About Chris Dutra

Chris Dutra originally is from Rockland, MA and is a Computer Science Honors graduate from Seton Hall University. During his tenure there, he wrote two research papers in the field of functional programming. After SHU, Chris went on to UBS and weathered the storm of the financial crisis, holding roles in the Data Warehousing, CTO, and Client Facing Technology groups.Chris then went on to work for Microstrategy for a brief stint, and is currently part of the product team at Troy-based Apprenda, an enterprise platform as a service (PaaS) company.

When not working, Chris has held CTO positions in very early stage startups and is continuing his research on his own, applying the work to his own version of the Linux kernel. He also is an astronomy nut and loves cooking.

Talk Description

Technology’s evolving role in our lives has brought about both intended and unintended changes to the way we behave, changing how we interact, conduct business, even diagnose and treat diseases and disorders.  We’ll focus on specific examples such as:

— the use of mobile technology in the treatment of all spectrums of autism in children
— how social technology has sparked the “Jasmine Revolution” in Libya in 2011
— how big data and cloud technologies are providing healthcare solutions in underdeveloped areas

 As we discuss the impacts of various technologies on humanity, we’ll also explore the driving forces behind the adoption and use of tech to better understand the processes at work in developing them.  I’ll speak to some personal experiences on how technology has impacted my life, and some direction on the global impact as technology continues to evolve.

 Lastly, we’ll call the audience to look beyond the immediate intentions and use-cases of emerging technologies, and to start thinking more deeply about how to ensure they are in line with the greater good.