace, with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health — one of the first programs in the world to do this.

Between 2002 – 2005, Andrew became increasingly involved in research into the potential health impacts of engineered nanomaterials, and was instrumental in establishing US Federal research programs addressing possible risks.

In 2005, he left the federal government, and served for five years as Chief Science Advisor to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Over the next several years, he cemented his reputation as a a leading international scholar and communicator on the challenges and opportunities of developing emerging technologies safely and responsibly

In 2008, Andrew was invited to join the World Economic Forum Council on Nanotechnology, and continue to work closely with the Forum on supporting socially responsible and beneficial innovation.

Since 2005, he has served on National Academy of Sciences committees on nanotechnology, and science communication, and has testified before congressional committees on a number of occasions on responsible technological development.

In 2010, Andrew was appointed as the Charles and Rita Gelman Professor of Risk Science at the University of Michigan, and Director of the University of Michigan Risk Science Center, and between 2012 – 2014 he served as chair of the University of Michigan Environmental Health Sciences department in the U of M School of Public Health.

Andrew moved to Arizona State University in 2015 as a professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Director of the ASU Risk Innovation Lab, and Chair of the ASU Master of Science and Technology Policy program. In 2020 he was appointed as associate dean for student success in the College of Global Futures at ASU.

At ASU he continues his work on exploring and addressing the socially responsible and responsive development of emerging and converging technologies, including synthetic biology and gene editing, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence, and more broadly exploring our relationship with the future from a transdisciplinary perspective.

In 2018 Andrew published his first popular science and technology book, Films from the Future, which explores emerging trends in technology innovation. His most recent book, Future Rising, is an intimate exploration of our relationship with the future, and our responsibility to it.

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Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates