RIN Blog

There is no shortage of information on the critical need to provide students with meaningful, early and on-going exposure to the rapidly evolving fields of STEM. From the highest levels of leadership in Alabama, there is urgency to improve and increase learning of these subjects within schools across the state. With more and more jobs, and even our mere way of engaging daily becoming increasingly technical, students who lack experience in these areas will be left behind in their ability to find substantive employment. Additionally, we must ask ourselves, “what potential contribution does society miss by not investing heavily in those who will, inevitably, assume leadership roles – with or without adequate preparation.” Across the organization, AUiX lives by a nonnegotiable standard that to whom much is given, much is required. Through various social innovation efforts, AUiX aspires to be a conduit of change not only in the Air Force community, but also in the lives of these future leaders. 

“In dealing with the future, at least for the purpose at hand, it is more important to be imaginative and insightful than to be one hundred percent ‘right’.” – (Alvin Toffler, from Future Shock)

Imagine you just bought your first Tesla and are planning a road trip to show it off to your family. Your bags are packed, and you need to plan one stop to re-charge along the way. Unfortunately, you must send an email request directly to the Tesla Charging Office to reserve a Supercharger at a specific location for a specific time, and duration. The office then assigns you a “low priority.” Subsequently, all Superchargers are occupied at that time by other higher priorities. Your trip is canceled. Now, imagine you are planning to send a squadron of F-22s across the country for a training mission. Would you believe a similar process applies to your necessary air refueling (AR)? Unsurprisingly, an AR request for a training mission like this can also go unsupported. It is 2023, and planning to charge your Tesla is actually seamless from phone app to in-car touchscreen. There must be a better way for the Air Force to do this, right?

Innovation and failure often go hand in hand. However, failing fast is hard—like training to be a Jedi: it takes discipline, perseverance, and a willingness to learn from your mistakes. But let’s be real, most of us are more like Jar Jar Binks than Luke Skywalker—we stumble through “innovation” until we get it right, or fail. What if there was a force like the Jedi Order, dedicated to passing on the lessons learned from their failures to help Airmen innovators navigate the treacherous landscapes of funding, contracting, networking, and partnerships? With AUiX, it is possible to tap into this force while mitigating risks on the dark side.

Embrace the dark side of failure and use it as a tool for learning and growth. By doing so, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a Jedi master of innovation.