We Are all Under One SCI
Aileen J. Dingus
Chair, AUTM Strategies for Competitive Innovation (SCI) Committee
Program Director, Venture Development Lab
Tulane University Innovation Institute
Holiday viewing at my house doesn’t show Rudolph, Heat Miser, Marley, or Scrooge. No, at my house, when the weather gets cold and the string lights twinkle, it’s time for Skindog, The Bull, Rabbit, Taj, and Wingnut. That’s right. Long winter nights are for surf movies.
One of my favorites is “Step Into Liquid” by second generation surf movie maker Dana Brown. The premise is simple: follow surfers around with a camera and record their watery shenanigans, but in doing that, filmmaker Brown catches a deeper message, summed up by Irish surfer Wayne Patrick Murphy: “... surfing is a thing that can bring people together no matter what race, creed, or color, we’re all under the one sky ...” The quote follows a section showing children from Ireland and Northern Ireland surfing together for the first time thanks to a program set up by Murphy, and it carries a weight not often seen in lighter “Beach Blanket Bingo”-style films.
As I prepare to step into the chair position of the SCI Committee within AUTM, Murphy’s quote has been running through my head. SCI stands for Strategies for Competitive Innovation, a broader mission of “strengthening innovation ecosystems through expanded participation and ease of access to the profession and information ... [supporting] AUTM's core value of connection by fostering a collaborative community where Members support each other and openly share knowledge.”
So now, much like the surfing band, we’re all under the one SCI.
But what does that mean for AUTM Members?
It means the SCI Committee is here for AUTM Members across roles, institutions, and experience levels. For people who have been doing this work for a long time and for those who are newer and still learning how it all fits together. For large offices with deep benches and for people carrying a lot of responsibility with limited support.
In practice, SCI pays attention to how people access information, opportunity, and community within AUTM. Where knowledge flows easily. Where it gets stuck. Whose experience tends to be treated as the default, and whose may require clearer pathways, better context, or a more intentional invitation. Much of this work is quiet and structural. Making things easier to find. Making expectations clearer. Making participation less dependent on already knowing how the system works.
The SCI Committee supports that work by listening, sharing patterns, and helping remove friction where it shows up. SCI is meant to be a resource for people who feel confident navigating this profession as well as for those who are still figuring out how to engage and could use a few more surf lessons. We may not all be riding the same waves or coming from the same shoreline, but we are all under the same SCI.
If you are heading to the
Annual Meeting, surf’s up! Consider paddling over to the sessions below. They dive into how people access information, navigate constraints, and make this work function across very different institutional contexts. Whether you are deep in the tube or just trying not to wipe out, these are good waves to catch.
Tuesday, February 10
11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Assets-Forward, Needs-Focused. Strategies that Strengthen the Grassroots of Innovation Across Regional Economies
Location: 613-614
2 - 3:15 p.m.
Safeguarding Mental Health in Technology Transfer Amid National Uncertainty
Location: 607
3:15 - 3:45 p.m.
SCI Committee: AUTM Booth #303
Location: Exhibit Hall 4B
Wednesday, February 11
9 - 10:15 a.m.
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Expanding Horizons for U.S.-India Technology Transfer Collaboration
Location: 602-603
10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
Measuring and Communicating the Value, Impact, and Benefits of What We Do Using Stories
Location: 618-620
1 - 2:15 p.m.
Empowering Women Inventors
Location: 607