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MilkCrate’s guide to Philly Tech Week: The innovative green events you won’t want to miss

TechniCulture 2015. April 28, 2016 Category: EventFeaturedLongPurpose

Disclosures

This is a guest post by Milkcrate co-op Sam Weingarten.
Philly Tech Week is back with its sixth installment, and we at MilkCrate are particularly excited about some of this year’s green-centered events.

Organized by Technical.ly and presented by Comcast, the week of April 29 brings over 140 events citywide in a celebration of innovation and technology. These events host almost 90 speakers and span seven diverse fields: creative, access, dev, civic, business, sciences and media.

Now more than ever, sustainability and technology are integrating to bring seemingly impossible ideas to life. Although there’s not yet technology advanced enough for you to attend all 140 events, listed below are a few we have chosen that relate to the future of sustainability. We had the chance to chat with a few of the event organizers to get the inside scoop.

EvoHax — Hack To Change Lives

Evohax

(Courtesy photo)

Philadelphia University — Design, Engineering and Commerce (DEC) Center

4/30/16 — 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

5/01/16 — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

@EvoXlabs

No, we’re not talking about computer-based crime. The phrase “hackathon” is used here in the sense of programming exploration. Software and hardware developers, graphic designers and interface designers collaborate intensively on a project corresponding to a theme, this year’s theme being “Technologies for the future: green/sustainable/accessible.” A hackathon is an opportunity to create, learn, and grow from fellow tech developers.

From our Partners

The Scoop: By Ather Sharif, Founder, EvoXLabs

Who is your event meant for?

Tech students and professionals, people with disabilities, and medical professionals and students.

What should guests expect?

A fun environment where participants will hack to change lives using modern state-of-the-art tools and equipments, such as 3D printers, for people with disabilities.

What makes your event unique?

evoHaX is a one of its kind hackathon happening for the third time. It portrays the truest sense of diversity and universal design where solutions will be designed keeping accessibility, sustainability and green elements in mind.

If somebody cannot attend, where can they learn more about your company and goals?

evoxlabs.org lists our projects and also has the summary of the solutions developed in our previous hackathons. evohax.com contains the information about the current event. Or, get in touch with us at info@evohax.com.

How Tech Is Changing The Way We Eat

Foodee

(Courtesy image)

Farmer’s Keep — 10 S. 20th St.

5/02/16 — 5 to 6 p.m.

@foodee, @farmerskeep

Abbie Riley of Foodee, a corporate food delivery service, discusses how tech is shining light on the way we eat and how nutrition impacts us, especially at work. The talk touches on rapidly changing office cultures, the race to hold a stake in the food delivery business, and how you and your company can change eating habits. There will be complimentary beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres served by Farmer’s Keep.

The Scoop: By Abbie Riley, city manager, Foodee

Who is your event meant for?

Anyone who is interested in food and tech!

What should guests expect?

A chill time talking about trends in the way we eat, live, connect and work. And how tech is changing all of that.

What makes your event unique?

We’re just a cool group of people looking to spot tech trends and ride them! Farmer’s Keep is the bomb, and they’re going to be providing snacks!

If somebody cannot attend, where can they learn more about your company and goals?

We bring the city’s best food to your office. Plain and simple. 

Transforming Tomorrow Today: How Emerging Technologies and Trends are Reshaping Greater Philadelphia

DVRPC Future Forces

(Courtesy image)

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

190 N. Independence Mall West, 8th Floor

5/03/16 — 2 to 5 p.m.

@DVRPC

Lying quietly beneath any cultural hub like Philadelphia is the potential for driving change in our ever-developing world. Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is on the forefront of these social, technological, economic, environmental and political changes. Join them to discuss and learn about the “Future Forces” group and their “Long-Range Plan, Connections 2045”.

The Scoop: By Brett Fusco, assistant manager, Long-Range Planning, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

Who is your event meant for?

