This November, Kavli Center Affiliate and current Civic Science Fellow with the Kavli Center, Narayan Sankaran, traveled to Berlin, Germany to speak on the panel, "Preparing the Next Generation of Civic Science Leaders" at the annual Falling Walls Science Summit. The UC Berkeley Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public is a host organization this year for the Civic Science Fellows Program funded by the Rita Allen Foundation.
The panel, organized by the Rita Allen Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, explored frameworks for preparing the next generation of civic science leaders who bridge disciplines. As science advances and breaks down walls, ensuring that innovations effectively address complex societal challenges is crucial. Panelists discussed co-creating new leadership approaches, aiming for a future where everyone can shape and benefit from science.
As part of the Falling Walls program, Narayan was also invited to lead a discussion with attendees, open to the public, on the societal dimensions of neurotechnologies like speech prosthetics. This discussion pulled from the Civic Science project Narayan is leading in collaboration with the Kavli Center and invited thoughts and questions from the attendees on the ethical considerations of these scientific advances.
This is the second year UC Berkeley Kavli Center has been represented at Falling Walls and continues the conversation on the importance of training scientists to engage in ethical debates that include public perspectives.
Watch the plenary session here or by clicking the video on this page.