The Forum’s Resident Historian Vincent Dixon speaks on The History of Industrial Revolutions

On May 23rd, The Forum’s Resident Historian Vincent Dixon will speak on The History of Industrial Revolutions. Industrial Revolutions have developed in sequences over many centuries. While many of us tend to hear of “The” Industrial Revolution, there have been distinct waves of Industrial Revolutions, and as we begin to enter the AI Revolution, it is useful to review, the different Industrial Revolutions, and even to look further back. Each Revolution has distinct characteristics as technology and society interact, and transform each other, in a dynamic and hybrid set of interactions. While we cannot know every detail, with any ease, we can learn from thinking about these transformative periods and/or eras.

Vincent Lawrence “Vince” Dixon is a known Historian, in Eastern Massachusetts, especially focused on presentations including Colonial History; Civics; Current Events, and their Relationship to History; Constitutional History; Church-State Relationships, Evolutions, and Relationships with Civic Society; Parks, and Landscape History; and has also taught and tutored. He has done work in curriculum development, is a frequently published columnist, and speaker; and responds to custom requests. MASS PRESENTATIONS (a dba brand, of Dixon’s) develops a wide variety of presentations, including media, curriculum, and published materials, across a wide range of audiences, and subject matter. Dixon has made many presentations, including to Winchester Historical Society: Religious Realities of Winchester: Houses of Worship and Communities of Faith; Schools of Winchester and Their Namesakes (including an exploration of The Lincolns of Massachusetts); Sports History of Winchester (A Virtual Event – by Zoom); History of Vaccination, Immunization, and Disease Prevention; A First Family of Figure Skating: The Vinson Owen Family. – He has also presented to the Sudbury Militia Group, covering several historical eras, including the American War of Independence. He has regularly conducted Town Day Trolley Guided Tours; and will again, on this year’s Winchester Town Day, Saturday, June 7, 2025 – The ABCs Of Winchester History – During This 175th Anniversary Year of Winchester. Additional previous presentations have been made to Cambridge Historical Society; and he is periodically invited to teach classes in History, and Civics, at East Boston High School. Interestingly, Vince was home schooled K-12; earned his Associate in Arts, and his Bachelor of Arts Degree, cum laude, at the Harvard University Extension School and a Master of Education Degree at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He studied with Dr. Thomas H. O’Connor, University Historian of Boston College, who was the long-time Dean of Boston Historians.

Raising the Bar on AI Education with MIT Professor Eric Klopfer

On May 9th, Professor Eric Klopfer of MIT’s Media Lab will speak about the work of MIT's RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) initiative. RAISE explores the transformative impact of AI on personal, civic, and professional life, emphasizing the importance of AI literacy and its integration into K-12 education. Activities within RAISE are designed to build foundational AI knowledge, critical judgment of AI solutions, and the ethical considerations necessary for responsible AI design. The presentation highlights some of the RAISE initiatives, such as the Day of AI program, aimed at fostering AI literacy among students and educators. A focus of this presentation is the policy implications of AI education research, addressing the impact of AI-assisted learning on student outcomes, the role of AI literacy in supporting students' futures, and the current policies and practices that inform the future of AI in education. The implications of research on policy policy are examined, focusing on how AI can support good pedagogical practices and the importance of integrating AI literacy across all subjects. The presentation underscores the need for collaboration between industry, academia, education, and government to empower students and teachers in an AI-powered society. It also addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by AI, such as mitigating bias, ensuring equitable access, and supporting educators in their practice.

Dr. Eric Klopfer is Professor and Director of the Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade at MIT. He is also co-PI of MIT's RAISE initiative in AI education. His research focuses on technology and pedagogy for building understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and systems. He has special interests in games, simulations and computing as pathways to STEM learning. He is the co-author of the books, "Adventures in Modeling", "The More We Know, and “Resonant Games”, as well as author of "Augmented Learning.” His lab has produced software (from casual mobile games to MMOs to AR/VR) and platforms (including StarLogo Nova and Taleblazer) used by millions of people, as well as online courses that have reached hundreds of thousands. Klopfer is also the co-founder and past President of the non-profit Learning Games Network.

Join us on April 25th as Chief Development Officer of BlueSky Utility discusses the future of solar.

Bill Hilliard, the Chief Development Officer at BlueSky Utility, a branch of the publicly listed power producer, Nofar Energy, will speak with the Forum today on the future of solar and renewable energy sources. BlueSky is an innovative clean energy developer/owner providing renewable energy solutions for businesses. They serve as the United States Territory arm of Nofar Energy and specialize in energy storage, solar, and microgrid systems. Bill will address renewables, the impact of renewables on the grid; batteries; and policy issues associated with electric generation and distribution.

Bill Hilliard is experienced in renewable energy, software, edge computing, and financial technology. Before leading energy storage development at BlueSky, Bill worked at Generate Capital as an Investor and Operating Partner. There, he led energy investments in a range of areas including EV charging, community solar, data center energy, fuel cells, HVAC cooling, waste-to-value, and sustainable energy technologies. He has over 30 years of experience in clean technology, real estate, specialty finance, and technology. Bill is an inventor on 14 US patents. He has successfully led three companies as a CEO or senior team member. He founded Sonnetech Ltd., which is now part of VeriSign, and was its CEO until it was bought. He also worked as a senior executive at MicroTouch Systems and Phoenix Technologies during their public offerings. Bill is part of the North American Executive Board for MIT’s Sloan School of Management and advises MIT Sloan’s Sustainability Initiative. He has represented investors on the boards of several firms. He earned a Master’s degree in Management from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Economics from Pomona College. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Bill’s academic contributions were published in the Journal of Business Venturing, Venture Capital Journal, Knowledge at Wharton, and Wharton Magazine.