Good ideas never exist in a vacuum—they come from life experiences, world views, curiosity, hard work, and collective brain power. And when put to practice, the best ideas address real issues and solve real problems.And MIT is never at a shortage of big ideas. The Institute's mindset lends itself to digging deeper to find solutions that question the status quo. So, how are MIT alumni putting this solve-anything mentality into practice? And what are some big ideas—and solutions—that are making a tangible impact? In this Slice of MIT podcast, recorded at the 2015 South by Southwest Interactive festival, five MIT alumni discuss how they confronting real-world problems with unconventional thinking. (Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.)
You’ll hear how a hacking ethos is leading to breakthroughs in medicine; how embracing new technologies will shape the camera of the future; how rethinking microbes could change the way we treat disease; and how crowd-sourcing is helping protect Earth from asteroids. (Read the “Mindset of Big Ideas” transcript.)
Featured MIT Alumni
Hans Peter Brøndmo '87 (@brondmo)
Advisor, TrueNorth Venture Partners
Brøndmo is an executive and entrepreneur who has spent his career at the intersection of technology innovation and consumer empowerment.
Lina Colucci (@lina_colucci)
Co-Director, MIT Hacking Medicine
Colucci is a PhD candidate in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Program and focuses on non-invasive, portable sensors.
Priya Garg ’15 (@priyaisms)
Co-Director, MIT Hacking Medicine
Garg's healthcare experience includes the MIT Biomechatronics Group, the Linda Griffith Lab, Covidien, and CAMTech.
Bernat Olle SM ’05, PhD ’07, MBA ’07 (@bernatolle)
Chief Executive Officer, Vedanta Biosciences
The 2013 Innovator of the Year by MIT Technology Review Spain, Olle was awarded the 2015 Princess of Girona Award by the King of Spain.
Jenn Gustetic SM ’07 (@jenngustetic)
Assistant Director for Open Innovation, Executive Office of the President, Office of Science and Technology Policy
Gustetic career has focused on open innovation, open government, innovation, public-private partnerships, and technology policy.
Listen to podcast above or on the Alumni Association’s SoundCloud page, or read the transcript. And don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes and rate the podcast and leave a review. Tweet your thoughts on this episode to @mit_alumni.
This podcast was produced to coincide with HUBweek, Boston's week-long celebration of the arts, science, and innovation; and Solve, a new MIT program that connects creative thinkers, doers, and influencers to explore, model, and test new solutions to the world's most pressing problems.
