Just a quick note for anyone who normally clicks on the links on this page (Under “The Uncommon Navigator: Lane’s latest posts from TheAtlantic.com”) to read more of my essays on The Atlantic‘s website …
I wrote seven (yes, count them, seven) posts last week, substituting for The Atlantic‘s National Correspondent James Fallows on his Atlantic blog. (Jim is on book leave for 10 weeks, back in China, and he asked various teams of writers/thinkers/entrepreneurs/tech folks to fill in for him each of the weeks he’s gone. I was on last week’s team—and in case anyone’s interested, the teams are pretty impressive, worth checking out.
I wrote on:
- The folly of TSA-type security at general aviation airports
- Whether visionaries like Steve Jobs are born or can be created
- The unavoidable risk of public places
- Whether or not (as Tiger Mom would have us believe) being good at something is necessary for it to be fun (and, conversely, if we’re good at something, whether that makes it fun)
- Challenger, 25 years later
- What kind of education improvement is really needed in order to improve American kids’ ability to innovate (hint: it’s not math)
But since the posts were put on Jim’s blog, they didn’t link here, as my normal Atlantic posts do. So if you want to see any of those posts, go to Jim’s main blog page, and just scroll down until you get to mine, intermixed with the others posted by my “team” last week. (First post was Monday, January 24th, last was Sunday, January 30th.)
Happy reading!
Lane, what an outstanding job! It was an honor and pleasure for me to have you appearing in “my” site. Thanks for what you do for the Atlantic, and in your other writing, and on this site — and last week in my little zone too. Best wishes and in gratitude, Jim Fallows
I am interested in your discussion of “silos” in the educational system.
My observation is that it is more pervasive and restrictive than you realize, in that the silos are very narrow. The particular case that I am dealing with, involves interdisciplinary thought only to the extent that understanding magnetic field theory [junior level physics], switching power control, and electric motor design, are all involved in being able to meaningfully read a paper, that “proves” that permanent magnets are a detriment rather than a necessity, to advanced, current controlled, electric motor design. “proves” here means: “an argument sufficient to convince a knowledgeable reviewer”, rather than “rigorous scientific declamation”
To solve my problem: “no willing reviewer”, I can’t wait for you to reform the educational system from kindergarten up, but rather, I propose that there is a magic moment, in technical education, when a breakout of the silo is possible. The moment is called, “student selected senior research project” . It is offered in many, if not most, good engineering colleges. In a few schools, like my Alma Mater, Berkeley, there is a student financed, and student run, research organization BERC is the name of the one at Berkeley, dealing with energy and environment.
Once a senior has graduated, it is too late, she either signs an employee security agreement with a company, or she selects a professor as a graduate adviser, either way, she’s back in a silo for the rest of her professional life.
I am founding a not-for-profit, Orbic Institute, to solicit donations, to finance, and provide in-kind help, and mentoring, to interdisciplinary student researchers.