In the mid-1960s, Ford Motor Company had an audacious plan: not only to enter the professional car racing circuit, but to defeat Italy’s Ferrari racing powerhouse. To achieve that goal at 24 Hours at LeMans, the most prestigious European endurance race, Ford hired two American racing legends, Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. This story is captured in the current Oscar-nominated movie, Ford vs. Ferrari.

Resources you should bookmark for the next time you're ready to throw the iPad out of the window. As more employers institute remote work policies and more schools dismiss classes due to COVID-19 concerns, working parents may find themselves at home with their kids during the day. If your kids are usually glued to YouTube or a Nintendo Switch during downtime, finding engaging ways for them to learn at home can be especially challenging. Luckily, MIT offers tons of free online educational resources for parents who are looking for enriching (and fun!) at-home activities.

Former NFL Linebacker Ryan Nece is no stranger to negotiation. Whether it's with his 3-year old son ("He beats me every time," says Nece) or negotiating on behalf of his venture capital firm, Next Play Capital. Despite all of this day-to-day negotiation practice, Nece felt that he was missing formal training. So, he decided to participate in MIT xPRO's online negotiations course, Negotiating to Create Value: The Mutual Gains Approach. We sat down with Mr. Nece to discuss his online learning experience, and how athletes and executives alike can benefit from the Mutual Gains Approach (MGA).

The quantum computing revolution could empower companies and entire industries to solve previously intractable problems. As investment in quantum technology grows and tech giants vie for quantum advantage, demand for professionals with foundational quantum computing knowledge and hands-on quantum experience has never been higher.

Things are changing at Ford. The rise of “the smart car” has spurred customer demand for automation, electric vehicles, and other intelligent automotive features. To keep up with the rapid pace of change in the industry, the 116-year-old auto giant has had to make significant shifts in its portfolio of vehicles – eschewing the sedan in North America, while launching new SUVs and crossovers. New variants and features have required a more rigorous systematic approach across all engineering functions. To improve efficiency, lower variable costs, and reduce error as it launched a new portfolio of products, Ford improved its Systems Engineering (SE) approach in three key ways:

From getting beyond the quantum hype to online learning tips, here are The Curve's most popular posts from 2019:

This October, Google announced in an article published in the journal Nature that its quantum computer, which runs on a 53-qubit chip called “Sycamore,” took only 3 minutes and 20 seconds to calculate a problem that would take the world’s fastest conventional computer 10,000 years to solve. IBM disputed Google’s quantum supremacy claim, arguing that an ideal simulation of the same task can be performed on a classical system in 2.5 days and with far greater fidelity. And the debate continues.

How do successful leaders solve problems, innovate, and drive change? Explore the three lenses of leadership -- strategic, cultural, and political -- with MIT xPRO's new podcast series, hosted by MIT instructional designer Dr. Luke Hobson.

Professionals are under more pressure than ever to drive complex projects under high-pressure conditions, as organizations increasingly opt to ditch traditionally siloed structures in favor of a “Dynamic Work Design” approach. To enable better organizational problem solving, technical professionals and organizational leaders in particular must adopt a new analytical framework that recognizes existing organizational sources of power and culture.

Joep Winkels had amassed years of experience in the IT world and a deep understanding of systems design and infrastructure. These years of experience went out the window, however, when he got the chance to join the Sales and Business Development arm of 3DVerkstan, one of the largest 3D printing resellers in the Nordic region. Joep knew nothing of 3D printing and very little about manufacturing. He needed to learn the fundamentals, applications, and business implications of Additive Manufacturing (AM) to successfully adapt to his new role.