The Space Café Podcast #107: CERN's Pablo Tello and ESA's Ian Carnelli: Mindcollider: fusing space, physics and big ideas

In this episode, Markus welcomes two influential guests, Pablo Tello from CERN and Ian Carnelli from the European Space Agency (ESA). They explore the MINDCOLLIDER project, a brainchild of Markus that brings together brilliant minds from particle physics and space exploration to help inspire solutions to very mundane or pressing global problems.

Guest Funds:

• Pablo Tello: Scientist at CERN in Geneva, known for his interdisciplinary approach and contributions to particle physics. He co-directs IdeaSquare, a CERN facility that fosters innovative thinking.
• Ian Carnelli: Director of ESA's HERA mission, focused on developing technologies to protect Earth from asteroid impacts. He returns to the podcast with updated knowledge and experiences.

Conversation Highlights:

• Innovation and Anticipation: Pablo highlights the importance of anticipation in technological development, especially in long-term projects like the LHC. He emphasizes thinking in orders of magnitude and challenging existing paradigms.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration: Ian discusses the importance of interdisciplinary working at ESA, where knowledge from diverse fields is combined to drive innovation. He explains how imagining scenarios in space can lead to ground-based solutions.
• Challenges and failures: Both guests highlight the need to accept failures in the innovation process and the importance of a culture that accepts risk.
• Future vision: The conversation turns to the broader implications of space and particle physics on sustainable development and social progress.

Notable quotes:

• Pablo Tello: “Innovation management is an oxymoron. The more management you have, the less innovation.”
• Ian Carnelli: “Success is not in those who succeed; To succeed, you actually have to fail.”

Five key learnings for organizations:

1. Embrace the young generations: Listen to and empower young people when they bring new perspectives and innovative ideas.
2. Avoid Overmanagement: Too much management stifles creativity and innovation. Let people explore and take risks.
3. Accept failure: Failure is an integral part of the learning process and a stepping stone to success.
4. Have a vision: A clear, strong vision drives long-term success and inspires others.
5. Promote collaboration: Shift the focus from individual achievements (me) to collective efforts (we).

Picks for the Space Cafe Podcast Playlist on Spotify:

• Ian Carnelli: Mozart Requiem
• Pablo Tello: “(I Can't Get Any) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones

Additional resources:

• Visit MindCollider.io to learn more about the Mind Collider project.

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