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If We Want to Build Back Better, We Need a New Focus on Invention and Innovation
A road map to economic resilience and more inclusive prosperity The U.S. is at an economic crossroads, hastened by the effects of the pandemic. As we look for the best ways to revitalize our economy, we are appropriately focused on urgent, short-term needs, like getting people back to work and supporting small businesses such as…
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Invention Roundup: Three Inventors Who Are Designing a More Inclusive World
To commemorate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we’re spotlighting inventors whose work is redefining what it means to be included and reshaping the world so it’s accessible to all. Millions of people live with some form of disability. According to the World Health Organization’s World Report on Disability, 15 percent of the global population…
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Meet the Software Engineer Designing with Inclusivity in Mind
At the intersection of empathy and invention, Jason Grieves develops technology that bridges the digital divide for those with mobility or visual impairments. If Jason Grieves could boil his invention philosophy down to one phrase, it would be this: inclusive design. A software engineer who has worked at Apple, Microsoft and IBM, and the holder…
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How Adversity Led to a Lifetime of Engineering and Invention
Dr. Rory A. Cooper is an engineer, a veteran, an athlete and the holder of more than 20 groundbreaking patents in wheelchair and other assistive technology. If you use a wheelchair or know someone who does, chances are it includes technology invented by Dr. Rory Cooper. The founder and director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories,More
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We Have Ten Years Left To Meet the SDG Deadline
Four recommendations for my colleagues in the sustainable development sector on the vital role of local, invention-based enterprises By any standard, 2020 has been a landmark year of disruption. For the development community, this disruption occurs at the beginning of the final decade to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our shared blueprint to improve…
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Inventing for Equity: This Technology Makes Voting More Accessible
Dr. Juan Gilbert created the Prime III software voting system as a model for how to make elections more secure — and more inclusive. During this unprecedented election season, there has been a focus on safety and security for voters and voting systems — but equally paramount should be the issue of accessibility. That beliefMore
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Six Ways to Advance Equity for Inventive Changemakers
A Working Blueprint for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programs in Higher Education Fostering brave spaces that welcome a diversity of perspectives, ideas, and lived experiences is essential in any field. In STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, it is vital. Increasingly, entrepreneurship centers and science and technology programs in higher education have recognized a need for more authentic…
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Solving the Food Supply Chain Through Chemistry
The New Frontier of Combating Food Waste Chemist Aidan Mouat has created a sustainable product that could save a quarter of a billion pounds of produce from going bad this year alone. Next time you pop a grape into your mouth, consider its path from the field to your palate. From harvest to packing to…
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The Future of Farming May Be Vertical
How Two Young Entrepreneurs Are Bringing a Fresh Perspective to Farming If all of the world’s farms could be combined, they would create a landmass larger than the continent of South America. That’s according to the new documentary film, “Vertical: The Future of Farming,” which follows several urban and indoor farmers in their quests toMore