In the modern era, universities have taken on the role of innovative “sandbox,” fostering an explosion of research and discovery at a scale never seen before in human history, according to an article by Margaret O’Mara, associate professor of history at the UW.
Inclusive innovation blog
A new innovation model for the 21st century
American universities are more able now than ever before to compete with technology start-ups. Specifically, on innovation leadership. That’s the premise of a commentary in Real Clear Education written by the UW’s David Baker, Tom Daniel, Ed Lazowska and Dan Schwartz.
Making disruption a force for good
President Ana Mari Cauce, writing in the March 2016 edition of Columns, said the UW’s commitment to the public good aligns with its ranking as the most innovative public university in the world.
Can innovation improve the quality of life for vulnerable children and families?
Benjamin de Haan, executive director of Partners for Our Children and an affiliate professor in the UW School of Social Work, says a lack of data and technology tools should not get in the way of improving services for the most vulnerable children and families in our communities.
Is the startup model best for innovation?
Chris DeVore, partner at Founders’ Co-op, writes that the “clockspeed” of the the global economy, a pace of business that governs how quickly companies can grow and adapt to the changes around them, has changed only slowly since the industrial revolution. But since the introduction of the microprocessor in the late 1960’s, the clockspeed of business has shifted from a linear growth pattern to an exponential one.
How scientific social work helps people flourish
Which of these innovations will have more impact on society — a first-of-its-kind experimental vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS that’s been developed by a venture-capital-backed biotechnology company, or a big-data research study from a social work scholar that identifies the role that alcohol consumption plays in the contraction of HIV/AIDS? UW School of Social Work Dean Edwina Satsuki Uehara says the answer is both.
Can the public sector outpace the private sector when it comes to innovation?
Kevin Merritt, founder and CEO of Socrata, says governments around the world are facing significant political turmoil and enormous economic stress as they struggle with an alarming and unprecedented array of public-policy crises.
Seattle’s next major breakthrough — democratic innovation
Vikram Jandhyala, vice provost for innovation at the University of Washington, thinks that Seattle is at a crossroads right now. It can go one of two ways. It can become another San Francisco, with all the successes, but also all the failures that San Francisco represents. Or it can be something different, and go the Seattle way.