2022 Keynote Speech Download

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The Origins of the World's Electricity
Kathy Joseph - Passionate Physics Historian and Author

Abstract: When you travel internationally have you ever thought as to *why* so many countries use around 220 volts and 50 Hz for their main voltage when the US and Canada uses around 120 Volts and 60 Hz? In her keynote speech, science historian Kathy Joseph will give a whirlwind picture of how the entire electrical system developed into the weird, confusing, and downright irritating jumble of systems we have today.
     Kathy weaves a story of the personal and the technical with ease to give a fascinating portrait of the birth of technology. This tale involves people whose stories you might think you know well like Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla mixed with the stories of people you may have never heard of like Pavel Yablochkov, Lucien Gualard, Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Michael Dolivo-Dobrovolski and more.
     Anyone who is developing cutting edge technology can learn from the mistakes and the successes of the past. This is bound to be both a highly educational talk and a fun and crazy ride through a not so distant past.
     Join us for a morning talk that is bound to give you a fresh view on the world, how people shape technology, and how technology shapes us in return.