I am an immigrant and a U.S. citizen who has lived in the U.S. for the last 25 years. One huge difference I see today as compared to what I saw in 1982 is the complacency among Americans. Technological superiority gave us the bulk of the best paying jobs.##M:[more]##
However, the desire of American students to pursue an education in science, engineering and technology in college has waned significantly. Many high schoolers with an aptitude for science and math are pursuing college education in fields other than science, math, technology and engineering. These fields form the basis for innovation that results in a high number of technology jobs that pay very well. The waning interest in science and math is a bad recipe for future technological leadership.
The MIT Club of Princeton, the alumni association of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in central New Jersey and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, has launched an initiative to encourage more high school students to consider college-level education in math, science and technology. The club is bringing high profile speakers who will seek to inspire high school students to pursue higher education in science and math by discussing how the resulting career could be “cool,” help them make a lot of money or make them famous — things that are basic human drivers.
Recently we had Professor Kerry Emanuel, one of the world’s experts on hurricanes and climate change, speak in Princeton.
On Thursday, May 15, we have teamed up with the Thomas Edison Papers Project of Rutgers University to host a talk by the great grand niece of Thomas Edison, Sarah Caldicott, entitled “Invent Like Edison,” to encourage high school students to pursue careers in math, science and technology by highlighting the pivotal role of science and math in invention and innovation.
Caldicott, a 20-year veteran with PepsiCo and Unilever, will discuss the Five Competencies of Innovation that Edison used to become the most prolific inventor in American history. Her latest book, “Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America’s Greatest Inventor,” was written in collaboration with Michael J. Gelb, best-selling author of “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci.” Innovate Like Edison is the first book to identify Edison’s systematic approach to innovation.
Sarah conducted her research and worked with the world’s leading Edison historian, Dr. Paul Israel, director of the Edison Papers at Rutgers University. He will appear with Sarah and discuss why Edison succeeded. The Edison Papers Project has spent years analyzing over 5 million pages of notebooks, business, and personal correspondence that Edison generated during his lifetime to gain better insight into one of the greatest human minds.
Other people we are trying to bring to our area include Sally Ride, the first woman in space, Steve Wozniak, the inventor of the Apple computer and MIT Professor Phil Sharp, Nobel Laureate in Medicine among others. We are also sending two Central New Jersey teachers each summer to MIT for one week, at our expense, to get exposed to the latest research and teaching techniques that can be brought back to our area.
The Invent Like Edison event will be held Thursday, May 15, at 6 p.m. at the Allison Road Classroom (ARC) Auditorium of the Rutgers University Busch Campus at 618 Allison Road, Piscataway. There is no admission fee.
We hope that high school students with an interest in math, science and technology, MIT Alumnae, the Rutgers community, innovators (and budding innovators) and Edison enthusiasts will participate in the event.
Both authors will sign their books before and after the address. Seating is limited. To register for this free event, visit the website of the MIT Club of Princeton at https://alumweb.mit.edu/clubs/princeton/. Online directions to ARC can be found at https://maps.rutgers.edu/building.aspx?id=416.
As graduates of one of the best schools in science and math, we hope that talks like these will inspire students to pursue college level education in science and math, and keep our country at the forefront of leveraging technology for competitive advantage and to improve humankind.
For more about the MIT Club of Princeton, including the Science & Math initiative and the MIT SEPT program, where high school teachers spend a week at MIT each summer, visit https://alumweb.mit.edu/clubs/princeton/.
Ram Iyer
President, MIT Club of Princeton
