We had a wonderful conference this year, and all the conference presentations are available online. There were many excellent presentations and papers. We have chosen to extend a best paper award to the top 1/3rd of the papers submitted to the conference, (the top 6 papers), with an invitation for them to have their papers included in a published conference proceedings. Each paper was ranked by three (and in some cases four) reviewers.
The Association Board has approved the following title changes for leaders.
Brad Carmack Chief Operations Officer
Carl Youngblood Chief Information Officer
Karl Hale Chief Financial Officer
Lincoln Cannon Chief Executive Officer
Marcus Flinders Chief Legal Officer
The board of director titles will remain unchanged, as specified in the constitution:
Brad Carmack Director and Secretary
Bryant Smith Director
Chris Bradford Director and Vice President
David Foster Director Dorothy Deasy Director
James Carroll Director
Karl Hale Treasurer
Lincoln Cannon Director and President
Michael Ferguson Director
Nathan Hadfield Director
We extend sincere thanks to the outgoing directors: Carl Youngblood and Brent Allsop. Brent will be the project manager for the annual member survey, and Carl will continue in his role as Webmaster. See the new directors’ profiles here and their bios below.
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The 2012 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association was held on 6 April 2012 at the Salt Lake City Public Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Speakers addressed the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. The conference streamed live for online viewers, and recordings are now available on the Mormon Transhumanist Association channel on YouTube. Please post comments and questions, and share these recordings with your friends and family. Thank you!
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Technology changes us, and the world around us, in countless ways. The stuff of science fiction is now, in many cases, reality, and it can make our lives longer, healthier, and more productive than ever. But technological advance is not without complication, and even ardent proponents of technology recognize that our present age of innovation is fraught with concern for unintended consequences.
IMAGE: PHOTO OF 2012 MTA CONFERENCE
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The Mormon Transhumanist Association has released results of its 2011 member survey. The survey results provide aggregate statistics of members’ views on religion and politics, satisfaction with the association, and demographics.
In 2011, the association grew from 120 members to 143 members, and 71 members participated in the survey. Notable statistical changes since 2010 include:
IMAGE: PHOTO OF 2012 MTA CONFERENCE LOGO
The 2012 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be held on 6 April 2012 from 9am to 5pm at the Salt Lake City Public Library in Salt Lake CIty, Utah. The conference is open to the public. Register today!
Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. Previous conferences sponsored by the Mormon Transhumanist Association include the 2010 Transhumanism and Spirituality conference and the 2009 Mormonism and Engineering conference.
MORNING SESSION 9:00am-11:55pm Conducting: Lincoln Cannon
Lincoln Cannon and Chris Bradford were guests on the Mormon Matters podcast[2], with host Dan Wotherspoon and panelist Tyson Jacobsen. They discuss the future, especially as it is and promises to be even more impacted by technological advancements, along with several other major themes in Transhumanist debates. They also discuss the relevance of religion in a world increasingly dominated by science and secularism, and they pay particular attention to how Mormon and other religious concepts and terms can be given new life when informed by Transhumanist themes.