Embrace Innovative Thinking! Take a creative approach to research and career development. Photo: Sameer A. Khan / Fotobuddy Inspired by our successful Night Science Workshops during Wintersession 2023, the theory at the core of our Creativity Workshops is the distinction between two complementary aspects of scientific research, which French biologist François Jacob called “day science” and “night science.” While day science is the executive domain of experimentation and hypothesis-testing, night science is the creative domain of exploration, idea-generation, and forming connections—and of interest to scientists and non-scientists alike. Through workshops, editorials, and a popular podcast, Yanai and Lercher explore the “behind the scenes” creative process of scientific research and encourage you to embrace innovative thinking and apply an entrepreneurial mindset toward bold, disruptive research ideas. Learning Objectives Seven distinct creative thinking tools are emphasized in the workshops. For each, you will review related core concepts, get a demonstration of their applications, and apply these tools in interactive, hands-on activities. Improvisational Science What is the Question? Two Languages of Science Import & Export of Ideas across Fields Science as a Meta-Puzzle The Data-hypothesis Conversation & Stone Soup Evolution and Design of a Scientific Project 2023 Highlights “Night science requires spontaneity. We need a sandbox for ideas–and the secret for enabling this is to find someone you can talk to. One-on-one’s are the best, because you can develop trust and be vulnerable with the other person. Together you can avoid being too critical by thinking of the conversation as an improvisation, like jazz or improvisational theater.” –Itai Yanai, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine "It was fun to watch as the graduate students started to understand how the innovation mindset can open up the way they think about their research. It is a great tool to expand their research, but it is also a great skill to open up possibilities in life." –Anne-Marie Maman, '84, Executive Director of the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council 2023 Speakers & Facilitators Anne-Marie Maman '84 Executive Director of the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council Clio Hall Award Recipient Itai Yanai Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine Martin Lercher Professor of Computer Science and Biology, Heinrich Heine University Peter Krause Assistant Director of Graduate Experiential Programs Sonali Majumdar Assistant Dean for Professional Development Listen to the Night Science Podcast Night Science: Bonnie Bassler and living on the edge in a nerdy kind of way Bonnie Bassler is the Chair of the Molecular Biology Department at Princeton. In this episode of the Night Science Podcast, Bonnie talks about her passion for scientific inquiry, creativity, mentorship, and how the journey of discovery is about asking the right questions, distinguishing between what you can do and what you should do, and about embracing the unexpected. In our very lively and fun discussion, we explore the significance of asking "why" questions to fuel passion and curiosity – even if only the if/what/when/how questions lead to clear answers – and we explore the balance between chaos and control in the scientific process. Night Science: Howard Stone on how to tilt your head for discovery Howard Stone is a Professor of Engineering at Princeton. His research explores how fluid dynamics can help to understand diverse systems, from bacterial biofilms to the earth’s interior. In this episode of the Night Science Podcast, Howard explains how a lot of important, low-hanging fruit are at the interface between disciplines. A trick he likes to use is to identify related problems in isolated disciplines, helping him to unravel underlying mechanisms. And he warns against being too conservative – taking things in textbooks for granted. Related News Graduate students and postdocs exercise creative thinking in Night Science workshops during Wintersession
