June 7, 2021
IBM’s Rhonda Childress to discuss emergent technologies that will make for a more effortless home life
Join us at Discovery Place Science on June 26 to explore the interconnected ecosystem of artificial intelligence.
CHARLOTTE – This month, Discovery Place Science will host an in-person adults’ afternoon that showcases the interconnected ecosystem of artificial intelligence in our lives today.
Doors open at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 26, for the special event, Science on Screen: Back to the Future II. It will begin with a keynote address by IBM’s Rhonda Childress followed by a screening of the 1989 film, Back to the Future II, and a private viewing of the Museum’s latest traveling exhibition, Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind & the Machine.
At 3 p.m., Childress will give a talk on emergent technologies that will make for a more healthy, effortless and sustainable home life.
As one of only 35 female IBM Fellows in the company’s history, Childress has created many firsts in her 28-year IBM career, including being the first IBM Service’s female Master Inventor, first IBM Security Fellow and first IBM Fellow from a Historically Black College or University. She holds over 220 U.S.-issued patents related to a multitude of fields, including cyber security, aviation, Internet of Things, mobility and system management.
Childress currently serves as vice president and privacy officer of Global Technology Services at IBM. She is a global champion for the advancement of women and other underrepresented minorities across the industry and is known to be unrelenting at breaking down barriers and paving pathways for today’s youth to find their futures in science, technology, engineering and math.
Following her talk, guests will watch the sequel to Back the Future in which Marty McFly and Doc Brown zoom in their infamous DeLorean to 2015 in an effort to prevent Marty’s son from sabotaging the family’s future. Their plans go awry as arch nemesis Biff discovers Doc’s invention and uses it for his own profit. After disastrously disrupting the space-time continuum, Marty and Doc must return to 1955 to set things right in Hill Valley.
Science on Screen: Back to the Future II <LINK>, which is sponsored by IBM, is $15 per person. Advance ticket purchase is required as capacity is limited. Masks are optional for those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. We ask that all others continue to wear their face coverings while in the Museum. For more information or to purchase your ticket, visit the event page.
Science on Screen: Back to the Future II is the third and final installment in a series of talks and screenings Discovery Place is hosting as part of a Science on Screen grant from The Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Discovery Place is one of 37 nonprofit organizations in the nation to receive a Science on Screen grant for Spring 2021. The events pair expert-led discussion on scientific topics with screenings of related feature and documentary films.
An initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.