I thought this might be of interest to the list:
The Best of Times in Science and Tech
CNet (04/03/06) Olsen, Stefanie
In a recent interview, SRI International CEO Curt Carlson shared his thoughts
on the future of science and innovation. Carlson said that SRI, an autonomous
nonprofit since its spinoff from Stanford University in 1970, is conducting
extensive research in bio-informatics, using computing technology to develop
new drugs. An SRI technology for a robotic surgery that uses probes to allow
a doctor to work inside the chest cavity without having to make a large incision,
or even be physically present during the procedure, spawned Intuitive Surgical,
now a $4 billion company. DARPA has recently awarded SRI and Intuitive Surgical
a grant to scale the technology down further to make it usable in battlefield
situations. Carlson believes in the "genius of the team" when it comes to
innovation, insisting that everybody in an organization must be involved
in the process to create a true climate of innovation. The convergence of
different discoveries has transformed the way scientists practice their craft
and ushered in an era of unprecedented opportunity in science and technology,
according to Carlson, who noted that since 1950, the greatest increase in
productivity in a five-year period has been in the last five years, in spite
of the dot-com bust, the Sept. 11 attacks, and the war on terror. In computing,
Carlson said the Internet still needs to be faster and safer, and that a
whole new architecture is needed. He also notes that the United States fails
to produce enough computer scientists, and that declining levels of interest
come from the media reporting more about an industry in decline rather than
the tremendous opportunities available today. Carlson believes that scientific
research is in good shape, but that the key to success is a collaborative
approach, rather than the do-it-yourself model of the large corporate facility.
SRI focuses now on putting together teams of experts from different organizations
to move quickly and in a decentralized fashion, and considers team building
one of the disciplines of innovation.
For the full article go here: http://news.com.com/The+best+of+times+in+science+and+tech/2008-11395_3-6056207.html
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