Innovating Beyond the Gathering Storm

Dr Guruprasad Madhavan, Program Officer, Policy and Global Affairs at The National Academies, spoke about Innovating beyond the Gathering Storm. He explained the origins of the National Academies and noted "the National Academy of Sciences is an organization that was founded as a result of innovative thinking during the Civil War."

Briefing the conference attendees on the present public perceptions on innovation and competitiveness, Madhavan also explained the origins of the Rising Above the Gathering Storm report, the corresponding federal and state impacts of the report including the America COMPETES Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the follow-up recent reports and activities within the National Academies. He urged the attendees to review the many relevant reports available freely online at the National Academies Press.

Responding to a question on how and why he chose public policy as a career path as an engineer, Madhavan responded "My doctoral research was focused on developing a non-invasive muscle stimulation device to improve lower limb blood circulation. I was doing an experiment in my lab in early 2008, and I had this sudden realization that instead of stimulating tiny mechanoreceptors in the foot, may be I need to be stimulating the economy. I applied, and was later accepted for a science and technology policy fellowship at the National Academies to work in an economic policy board in Fall 2008. That was the time when the economic crisis was beginning to deepen. I got a battlefield view of economics and policy. Enriched and inspired by that experience, I applied for a position at the National Academies for a fulltime position following my PhD."

Madhavan added engineers could also innovate by encouraging students and young professionals to move into various career pathways beyond the traditional molds of engineering. "There are a lot of career paths less traveled that could gain from an engineering mindset."