Dr. Kim Solez, The Technological Singularity Explained

Image: Dan McKechnie

Kim Solez, MD, is one of the world's foremost renal pathologists and medical Internet leaders. He has been at the University of Alberta since 1987, and is currently a Professor and Director of Experimental Pathology as well as Director of NKF cyberNephrology, a joint venture of the National Kidney Foundation (U.S.) and the University of Alberta.

Dr. Solez is perhaps best known for his outstanding success in helping regions and communities that experience severe earthquakes. For many years Dr. Solez was concerned about the fact that “crush syndrome” usually kills at least 50 per cent of earthquake victims two to three days after they have survived the initial shock.

Currently Dr. Solez is writing a book on The Singularity with co-author, Nikki Olson.


The video below features Dr. Kim Solez speaking on January 12, 2012 about The Technological Singularity Explained and Promoted/Future Day in the Technology and the Future of Medicine course LABMP 590 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.


“I would like to see the kind of course that I’m putting together here maybe a thousand fold in universities all over the place,” Solez said. “Get other people discussing the same things we are. That’s the way to find the truth and really move mankind forward. If we remain the only place doing this kind of course, that’s a very limited thing.”

Solez was also motivated to create this class to aid in order to mainstream technological singularity and make it understandable to the public. As technology continues to grow, Solez believes it’s important for students to understand how it’s changing and how it will affect our future.

“I think that if you want to simplify it down to its very essence, this course is about what will the future really be like,” Solez said in an interview with Andrew Jeffrey.

“It’s hard to predict that. What is (the students’) role in the future? Are they just passive victims of the future waiting to see what’s going to happen or are they actually going to help shape the future? I think they’re going to help shape it.”