Winter 2007
Advancing the “Virtuous Cycle” of Education, Research and Entrepreneurship: Highlights of the 2007 Technology Institute
Every other year, the Technology Alliance convenes a group of business leaders, heads of education and research institutions, and state policymakers to discuss the key issues facing Washington’s science and technology sector and how we as a state can bolster our long-term economic competitiveness. The retreat provides a unique opportunity to hear from state and national experts about our position in the global innovation economy and to discuss in depth how we can advance Washington’s future economic success.
At the 2007 retreat, a combination of keynote presentations, case studies and interactive panel discussions guided participants toward identifying strategies to position Washington for prosperity, focusing on strengthening the “virtuous cycle” of K-12 and higher education, research capacity and entrepreneurial climate in our state.
Rising above the gathering storm
Dr. Charles Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering and president emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, opened the Institute with a comprehensive assessment of the changing global economy and what we need to do in order to prosper in the “Knowledge Age.” Globalization is the new reality, and Vest pointed to compelling data showing how other nations have made significant gains in cultivating a highly-educated workforce, supporting research and spurring innovations in the marketplace.
Here at home, we need to experience a cultural shift toward valuing science and engineering. Vest noted that students who pursue these disciplines do so because they are motivated to help people and recognize the opportunity to have a profound impact through their work. Discussions around teacher salaries and the role of basic research reflect an even deeper cultural problem that must be addressed: a lack of respect for learning and failure to appreciate the value of intellectual endeavor.
“The time is long, long past when we could prosper based on our geography, our natural resources or our military might,” Vest observed. “We can only prosper today, and in the future as far as we can see it, based on brain power.”
“If there’s a single message, that’s it.”
Vest urged that we position ourselves to meet the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the new global economic reality, saying that our nation – and our state – must “join and lead the fray” in taking on great 21st century challenges such as energy, the environment and health while creating the most sophisticated, high value-added jobs in our economy. To accomplish this, we must focus on the fundamentals: invest in education and research, and encourage entrepreneurship and innovation.
Houston, we have a problem
First and foremost among the obstacles that we need to overcome, according to Vest, is the current state of K-12 math and science education, a sentiment echoed by retired NASA astronaut Dr. Bonnie Dunbar during her presentation the following evening. Recalling how NASA came to the realization that the K-12 pipeline was not producing future scientists and engineers, Dunbar explained the impact of hands-on learning for inspiring students and re-energizing teachers in math and science.
As President and CEO of the Museum of Flight, Dunbar knows first-hand the transformative power of programs that augment what students learn in the classroom: each year, approximately 20,000 students from across Washington participate in the museum’s education programs. Its learning centers are, in fact, operating at only 35% capacity, meaning that many more of our state’s students could benefit from the kind of hands-on learning opportunities that engender a deeper appreciation and understanding of math and science.
Inspiration, however, is only half of the equation when talking about how we cultivate the next generation of scientists and engineers.
“It’s all about inspiring the next generation and ensuring that they’re educated,” Dunbar said. “We can inspire all we want, but if they don’t have the tools – if they didn’t have someone to tell them to take algebra, or geometry, or chemistry or physics – we’re not going to make it.”
Individual school districts in Washington are taking the initiative to provide students with these essential tools. Case in point: Bellevue Public School District, which, under the leadership of Superintendent Michael Riley, set out to provide all students with the quality of education traditionally reserved for the elite, with an emphasis on math and Advanced Placement course-taking.
Characterizing curriculum as “the most important issue facing American K-12 education today,” Riley described the district’s core strategy: implementation of a coherent, coordinated, and mandatory curriculum across all grades and disciplines. Bellevue also embraced technology as a means of supporting this curriculum reform and of providing both access and transparency for teachers, students and parents. The result: Bellevue significantly outperforms the state as a whole in measures such as on-time high school graduation rate, pass rates on state assessments, and Advanced Placement achievement.
