How the philosophy and investment of a donor are shaping the next generation of leaders
by Emme Demmendaal
When entrepreneur and explorer David Evans Shaw, HON ’22, first traversed the wilds of Rwanda to observe mountain gorillas, the experience was transformational.
Despite careful planning and years of imagining the encounter, Shaw wasn’t prepared for the profound impact of meeting Santo, a 350-pound silverback. The experience taught him something deeper about respect, curiosity, and navigating the unknown: True discovery happens when you allow yourself to be changed by what you find.
The same philosophy of transformation through experience shapes the Shaw Innovation Fellows initiative at the University of New England.
David Shaw with the inaugural class of Shaw Innovation Fellows after a team building workshop.
While 91Ƭ students may not be navigating the African wilderness, the fellowship program, run by 91Ƭ’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, seeks to transform students, not just through what they study, but also by whom they become in the process.
It’s one of Shaw’s entrepreneurial philosophies brought to life.
“I knew who I wanted us to be more than knowing what I wanted us to do,” Shaw said of the mindset that drove him to build IDEXX Laboratories into a global leader in veterinary diagnostics.
And who does he hope each Shaw Innovation Fellow will become? A lifetime learner who challenges convention and isn’t afraid to ask, “What if?”
Launched in 2021, the 91Ƭ Shaw Innovation Fellowship offers different initiatives with campus and community partners to inspire student innovation. The projects range from developing marketable products using campus resources to addressing planetary and human health challenges in Maine and beyond.
Shaw, the program’s namesake, was born and raised in Nashua, New Hampshire, and worked as a strategy consultant, which gave him insight into emerging changes in molecular biology, software engineering, and biotechnology. Currently residing in Scarborough, Maine, Shaw started IDEXX in the early 1980s and went on to revolutionize veterinary diagnostics using technology proven effective in human medicine.
But, as Shaw said, “Much progress in society is made by challenging conventional wisdom and doing something different.”
In the fellowship, students step outside their comfort zones to work with peers from other fields. In doing so, they don’t just produce better solutions; they also become better problem-solvers, said Lisa Herschbach, Ph.D., director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, who coordinates the fellowship program.
“We don’t just develop skills X, Y, and Z. We ask: Are you creative? Are you motivated? Are you an out-of-the-box thinker?” she said. “These are the qualities we seek to inspire in young people.”
The fellowship program’s structure allows students to experience a complete innovation cycle within one year, from initial concept through team-building to results. It has become a catalyst for interdisciplinary thinking, creating what Shaw calls “escape velocity” from conventional academic boundaries.
Shaw’s journey from a mill town in New England to founding a multibillion-dollar company and leading global conservation efforts exemplifies how success doesn’t always come from following a prescribed path.
The program deliberately brings together “various — and not always obvious — disciplines” to develop solutions that wouldn’t be possible without interdisciplinary collaboration, Herschbach observed.
“Fellows learn to be more effective communicators and collaborators,” she said. “The cross-pollination of knowledge creates graduates who are uniquely prepared for a world that doesn’t operate according to departmental silos.”
Recently, students working on an earthquake monitoring project on 91Ƭ’s Ram Island realized that waves hitting the island also make the ground shake, leading them to use a seismograph to study wave activity, not just earthquakes.
“That’s emblematic of the kinds of habits of mind that David is really trying to promote,” Herschbach said.
Shaw said that truly innovative outcomes are often the results of experiencing work as play, where people start belonging to “a group of committed team members fully engaged in great achievement.”
In practice, Shaw’s purpose-driven community is the bedrock of how 91Ƭ’s Shaw Innovation Fellowship program is designed. Students join cohorts united not by their majors, but by project category and topic. Fellows collaborate with peers and external partners to solve problems that matter to real people and communities.
“It fosters a shared mission and collective purpose,” said Shaw, who serves as a visiting senior fellow at 91Ƭ. “One that drives true innovation.”
This philosophy shapes how Shaw Fellows approach challenges. Rather than seeking predetermined answers, they navigate uncertainty and risk, build teams with unfamiliar collaborators, and tackle problems without knowing what the outcomes will be.
“Learning through risk-taking and making mistakes is arguably a more profound experience than going through the motions and doing the things that you think society wants you to do,” Herschbach explained.
And, most importantly — stay curious and ask, “What if?”
Learning to ask the right questions teaches the fellows not just about innovation, but also about themselves — their capabilities, their thinking processes, and their potential as leaders, Shaw said.
And the fellows don’t just complete their projects and move on.
“(The fellowship) has lifetime value,” he said. “It creates a mindset and set of approaches that will be of great value for the rest of their lives.”
Herschbach agreed.
“Fellows develop confidence. They develop skills of collaboration. They are willing to take risks,” she observed. In many instances, following a fellowship, students move into new internships, leadership roles, and original research earlier than they would have otherwise. Fellows also try new career pathways, including starting their own businesses.
“By investing in students who work at the crossroads of ideas, David is helping 91Ƭ prepare leaders who don’t just adapt to change. They create it,” Herschbach said.