“Real change, real impact is not going to come from just doing the status quo or taking incremental baby steps. At some point we have to be brave and courageous — and willing to take that risk.” ~ Gilda Barabino
From the moment I set foot on campus, it was clear that Olin College of Engineering has a special and very intentional relationship with curiosity.
Olin embodies a willingness to try something new, make mistakes, and learn from those experiences.
Gilda A. Barabino, Ph.D., is president of Olin. A chemical engineering pioneer in the field of medicine and global health, she has pursued an equity ethic across her interdisciplinary career.
When she was named president in March 2020, she had my attention.
It’s the idea that you engage the entire community in the learning…
Belonging is a key to success. People want to be seen and valued.
Listen to Choose to Be Curious #249: Olin College: A Curiosity Enterprise, with Gilda Barabino
The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Ma., was founded in 1997 by the Olin Foundation with the explicit goal of up-ending engineering education everywhere, to be, as they put it, “different—not for the mere sake of being different—but to be an important and constant contributor to the advancement of engineering education in America and throughout the world and, through its graduates, to do good for humankind.”
Full disclosure: my eldest son attended Olin College. I have no financial stake in the college, only appreciation for its mission and spirit.
Learn more about Olin College and Gilda Barabino.
This isn’t the article I remember leading me to Olin, but it’s about the right vintage. These stories give you a feel for the place: WBUR on Olin’s admissions process and Olin’s first president Richard Miller on lessons from the Olin experiment.
If you enjoyed this conversation, you might like these C2BC Classics: Engineering & the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, with Dennis Howland; Inviting Curiosity by Design, with Cassini Nazir; Capitalist Curiosity & Student Mental Health, with Arjun Shankar; & Student-Led Research with Shane McCarthy.
Theme music by Sean Balick;“Come As You Are” by Cauldron, via Blue Dot Sessions.
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