Calculating Risk: Nobel Laureate Alan Heeger on Innovation and Getting it Right
“One does not stop learning when you finish your PhD, you’re only beginning.”
2000 was a pretty good year for Professor Alan Heeger. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his efforts in the discovery and development of conductive polymers and his first business venture, UNIAX was acquired by DuPont.
Nearly a decade later, he has yet to lose his nerve to innovate. Despite his remarkable success in both the academic and entrepreneurial sphere, he is still on the frontline of discovery and research, here at UC Santa Barbara.
He talks about the inherent risks innovation and starting your own business, the importance of being bold and the difficulty in getting it right. Read the rest of this entry »
Read this if you are interested in how to have people pay attention to your story.
One afternoon amongst 500 other people, I spotted an older more distinguished gentleman. You know the kind of person who you can spot amongst 1000 people. I introduced myself and turned out he is the executive producer of Pretty Woman, one of the most memorable film in my youth.
What do you think I did? Given that I am a student of successful people, I seized the opportunity and had a brief interview with Gary.
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Here is the synopsis of the interview:
How many times have you been asked “What do you do?” at any kind of social gathering.
How many times have you answered the question and the other person then moved on to the next person? Leaving you feeling unimportant. Snubbed. Even a little hurt.
By answering the question directly, we put a ‘label’ on ourselves. And based on the the listener’s perception you are either boring or interesting.
Sure you can say: how rude! But the fact is that we have so many people to meet and so much information coming our way. There is no way for us to care about everything and everyone at everywhere. We have evolved to have phenomenal multitasking ability as well as filtering ability.
You are either boring or interesting. Bang. Done.
When Gary Goldstein asked me what is it that I do, my answer was ‘blogger’ and I am interested in interviewing him.
If he wasn’t curious and had a blogger interviewed him already. That would have leave no room for more development. That would have been the end of conversation.
Gary asks me to consider answering the question with a question. “What if thousands of people get to listen in on this conversation?”
By demonstrating value in the form of a question, that would have been intriguing to you, wouldn’t it? From that intrigue, we can then develop a relationship.
If you think this only applies to conference networking events, think again.
Recall how you or someone you know intimately, how do you initiate conversations in the dating scene?
Inevitably they start out with the question “what do you do?” and launch into a monologue of how great their latest project may be.
All features and no benefit.
Yawn. Boring.
You start to look around for more interesting targets.
As the talker, you want to have something that demands an unusual response. But I digress.
Here are some of the other points he touches on:
He shares how he is changing the business model of Hollywood by inverting the model of production and distribution.
He shares what’s possible beyond the realm of Hollywood
He shares how you can develop the ability to overcome hardtimes in Hollywood
How to get the inroad of Hollywood
Inner game: persistence, commitment
Outer game: dream100 and the strategy to reach anyone you want
If you ever get an opportunity to see him speak, see him. His insight and analogy will change how you operate in business relationships.
Even if you don’t listen to the entire interview, here is one thing you can do right now to get results:
Write down your list of dream contacts that will take you to the top. All 100 of them. Reach out to their gatekeepers for advice. Be persistent. Result will come.
“Opportunity never knocks, it sits quietly on the roadside and waits to be found.”
Are you waiting for opportunity to knock? Or are you going to find it?
The AlloSphere Research Facility at UC Santa Barbara: “We represent data”
Just the other day, I had the pleasure of speaking with Professor JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, the director of the AlloSphere research facility at UC Santa Barbara.
How did the concept come about? Why is it different from other virtual reality environments?
Professor Kuchera-Morin discusses how 40 million dollars worth of research partnerships was raised, leading to the construction of the AlloSphere building.
The idea was to bring visual artists and engineers together through collaboration.
Professor Kuchera-Morin discussed the importance of:
The benefits that come from a mutual partnership between scientists and artists.
The importance of “approaching and taming the beast [computer]” when it comes to mapping abstract data, not being afraid to join forces with computer scientists and material engineers.
The AlloSphere is the culmination of different laboratories, bringing all divisions together in one location.
Why?
Professor Kuchera-Morin simply states, “to make incredible science and do it right.”
The ultimate goal is to maintain data and experimental credibility, because the proper environment has been set up for all different fields of creativity.
Whether your expertise is music, nano science, or material engineering, all information is located in the same place for everyone to access.
This is why the AlloSphere is different than other virtual reality environments like the Planetarium, because massive amounts of scientific data have been brought under one roof that then becomes accessible to all who seek to compute their data, no matter what form it’s in.
The AlloSphere space consists of a 3-story cube that is “treated with extensive sound absorption material, making it one of the largest anechoic chambers in the world,” this is unlike anything ever done in a Planetarium.
Besides the impressive audio capabilites, the AlloSphere also delivers high-resolution 3D video streams.
When all three schools of thought join together, what can be achieved through this sort of cooperation is boundless.
The AlloSphere and Professor Kuchera-Morin’s innovative advances should not only be admired, but also emulated because bringing people together is how we continually expand our research and designs.
The dedication, effort, and patience put into the AlloSphere final product is nothing short of genius.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: How 3 College Students Took on the Medical Device Industry
Inogen founder, Ally Perry:
“Listen to as many people as you can, talk to people, get resources, but then internalize that and decide what’s right for your business.”
Motivated by her grandmother’s personal struggles with out-dated oxygen transport and conversion devices, Ally and two of her college buddies started Inogen, an innovation based company that since has transformed an entire branch of the health service industry. In 2005, Ally Perry and Inogen were recognized with The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and to date they raised nearly $55 million in venture capital.
Typical success stories only highlight, the high points, what works. So Ally wants to tell you what doesn’t. She shares her struggles with the entrepreneurial process, as well as, some advice for innovators who want to see their ideas materialize.
“Get everyone on the same page and use a BIG page.”
In today’s faster, more complex business environment Tony Wong, the founder of Digital Onion, has redefined the role of Project Manager.
His Point Man Leadership method reorders and simplifies tasks for better results.
He started out in software development and moved his way up the chain, transitioning to project management. Along the way he has learned what works, but perhaps more importantly what doesn’t. He will give you some tips on how to better manage your time, by focusing on what is important and simplifying your project system.
To date Tony has managed multi-million dollar projects for several big name companies, including: Nestle, Honda, Lexus, and Motorolla.
