Beyond the Now: Shaping a Better Future with Bina Venkataraman

In celebration of National Book Month, please join the American Center in Moscow on Tuesday, October 29 at 20:00 MSK for a conversation and Q&A with Bina Venkataraman, former climate advisor to the Obama administration and author of “The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.” Named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR, The Optimist’s Telescope offers a compelling exploration of how we can overcome short-term thinking to make smarter long-term decisions. Venkataraman weaves together stories from around the world and cutting-edge research to illustrate how we can plan better for our future— for our personal lives, businesses, and society at large. About the speaker: Bina Venkataraman is an American journalist, author, and science & technology policy expert. She is currently a columnist and editor-at-large for strategy and innovation at The Washington Post. From 2019 to 2022, she was the Editorial Page Editor of The Boston Globe, overseeing its editorial board and opinion coverage and shepherding two Pulitzer finalist editorial series.  She formerly served as senior adviser for climate change innovation in the Obama White House, and directed global policy initiatives at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. Since 2011, she has taught in the program on science, technology, and society at MIT. Venkataraman is an alumna of Brown University and the Harvard Kennedy School.