World Lab: Inventing the Future Today

Опубликовано 28 июля 2016, 0:26

There are many urgent problems facing the planet: a degrading environment, a healthcare system in crisis, and educational systems that are inadequately training creative, innovative thinkers to solve the problems of tomorrow. A balanced approach is required to solve these problems: a balance between design and technology, a balance between human-centered and technology-centered approaches, a balance between government policy and individual behavior change, and a balance between different world cultures and ways of thinking. What if we could reduce a family�s energy and water use by 50%? What if we could double everyone�s daily physical activity? What if we could educate any child, anywhere in the world, to perform near the level of the best students in the world today, while ensuring these children excel at innovative thinking? A research program that tackles these grand challenges must include a new model of interdisciplinary research that takes a long view and encourages risk taking and creativity, while not being distracted by the incremental approaches that are encouraged by today�s funding and publication models. A truly interdisciplinary institute can both attack the most important problems the world faces today as well as help produce the research leaders of tomorrow.