Carrot: Compare the STEM cultures of MIT with Stanford ethnographically over decades, in addition to my Harbin research, in terms of their wonders, innovations, problem solvings, (even Castells' informed) knowledge generation, creations, and since the 50s, 60s and 70s (since digital technologies and the 60s are a fascinating time informing these two cultures), To think through how and understand both of these STEM innovation cultures - ways of thinking, both of which go back more than 100 years - could lead to further innovative STEM thinking and academic creativity (and in multiple/ALL languages re WUaS), CC WUaS's motto is currently "like Wikipedia with best STEM CC OpenCourseWare"

Hi M,

How are you?

I'm curious, in addition to my Harbin research, to ethnographically compare the STEM cultures of MIT with Stanford over decades ... in terms of their wonders, innovations, problem solvings, even Castells' informed (since I'm a bit of a Castellian) creations, or better knowledge generation, and since the 50s, 60s and 70s (since digital technologies and the 60s are a fascinating time informing these two cultures). For example MIT now offers 46 majors, where each has a community, an intellectual and human discourse, a history, and sub cultures within, and they each represent a lot of knowledge generation, basic plodding and sophisticated science, and intellectual creativity, and which inform MIT as a whole. In addition to the wonders of these a) cultures, b) imaginaries, c) Castellian  captivating and riveting approaches to characterizing the information age and network society in talks he's given, it's the wholeness, if you will, of MIT's and Stanford's cultures, discourses, milieus, and re MIT compared with Stanford that would be interesting to think about.

As one very small example, digital spreadsheets started in the 60s / 70s (with some roots in MIT/Harvard with Bricklin) and, recently, in 2016 the idea is being adapted successfully to relational databases - https://news.mit.edu/2016/spreadsheet-databases-0708. That's a specific example out of MIT, a tiny drop in the bucket of MIT's STEM innovation ethos, (which also become widely used as a computer application, e.g. in VisiCalc) but different from Stanford's culture. And while Stanford had land to rent to early startups, GoogleDocs (which has a spreadsheet) may be an expression of Stanford, that's somehow comparable, with the loose MIT example above.

These cultures of STEM innovation are so, so rich and varied as well. And ways in which these two university cultures cooperated generatively for STEM innovation would also be a focus, including the ways in which students matriculated at the other university for subsequent degrees.

It would be great too to think through how - ways of thinking (and in terms of understanding of both of these STEM innovation cultures), both of which go back more than 100 years - could lead to further STEM thinking and academic creativity (and in multiple languages re World University and School).

I'd be interested in characterizing, and thinking through, these universities' initial STEM ethoses, how they attracted the best and brightest minds/highest achievers from around the world, and how these cultures have changed as both Stanford and MIT have grown through the decades.

Stanford's motto was "Die Luft der Freiheit weht" - or German for "The wind of freedom blows" with an emphasis I've read (in the Stanford Green library about 4 weeks ago) on freedom, in contrast to at least one east coast school's motto which including the word "veritas" (Latin for truth) with its more disciplinary connotations (in my interpretation here). Stanford didn't have a specific STEM, knowledge or science focus initially, I just read here per se - http://facts.stanford.edu/about/. MIT"s motto was "Mens et Manus," Latin for "mind and hand, " (https://libraries.mit.edu/mithistory/institute/seal-of-the-massachusetts-institute-of-technology/ and http://www.mensetmanus.net/mit-motto/motto.shtml). Both interestingly emphasized from the beginning a practical education. Both seals are in their above links, with their further symbols and words, and which further inform an understanding of their cultures from their beginnings (in this limited interpretation).

As another angle, I'd like to explore, for example Indians, from India, coming to study at MIT and Stanford in the late 1800/ early 1900s, as a further example of this question of culture and the STEM ethos/culture of both.

...

How to generate loving and caring in a virtual earth which could also become a creatable STEM field site in all 8k language, and re financial questions too (which has created a lot of alientation in modernity in the west, in my interpretation, as well as comfort and prosperity).

On with re-indexing of my Harbin book ... I'd also like to plan for 6 months of field work per year at Harbin for some years ahead ...

How to generate loving and caring in the world as well (and perhaps emerging from a developing virtual earth - coding for caring in something like a WIKI Google Street View with OpenSim with time slider in all 8k languages, and addressing questions of economics as well) ... (and given the challenges that emerge around money that could negate this since the industrial revolutions especially) ...

Participation observation and interviews would be a fascinating and important contribution to the literature, since many MIT and Stanford innovators from the 1960s/70s are still teaching and inventing and might enjoy talking about their work and these universities' ethoses over the decades.

L,
Scott

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MIT's mission:
http://web.mit.edu/mission.html

Stanford's mission:
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/stanfordsmission/

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Founding of Stanford -
http://facts.stanford.edu/about/

History of Stanford

• Birth of the University

https://www.stanford.edu/about/history/ -


Were Leland and Jane Stanford snubbed by the president of Harvard University? Did Leland Jr. attend Harvard before his death in an accident?
https://library.stanford.edu/spc/faq#snubbed

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The Founding of MIT

Documents that led to the Institute's incorporation on April 10, 1861 ,

1846 | 1859 | 1860 | 1861

The Founding of MIT

Documents that led to the Institute's incorporation on April 10, 1861 ,

1846 | 1859 | 1860 | 1861

https://libraries.mit.edu/archives/exhibits/MIT-birthday/index1.html

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See, too: 

Carduus thistle: MIT/Harvard have one STEM innovation ethos (offering Bach., PhD, law & MD degrees) & Stanford has another-In what ways can WUaS complement and converse with these?, Harvard Law thinks big, MIT Press too

http://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2016/07/carduus-thistle-mitharvard-have-one.html

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World University and School's motto is currently "like Wikipedia with best STEM CC OpenCourseWare" with a wiki, learning as enjoyment, STEM, knowledge-generation, and all languages and countries' main languages'  approach, where CC Wikipedia is in ~358 languages and CC MIT OCW is in 7 languages, and CC Yale OYC is ... and WUaS will accredit on the above CC MIT OCW in 7 languages + to offer free CC bachelor, Ph.D., law and M.D. degrees, as well as I.B. high school diplomas.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daucus_carota

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