Comments on: A Michigan Talent Magnet http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/a-michigan-talent-magnet/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:57:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Mike Anthony http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/a-michigan-talent-magnet/#comment-6967 Mike Anthony Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:33:01 +0000 http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/a-michigan-talent-magnet/#comment-6967 Are the "best students" always the best entrepeneurs? While at MIT many years ago I noticed that some of the brightest and most innovative students were struggling with 18.02 - the elementary differential equations class. These guys were just barely making C's -- and taking and retaking 18.02. But could they materialize whiz bang gadgets out of chewing gum and baling wire. So this is a rhetorical question: are we more likely to see innovation from a C- student or an A+ student? I bet you could spot the difference in a blink. While there is no shortage of handwaving in academia about encouraging entrepeneurship, academia is not where most risk takers are allowed to make the necessary mess of things. Re-read the third book of Jonathan Swift's, "Gulliver's Travels", (Laputa)if you think this tendency is anything new. I think the State of Michigan should start "talent" recruitment programs that find those brilliant C- misfits that could be admitted to the engineering colleges and supported financially and academically. It ought to be an effort not unlike the effort we put into recruiting athletic talent at the secondary school level. It would best be run by the technological equivalent of volunteer sports nuts. We may, in fact, discover innovators playing third string of the defensive line of the "B" varsity football team. We will have to let them have free run of our labs. They will break things. They will fail 99% of the time. Creativity--the kind Michigan needs-- is not efficient. Are the "best students" always the best entrepeneurs? While at MIT many years ago I noticed that some of the brightest and most innovative students were struggling with 18.02 - the elementary differential equations class. These guys were just barely making C's -- and taking and retaking 18.02. But could they materialize whiz bang gadgets out of chewing gum and baling wire.

So this is a rhetorical question: are we more likely to see innovation from a C- student or an A+ student? I bet you could spot the difference in a blink. While there is no shortage of handwaving in academia about encouraging entrepeneurship, academia is not where most risk takers are allowed to make the necessary mess of things. Re-read the third book of Jonathan Swift's, "Gulliver's Travels", (Laputa)if you think this tendency is anything new.

I think the State of Michigan should start "talent" recruitment programs that find those brilliant C- misfits that could be admitted to the engineering colleges and supported financially and academically. It ought to be an effort not unlike the effort we put into recruiting athletic talent at the secondary school level. It would best be run by the technological equivalent of volunteer sports nuts. We may, in fact, discover innovators playing third string of the defensive line of the "B" varsity football team.

We will have to let them have free run of our labs. They will break things. They will fail 99% of the time. Creativity--the kind Michigan needs-- is not efficient.

]]> By: William Craft http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/a-michigan-talent-magnet/#comment-6825 William Craft Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:05:32 +0000 http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/blog/a-michigan-talent-magnet/#comment-6825 Go Michigan. Go Blue. Bill Craft Go Michigan. Go Blue.

Bill Craft

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