

for K-12 kids, she continues to be a STEM advocate. Through her participation in programs such as AAAS’ IF/THEN initiative and her work as a board member at places like the KID Museum in Bethesda, Md., the biggest dedicated makerspace in the U.S. “My biggest advice to students is, don’t worry about what you want to be find stuff to do.”
Techno optimism software#
Most recently, AnthroTronix has developed DANA Brain Vital, a FDA-approved mobile digital software that enables users to evaluate brain health.Īt AnthroTronix and beyond, Lathan believes that creation and discovery are what matter, not the label. Another is known as the Acceleglove, which is a sensor glove that can be used in countless applications, such as training surgeons or helping patients in medical rehabilitation. One of the company’s products is called CosmoBot, a robot that helps kids with disabilities. Lathan later co-founded AnthroTronix, Inc., a technology company that has made a myriad of innovations in digital health, wearable tech, robotics and augmented reality. She went on to study aerospace engineering and neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While pursuing her undergraduate degree at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, her major was biopsychology and mathematics. “I slapped together all the classes that I thought were cool and made it into a major,” she recalls. “Labels don’t work for me,” declares Lathan. In school, Lathan continued to forge untrodden paths and create in various spaces. “You can have as much potential of having a shared experience through a piece of art as you do through an invention.” These are all artistic creations that can build community,” she says. “ and I believe that inventions are another creative outlet, just like a musical composition or a piece of art. “The common theme is that we believe that technology is a work of art,” affirms Lathan. But after looking a little further into Lathan’s projects and passions, the connections become clear. The book includes a foreword by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, which, at first glance, may seem like a curious choice. I think that’s why I became an inventor,” writes Lathan in her new book, “Inventing the Future: Stories from a Techno-Optimist.” Together, her parents taught her “that math, science, philosophy and music are essential human pursuits, and they are all needed to create the future we want to see.

Lathan also credits her father, who was an English major with a love of opera and acting, with the development of her writing skills. She traces the origins of her techno-optimism to her mother, who was a mathematician, computer scientist and teacher of robotics. “I think techno-optimism is the belief that we are in control of our destiny and the future we want to invent,” states Lathan. “I’ve always been inspired by technology and how it can solve problems,” says Lathan. When defining herself, however, she uses the term “techno-optimist,” or someone who sees that technology can be used not only for good, but will be used for good, and that we can play a role in making that happen. in neuroscience, is also a technology entrepreneur, an inventor, an author, a biomedical engineer, a role model, and a AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. Given AAAS Member Corinna (Cori) Lathan’s contrasting interests, career endeavors and achievements, it is no easy feat to professionally define her. AAAS Member and IF/THEN Ambassador Cori Lathan, Ph.D.
