The United States’ future economic growth and competitiveness depend on our capacity to inno­vate. Americans believe that it is possible to create jobs in the aerospace and defense industry by doing what the United States does well, which is cultivating the creativity and innovative processes developed by its people. Innovation and entrepreneurship in the aerospace and defense industries have historically kept the US at the forefront of technology advances, which has spurred economic growth, and created entirely new industries such as commercial transportation of cargo and humans, uninhabited aerial systems for civilian and military missions, and more recently private commercial space.  Where would we be without aviation pioneers and innovators such as Amelia Earhart, Glenn L. Martin, William Boeing, Charles Lindbergh, Igor Sikorsky and Elon Musk?  A key catalyst that inspires innovation and entrepreneurship in the aerospace field has been the establishment of aerospace prizes and competitions to accelerate the five I’s:  imagination, invention, innovation, investment, and impact.  This presentation details three aerospace prizes that not only advanced technology in the aerospace field, but also spurred significant job growth and economic development in the United States.  More importantly, these prizes often attracted a new generation of students and technology innovators to the field with the hope of becoming the first to win a prize, while making a significant contribution to the aerospace field and to society.

This lecture is part of Penn Engineering’s Technology, Business, and Government Lecture Series. Recognizing an increasingly significant inter-relationship between the rapid growth of new technologies and the business and governmental sectors, the Technology, Business and Government Lecture Series brings distinguished individuals to Penn Engineering to interact with students and faculty on broad issues affecting technology and science, research and policy.