SXSW's lessons on tech and humanity

Newsletter for March 14, 2024

Hey folks! Today's newsletter highlights a young student's journey of discovery amidst personal challenges and finding a passion in an unexpected field.

Meanwhile, the South by Southwest festival remains a key international event for shedding light on the evolving relationship between technology and human connection. Stay tuned for insights from our CEO on what this means for cities in his latest article. Also, did you hear that Kevin Plank is returning to the sportswear, footwear and accessories company he founded?!

— Alanah, Technical.ly lead reporter for Baltimore

The annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, is still a key technology, music and film event despite pandemic-induced changes. Recent interactions at the festival, like a panel featuring Ron Ivey and Renate Nyborg, highlighted tensions between technology and human inter. Nyborg’s startup, Meeno, uses AI to enhance, not replace, real interactions. The pair’s reconciliation after an initial misunderstanding emphasized the importance of personal connections within the industry.

Our CEO Chris Wink described takeaways from this panel, among others from his trip to the Silicon Hills, in a new piece appropriately titled, “What does SXSW mean for cities now?”

➡️ Find out more in Chris' post-SXSW story here.

Aaliyah St. Jules, a 22-year-old biology major at Towson University, has found her passion in medical devices and prosthetics after experiencing personal loss and academic shifts. Originally a physics major aspiring to a civil engineering path, her mother's health struggles and hospital experiences steered her towards biology. St. Jules, a Hill-Lopes scholar, is now considering graduate studies in prosthetics or biomedical engineering.

She aims to make a meaningful impact by helping people and changing the world through her work. In service of those goals, St. Jules plans to explore both fields through a research-based internship this summer to determine her career path after graduation.

➡️ Find out more about this young woman's story in my full report here.

• Issa solar eclipse coming, and it is a big deal. See what my colleague Holly Quinn had to say on all that. with perspectives from scientists in Delaware and Hawaiʻi. [Technical.ly]

• This bit of reading from Sherrod Davis of EcoMap Technologies explores how universities play a vital role in fostering economic development and entrepreneurship within their surrounding ecosystems. [EcoMap]

• Kevin Plank is set to return as the CEO of Under Armour. He replaces Stephanie Linnartz, who was in the position for less than a year. [The Baltimore Banner]

• Previse, a healthcare company specializing in gastrointestinal disease management, announced the relocation of its HQ to bwtech@UMBC South in Halethorpe and the launch of a high-complexity lab. [Previse]

• Materic, a Baltimore materials company backed by Early Charm Ventures, has secured $10 million in federal funding from the US Department of Energy. [US Office of Energy Efficiency/LinkedIn]