Society is increasingly willing to
take on large-scale problems that require interdisciplinary teams, and
entrepreneurial academic ventures – like Union's
Converging Technology initiative – provide a rich proving ground for
introducing the model to future members of those teams, said Theodore Berger
'72 at Founders Day convocation on Feb. 17.
Berger, the David Packer Professor
of Engineering at the University
of Southern California,
described his experience in leading a team from diverse disciplines to develop “bionic”
replacement parts for the brain, novel sensor systems for homeland security,
and start-up companies for commercialization of those technologies.
The title
of his talk was “Educating the Mind to Build the Brain: The Power of
Integrating Liberal Arts with Science and Technology.” Berger was awarded an honorary
doctor of science degree from the College.
There is an enormous cost of
caring for some 4 million Americans with Alzheimer's and another 4.5 million
stroke survivors, Berger said, but there is still no strategy for repairing the
brain.
“To deal with such a huge problem,
you have to be able to put together a multidisciplinary team,” he said. “I have
to be able to convince someone that this should be interesting and that they
should work on it. You've got to put a team together that can look at all
aspects of a problem,” he said, “and this includes business people.”
Earlier in the day, Berger and his
wife, Roberta Diaz Brinton, professor of molecular pharmacology at USC, gave a
breakfast talk sponsored by the College and the Center for Economic
Growth.
Speaking to an audience of
business and industry leaders, the couple stressed the importance of scientists
collaborating with business and industry.
“There are a lot of things that you
know about that we don't,” Berger said. “People have cutting edge solutions to problems
and I don't even know what they are. It's really valuable to have someone who can
say, 'I know the answer to that.' That allows you to jump ahead by a couple of years.”
Brinton, founder of
NeuTherapeutics, which is researching preventative measures against Alzheimer's,
spoke about the importance of learning business. “I have an entire small
business in my laboratory that I have to manage,” she said.
“No one ever told me, 'Do a market
analysis,'” she said. “Thank God, I was interested in Alzheimer's disease and
not some bizarre little meaningless piece of science.”
“You need to have these
partnerships,” she continued. “Union and Schenectady
have a unique opportunity. You're in the building phase. Build what no one else
has done yet, which is interface the College with your efforts and your efforts
with the College.”