002: Jazz Rasool - Bartender to NASA Trainer and Human Cognition Expert

The Way of the Futurist

Thanks for joining me today as I explore our emergent future with my guest, Jazz Rasool. Jazz is an entrepreneur, consultant, scientist, researcher and futurist...he’s currently a research fellow at the Learning Technology Research Center at Ravensbourne University London and leads EU funded projects that include, among many others, a project called WEKIT, which stands for Wearable Experience for Knowledge Intensive Training. The WEKIT Project recently completed work on a Matrix style experience and knowledge transfer system using VR/AR and Holographic methods. The project worked closely with astronauts, pilots, and medics to validate their work. That’s right, Jazz is creating the technology capable of uploading skills and experiences directly into our brains. In this conversation I talk to Jazz about his early experience as a bartender and how that led him to create a process of exploration called the Collaboration Cycle. Jazz also outlines how people can train themselves to become innovators and not only make an impression, but make an impact. We cover many interesting subjects in this conversation that you’ll just have to hear for yourselves. This was a fun one so lets get to it.

Biography

Jazz Rasool has a background in Astrophysics, Molecular Biology, Entrepreneurship and Computing. Exposure to a renaissance education has led him to understand the nature of human consciousness, creativity and innovation. His concepts are coloured by his experience in Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts. Currently he is a Researcher/Teacher at Ravensbourne University London (RUL) specialising in Technology Enhanced Education where he began as a futurist predicting innovations in Creative sectors such as Archtecture, Video Gaming, Art & Design, Publishing as well as Broadcasting. His most recent work contributed to a €3m EU funded project creating Holographic (Hololens) workplace training for Air Ambulance crew in the Arctic as well as Astronaut trainers in Italy working with International Space Station and Mars missions. In 2018 he won a €30,000 first prize from Farfetch, the world's 4th largest online fashion retailer, for Disruptive Innovation in Fashion, competing against 50 other companies globally, with his winning idea presenting technology for Holographic projection of fashion on people. Preparing for the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci's Death in 2019 and collaborating with colleagues at RUL, Jazz was the first to create and see a holographic animated rendition of Da Vinci's designs for Perpetual Motion machines, with the work on show at the Peltz Gallery, London and at the home of Da Vinci's designs in the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy. His personal projects focus on visualising Mental Health and states of mind that contribute to creativity and collaboration in Virtual Reality worlds he has written algorithms and software for.