100 Weeks of Innovation and Inspiration

We launched the Next 100 series in June 2020 to share diverse perspectives from around the world and to celebrate those who take the initiative to positively impact the global community. Now, almost two years later, the 100 exciting, heartwarming, and thought-provoking stories we’ve published over the last 100 weeks continue to inspire us.

With topics ranging from technology to humanity, join us in reflecting on a few of the most memorable articles we’ve written, and stories that readers couldn’t get enough of.

Most Read Article:

“5G Isn't For You”

We’re big fans of data-informed decision making, so we took a look at the analytics behind the Next 100 series to determine which article was most widely read, and “5G Isn't For You” grabbed the most readers with its intriguing theory that 5G isn’t for humans. Who—or what—is 5G for then? Dig into this article to find out!

Most Engaging Story:

“Radar Engineers Adapt to Hypersonic Challenges”

This article, which looked at the challenges that radar engineers face as hypersonic technologies quickly adapt and evolve, garnered the most engagement from our global social media audience. Our readers were captivated by the story of how these engineers are making the world a safer place to live.

Most Future-Forward:

“Rocket Tickets Anyone?”

Space was a hot a topic when this article was published in July of 2021, and interest in space shows no signs of slowing down. As the future of space exploration and space tourism continue to permeate the news, along with whatever Elon Musk and SpaceX are up to these days, one thing is certain: the future is out of this world.

Most Likely to Change Your Perspective:

“Actionable Insights Demand Quality Data and Intentionality”

Written in the age of daring to do things differently, this article, authored by NI’s Chief Technical Support Engineer Norm Kirchner, urges readers to rethink how they gather data and the data that gets collected alongside it. This piece is for you if you’re ready for the digital transformation and want to learn how to intentionally prioritize quality in your data.

Most Likely to Change the World:

“Engineering Hope in a Crisis”

As COVID-19 changed everything for everyone across the globe, medical teams heroically stepped in to find solutions. In the face of an imminent ventilator shortage, Ventec Life Systems and General Motors worked tirelessly to tackle this challenge head on. Read how this team successfully delivered 30,000 VOCSN critical care ventilators to frontline medical professionals battling the pandemic.

Most Inspiring Story:

“Engineering Through Adversity on Ethiopia's Tallest Mountain”

In a remarkable story of human triumph in the face of adversity, the Wild Wheelchair engineers—a group working together to create new opportunities and help others overcome adversity—did just that. While climbing both literal and figurative mountains, these strong, smart, and creative individuals came together to accomplish their dreams and reach new heights.

^{Photo Credit: Dr. Dave Marshall}

Most Exciting Partnership:

“NI Acquires NH Research to Power the Future with Electric Vehicles”  

Though it may be tempting to try, we can’t solve the world’s greatest challenges alone—collaboration is critical to reaching our collective goals. Next 100 readers were enthused by the acquisition of NH Research, and rightly so. This partnership is expected to rapidly accelerate EV production, facilitating the future of transportation.

Best “Unscripted” Video:

“Unscripted: To Mars and Beyond with Alyssa Carson”

In an inspirational interview with Alyssa Carson, known also by her call sign “Blueberry,” the young astronaut-hopeful shared her passion for space travel, the NASA adventures she has experienced, and why it’s so important to follow your dreams.

Best Series Within Our Series:

“Engineering Hope”

In collaboration with the Washington Post Creative Group, we showcased a three-part video series on Engineering Hope. These pieces came together to tell the powerful story of the complex and careful engineering involved in developing life-saving medical equipment at Berlin Heart, which has saved the lives of more than 2,000 young patients waiting for organ transplants.

If you missed this series, you can find all three episodes here:

• Episode 1: “The Calling of an Engineer”
• Episode 2: “The Path to Innovation”
• Episode 3: “Hope for the Next Generation”

While the Next 100 series may be wrapping up, innovation perseveres, and so do the people who make impactful change possible. It has been exciting to tell these stories through the Next 100 series, and we look forward to continuing to share these stories in new ways.

Season 2 of NI’s “Testing...1, 2, 3” Podcast Series went live May 11, 2022, with a special episode on space accessibility featuring Astronaut Abby. Listen in on Spotify and Apple Music! You can also keep up with the latest in optimizing performance in our new digital magazine “Outperform,” which will be launching June 2022.

Whether you’re staying up-to-date with transportation trends with NI’s Automotive Journal or reading the latest Semiconductor ebook, we hope you continue to keep up with the content we’ve curated to help you and test teams everywhere Engineer Ambitiously™.

Finally, to our readers, thank you for coming along with us on our journey over the last 100 weeks as we’ve shared 100 engaging, insightful, and innovative stories. And an additional thank you to everyone who helped make this endeavor possible.

Here’s to the past 100 weeks of ingenuity and to the Next 100 years ahead of us.