TAKE A WALK - INNOVATION IS EVERYWHERE

Recently I had lunch with Godfrey Mungal, Dean of Santa Clara University's Engineering School. We were talking about the benefits of MBA students and engineering students working together on innovation projects. Eventually the conversation turned to aviation and my thoughts about how our students could play a supporting role for the Experimental Aircraft Association and the nascent electric aircraft industry. Much to my surprise, Godfrey took me for a walk -- to show that Santa Clara University already had a rich history of aviation innovation. John Joseph Montgomery was a pioneer in the design and development of control systems for heavier-than-air flight. Many of theseflights took place on the campus of Santa Clara University and I've been walking by the commemorative obelisque for almost ten years...

While thoughtful innovators understand that success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration -- we cannot deny that inspiration is a motivator. Joining with other enthusiasts or just seeing a personal connection to a historic innovation makes success seem more of a possibility, and thus we can maintain or increase our own motivation. Take a walk and see what connections to innovation are just around the corner. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is building an endowment for the John Joseph Montgomery Gold Medal for Distinguished Innovation in Aeronautics. To learn more: pdf.