Chapter 9: Stanford University: An Innovation Powerhouse
Palo Alto, California, January 21, 2014: Arogyaswami Paulraj, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, was awarded the prestigious Marconi Society Prize. It is considered to be the Nobel Prize in the field of information technology. According to the Marconi Society’s press release, “[Paulraj’s] idea for using multiple antennas at both the transmitting and receiving stations—which is at the heart of the current high-speed WiFi and 4G mobile systems—has revolutionized high-speed wireless delivery of multimedia services for billions of people.” Multiple Inputs, Multiple Outputs (MIMO) technology pioneered by Paulraj is now being used in every WiFi router and 4G phone. Paulraj is one of many award-winning Stanford faculty members who are advancing the frontiers of knowledge, creating wealth, and making an impact on humanity.
Ranked in the top 5 in various world rankings, Stanford has raised the bar for universities around the world.
What has made Stanford so special for faculty members and students?
How has Stanford been able to transform itself from a regional university in the 1940s to a premier research university by 1960s?
In Chapter 9, I address these and related questions. In one of the recent university rankings, Stanford was placed as the #2 university in the world. The current faculty includes 21 Nobel Prize and 5 Pulitzer Prize-winners, 2 Fields Medalists in mathematics and 27 MacArthur Fellows. Since the 1930s, its faculty members, students, and alumni have started close to 40,000 companies, which generate US$2.7 trillion in annual revenues. How is it able to create so much innovation and wealth? What is the secret to its transformation? Find out in my book.
(Shail Kumar is the author of Building Golden India: How to unleash India's vast potential and transform its higher education system. Now. To find out more about the author and the book, visit: www.shailkumar.com)