01 Feb 2024
Executive Director of the Space and Cyber Law Program, Elsbeth Magilton, gave a talk on "The real-world influence of Star Trek" at TEDxOmaha on November 18th.
"Elsbeth Magilton takes us through the strange twists and turns of how using Star Trek to entice student to attend her Space Law lectures, took a sudden leap into hyperdrive. From being fun and silly, Star Trek morphed from Pop Culture, into a high impact learning tool using stories to explore a different space, and challenge different frontiers. Using not just any stories, but science fiction stories became a vehicle to discuss, and unpack some really hard topics that face us today. Sci-Fi isn’t fantasy, it’s futurism. It is removed enough from our experiences and bias to let us look at challenges objectively. When we move into that space, we can explore with less constraints, and may even surprise ourselves with our different perspectives."
Watch the entire presentation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LR2gVhUqhU .