The National Geographic published an article that inspired me to share my thoughts about it. Though much of my focus in finding solutions to the healthcare needs of people in developing nations is on creating a system where communities will not need to depend on traditional healthcare, the current reality is that those traditional organizations are still the only access …Continue Reading
It is time to treat our brains with the respect and care they deserve. They are equally as important as any other vital organ, and they are significantly easier to injure. And yet, we seem to worry more about our hearts and lungs, which are generally better protected. Like millions of football fans around the world, I was outraged when …Continue Reading
I admit, I’ve been fairly quiet about the Digital Doctor recently, but something has made me take notice of how close we are to making portable healthcare a reality: Peter Jansen’s Tricorder Project. Dr. Jansen has created handheld devices capable of sensing in different modalities, not unlike their namesake device from the science fiction series. As if that weren’t enough, …Continue Reading
One of the most amusing things I’ve seen recently has been the video of UPenn’s quadrotors playing the James Bond theme. Watching this video, I can’t help but be reminded of a swarm of cartoon bees, all working together to bring pollen back to the hive and make honey. As funny a picture as that is, it points directly at …Continue Reading
One of the top ten medical breakthroughs expected in 2012 is Harnessing Big Data to Improve Healthcare. As Trustee of the Board at X PRIZE Foundation, I am focused on finding entrepreneurial solutions to address the global challenges in education, poverty, agriculture, health, and clean water. With so much data in the world of cyberspace, it only makes sense that …Continue Reading
One of the biggest hurdles an entrepreneur faces when considering entering the marketplace is whether production of the product can be scaled to be accessible to the largest amount of consumers. There are lots of factors when considering scalability, many of those being production costs. For example, time of manufacture, materials, and labor all contribute to the inherent costs of …Continue Reading
Research shows low numbers of youth who are engaged in the sciences and the need for increased attention to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. With the release of a report from the Department of Commerce announcing that STEM jobs grew at three times the rate of non-STEM jobs, and offer higher pay, the fact that there is such …Continue Reading
An Iowa startup called Dwolla has come up with an innovative new way to deal with online payments that sidesteps credit cards completely. The 28 year old who started the company has no finance background, yet his little operation is moving about $350 million per year. In the founder’s words, “Ultimately we’re trying to build the next Visa, not the …Continue Reading
As our closest cosmic neighbor, and the Earth’s only natural satellite, the moon has long been a symbol of mystery and intrigue. Spacecraft have been studying the moon for nearly 50 years, and lunar exploration has been an important benchmark in our nation’s history. But, there is still much to learn, and many more questions to answer. Currently, NASA’s only …Continue Reading