In Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, the rapid pace of innovation often overshadows the dedicated individuals who drive these scientific and technological breakthroughs. Every day, the local community tackles previously unsolvable problems and pushes the boundaries of their fields.
This year’s annual meeting of the Kendall Square Association (KSA) focused on celebrating the people behind the region’s prolific innovation ecosystem. The event featured a new series of awards and recognitions for community members and a panel discussion with MIT President Sally Kornbluth.
« It’s truly inspiring to be surrounded by all of you: people who seem to share an exuberant curiosity, a pervasive ethic of service, and a fundamental expectation that we all want to make an impact: to make a difference for people and the planet, » Kornbluth remarked.
Held at MIT’s Walker Memorial on Memorial Drive, the gathering attracted entrepreneurs, life sciences workers, local students, restaurant and retail owners, and nonprofit leaders.
The KSA is a nonprofit organization comprising over 150 entities in the greater Kendall Square area, ranging from large corporations to universities like MIT and Harvard, as well as the independent shops and restaurants that give Kendall Square its unique character.
New to this year’s event, two Founder’s Awards were presented to Sangeeta Bhatia, the John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, and Michal Preminger, head of Johnson and Johnson Innovation, for their work in bringing people together to accomplish challenging tasks that benefit humanity.
In honor of Bhatia and Preminger, the KSA will donate $2,500 to the Science Club for Girls and $2,500 to Innovators for Purpose, respectively.
Recognition was also given to Alex Cheung of the Cambridge Innovation Center and Shazia Mir of LabCentral for their efforts in uniting the Kendall Square community.
Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons also spoke at the event, highlighting the vital role the Kendall Square community has played in areas such as Covid-19 vaccine development and combating climate change.
« As many of you know, Cambridge has a long and proud history of innovation, with MIT’s presence and the remarkable growth of the tech and life sciences industries, » Simmons stated. « We are leaving a positive and lasting impact on our city. This community has made and continues to make enormous contributions, not only to our city but to the world. »
In her speech, Kornbluth also introduced the Kendall Square community to MIT’s Climate Project, designed to harness the institute’s talent and resources for a quicker, real-world impact on climate change. The project will provide funding and catalyze partnerships around six climate « missions » or major areas where MIT researchers aim to address gaps in the global climate response that MIT can help fill.
« The Climate Project is an all-in, mission-driven, solution-focused, outward-facing mobilization of MIT, » Kornbluth explained. « If you want to move faster and at scale, this is the way! »
After mingling with Kendall community members, Kornbluth expressed that she still considered herself a newcomer to the area but was beginning to see the success of Kendall Square and MIT as more than a coincidence.
« The more time I spend here, the more I understand the incredible synergies between MIT and Kendall Square, » Kornbluth said. « We know, for example, that proximity is a key ingredient in our collective and distinctive recipe for impact. This proximity, and the cross-pollination that comes with it, helps us produce new technologies and patents, launch startups, and refine our work as we try to keep pace with global challenges. We can’t do anything separately. Our work together—everyone in this thriving and wildly entrepreneurial community—is the engine of our innovation ecosystem’s success. »
