In his Spotlight session, Dr. Thornburg spoke about STEM initiatives, including the newly-created Thornburg Center for Space Exploration that is developing an after-school STEM curriculum. He also introduced Futurework 2020, a contest for middle and high school students to anticipate the new kinds of jobs that will be available in the year 2020 that are not available today.

Dr. Thornburg is an award-winning futurist, author and consultant whose clients range across the public and private sector, both in the United States and in Brazil. His focus on computing and communication media, project-based learning, 21st century skills, and open source software has placed him in demand as a speaker and workshop leader for schools, foundations, and governments.