Page 5 - Aerotech News and Review, Dec. 1 2017

STEM, from 4
think and teach outside the box.
Keynote speaker Chris Klug serves as the senior
civilian and technical adviser to the 412th Opera- tions Group. Klug said that instead of reinventing the wheel, his group dedicates about 10 percent of their time learning from other group’s failures and accomplishments. “It’s a tremendous eye-opener to see how other people in similar fields and orga- nizations do things differently.”
Klug describes innovation as a discontinuous improvement with some risk of failure. “If there is a discontinuous improvement with zero risk, that is an easy sell — just go do it.” However, with a risk-averse culture that often hinders flight testing, Klug says his observations on the innovation team encourage people to think outside the box.
“Brilliant ideas come from all levels of people, not just engineers and people with degrees.” Klug said innovators have passion and persistence. “Sta- tus quo can be just fine but you may want to look at other alternatives.”
Students from middle and high schools, as well as AV College, displayed their creations such as drones and 3-D printing. Fulton and Als- bury Academy of Arts and Engineering students explained the process they used to design their award-winning monument design for Army Air Corps and Air Force Medal of Honor recipients, which will be displayed at the entry of Edwards Air Force Base.
Other speakers included Kenneth Herrera, a Southern California Edison manager and musician, and Edward Burnett, a senior fellow for Modeling, Simulation and Controls at Lockheed Martin.
Photograph by Linda KC Reynolds
Keynote speaker Chris Klug, senior civilian and technical adviser to the 412th Operations Group at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., shares his thoughts on innovation during The Antelope Valley East Kern STEM Network 5th annual STEMposium. Klug said persistence and passion are key elements in innovation.
December 1, 2017
Aerotech News and Review
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