Bellevue’s success serves as a model for improving student achievement. The challenge lies in deploying these approaches for the benefit of students throughout the state and better integrating the education system as a whole, from early learning through higher education. Concern over the disconnection between K-12 and higher education was repeatedly raised throughout the retreat.
Dr. Elson S. Floyd, president of Washington State University, summed it up this way: “The only competitive advantage we can realize is determined by the extent to which we nurture and cultivate the intellectual capacity of the citizens within our state.”
“There must be congruence between what happens in the K-12 environment with what happens in higher education.”
Several education leaders recalled Vest’s contention about culture, pointing out that we need to create a college-bound culture in Washington which not only produces graduates in math, science and engineering fields to support our technology-based economy, but also cultivates a civil society in which our citizens have a meaningful stake and are able to take advantage of the innovations that are being created.
Driving innovation, creating opportunity
In his opening presentation, Vest observed that investment in long-term, basic research will be the key to our future; without this new knowledge and the radically new technological ideas that come out of it, our innovation system will simply wind down. Dr. Lee Hartwell, Nobel laureate and president and director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, seconded this notion in his presentation on the role of research institutions in the virtuous cycle.
Dr. Hartwell explained the ways in which the Hutchinson Center – and research institutions in general – contribute to our economy while producing important scientific breakthroughs that improve the lives of people across the globe. The primary way they do this, he said, is by creating and implementing new knowledge. In doing so, the institutions fulfill another important function, one which speaks to the cultural issue first raised on the opening night of the retreat, by providing the public with a window on life science.
“I honestly believe that our century will not be remembered for its primitive medical treatments, but for its insights into the science of life,” said Hartwell. “It’s just incredible what we now understand about what life is, what we are, how we work.”
“I think that’s the most exciting thing – it’s certainly the reason I got into science,” he continued. “I was interested in what is life and how does it work, and we’re really answering that question. So I think one of the greatest benefits of both the research institutions and the university in our community is to provide the public with a window on that excitement.”
New knowledge created at our public and private research institutions leads to important advancements in health care, computing, energy and a host of other areas in which our state is positioned to be a global leader. It also forms the basis of new companies that that turn this research into new products, services and jobs in our state.
To help participants understand the positive contributions of young and innovative companies to our state economy and where the pressures are for entrepreneurs growing such businesses, entrepreneur Jeremy Jaech provided a case study drawing lessons from his experience leading three Washington startups: Aldus Corporation, Visio Corporation, and his current company, Trumba Corporation.
Pointing to the very real payoff for Washington in nurturing the growth of such companies, Jaech noted that technology startups are not apt to move far, tend to be clean, and often create jobs at a rapid rate as they sell their intellectual property nationally or even globally. His first two startup companies each employed an estimated 1,000 people at their peak. Both companies were eventually acquired by larger, established companies – Aldus by Adobe, and Visio by Microsoft – an outcome which also reaps rewards: Adobe established a 450-person office in Seattle, and the two acquisitions have led to the creation of numerous company spin-offs.
Coming full circle
Jaech and his fellow entrepreneurs brought the discussion full circle by recalling two commonly raised issues throughout the retreat discussions: the importance of strong K-12 and higher education.
“When I think about the pipeline of events that have to occur to create a healthy economic climate that allows startups to succeed, universities are a big element of that, as is K-12,” said Jaech.
“It’s a pipeline, and you’ve got to keep the pipe healthy.”
On the final morning of the Institute, participants gathered to identify the key priorities raised during the retreat and discuss potential strategies to advance the virtuous cycle of education, research and entrepreneurship in Washington. The results will inform the Technology Alliance’s policy activities going forward and provide a blueprint for meeting head-on the challenges of the global knowledge-based economy for the long-term prosperity of our state.
To read the complete report on the 2007 Technology Institute, click here.
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Stay up to date with the Technology Alliance
Make it your New Year's resolution to update your contact information with the Technology Alliance. Email Kristin Osborne with new or changed email, mailing address, or phone number. Thanks.
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