Dr. Gaddie’s July Update

Greetings,

As STEAM Camps get underway at our emPowerU campus in St. Joseph and at Think Ahead Works in King City, I am reminded of a quote by Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents from 1899. Mr. Duell said, “Everything that can be invented, has (already) been invented.”

Each time I run across this quote, I chuckle a little. The U.S Office of Patents declared the work of innovation over in 1899. It appeared to Mr. Duell that nothing else of any real significance could be invented to change the quality of life. He must have sat down, wrote words like purpose, mission, strategic plan and goals then placed a checkmark after each one. It is finished, what we have is what we are going to have from this day forward.

What would Mr. Duell have thought about the interdisciplinary approach of STEAM learning? Ideas like Robotics, Coding and Virtual Reality had not yet been invented in 1899. Without a crystal ball, it is hard to tell what the future holds. But, we can be assured that a new idea or invention is on the horizon. At Heartland Foundation, we embrace the opportunity to empower youth so they may explore creative thinking. Together, we can create the best now. Then, let’s prepare ourselves to someday give it away and watch it reinvent into something new.

Enjoy these last few weeks of summer. Explore something new and allow yourselves a glimpse into what the future may hold.