Published on Brassring.com
| Palo Alto, CA | renasdesk@gmail.com http://www.designworlds.com/RenasDesk/ |
Tech Talk with Style
Each has had a radio chat with Dr. Moira Gunn, host of “TechNation: Americans and Technology,” the weekly public radio program that explores seemingly every aspect of American life through the lens of technology. Armed with more angles than a protractor, Gunn coaxes her guests into conversations that prove technology -- of some kind -- pervades every element of our lives. If something isn't the way God made it, she asserts, technology played a part in its creation. Dubbed the "Grand Dame of Tech Talk" by Wired Magazine, Gunn has conducted more than 1,000 interviews since 1993. Physicists and politicians, venture capitalists and CEOs, engineers, educators and authors of every stripe -- all have visited her San Francisco studio to share their opinions, ideas and visions of where technology is taking us. Professor Steve Runyon of the University of San Francisco's Media Studies Department has followed Gunn's radio career and credits her with being a pioneer in the area, "making highly technical subjects compelling and accessible to the average listener." By chance, the engineering consultant discovered she had a knack for promotion during a brief stint as a publicist for a joint Atari-Post Cereals program in 1983. She touted computers and technology in a national "Catch On to Computers" campaign in major cities, discovering that she "had the gene" for shining in the public eye. She found that she could speak "in front of 10 people or 10 million people" with equal effectiveness and savvy. Public radio network execs agree. “TechNation” (http://www.technation.com) airs on more than 65 stations across the country, luring guests from every field. The award-winning program is also broadcast to millions throughout the world over Armed Forces Radio. The interviews are more kaffeeklatsch than question-and-answer sessions, mellowing into informal give-and-take on topics as diverse as the scientific research for TV's "X-Files" or the nuances of email etiquette. Gunn's background and warm personal style enable her to talk to anyone about anything . "Everyone always said I could be whatever I wanted to be," she says, and she proved them right: After earning her master's degree in computer science at Purdue University, she became the first woman to receive a doctorate in mechanical engineering from that school. Being the lone female in her department was sometimes stressful, but Gunn met any hints of discrimination with the determination to push forward. "Any time you're in a situation where people don't respect you, they can't see, in a sense, who you are. If it's because no one like you has even been there before, you may find that you have to do more work than anyone else to get that respect." In 1980, after a six-year stint as a NASA scientist, Gunn established her own technical consulting business, which she maintains to this day. Now in her early 50s, she has worked with the government and private industry on projects as diverse as the space shuttle, missile systems and the early Internet. After becoming an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, she began her radio career at KUSF, the school's station. On "People and Technology," which first aired in 1987, Gunn learned to squeeze a tech angle from every imaginable subject. The ’40s radio crooner Eddie Fisher talked about his experience doing live broadcasts. Pitcher Nolan Ryan discussed the importance of medical technology in maintaining health. Over the years, Gunn picked up a following of avid listeners. She brought the show to San Francisco public radio station KQED and went national in 1993. Since then, she's spoken with some of the most brilliant and creative achievers on the planet. On the air, her spark and intelligence energize even reticent guests: She's read their books and bios, and is smoothly conversant in the topic at hand. Her secret is a simple one: "People are comfortable talking to me." What's it like to go one-on-one with a Bill Gates or a Sen. John McCain? Is the wiry blonde ever just a tiny bit intimidated? No, says Gunn, particularly since she's become adept at handling the occasional inflated ego. "Someone might know who I am but not suspect for a minute that I'm an engineer or that I have serious credentials." An impish smile spreads across her face: "Sometimes I have to lay out my credentials to settle down their egos." Gunn's media career also includes a regular technology column on the Internet (http://www0.mercurycenter.com/svtech/columns/gunn) and speaking engagements at universities, business meetings and forums such as the National Space Symposium. Today, she says, "we're trying to make sense of an overwhelming wave of life-changing technology." Luckily, we have her along to help us do just that. Rena Shaw Davidow writes about the people and issues of the Silicon Valley and beyond. You can contact her at renasdesk@sbcglobal.net.
Pitching great Nolan Ryan. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Former first lady Roslyn Carter. These notables share fame, but what else do they have in common?
My Son the Vegetarian | The Worst Exercise Partner: Fear | Winning The Food Fight |
Mom Searches for Book on Birds and Bees | Balancing Safety With Freedom When Violence Looms |
Moira Gunn: Tech Talk with Style | Larry Magid: Taking the Mystery Out of Technology
Frona Kahn: Pioneer in Children's Learning Software |