I recently had the distinct honor of speaking at the Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis ceremony and, in preparation, I have been thinking and reading more about creativity. Popular culture loves the story of the “Eureka!” moment in science—a single moment of sudden realization when the solution to a problem finally becomes clear. It is romanticized in both movies and our own story telling, but in reality, that “Aha!” moment is quite rare and not the vision I think we should embrace.
As Dennis Sherwood puts it in his book Creativity for Scientists and Engineers, “Creativity is not about the creation of the new, something out-of-the-blue, but a process of putting together things that already exist, but which have not hitherto been assembled in that particular pattern.” This realization democratizes the creativity process and implies that not only can we all be creative, but we can hone the skill. By understanding and diversifying the tools that we have in our toolbox, learning from other fields and collaborating widely, we increase our opportunities to assemble the parts in a new and useful manner.
Scientific creativity abounds in academic circles and is justly celebrated with many of the honors bestowed by Optica. I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity of our members who work in industry. Having wide-ranging knowledge of what works versus what is not yet ready for prime time and understanding the unspoken needs of customers are just some of the keys to unlocking creative solutions.
Trailblazing ideas thrive when people can assemble existing elements in new patterns.
Nowhere is that blend of disciplines more dynamic than in the arena of startup companies. Their founders combine science, engineering, marketing and sheer perseverance with usually not much more than a credit card and a good idea. You will read about 10 such individuals in our biennial feature “Entrepreneurs to Watch.”
The 2025 cohort is geographically and technologically diverse: AI-powered Raman analytics from Poland, chip-scale UV sources from Denmark; high-density PIC drivers built in a Bandung, Indonesia, garage; and more. Each profile threads personal growth, business savvy and innovation in our field, highlighting that trailblazing ideas thrive wherever people have the freedom to assemble existing elements in new patterns.
I invite you to read the stories in this issue and then dive into the expanded Q&As that will run on our website throughout the summer.
May the coming months give you time to recharge, reflect and explore many unfamiliar connections and patterns. Here’s to a summer filled with creativity.
—Jim Kafka,
Optica President
