Measuring Convergence in Science and Engineering Proceedings of a Workshop (2021) / Chapter Skim
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2 Setting the Stage: Why Is Convergence Important?
2 Setting the Stage: Why Is Convergence Important?
Pages 7-12
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From page 7... ...
that newer can be better."1 Academic research and, in DeSimone's view, research-driven startups both constitute "a form of optimism about the human condition." Innovation was categorized by the economist Clay Christensen into three types: disruptive, sustaining, and efficiency. DeSimone explained that disruptive innovations transform the complex and expensive to make them affordable and accessible.
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From page 8... ...
While DeSimone views π-shaped knowledge as a higher calling, he expressed concern about the demands on people who develop multiple deep knowledge bases across their careers, and the extensive time that this process requires. Those in academic areas of research are thus significantly older than those in entrepreneurial spaces like Silicon Valley tech companies: the average age of a Research Project R01 grantee is around 40 years, compared to the average age of recipients of seed grants, who tend to be in their mid-twenties.
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From page 9... ...
More recently, a personal essay in the prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie, International Edition expressed frustration with the professional focus on increasing diversity. The now deleted essay sparked a mass resig nation by 16 of the 44 international advisory board members, including DeSimone, and has since rallied public support for the importance of building a culture of inclusivity.
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From page 10... ...
Willing is not enough: we must do." DeSimone concluded by summarizing the key ingredients of innovation, which include diverse design teams, a commitment to mentorships and apprentice hips, efforts to behave differently than those in the majority of s a field, a pursuit of connections between fields while building partnerships with domain experts, working performed on a massive scale rather than a merely incremental one, and engagement with others. These ingredients demonstrate the blend of convergence and diversity, which are interrelated and critically important.
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From page 11... ...
DeSimone responded that it is not a necessary part of convergence but can be a defining element, in part because translational work is deeply inspiring. He further explained that startup development does not lend itself to every discipline, thus he would neither force that model onto a researcher nor negate those researchers who do link their work to business applications.
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