MIT and the art of innovation

March 8, 2013

The title of my post takes from an articlein the Economist. When I saw the post in my Facebook newsfeed, I thought I was going to get some insight into what MIT had discovered were the secrets to innovation. The article begins with this quote by Susan Hockfield, the president of MIT.

“You start with some very bright people, let them hang out with other very bright people and allow their imaginations to roam,”

You might think you are going to be given some insight into the processes which have given the institution such a remarkable track record. As it turns out the article is primarily about an exhibition at the MIT museum that is part of the Institute’s 150th anniversary celebrations. You do not really get any insight into what MIT has discovered about innovation.

Perhaps the one major point I would take away was that MIT was involved or tasked with some real problems, in the process of addressing which its engineers and scientists came up with some interesting and often transformational innovations.

In that same context, it does help to be connected locally, such as MIT being connected with the city of Boston, which gave it some interesting challenges to work with. Perhaps I will go check out the exhibition as well.

Does that perhaps imply, that being local and what that brings in terms of relationships with people might contribute in some way to being able to take on and solve big problems?