ORLANDO, Fl. — Jack M. Carroll, distinguished professor at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST,) will deliver a lecture at the University of Central Florida on Jan. 26.
His distinguished lecture, “Pushing Community: From Community Network to Innovation Infrastructure,” will focus on the current challenges facing community engagement in the information age.
In modern mass society, it’s often said that there is a sense of “lost community,” or disengagement amongst individuals. Carroll will detail how cities can find new ways to innovate social infrastructures to strengthen collective identity, and to increase community interactions. Several of his research projects have focused on enhancing awareness and participation for local issues and events, like using applications for “timebanking,” that allow people to negotiate transactions with time and skills rather than money.
Carroll said, “One point I am making is that smart cities need to do more than manage electricity and sewage; they need to enrich human possibilities.”