Pomfret pg 5 1-23-20
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POMFRET --- Pomfret School will present Steven Johnson as the 2020 Schwartz Visiting Fellow. He is the author of 11 books, including “Farsighted,” “Wonderland,” “Where Good Ideas Come From,” and “The Ghost Map.” He is also the host of the PBS series “How We Got To Now” and the podcast “American Innovations.”
Johnson is scheduled to visit the Pomfret campus Jan. 23 and 24. During his two-day stay, he is expected to share his unique perspective on the intersection of science, technology and personal experience with students, faculty, and the community.
Jan. 24 Johnson will deliver a public lecture in Hard Auditorium on the Pomfret campus at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow.
“We are very excited to have someone of his stature and talent visit Pomfret,” said Librarian David Ring, who is coordinating the visit with Assistant Librarian Beth Jacquet. “It is a wonderful opportunity for students and faculty alike.”
A popular science author and media theorist, Johnson’s writings have influenced everything from the way political campaigns use the internet, to cutting-edge ideas in urban planning, to the battle against 21st-century terrorism. On social media, he has an enormous following — 2.1 million followers on Twitter alone. And his TED Talk, “Where Good Ideas Come From,” has been viewed nearly 5 million times.
In his newest book, Farsighted, he draws on lessons from cognitive science, military strategy, and literature to examine how people make some of life’s most important decisions, ultimately asking if there is a way to make them more effectively. Spoiler: The answer is yes.
For many years, Johnson was a distinguished writer in residence at New York University’s Journalism School. Newsweek has called him one of the “Fifty People Who Matter Most on the Internet.” In 2009, he won a Newhouse School Mirror Award for his 2009 TIME magazine cover article, “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live.”
Since 1989, world renowned experts have visited Pomfret School under the auspices of the Schwartz Visiting Fellow Program. This speaker series is the result of the vision and generosity of Michael Schwartz ’66 and Eric Schwartz ’69. Past fellows include playwright Cheryl West, marine archaeologist Robert Ballard, author Frank McCourt, and historian David McCullough, among many others.