Games as a Tool for Consensus in Urban Planning - the Citizens Voice
MEETING FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 27, 2023
This Meeting at a Glance:
Program: Games as a Tool for Consensus in Urban Planning - the Citizens Voice
Speaker: Kavita Vemuri
Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our weekly online meeting! To complete our meeting, please continue reading from here to the bottom of this page. Each Monday our week’s meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 60 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time. Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you. Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
To properly attend this meeting, please:
Read and watch the content below in its entirety.
Complete the attendance survey.
Everyone is also encouraged to leave a comment in the Disqus section at the bottom of the page.
Message from our President
Dear fellow members,
As we welcome the month of March, we also acknowledge the monthly theme of "Water and Sanitation." Access to clean water and proper sanitation is a basic human right and a crucial factor in promoting good health and preventing the spread of diseases. As Rotarians, we understand the importance of this issue and continue to strive towards ensuring that everyone has access to these basic necessities.
However, we cannot ignore the fact that another crisis is affecting our communities - the mental health crisis. With the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have lost loved ones, had their social networks disrupted, and faced other struggles that have taken a toll on their mental well-being. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding mental health issues often prevents people from seeking the help they need.
As we move forward with our year's focus on healthcare, let us not forget the importance of promoting awareness in this important area. I was particularly pleased to see that Rotary International President-elect R. Gordon R. McInally will focus on mental health during his term. In alignment with his goals, we can already start addressing mental health by providing resources and information on mental health, hosting programs on mental health, and creating a supportive and inclusive community where members feel comfortable discussing their mental health and seeking support if needed. We as Rotarians can play a crucial role in offering hope to those who are struggling with mental health challenges. We can help break down the barriers that prevent people from seeking help by raising awareness and providing support.
Let us work together to positively impact the lives of those affected by mental health challenges and healthcare issues in general, both within our E-club and beyond.
Yours in Service,
Angelica Marotta, PhD
President 2022-2023 Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
Rotary International District 5170
WEEKLY FUNNY WITH SHAGS
We believe laughter is an important part of life, and we should all make time to laugh a little. This segment of our meeting is meant to tickle you just enough. These funnies are curated by member Steven "Shags" Shagrin!
Too Much Information
"Hello! Is this Gordon's Pizza?"
"No sir, it's Google's Pizza."
"Did I dial the wrong number?
"No sir, Google bought the pizza store."
"Oh, alright then. I’d like to place an order please."
"Okay sir, do you want the usual?"
"The usual? You know what my usual is?"
"According to the caller ID, the last 15 times you’ve ordered a 12-slice with double-cheese, sausage, and thick crust."
"Okay, that’s what I want this time too."
"May I suggest that this time you order an 8-slice with ricotta, arugula, and tomato instead?"
"No, I hate vegetables."
"But your cholesterol is not good."
"How do you know?"
"Through the subscribers guide. We have the results of your blood tests for the last 7 years."
"You know what, I'm sick of Google, Facebook, Twitter, and everyone else having all my information! I'm going to an island without internet, where there’s no cellphone line, and no one to spy on me!"
"I understand sir. But you may want to renew your passport... it expired 5 weeks ago."
INSPIRATION
Every week we share a short video highlighting innovation, education, entrepreneurship, or whatever we think might inspire you to see the world in new ways.
In late 2020, we enjoyed a presentation from an organization called New Story about their innovative approaches to building homes for those in need. One element was the partnership with and technology of a Texas company called ICON, which has developed 3D printers for homebuilding. This video is about ICON having been awarded a contract by NASA to build on the moon. #mindblown
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
How They Make Babies Cry In TV And Movies
My older daughter was involved with theater starting at age 5, and then film/TV when she moved to LA at 19. Here's something from an insider that I found interesting.
SERVICE REPORT
Tell us about service you’ve done recently in your community.
Click here to fill out The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
ROTARY SERVICE PROJECT OPPORTUNITY
Charter member Keith Marsh is organizing a Rotary project to Project Amigo in October for the “Day of the Dead” (Dia de los Muertos). The week-long trip to Cofradia, Mexico will include Rotary Service in the areas of International Service, Youth Service and Fellowship. It will also include cultural and travel photography of the festivities surrounding Day of the Dead. Space is limited. Click below to download the .pdf for more details and visit the Project Amigo website at: https://www.projectamigo.org/ Contact Keith or leave a comment below if you are interested in attending.
HAPPY DOLLARS: Do Good by Sharing Something Good
Each week we ask our members to share stories with the club and toss in a few dollars to support our efforts. The primary goal of this section is to provide a fun way of getting to know each fellow members and guests, while giving back to a good cause.
Happy dollars is an opportunity to share something positive that has happened in your life whether it is personal or business. Think of it as your opportunity to brag a little, but also put a little bit into a karma jar. The money donated through happy dollars is put to charitable use, and the message that you leave for happy dollars will be posted in our online meeting the following week for the entire week for folks to see! (Pending that it’s appropriate!)
Here are the happy dollars contributions from last week!
This section is usually updated in the early hours of Saturday, so contributions made over the weekend may not be listed here.
Rory Olsen made a $20 donation.
I've had a wild and wooly week. Fortunately Apple Computer's incredible support staff took care of me.
PROGRAM: Games as a Tool for Consensus in Urban Planning - the Citizens Voice
SPEAKER: Kavita Vemuri
Every week we bring to you a new program on innovation, entrepreneurship, and education, and how those contribute to service to others.
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley seeks to explore perspectives on service from across the world. The views of the speakers in our programs are their own, and unless stated otherwise, are not necessarily reflective of the views of our eClub nor Rotary International.
If you have an idea for a cool speaker, please feel free to reach out to them directly or submit THIS FORM so our Program Committee can contact them!
Urban planning involves a variety of stakeholders with different interests related to the use of space and distribution of activities in the city. These stakeholders can include the residents of the planned area, various government departments, real-estate developers, industry, and non-government organizations (NGO's). Reaching a consensus among different stakeholders is a challenging task which involves negotiations and compromises among all involved parties.
The biggest challenge faced by urban planners is to bring all stakeholders to an agreement. How can this be done? Our speaker suggests using a serious game to enable stakeholders to discuss urban planning issues. This would serve as a common platform which enables all involved stakeholders to participate constructively in a dialogue about urban planning issues. The presentation will narrate our journey from the development to testing stages.
Our speaker, Kavita Vemuri, has a background in physics, engineering and brain sciences. Working in industry for twelve years before moving to academics, Kavita teaches game design and engineering for computer science students. Her research includes games for neuro-rehab, social interactions, and economic behavior.
Members and guests, please welcome Kavita Vemuri!
UPCOMING PROGRAM RECORDING SCHEDULE
All of our guest speakers and programs are recorded live online over Zoom video conference. We welcome members and guests to join us in one of these upcoming recordings. Recordings are approximately 30 minutes long and are subject to change without notice.
Our online video conference room link for these recordings is always http://zoom.siliconvalleyrotary.com/. You are welcome to join us! Please note the timezone listed for all recordings is US Pacific Time (San Francisco, California, USA).
If you can’t join the live recording, please send your questions for an upcoming speaker to programs@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
THE ATTENDANCE SURVEY
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting. You have two last things to do before you’re done.
We have a very short attendance survey below for you to fill out to record your attendance.
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