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Hot Topics for Tech Talks?
HCIGuy asks: "A few of us are working within a local school of engineering and technology to set up a seminar series unique to the area. We envision a sequence of monthly seminars that focus on bleeding edge technology, presented by vendors' engineers, and attended by students, faculty, and industry folk. No marketing hype allowed; we want only the facts. We obviously want this to be of high interest to everyone, so we're asking for input on what topics would be of sky-high fascination right now. What would it be? We're leaning toward wireless for our first program, but all comments gratefully received. What topic would make you rush out and drive across town to hear it? We have only an hour and a half to commit to this, so the material has to be narrowly focused. We plan on holding up to six per school year, and we don't intend to hold over subjects from one time to the next."
I dont think people really understand how powerfull this scripting language is and how useful it is becoming in real world applications. Perhaps talking about a real world implementation and how ti can quickly change and scale would probably a lot of people's eyes.
Sigs are dangerous coy things
Really, it's a special circle of hell.
Some companies provide loaner equipment to universities. It would be interesting to find something that is of interest/use on your campus and then get some hardware to play with. Videoconferencing equipment (end point stations and MCUs) might be a good start.
SIP and VOIP. This is something that is cool, fun and fairly accessible to folks with a decent network connection. And, if you have the energy, the administration on your campus might be interested to hear that it could save them money.
Games. Games are an interesting and fun topic. With a bit of thought, a talk could be constructed that mixed fun with learning (grin).
Internet2 Days. Advanced Networking. If you are at a school that is involved in Internet2, there are resources that are available.
Microsoft Resrach Group. Evil blah blah yes, whatever. Say what you will, but they are still smart people. Your login indicates that you might be interested in HCI, so Dumais's site might be a good start. Other companies are also listed in various places.
GRID. buzz buzz buzz. You say that no marketing hype is allowed. Well, for all the buzz about GRIDs, the folks that can give you the skinny are prob to be found here. Depending on your location, asking one of them might just get a visit.
As you are at a university (and I am assuming you are in the U.S.), you might find that someone from the NSF would be able to give you some interesting insights into what they consider to be important, interesting and fundable. Again, not sure how successful you would be at getting anyone to visit, but it is a a starter for ideas.
Lastly, many of the folks that you might want to have present will be busy. It might be worth considering an interactive presentation over video. Sounds cheezy, but many folks are used to this type of presentation.
If you can only get a sales rep, don't bother. Most are trained towards talking with decision maker types and focus on business value. You'll want a sales engineer or someone techier.
One good way to approach this is to invite local CTO's to come speak. Start by contacting the marketing group at a company -- they have the power to arrange for speaking engagements that the strong techs can speak at. Frame it as a way to get local students/engineers familiar with the company and for a chance to have the CTO to get a look at what recent grads are doing. Companies, during any market climate, are always looking for extraordinary talent and welcome opportunities to peek inside the local university. Note that if you do get someone with hiring power to show up, make it clear that unless okayed in advance, don't drop a 100 resumes on the person.
Another source to look at is the school's graduate program. Talk to the faculty about researchers that are comfortable with presenting and have some interesting research going on. You're bound to have a grad student or PhD candidate that would love to talk about what they do and you're certain to get a truly technical talk from someone who can answer real questions.
I'd be partial to a covering of the latest and greatest developments in the electronic paper field and its various methods and applications. From organic LEDs that can be painted and baked onto carboard surfaces to the eventual replacement of every student's text book with the one book they'll ever need again, I find this topic infinitely fascinating.