Innovative Lives: Theresa Dankovich and Madison Maxey

The Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center engages, educates, and empowers the public to participate in technological, economic, and social change. Drawing on and contributing to the Smithsonian Institution’s world-leading collections of artifacts and archives, the Lemelson Center’s scholarship and programming advance the historical study of invention and innovation, encourage children and adults to apply their curiosity to real-world problems, and showcase the diversity of inventors who have shaped world history.

Smithsonian's Lemelson Center

How does place—whether physical, social, or cultural—support, constrain, and shape innovation? In short: Why there? Why then?

Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Innovative Lives 2023

What kind of place stimulates creative minds and sparks invention and innovation? The answer may surprise you.

Join the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center in-person at the National Museum of American History on the evening of Wednesday, May 10, for a special Innovative Lives program featuring inventors Theresa Dankovich and Madison Maxey. The 2023 Innovative Lives program series focuses on the theme of "Places of Invention" to celebrate the Lemelson Center's award-winning exhibition, which closes at the National Museum of American History in late summer 2023. In an increasingly global, virtual world the importance of place to the invention ecosystem has evolved. Both Theresa Dankovich and Madison Maxey have traveled across the globe to find their places of invention. Dankovich invented germ-killing water filters as a graduate student and co-founded Folia Water in 2016. Maxey works in electronic textiles and her company LOOMIA creates fabrics that act like circuit boards for innovative products from medical wearables to monitor patients to heated ski gear. Before the program we invite you to enjoy a light reception and tour of the “Places of Invention” exhibition at 6:15 p.m and purchase a copy of the Places of Invention companion publication. Our panelists will take the stage at 7:15 p.m. to share their stories of innovation and invention as it relates to place. An audience Q&amp;A will follow the conversation.Learn more about <a href="https://invention.si.edu/node/28532/p/601-theresa-dankovich" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Theresa Dankovich</a>.L﻿earn more about <a href="https://invention.si.edu/node/28532/p/721-madison-maxey" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Madison Maxey</a>.D﻿etailsAll Innovative Lives talks will be moderated by a host who will facilitate a Q&amp;A session following the presentation. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in a dialogue with the speaker, enabling a deeper understanding of their process and work. We invite curious minds of all ages to register for these free programs. Live captioning is available for online programs, and ASL interpreters are on-site for in-person programs.A﻿bout Innovative LivesSince 1995, Innovative Lives has been the Lemelson Center’s flagship public program series. For more than 25 years, we have welcomed a diverse array of more than 85 inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs to participate in informal chats with host-interviewers, students, and members of the general public. Featured speakers share the stories behind their work, including key inspirations, their personal invention processes, failures encountered, and pathways to success, all while framing a discussion around how the public can participate in technology change. Through this series of contemporary inventor talks, we hope to inspire and encourage individuals to pursue their own ideas and to foster a greater appreciation for the role of invention and innovation in shaping our world.

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Innovative Lives: Theresa Dankovich and Madison Maxey

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Innovative Lives: Theresa Dankovich and Madison Maxey

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