Tricia EdwardsHead of Education

Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center

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Creating Spaces to Foster InnovationA Proposal for SXSWEdu 2016

Key Questions

• What can we learn from the workspaces of inventors and innovators?

• How do these physical spaces foster innovation and creativity?

• Can we apply ideas and principles from inventors’ spaces to classrooms, libraries, museums, and other educational environments?

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Thomas Edison and his staff at the Menlo Park Lab, NJ, 1880

What do these inventors’ workspaces have in common?This session will examine a range of inventors’ spaces—past and present, personal and institutional—and present similarities among the spaces, their designs, and functionality. (While the focus will be on the physical design of the spaces, participants also will hear about some of the intangible qualities that contribute to the creation of an innovative workspace.)

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HP GaragePalo Alto, CA

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Inventor Elmer Gates in his home lab Chevy Chase, MD

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Inventor Ralph Baer in his basement workshopNashua, NH

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Inventor James McLurkin in his lab at MIT Cambridge, MA

Inventor Chuck Popenoe and his basement workshopBethesda, MD

Inventor Sharon Rogone’s NICU “lab” San Bernardino, CA

Salk Institute Research LabLa Jolla, CA

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How can we apply the principles of inventors’ labs to educational contexts?Participants will examine various educational spaces and discuss how to adapt and modify design and layout to create environments more conducive to creativity, invention, and innovation. Examples of effective spaces will also be shared.

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How might these spaces be adapted?

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Photo courtesy of Conrad Nutschan

What are the practical takeaways?Participants will discuss what they learned from the session and the one or two things they can take back and apply to their own environments.

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