Freedom Through Technology
Join us on Friday, Jan. 23, 7:00 p.m., to hear Vanessa Meterko, Research Manager at the Innocence Project, speak about the organization's history, evolution, work, and mission. Materko will also share insights into her role within the Data Science and Research department.
The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, who gained national attention in the mid-1990s as part of the "Dream Team" of lawyers who formed part of the defense in the O. J. Simpson murder case.[11]
As of 2021, the Innocence Project has successfully overturned more than 300 convictions through DNA-based exonerations. In 2021, the Innocence Project received the biennial Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty by Cato Institute, awarded in recognition and gratitude for its work to ensure liberty and justice for all.
Vanessa Meterko is the research manager at the Innocence Project. She earned her M.A. in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of the City University of New York. Meterko has conducted research and published on a variety of topics including health care, subtle discrimination, and wrongful convictions. She has also served as an advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual abuse in New York City.
New Hearing Assist System in Renaissance Theater: The new system uses a small battery pack and a neck loop which will work with T-Coil enabled hearing aids. You can check out a battery pack and neck loop for each Speaker Series from a LifeLong Learning volunteer in the Lobby. A personal identification card is required. The battery pack and neck loop must be returned to a volunteer after each performance. Visit a lobby volunteer for assistance.
Admission to all Premier Speaker Series events is $15 per person and can be purchased online or with cash in the lobby of the Renaissance Theater one hour prior to the presentation, subject to availability. Up to four admissions can be purchased in one transaction per LLL user account.
For online purchases, two to three days before an event, a QR code ticket will be emailed to the email address of each person who is registered. The QR code ticket is a personal code for each person registered and the printed or electronic ticket displaying the QR code is required for admission to the event. Will call is not offered.
EVENT DATE/TIME: Friday, Jan. 23, 7-8:30 p.m.
COST: $15
MAXIMUM: 320 (no assigned seating, no waitlist)