Georgia Tech’s Institute for People and Technology hosts its annual People & Technology Forum Nov. 12-13 at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center. The forum is a two-day event featuring visionary speakers, thought-provoking discussions, research demonstrations and in-depth workshops that explore the disruptive role of technology paired with human-centered innovation. The forum will bring together insightful business leaders, innovative entrepreneurs, brilliant researchers and committed public leaders to examine how emerging technologies will shape the future of society. Portions of the event will be open to the public, while others will be exclusive to IPaT’s research partners.

The opening keynote speaker will be Ralph de la Vega, AT&T Mobility president and CEO. Speakers on the second day include Hakan Kostepen, executive director of Product Planning Strategy and Innovation of Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America; Jay Wright, vice president of Business Development at Qualcomm; Bruce H. Thomas, deputy director of Advanced Computing Research Centre and NICTA Fellow of the School of Computer and Information Science at the University of South Australia; David Kobia, co-founder and director of Technology Development at Ushahidi; and Michael Hess, executive vice president, Data Fusion and Integration at Nielsen.

The Big Data Meets Social Media panel will address how social media supplements or confounds traditional information sources and practices in our increasingly complex world. The Mobile Devices and Beyond panel will pose the question: Beyond simply faster/better/smaller devices, what breakthroughs will lead us into the next generation of connected life? The Civic Computing panel will address how technology can change the way we interact with people in our communities—from more engagement in our neighborhoods, to facilitated interactions with government agencies, to stronger support for self-reliance in times of emergencies.

The forum also highlights student innovations through the Convergence Innovation Competition (CIC), a highly successful Georgia Tech student competition designed to accommodate direct student-industry interaction and delivery of commercially viable applications and prototypes. The Fall CIC is aligned with GT Journey, a project that supports students and the entire campus community in the creation of applications, immersive experiences and crowd-sourced campus information. Entries will be functioning end-to-end prototypes with a strong emphasis on a user experience that enhances or improves campus life. Winners of the Fall CIC will be announced at the People & Technology Forum.

Attendees will have the opportunity to preview Georgia Tech’s FutureMedia Outlook 2013 before its release in December 2012. The report outlines megatrends that will shape the future of media, content and information in the next five years. To learn more about the Georgia Tech People & Technology Forum, visit http://ipatforum.gatech.edu.

The Georgia Tech People & Technology Forum builds on the enthusiasm and success of FutureMedia Fest 2010 and 2011. The forum has grown to take a more expansive view of how technology and innovation impact lives. Since 2009, more than 1,500 people have participated in this fusion of ideas and imagination. This year’s event will continue Georgia Tech’s tradition of delivering an exemplary program of speakers and research demonstrations.