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Questions and Answers:Prof. Deborah Nightingale What do professors of practice bring to the MIT experience? They bring actual real-world experience and leadership in designing and implementing technology, systems, and processes. This real life knowledge and understanding can be incorporated into the classroom experience to augment the theory and practices being taught there. In addition, professors of practice can serve as excellent liaisons between industry and MIT in determining research needs and priorities. Since most of our students do go into industry positions, professors of practice can serve as excellent role models and mentors to both graduate and undergraduate students. As a successful senior executive leader in the aerospace industry, what drew you to teach and do research at MIT? I have always felt strongly that university teaching and research should be integrally linked with industry. MIT shares this philosophy and provides an environment where I can make this vision a reality. It is very satisfying to conduct research and to see it being directly utilized by industry. Additionally, I very much enjoy bringing my experience and knowledge into the classroom to share with the world's future leaders and technologists. Perhaps even of more importance to me is the opportunity to continue to grow and learn both personally and professionally through interactions with leading faculty, researchers, and students. How do you apply your industry and government experience to the Lean Aerospace Initiative, where you serve as MIT Lead of the Lean Enterprise Team? The Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) is a consortium comprised of industry, government, and MIT whose mission is to transform the aerospace industry employing lean concepts. My enterprise-wide experience allows me to relate well to the needs of executives in industry and government and to subsequently integrate those needs with the LAI research and tool development. I have also been able to incorporate actual industry cases and research into my lean enterprise graduate course and other curriculum development in support of both MIT students and the consortium. My background and practical knowledge is extremely helpful in guiding not only my LAI graduate research assistants in their thesis work, but also those students engaged in related academic programs and research such as Leaders for Manufacturing, System Design and Management, and the Technology, Management and Policy Program.
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