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When Science Speaks


Jul 12, 2019

Do you feel like multiple pathways for success were open to you on your journey through higher education? Were you fortunate enough to find an opportunity to explore your interest right away or did you have to dig around for a while? Unfortunately, there remains a wide gap between what students and postdocs are looking for and the programs that colleges and universities provide. Seeking to bridge that gap and create a more helpful approach is Dr. Allison Rosenberg. 

Dr. Rosenberg is a behavioral scientist and startup entrepreneur with a record of success in both the public and private sectors, focusing on higher education and education technology. She has advanced training in cognitive science, psychology, and entrepreneurship. 

Allison received her undergraduate degree from the University of California - Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Harvard University. She has served as a senior executive at several top universities – including the University of California System; the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; and Iowa State University.

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of When Science Speaks

  • [1:00] Mark introduces his guest, Dr. Allison Rosenberg. 
  • [3:20] Understanding diverse audiences. 
  • [5:40] The value of creative thinking. 
  • [7:40] If your message isn’t getting across, it’s not your audience’s fault. 
  • [9:50] Allison’s decision to live in Paris after finishing undergraduate school. 
  • [13:30] What is posed2? 
  • [22:45] A simple way to understand what posed2 is all about. 
  • [24:20] Trends in higher education. 
  • [29:50] How to break into the entrepreneurship scene. 
  • [33:40] Allison addresses gender bias she has seen in the startup industry. 
  • [38:20] Closing thoughts. 

Connect with Allison Rosenberg

Resources & People Mentioned

How posed2 is creating new pathways for success

Do you ever find yourself wondering how Facebook or Amazon knows just the right ad or product to put in front of you? Be honest - it can feel a little creepy, right? Are they listening in on your conversations, making a really good data-driven guess, or some combination of the two? While it can feel like those tech companies are invading your privacy - the truth is - their suggestions are often helpful. What if someone could turn that innovative approach of marketing product toward creating pathways for success in higher education? 

Allison Rosenberg set out to create an organization and a tool to cut through the complexity that is often associated with finding the right fit in higher education. Drawing on her entrepreneurial drive and her passion for creating programs and systems that help people find solutions and opportunities - Allison founded, posed2. Posed2 is a purpose-driven, college-to-career guidance program that uses games and AI - it identifies a user’s best fit from how they play, not what they say. You can learn more about posed2 by visiting their website located in the resources section. 

Forging your own path 

It’s wonderful to have a champion like Allison leading the way and creating new pathways for success - but what about forging your own path? If you don’t see a way forward with your skill set and unique abilities - then make one. No one handed Allison a script and told her how to start her entrepreneurial journey - she had to make it up along the way. Leaders like you can blaze their own trail. 

As someone who has gone down that entrepreneurial path - Allison has some helpful tips on what it takes to break into the entrepreneurship scene. If you want to test the entrepreneurial waters - Allison suggests these three places to start. 

  1. Spend time reading about entrepreneurship. Read blogs, books, and magazines dedicated to entrepreneurship and startups. 
  2. Sign up for classes at your university or college about entrepreneurship. 
  3. Get in the room with young business leaders and thought leaders. 

Don’t expect that the path forward to find your right fit will be easy - it rarely is. Learn from those who have gone before and who are in the trenches right now. Make sure to tune into this episode of When Science Speaks to catch Allison’s full conversation with Mark - you don’t want to miss it. 

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