Thanks to pop culture, most people have heard of the small-world effect, better known as “six degrees of separation.” Even if you’ve never heard the term, you’ve probably experienced the phenomenon—for example, discovering that a new acquaintance just happens to have a co-worker whose cousin works for your company’s branch office in Atlanta.
Making connections seems almost effortless in today’s world, where computers, cell phones, and the Internet link us to people and data instantaneously. Nevertheless, people often don’t recognize the connections between scientific research and their day-to-day lives.
A recent survey of Minnesotans revealed that many respondents support education and outreach but don’t necessarily recognize that University research—the essence of knowledge and discovery—has the power to improve lives and livelihoods. Yet the same survey found that there is overwhelming public support for research if people have enough information to “connect the dots.” At least 70 percent favored the University’s strategic positioning initiative to become a top research institution once they understood that keeping the state’s only research university strong bolsters Minnesota’s economy and quality of life.
This issue of Inventing Tomorrow helps people make the connections that are vital to our success. The stories show the impact the University is having on the world right now and reflect the direction of the college’s top priorities: nanotechnology, medical devices, renewable energy, and digital technology.
As our cover story, “Dedication to Innovation,” reports, a culture of discovery is alive and well within the Institute of Technology. In the last five years, 79 patents have been issued based on work done within the college—a third of the patents issued for the entire University during that time. Another 81 licensing agreements have been completed with companies that have paid the University more than $2.5 million for the rights to develop and market technological breakthroughs that emerged from the college. Ten start-up companies have been formed to translate pure research within the Institute of Technology into jobs and economic expansion for Minnesota.
Other stories in this issue show that interdisciplinary research is one of the Institute of Technology’s key strengths. The University of Minnesota led the successful effort to establish a new $21 million National Science Foundation research center based here that will explore more efficient uses of fluid power to save energy and spawn new technologies.
The University received high marks from Small Times, a leading nanotechnology trade publication, for its industrial outreach and research in nanotechnology and microtechnology, ranking second and ninth among U.S. universities in those areas.
Our students and faculty are sharing their knowledge and making connections around the world. In this issue you’ll meet some students and young alumni who gained work experience and met academic requirements through technical internships overseas. You’ll also read about alumni who forge invaluable partnerships with the college through their generous support.
This issue’s “Retrospect” profiles the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, which built its legacy of excellence by recruiting top faculty and students and by keeping its commitment to innovation.
Discovery is a way of life here at the University and within the Institute of Technology. Our constant dedication to do better and think creatively is the most direct route to a bright future for Minnesota and its people.
