ID: MIT IS ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S CITADELS OF HIGH-TECH. HOW MUCH EMPHASIS DO LEMELSON-MIT JUDGES PUT ON TECHNOLOGICAL ENGINEERING WHEN CONSIDERING WHO GETS THE HALF-MILLION DOLLAR PRIZE?
JS: For the Lemelson-MIT Prize, our screeners and judges consider both what impact the inventor has had on society to date and the future potential impact his or her inventions could have.
ID: YOU TOOK THE HELM OF THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM THIS SUMMER. WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU IMPLEMENTED, AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN STORE?
JS: We're joining two of our annual events, EurekaFest (launched last year) and the InvenTeams Odyssey. EurekaFest is a multiday celebration designed to empower a legacy of inventors through activities that inspire youth, honor role models and encourage creativity and problem-solving. The InvenTeams Odyssey is the annual finale event on MIT's campus, which brings high school students, teachers and mentors together to showcase their yearlong invention projects underwritten by grants from Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams.
The 2008 EurekaFest will be held June 16-21. It is our hope to shape EurekaFest as the premiere event for invention, and most of all, focus on a larger theme of community-building. We are also continuing our partnership with the Museum of Science, Boston, and the MIT Museum. Moreover, we are concentrating on securing corporate involvement through mentors, funding and supplies for InvenTeams, which I initiated formerly as InvenTeams grants officer.
This past year, Cisco Systems' Boxborough, Mass., location provided mentoring and additional funding to the Acton-Boxborough High School InvenTeam to develop a reusable firefighting grenade.
We're excited about continuing this relationship with Cisco for the 2007-2008 InvenTeams grant cycle. SolidWorks also has provided teacher training and licenses for its 3D solid modeling software to all the InvenTeams.
In addition, as a program whose mission is to inspire inventiveness and creativity in others, I think it's important to foster an environment that encourages staff to bring new ideas to the table.
ID: IN TERMS OF PRIZE MONEY, THIS CONTEST IS THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND IN THE NATION. HOW IS IT FUNDED ANNUALLY AND HOW MIGHT THAT CHANGE GOING FORWARD?
JS: The program was established in 1994 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by one of the world's most prolific inventors, Jerome Lemelson (1923-1997), and his wife, Dorothy. The Lemelson-MIT Program, including the award and grant money, is funded by The Lemelson Foundation, which has committed funds to ensure the livelihood of our program.
We have made changes in the past to the awards and their criteria and may consider other changes. We are also open to partnering with similarly minded companies or foundations to increase the impact of our initiatives.
ID: YOU WERE A PRIVATE CONSULTANT FOR SEVERAL START-UP COMPANIES, A HIGH SCHOOL ROWING COACH AND TEACHER, CHIEF ASSISTANT TO THE MAYOR OF ITHACA, N.Y., AND A FIREFIGHTER. THAT'S A PRETTY DIVERSE RESUME. WHICH OF YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES SERVES YOU BEST IN YOUR NEW ROLE?
JS: Which one hasn't?
As a consultant, I had to think like an entrepreneur for my clients: Identify opportunities and partnerships, and work with diverse interests. My experience as a coach and teacher for rowing teams helped me develop motivational skills to encourage others in the pursuit of excellence.
On the other hand, politics is all about listening, managing expectations and working with diverse constituencies - skills that have aided me as a manager. Firefighting - which I did through AmeriCorps - taught me that inventions are only as good as the people who use them. Always wear your seat belt!
ID: IN LOOKING AT PAST WINNERS, THE ROSTER IS FILLED WITH A SINGULAR DEMOGRAPHIC - WHITE GUYS. WHAT KIND OF EFFORTS, IF ANY, WILL THE PROGRAM LOOK TO IMPLEMENT TO ENCOURAGE DIVERSITY AMONG CONTESTANTS?
JS: We recognize and encourage all inventors, regardless of gender, ethnicity or race to lead creative, inventive lives. This is especially important to us in our work to inspire youth to invent.
Last year, we relaunched the Lemelson- MIT Awards with revised criteria and eligibility. The Lemelson-MIT Prize now honors mid-career inventors, so that it can serve as a catalyst rather than a capstone for prestigious inventors and their works. While the former Lifetime Achievement Award recognized some amazing women, including Edith Flanigen (molecular sieve technology), Ruth Benerito (easy-care cotton) and Stephanie Kwolek (Kevlar), the new Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability has expanded eligibility, which includes permanent U.S. residents and foreign nationals legally working in the United States.
The Lemelson-MIT Program has been proactive in learning about all inventors who may qualify for the awards. We are making a concerted effort to network and learn about inventiveness through events geared toward underrepresented populations, such as women engineers/inventors.
On the other hand, last year, 38 percent of InvenTeam participants (high school grant initiative) were young women, and 27 percent were from a self-identifi ed, racially mixed population that is underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies and careers.
The InventTeams competition is not a just about engineering and technology. Students can participate in all areas of invention: communications, marketing, finance, design and project management. Students who do not consider themselves to be techsavvy can be involved through one of these roles and become interested in science and technology on their own terms. We aim to further increase InvenTeams' reach.
