“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” – Alan Kay
The Long Now Foundation has partnered with Avenues: The World School to offer a program on the past, present, and future of innovation. A fully online program for ages 17 and above, the Avenues Mastery Year is designed to equip aspiring inventors with the ability to:
- Conceive original ideas and translate those ideas into inventions through design and prototyping,
- Communicate the impact of the invention with an effective pitch deck and business plan,
- Ultimately file for and receive patent pending status with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Applicants select a concentration in either Making and Design or Future Sustainability.
Participants will hack, reverse engineer, and re-invent a series of world-changing technologies such as the smartphone, bioplastics, and the photovoltaic cell, all while immersing themselves in curated readings about the origins and possible trajectories of great inventions.
The Long Now Foundation will host monthly fireside chats for participants where special guests offer feedback, spark new ideas and insights, and share advice and wisdom. Confirmed guests include Kim Polese (Long Now Board Member), Alexander Rose (Long Now Executive Director and Board Member), Samo Burja (Long Now Research Fellow), Jason Crawford (Roots of Progress), and Nick Pinkston (Volition). Additional guests from the Long Now Board and community are being finalized over the coming weeks.
The goal of Avenues Mastery Year is to equip aspiring inventors with the technical skills and long-term perspective needed to envision and invent the future. Visit Avenues Mastery Year to learn more, or get in touch directly by writing to ama@avenues.org.
