South African technology journalist and publisher of Stuff magazine, Toby Shapshak asserts that Africa as a mobile-driven continent is solving real problems and advancing technology for the rest of the world. He has been writing and speaking about technology and innovation in Africa for more than 15 years, including The Times, Business Day, Mail & Guardian, The Financial Mail, City Press, and hosting a TV show on CNBC Africa.

Technology innovator, Erik Hersman specializes in the application and impact of web and mobile technology throughout Africa. He runs the popular website AfriGadget, a multi-author website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. Erik is also the Co-Founder of Ushahidi, a groundbreaking crowdsourcingtool that maps incidents of violence across the globe, and founder of the iHub, Nairobi's Innovation Hub - an open space for the technologists, investors, tech companies and hackers in Nairobi. He is also the co-founder of BRCK, a 'backup generator for the internet'.

With support from the College of Engineering, the Institute for Humanities, Arts Engine and the School of Information.

For over 30 years, Michael Graves has been one of the world's most original and popular designers, executing architectural and product design commissions for clients around the world. His product designs range from high-end projects for Italian design firm Alessi to affordable products for Target and JC Penny. Recent large-scale projects include the restoration of the Washington Monument and the expansion of the Detroit Institute of Arts. A recipient of the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for lifetime achievement, Graves is currently working on design solutions for some of healthcare's biggest challenges. Recent projects range from military housing for returning wounded warriors, to a revolutionary transport chair for the acute care hospital, to performance textiles for all healthcare environments.

In partnership with Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and support from IDSA — Michigan Chapter.

This lecture is part of the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design Distinguished Speaker Series. Established with the generous support of alumna Penny W. Stamps, the Speaker Series brings respected emerging and established artists/designers from a broad spectrum of media to the School to conduct a public lecture and engage with students, faculty, and the larger at the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor communities.
All presentations take place on Thursdays at 5:10 pm at the historic Michigan Theater, located at 603 E. Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor, and are free of charge and open to the public. For more information, please visit: art-design.umich.edu/stamps