Innovation means stepping off the curb into the face of challenges that no one could see coming. It means finding that difficult balance between your dreams of what could be and respect for the constraints of what is. Innovation means not confusing your goal with your ultimate destination. It means keeping an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out. Innovation happens on the boundaries between disparate ways of thinking about the world and requires individuals who bridge those boundaries. It flows from ideas that seemed mere curiosities right up until the moment that they became everything. Innovation does not fit in a box nor does it work to a schedule. Over-management is the surest way to kill innovation, but unless it is well-managed it cannot grow. Where does innovation come from and why do some ideas succeed while others fail? During his career as an internationally known astrophysicist Dr. Hester has lived and breathed the life cycle of ideas. In this presentation he offers his insights into the fundamental nature of innovation and the pitfalls that can turn potentially world-changing ideas into road kill.