Grad Engineering Programs Probe Intersection of Science, Art When engineers seek solutions to a problem—such as how to build a bridge to traverse a river—they tend to draw upon designs that have worked in the past. It takes an artist to provide a "more creative approach," says Christie Lin, a graduate engineering student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By collaborating, engineers and artists can push the limits of what is already known about their respective fields, explains Lin, who studies nuclear engineering at MIT, where she is also part of the Art Scholars group. Margaret Duff, a doctoral student at Arizona State University's Fulton School of Engineering, agrees with Lin. "Engineers tend to make very small, incremental improvements on things that have already been done, and they don't really allow their creativity to take full force," she says. Both Lin's and Duff's schools are part of what some are calling a new movement in engineering schools toward the interdisciplinary study of science and art. [Learn about design M.B.A.'
Hijacking Emotion Is The Key To Engaging Your Audience The default to emotion is part of the human condition. To better appreciate the role of emotion and what it allows an audience to do, we need to take a brief detour into evolutionary biology. The human brain can be understood as three separate brains working in tandem, if not completely integrated with each other. The primitive brain and the limbic brain collectively make up the limbic system, which governs emotion. Within the limbic system, there is a structure called the amygdala, which leaders need to understand. When faced with a stimulus, the amygdala turns our emotions on. The amygdala is the key to understanding an audience’s emotional response, and to connecting with an audience. I have become somewhat notorious in the programs I teach at NYU for the way I start each class. Five Strategies for Audience Engagement Establish connection before saying anything substantive. The default to emotion is part of the human condition. [Image: Flickr user Howie Le]
Cultivating Charisma: How Personal Magnetism Can Help (Or Hurt) You At Work As a socially inept teenager, Olivia Fox Cabane realized that she had two choices. “Either confine myself to a desert island, or learn how to make this human thing work,” she says. Cabane opted for the latter. Good thing. By age 24, the French-born author of The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism, published on March 29, had addressed the United Nations. FAST COMPANY: So what is the myth of charisma and where did it come from? OLIVIA FOX CABANE: It came from the Greeks, who coined the word as “gift of grace.” So where did we get the idea that one needs to be outgoing and gregarious to be charismatic? A few things. For example? For “focus charisma,” which creates a cocoon around people and gets them to share everything, introversion is actually a key, critical component because you need to completely focus your attention on a person and listen attentively. What about the three other styles of charisma? And Steve Jobs? Exactly. Indeed. No.
Pearson's Virtual School Operator Opening Physical High Schools Blended Learning | News Pearson's Virtual School Operator Opening Physical High Schools By Dian Schaffhauser05/29/12 Education publishing and technology company Pearson will be opening physical versions of its virtual schools in five cities starting in August 2012. Connections Education, a business Pearson acquired in September 2011, has announced plans to create Nexus Academy charter schools in three cities in Ohio and two cities in Michigan, catering to grades 9 through 12. Up to now, Connections Ed has focused on providing virtual school options for traditional school districts and other education entities. The new schools will be tuition-free and open enrollment public high schools, limited to serving between 250 and 300 students. The focus will be on college preparation. Curriculum will come from Pearson as well as McGraw-Hill, the companies said in a statement. Each school will have a school board and will be authorized through charter school organizations in each state.
12 Practical Business Lessons From Social Psychology The Foot in the Door PhenomenonIt’s been said many times that business is all about people. That being the case, perhaps we should stop reading management books for advice and start looking at social psychology. Very simply, social psychologists study how people interact with others – their families, friends, and yes, business partners. Smart marketers and executives have been using the findings of this growing field for decades to close sales, hold effective meetings and get their way in negotiations. But rather than putting you through an academic psychology lesson, we condensed the most useful concepts into one article. Foot In Door The Concept: If you’re wondering how to convince superiors, employees or customers to do what you ask, try using the foot in the door phenomenon. How You Can Use It: This handy principle has countless applications in the business world.
Iroko's Jason Njoku Is Creating The Next Netflix In Nigeria Digital Promise - Accelerating Innovation in Education Time Management Help.com The Concept Of Wabi-Sabi, And Why Perfection Is The Wrong Goal We humans revere the best: the best coffee, the best cars, the best phones, the best apps, the best schools, the best doctors, the best chefs, the best companies, the best CEOs, the best athletes, the best coaches, the best designers, the best actors, the best movies, the best dresses, the best designers of the best dresses, the best directors of the best actresses wearing the best dresses, and that catch-all category: the best of the best doing what they do best. Moreover, it is insufficient for our reptilian brains to simply recognize the best; we must recognize them publicly. To highlight our admiration for excellence, we have human-engineered lists, ribbons and ceremonies; red carpets, awards, and shiny trophies; prizes, certifications, and halls of fame. We may be able to feed our hunger, but we simply cannot satiate our collective appetite for awesomeness. We live to revere ourselves. Of course, our pursuit of perfection makes perfect sense. Perfection has its place.
BadgeStack BadgeOS™ is a powerful free plugin to WordPress that lets you easily create achievements and issue sharable badges as your users succeed. Activate the free BadgeStack extension to instantly create Levels, Quests and Badge Achievement Types — and start badging! Each BadgeOS site can be customized to your goals, community, visual identity, and the right mix of social and self-directed activity. You define the achievement requirements and choose the assessment options. As members progress, they earn digital badges they can share anywhere, from Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, to their own blog, or resume. Ready to Build? Get it Now Want to Know More? Dive Deeper Need Expert Help? Reach Out Many organizations are using BadgeOS to enable achievement recognition and community engagement.