UM President Mary Sue Coleman came out of the panel blocks with a strong Midwest reminder, declaring wryly “The Great Lakes states – we’re not dead yet!”
But she wasn’t just kidding – she went on to make strong points about higher ed – specifically higher ed in the nation’s Midwest – being key cogs in the machine to solve energy problems.
It was clear that while the topic was infrastructure – Education is infrastructure.
She made the point – echoed by others on the panel – that America needs to focus on what Andy Karsner of Applied Materials termed application-driven energy policy instead of interest-driven energy policy. Sustained focus is needed, Coleman said, so faculty can pursue complex problems over long periods of time without fear that funding will dry up too soon. Student need to be able to invest time, money and creativity in areas they can be confident will become fruitful careers.
This, she said, is what faculty and students will need as they take programs such as battery storage and new materials, into new directions.
She also spoke of the university’s new partnerships with industry to solve problems that begin with intense basic research – notably solar energy and battery storage – problems U-M already is engaging with industry.
“We’re seeing a much more easy relationship and more trust on both sides on how we’re going to solve these problems,” she said. “We’ve had big wins in terms of cooperation.”
Big finish: Students entrepreneurial spirit.
“What is striking is the entrepreneurial spirit of students. They are absolutely ready to go out and do things more risky than I would have expected.
“They are very eager to help solve these problems and we have an enormous resource we need to tap into. They understand the competitive issues they’re going to face.”
Need proof? Check out 1000 pitches at UM she mentioned.
