Shooting for

the Moon

Can formidable goals inspire
excellent research?

program

Everybody likes a good story.

We'd like you to tell us stories of successful research endeavors.

There are different kinds of stories...

MAN in a hole

Comfort zone - Not a bad place, but some potential is wasted.

Trigger - Something out of your control happens and knocks us out.

Crisis - You are in a hole. That's where you learn something valuable.

Recovery - Put what you have learned to good use and climb back.

Better place - Your effort pays off.

〞

Multiple communities join forces to develop new control solutions

The old power grid: stable and reliable

Wind and solar generation

Low-inertia grids are prone to instability and blackouts!

A new reliable and sustainable grid!

rags to riches

Hidden value - Some untapped potential that most people don't see.

Trigger and Struggle - The chance to shine!

Deserved recognition - The true value is finally revealed.

Hint: You could be the Fairy Godmother!

〞

Sean Meyn

www.incontrolpodcast.com

no easy way

Problem - Everybody agrees: it's a bad place.

Early success - Low-hanging fruit.

Setback / crisis - Early success does not take you far.

Recovery / Better place - Here comes the expert: only by doing the right thing we'll get the desired result.

〞

Anuradha Annaswamy

www.incontrolpodcast.com

vOYAGE AND RETURN

Home - Safe and dull. There is something lacking, not clear what.

Voyage - A deliberate (or not) journey is the chance to learn.

Return - Back to your island, but you are different (and better).

〞

Rodolphe Sepulchre

www.incontrolpodcast.com

• Look back at some successful research endeavors by yourself, your team, your lab, or your community.
• In 15 minutes, write down a few stories each.
• Place it on the correct whiteboard (by story type)

Tell us your stories

your research story

• What are the elements of your story?
   
• How long did it last?
• Who was part of it?
  • industry, academia, or both?
  • within or beyond our community?
  • how many people worked together?
• What happened?
  • how did it start?
  • who drove it forward?
  • who supported and funded it?
• How was the research done?
  • any unconventional aspect of this endeavor?
  • was any special resource or opportunity available?
  • collaboration or competition?
• What came out of that?
  • scientific results
  • impact within and beyond the community
  • education
  • technology transfer
• Anything else worth mentioning

moonshot

• A well-defined, ambitious, formidable goal
   
• No assurance of near-term profitability
• No obvious benefit, just a bet on disruptive consequences
• Without a full investigation of potential risks and benefits​
   
• To succeed, you had to solve
  great open problems along the way
  (maybe even unpredicted ones)​
• The path to success was as valuable
  as the result, or even more
• One intense, consistent effort​

do you have a moonshot story?

• Big or small, recent or not
• Successful research on theory and methods
• It can be the story of yourself,  your team, your project,
  or a story that you witnessed in your community
   
• Work in groups of three, with one timekeeper
• 30 minutes
• Fill one sheet (one story) each
• Briefly ask questions to each other and make sure to include the interesting details

THEORY

your MOONSHOT story

• What was the moonshot idea?
   
• How long did it last?
• Who was part of it?
  • industry, academia, or both?
  • within or beyond our community?
  • how many people worked together?
• What happened?
  • how did it start?
  • who drove it forward?
  • who supported and funded it?
• How was the research done?
  • any unconventional aspect of this endeavor?
  • was any special resource or opportunity available?
  • collaboration or competition?
• What came out of that?
  • scientific results
  • impact within and beyond the community
  • education
  • technology transfer
• Anything else worth mentioning

What makes a moonshot successful?

IDEA

Top down or bottom up

Brainstorming or guidance

Theory or applications

Multi-disciplinary or specialist

People

Cross-disciplinary collaboration or inside the community

Special recruitment?

Small team or big team​

Resources

Time: fast or slow

Visiting scholars

Secondment and sabbaticals

Funding​ instruments

process

Special management

Unusual research guidance

Social or isolated

Competitive or collaborative

impact

New community

Opening or closing a topic

Technology transfer

Performance metrics

• What makes a moonshot  successful?

• Five groups, 15 minutes

• Each group will focus on one of the five aspects

• Look at all the stories

• Find common patterns

• Find differences

• Collect evidence

• Make your hypotheses

• Prepare a few questions on the collected stories to validate/disprove your theory

be a detective

consolidation

• Clean up your notes
• Each group reports on their findings
• 5 minutes per group

14:30

Saverio Bolognani
www.bsaver.io