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26 November 1999 |
Technology Expert To Visit City
One of the world's leading technology experts, Dr Gerard C Jorna, from Philips Design in the Netherlands, will be hosted by the Canterbury Public Library next week.
He is visiting Christchurch exclusively at the invitation of the Library to present several seminars from 28 November – 3 December. His visit, co-sponsored by Canterbury Public Library and Christchurch Polytechnic in association with Tait Electronics Ltd and the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa, is a rare opportunity for Christchurch organisations to gain an international perspective on future thinking.
Canterbury Public Library's invitation to Dr Jorna resulted from a recent trip by Glenda Fulton, the library's Marketing and Development Manager, to the state-of the art, multi-media Eindhoven City Library. As the inaugural recipient of the Edith Jessie Carnell Travelling Scholarship, Ms Fulton studied the library's innovative solutions achieved in partnership with the Philips Design Team of which Dr Jorna was part.
"The opportunity to host Dr Jorna's first visit to New Zealand has great significance for the library and other Christchurch organisations," Ms Fulton said. "It enables us to introduce first-hand some exciting concepts to both the library and business community, as well as provide inspiration for service and product development. With a global focus on knowledge-based economies and New Zealand's reputation for innovation, Dr Jorna's visit is particularly appropriate and enables the library to extend its role in developing Christchurch's knowledge base."
On Wednesday 1 December, Dr Jorna will present "The home of the future" to an invited group, including customers of the library's new service Business Advantage which offers tailored business information solutions. The presentation will be repeated that evening for the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa.
On Thursday 2 December, the Canterbury Public Library is sponsoring a SmartNet workshop from 1.30-2pm when Dr Jorna will present "Designing the future: how future watching is applied to design". Smartnet is New Zealand's largest forum for knowledge-based industries.
Dr Jorna will complete his visit with a seminar for local electronics and engineering companies on Friday 3 December. Hosted by Christchurch Polytechnic, the workshop will focus on integrating design into product development.
"We are interested in encouraging a commitment from industry for the industrial design discipline and are delighted to help in making Dr Jorna's visit to Christchurch possible," Robyn Nuthall, the polytechnic's Marketing Manager, said. "Christchurch Polytechnic is developing an industrial design major in its Bachelor of Design degree which will help produce the industrial designers of the future."
Dr Jorna works for the Philips Design Team as the Human Factors Quality Manager. He specialises in speech recognition, biomechanics and anthropometry, and experimental design.
For more information:
Glenda Fulton, Marketing and Development Manager, Canterbury Public Library – 941 7923
Robyn Nuthall, Marketing Manager, Christchurch Polytechnic – 364 9068