Charles Elachi

Air Date
October 8, 2013
Imagine tackling problems that relatively few others would be able to fully understand, much less solve. Charles Elachi shares how he guides teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to do exactly that. He understands the importance of having fun even when the work is hard and demanding. He describes the work environment as a "serious playground." Elachi views innovation as rooted in taking risks and learning from failures. His message is "failure is going to happen." The key is to learn from it and move on. His hero is Teddy Roosevelt who thought it was better to try and even fail once in a while than "stay in the twilight" and not dare to do anything.

About the Innovator

Toshiko Mori Interview Transcript
Architect

Throughout her career as a practicing architect and educator, Toshiko Mori has pursued a technical interest in the properties of materials, and especially synthetic materials, in addition to her concerns for purity of line, visual lightness and thermal performance.

Why She Innovates

As an architect, Toshiko Mori has always taken a personal delight in discovering new properties and potentials in materials. Whether designing exhibitions, houses or institutional projects such as the Visitor Center for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, New York, she enjoys a process that combines intuition with the rigor of research.

Toshiko Mori Interview Highlights Transcript

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Toshiko Mori

I would say every architect that I know is a philosopher on his or her own.

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Charles Elachi

5 Jan, 12:33 PM
Imagine tackling problems that relatively few others would be able to fully understand, much less solve. Charles Elachi shares how he guides teams at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to do exactly that. He understands the importance of having fun even when the work is hard and demanding. He describes the work environment as a "serious playground." Elachi views innovation as rooted in taking risks and learning from failures. His message is "failure is going to happen." The key is to learn from it and move on. His hero is Teddy Roosevelt who thought it was better to try and even fail once in a while than "stay in the twilight" and not dare to do anything.