LABORATORY SERIES. No.03. Skunk Works hanger in Palmdale, CA. Founded by Kelly Johnson in 1943 under the motto “quick, quiet, quality,” Skunk Works is the official alias for Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Program (ADP). The secret research-cum-development facility developed a working model that granted small teams space to work in undisclosed locations, with relative autonomy from corporate bureaucracy and standard procedures. The rules of engagement are outlined by Kelly in “14 Rules and Practices.” Today, the term Skunk Works has become synonymous with the “space of innovation” coopted by corporate tech giants. Photo: Wikipedia.
LABORATORY SERIES. No.17. Lunchbox Laboratory by Futurefarmers + the Biological Sciences Team, National Renewable Energy Lab. Algae is considered a viable form renewable energy with the potential to produce biodiesel. However, the very abundance of it makes it tedious to determine which strains are most productive. Lunchbox Laboratory is a prototype for a research tool that would be distributed to schools to allow young scientists the chance to initially screen a collection of algae strains. Only the most productive strains would reach official labs. Photo Courtesy of Futurefarmers.