Urbanists, the tech community, and anyone interested in how technology and other emerging trends may affect transportation and development in the future.

DVRPC worked with an interdisciplinary Futures Group, which identified a set of “Future Forces” that are driving non-linear change in Greater Philadelphia. Future Forces can arise from social, technological, economic, environmental or political trends. Join us to learn and discuss the key forces driving regional change, how data and new technologies are shifting how we get around, where we work, what we do; along with actions we can take to better prepare the region for the future.

What should guests expect?

The event will kick-off with a presentation by Futures Group members on Future Forces. Small groups will have discussions on the Future Forces, what they mean for Greater Philadelphia, how they impact the region’s tech community and how technology can help to build a better future.

What makes your event unique?

This is your chance to become a part of the Futures Group, which is a key component of DVRPC’s comprehensive long-range planning. This multidisciplinary group will meet a few times each year to discuss how change is occurring in the region, and consider what it means.

This effort will help inform DVRPC current updates to the region’s Long-Range Plan, Connections 2045. This important planning document is a federal requirement and enables the metro area to receive over a billion dollars of federal transportation funds every year. As part of the update process, we are embarking on a series of visioning workshops that examine the Future Forces.

If somebody cannot attend, where can they learn more about your company and goals?

Check out our Long-Range Plan website and connect with us on social media @DVRPC.

TechniCulture

TechniCulture event

(Courtesy photo)

Drexel University — Mitchell Auditorium

4/29/16 — 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

@philaculture

Designed to deepen relationships between the cultural and tech communities, TechniCulture encourages and inspires cultural organizations to think more innovatively and entrepreneurially. This event is hosted by Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and sponsored by Drexel University’s Expressive and Creative Technologies (ExCITe) Center.

The Scoop: By Maud Lyon, president, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

Who is your event meant for?

People who work in the arts or in tech, who are interested in the process of using technology and design thinking to craft unusual, innovative solutions; and to celebrate our region’s burgeoning tech resources. If you’re a student, an extra bonus: Since our host-sponsor is Drexel’s ExCITe Center, students get in free with ID!

What should guests expect?

This year’s event includes a keynote by Sree Sreenivasan, the first chief digital officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He often describes his work as “operating a startup in a 150-year old organization.” Sree leads a world-class team of 70 working on topics he loves: digital, social, mobile, video, data, email apps and more.

Following the keynote, the TechniCulture Innovation Residency Awardees (Tiny Dynamite, Philadelphia Young Playwrights and Christ Church Preservation Trust) will present projects from their four-month micro-residencies, where they’ve been working with technologists to evaluate their digital needs and start building solutions. A panel of judges will evaluate their proposals and choose a winner to receive $20,000 in grant funding from The Barra Foundation, and $5,000 in pro-bono legal services from Morgan Lewis. The two runners-up will each receive $10,000 from Barra. A “People’s Choice Award” winner selected by the audience will receive an additional $1,000 prize sponsored by University City Science Center.

What makes your event unique?

Tech and arts and culture are two of the fastest growing and most creative sectors in Philadelphia, and TechniCulture is where the two come together! You’ll be amazed to see what kind of digital innovations can be accomplished when the creative forces from each world combine.

We also want guests to provide their input and feedback on the projects by tweeting with us @philaculture and using hashtag #TechniCulture. There will be lots of great insights and practical next steps you can use, whether you work in arts and culture or you’re a digital technologist interested in working with museums, theaters or other cultural groups. Not to mention that it’s a great networking opportunity!

If somebody cannot attend, where can they learn more about your company and goals?

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is the region’s leading arts and cultural advocacy, research and marketing organization. Our membership includes over 450 organizations ranging from museums and dance companies to community art centers, historic sites, music ensembles and zoos. You can learn more about our members and our work on behalf of the sector at philaculture.org, and find more information about the TechniCulture initiative specifically at  philaculture.org/techniculture.

Be sure to register soon for any events you’re interested in. Spots are limited and filling up. 

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