Mark Pesce (Australia)

Mark is an inventor, writer, educator and engineer. How can technology assist us in achieving a sustainable future? Ask Mark Pesce. When the Internet was in its infancy, Mark was busy developing the tools to help communities manage themselves sustainably. He learned how to program a computer in 1978 ­ before the invention of the spreadsheet. After attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he began working as a software engineer. In 1990, enthralled with the idea of virtual reality, he founded his own company to make virtual reality toys; his patents and designs were licensed by Sega. In 1994 Mark blended his work in virtual reality with the brand-new technology of the Web to create VRML, a 3D Interface to the Internet. Mark has written six books, he is the Lecturer in Interactive Media at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in Sydney, and is a sought-after speaker at conferences throughout Australia and the world. He holds an appointment as an Honorary Associate in the Digital Cultures programme at the University of Sydney, chaired the Emerging Media and Interactive Design Program at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, is the founder of the media and technology consultancy and is the author of five books and numerous articles. Mark is also a panelist on the hit ABC show The New Inventors.