The hieroglyphs in the Sustainability section address challenges shaped in part by material choices, measurement, design, and innovation. Other themes such as Systems Thinking and Leadership strongly relate, highlighting the creative tensions and root causes that inform decision-making. The PROMISE framework—spanning Personal, Relational, Organizational, Market, Institutional, Social, and Environmental dimensions and visualized as concentric rings—is one approach Professor Jason Jay shares to take ideas into tangible action. 

The drawing below was the opening presentation of a week-long program on “Technical Leadership Development”. The overview considered “The State of the World & Planetary Boundaries” and set the stage for five days of systemically exploring climate solutions, social and environmental sustainability, goal setting, risk analysis, Life Cycle Assessment, ESG ratings, and product design. In addition to lectures, the participants had substantial time to reflect on the learning individually and in small groups—ultimately applying it back to their business challenges.

Scribing—visually representing ideas while people talk—is a distinct social art form that facilitates group learning and cultural memory. Scribed images enhance the learning experience by mapping ideas as they emerge, aiding both decision-making and information retention. Scribes listen on multiple levels—factually, with empathy, and for emerging possibility—to simplify complex concepts and make them accessible. By providing a visual representation of the program's content, participants can revisit and reflect on key insights, ensuring that knowledge gained becomes both memorable and actionable. 

At MIT, scribing takes on additional depth through the deliberate integration of systems thinking and conceptual frameworks. Scribed drawings function as layered narratives, representing both specific stories and examples while simultaneously mapping interconnected ideas across domains. In the physical classrooms and in online digital experiences, participants can scan the visuals to discern key themes from faculty presentations alongside the related threads through an entire program. This transforms scribing from simple recording into a tool for systemic understanding and collective sense-making. 

The sequence of hieroglyphs that are on display around the E66 Suite each represent a theme within Custom and Open Enrollment Program designs. While just a sampling of the overall range of topics, the images on display represent:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Corporate Finance
• Cybersecurity
• Digital Solutions
• Leadership
• Operations
• Quantum Computing
• Systems Thinking 

We encourage you to find the other themes throughout the space.