A BLACK medical student at an internet of things (IoT) conference — WTF?
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In the last couple of years, I have started to think allot about the future. More specifically my future.
Yes, the intention is to qualify as a doctor, but is that it?
When growing up, often the future you imagine is tainted by the future those around you paint as possible. Upon starting university and being exposed to world unbeknown to be, the picture I had of my future has rapidly begun to take shape in a way that is now strictly authentic to me.
In the last couple of years, I have begun to be obsessed about the companies created by people who were building startups more specifically data and technology based start-up. Not simply because of the wealth they are creating but the immense value their creations are having on the lives of millions of people across the world. More fascinating though was that these are often young individuals whom with the conviction of their ideas and the drive to bring it to life, are able to literally build the future.
I was hooked. Hours since have been spent reading and listening to the leaders, disrupters and builders of this world. I took on an internship at a data focused healthcare start-up in London. I felt like I a fair bit allot about technology and start-ups.
The only thing though, I had yet to experience was a technology based conference. Fully emersed with the builders and thinkers in the space, gaining their understanding and perspectives of the things that currently exist and the things that need to exist in the future.
They say the world aligns to your deepest will and on an early morning on my way to work, such alignment came into being.
Whilst flicking through my twitter feed (minor plug @ivanbeckley) I came across a re-tweet of a diversity scholarship to one of London’s most anticipated IoT conferences — the Thing Monk IoT conference.
Diversity scholarship? What’s that? Clicked on the link. Began to read, and slowly an expression of sheer joy dawned upon my face. The ThingMonk Diversity scholarship provides individuals within groups under-represented in tech, to gain all the tools they need to start a new future.
This was it — the opportunity that I didn’t know I was looking for, until I found it!
In almost an instant, I put in my application. Patiently waiting for a possible vote of acceptance.
In the 4 weeks after being successfully selected as a ThingMonk diversity scholar and having attended the conference as a diversity scholar, I can’t tell you how much confidence this conference has given me to continue building. As in really innovate.
Below are details of my best bits from the 3 days!
DAY 0
Saw us spend this first half of the day being introduced to the Eclipse Foundation’s IoT ecosystem.
Essentially an open sourced platform created to bring together individuals passionate about building the systems that will enable the future of IoT. By far the talk that captured me, was that from Kai Hudalla, Lead Architect at Bosch Software Innovations GmbH. Kai, spoke energetically about how Bosch is working progressively to build tools that are more than smart but intuitive and responsive. Responding to people and other objects. The fact that is was all very in R&D was also warmly exciting. Because it was only a glimpse of the potential that could exist.
The day continued with an introduction to a hackathon that was to proceed. We heard quick fire talks, from Samsung, IBM and Amazon. All of which touched on current, often freely available technology that could allow us, to build the first rivers of connected devices. I was particularly fascinated by the potential for Amazon Echo to create an environment where the interface of connecting to the internet, is as natural as speaking to another human being. No screens, just voice. Awesome right?
Day 1 and 2
Marks the official start of the ThingMonk conference.
Boy, was this was a jam packed two days. And the food was just….
From quantifying your fitness to learning about the horrors of connected devices at home, the talks amassed a breath of perspectives within the space of IoT. Touching upon concepts that highlighted the amazing potential for devices that exist within a interaction of other devises.
I learnt about the power of the data that could be generated. Yet how challenging this currently proves due to lack of systems that make sense of information that only has meaning within context as described by Matt Biddulph under the fascinating work he is doing Thington Inc to make sense of that.
Throughout the two days, I was struck by how much is still left to be understood and to be improved in building the IoT infrastructures that will allow this concept to become apart of our everyday lives.
The horrors so warmly expressed by Terence Eden, in his missionary attempts to create a personal connected home, highlighted the potential but also the enormous opportunities for forward think individuals like myself and my fellow diversity scholars to really begin to unpick the problems that exist and solve them. In listening to Rachel Stephens outline of the Economics of IoT, I am in very little doubt IoT will shape the next wave of internet start-ups and organisational technological changes. Efforts at GE in the IoT space is a shining example of this.
It is hard to express how my 3 days at ThingMonk 2016 has changed my outlook on the world and my career. And as cliché as this might sound its actually true.
Currently I am applying for a masters in Data science and Human-Computer interaction and looking to spend the early parts of my career as a doctor building the systems and structures that I believe need to exist if we are going to form a healthcare system that stands the test of time.
I can’t thank the team at ThingMonk, a specific shout-out to the amazing James Governor aka monkchips, Fintan Ryan and Christie Fidura, to Yodit Stanton and the team at opensenosors.io, to Dominique Guinard (@domguinard) at evrythng.com for the amazing book on Building the Web of Things (if you haven’t got a copy, get one!) and to everyone….
…… who made us feel so welcome, in a world that is often unwelcoming to individuals of my race and background.
The ThingMonk conference has been the injection of motivation and inspiration, I need to believe I have as much of the tools as anyone to shape the future of IoT.
So here’s to the future of IoT, built by me (and others of course).
Thank you!
