lbock
Posts by this author
July 23, 2010
As a founder and organizer of the upcoming inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, I'm in frequent contact with a wide range of teachers, students, innovators, community leaders, entrepreneurs and decision makers in science and technology across the country.
One thing that I continue to…
July 5, 2010
It's funny what inspires one toward a career in science or engineering.
Kary Mullins who earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993, says it was the experience of growing up in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina that did it for him. There, in a more simple and…
June 25, 2010
Let's face it, we as a society have a limited, even poor, image of scientists and engineers. For instance, just ask the average fifth-grader to draw his or her perception of a scientist and you'll most likely be given a depiction of a white male with wild Einstein-like hair, eccentric habits and…
June 14, 2010
Nobel Laureate Richard Smalley said, "By the year 2010, 90 percent of the world's scientists and engineers will live in Asia."
Right now, 85 percent of people being trained in the advanced physical sciences in the U.S. are here on temporary education visas from abroad. Many of them end up going…
April 12, 2010
A few months ago, I told a well-connected colleague about the USA Science & Engineering Festival. He asked me how he could help and I suggested he help us spread the word. Well, he enthusiastically sent out a blast and I was copied on his email to about forty scientists.
One of the…
March 8, 2010
I remember, all too painfully, in many of my high tech and life science start-ups, a common refrain from the scientists would be, "We got the device to work....it's just engineering from here." Then, invariably - millions of dollars later - I would learn (as the CEO): that's when the hard work…
March 4, 2010
Tip 1: Capture the High Ground (Convene the best and brightest in the field)
As the Science Festival movement grows, I am often asked about "best practices" in setting up a local Science Festival. So I decided to write a series of short blog posts about the know-how I have accumulated. Please…