Jeremy Pesner, G’13
Undergraduate institution and major: Computer Science, Dickinson College
Area of focus in CCT: Primarily technology policy, but I took courses in STS, Complex Systems, and Human-Computer Interaction as well.
What did you do before CCT? I came to CCT straight out of my Master of Science program in Media, Strategic Communications, and Marketing in Brussels, Belgium.
Why did you choose CCT? It was not an obvious choice! I had been dissatisfied with how narrow and mono-disciplinary my undergrad Computer Science curriculum was, and by the end of it I was convinced I didn’t want to build software for the rest of my life. A friend from undergrad was attending CCT, but her background was very different from mine, so I wasn’t sure if this program was a great fit for me. Fortunately, CCT adjunct Mike Nelson took an interest in me and encouraged me to apply, and with his help, I was able to get in! Mike continued to advise and guide me throughout the program, and we are still in touch today!
What activities did you participate in at CCT? I submitted articles and served as a peer reviewer to gnovis. I TA’ed two classes, Network Technologies & Society with Linda Garcia and Computational Expression with Garrison LeMasters. I also attended several events around campus and explored other relevant departments such as STIA and Computer Science.
What aspects of CCT have helped guide your career path? The futures course taught by Mike Nelson introduced me to the field of futures studies and foresight, and thanks to Amy Zalman, the then-head of the World Future Society, I have become more involved with the field ever since. (I then introduced Amy to CCT, and she taught here for several years.) It then advanced to me giving a TEDx talk on the subject, which in turn ultimately led to the DMS opportunity mentioned above. But even beyond that specific course, what I loved about CCT was that its open and electic nature allowed me to learn about all sorts of topics I likely would have never even heard of otherwise. Courses in Grounded Theory, Science and Technology Studies, Knowledge Management and Modeling of Complex Systems were all topis I would have likely been unable to take had I gone to a different program. All of these ideas help keep me open to new ideas and connections about our technological world, and I’m always excited to see how I can look at something new using one of the many perspectives I learned here.
What are you doing now? After living in several other places, I returned to DC in 2022 and expect to be here indefinitely. While I am currently searching for a full-time role, I am a contact foresight scholar and IT consultant with DMS Academy, a contracting and policy firm. Please reach out if you or anyone you know are an interested client!
Anything else you’d like people to know? I enjoy playing video games and gaming culture, even bringing a fellow classmate studying video games to speak at the Music and Gaming Festival in National Harbor. I credit CCT to be a major transition in my life, as it showed me a whole different set of ways to approach technology than the ones I had been previously trained in. I’m always happy to visit and see how the program is both familiar and evolving!
Read more about Jeremy here.