February 3-4, 2022  Online and Anywhere February 3-4, 2022  Online and Anywhere February 3-4, 2022  Online and Anywhere February 3-4, 2022  Online and Anywhere February 3-4, 2022  Online and Anywhere February 3-4, 2022  Online and Anywhere

Briefs

What’s a Brief?
It’s a prompt based on a current systemic issue. Each of our speakers will present one during their discussion.

What Do You Do With It?
Use it as a guide for your idea. From there, you’ll create a solution—think of it as inspiration for your elevator pitch. And in this case, it’s one you’re prepared to launch for the chance to win $10,000.

Read on for this year’s briefs crafted by our lineup of experts.

Health Misinformation
SPEAKER No. 1

Jessica Malaty Rivera

  • Scientist
  • Communicator
    • Jessica is an infectious disease epidemiologist who specializes in translating complex scientific concepts into accessible information. She earned her MS in Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Georgetown School of Medicine and has devoted the past 15 years of her career to public health policy, disease surveillance research, and vaccine advocacy. Fortune Magazine recently recognized Jessica as one of the world's 50 Greatest Leaders for her use of social media to share research and debunk misinformation about COVID-19. Follow Jessica
    Counter Health Misinformation

    Health misinformation is a threat to public health. How can we make reliable information more accessible in every community?

    Download Full Brief
    Digital Equity
    SPEAKER No. 2

    Olatunde Sobomehin

  • Athlete
  • Entrepreneur
    • Olatunde Sobomehin is a serial entrepreneur focused on providing communities of color with free access to tech education. He holds a BA in Urban Studies from Stanford University and has succeeded in identifying the intersection of sports, culture, fashion, and technology. He takes great pride in being a citizen philanthropist working to eliminate the social and economic obstacles preventing the tech world from being more diverse. Follow Olatunde
    Remedy The Digital Divide

    The digital divide is a human rights issue. How can we remove barriers to entry in the tech industry by fostering young talent at the community level?

    Download Full Brief
    Environmental Intersectionality
    SPEAKER No. 3

    Leah Thomas

  • Environmentalist
  • Activist
    • Leah Thomas is an intersectional environmental activist and writer who's passionate about the relationship between social justice and environmentalism. She received her BS in Environmental Science from Chapman University and founded the Intersectional Environmentalist Platform. Leah's been featured in Harper's Bazaar, W Magazine, and Goop, and her first book, The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet, will be published this year. Follow Leah
    Combat Climate Change

    Climate change solutions should be accessible for everyone. What are low-cost ways to combat climate change that allow more people to participate?

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    Digital Democracy
    SPEAKER No. 4

    Audrey Tang

  • Digital Minister
  • Civic Hacker
    • Audrey Tang is Taiwan’s digital minister in charge of Social Innovation. Audrey is known for revitalizing the computer languages Perl and Haskell, as well as building the online spreadsheet system EtherCalc in collaboration with Dan Bricklin. In the public sector, Audrey served on Taiwan national development council’s open data committee and the 12-year basic education curriculum committee; and led the country’s first e-Rulemaking project. In the private sector, Audrey worked as a consultant with Apple on computational linguistics, with Oxford University Press on crowd lexicography, and with Socialtext on social interaction design. In the social sector, Audrey actively contributes to g0v (“gov zero”), a vibrant community focusing on creating tools for the civil society, with the call to “fork the government.”

    (Photo credit: CC BY 4.0 KRIS KANG & Onion Design Associates) Follow Audrey
    Rethink Our Democracy

    Democracy means working with the people, not just for the people. How can we enable better civic participation and dialogue between citizens and government?

    Download Full Brief
    What's Next

    Submit Your Ideas. Win $10k. Change Your World.

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