Smithsonian.com

Last week we launched our Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards special section, honoring innovators in nine fields, ranging from technology to social progress to historical scholarship. Tonight, at a gala in Washington, DC, we celebrate our award winners: Elon Musk, Esperanza Spalding, Bryan Stevenson, Benh Zeitlin, Anne Kelly Knowles, Pardis Sabeti, Jack Andraka, Jim Anderson and Sebastian Thrun.  Follow along as we liveblog quotes, interviews, photos and special updates from the gala as we champion the best in innovation.

We look forward to seeing you tonight at 7:45 p.m. ET! Sign up below in the CoverItLive liveblog to get an email reminder, or just come back to this spot at 7:45 p.m.

Can’t see the embedded liveblog? Try this link

A new logo and new name.

Notice something different?

That’s right, this blog is no longer called the Department of Innovation. Not that it ever was a department. We just liked the original title because it was a bit ironic and sounded sort of funny, at least to us. But to eliminate any confusion that this might actually be a federal agency, we decided to kick irony to the curb and call this blog, simply enough, “Innovations.”

Also gone is the gear-wheel graphic illustration that served as a logo of sorts. The change, we hope, will allow us to move past the discussion about the possible significance of gears in the logo’s first version.

So we did something very 21st century—we hit the reset button. We want to focus on ideas and dynamic changes underway or on the horizon, and we want to learn what you think is truly innovative or what needs to be invented.

The Department of Innovation logo by Jamie Simon

Editor’s note, August 19, 2011: Read about our new name and logo here.

Seems a long time ago, but it was only back in January when Barack Obama told us that America had reached a “Sputnik moment.” He was referring to the competition with China to be the Big Dog of the 21st century global economy, but the subtext was that the country needs an attitude adjustment, that we need to start channeling Silicon Valley, a place where people may pledge to “Do no evil” but the true religion is innovation.

It made for one fine sound bite. But it hasn’t exactly inspired a bunch of innovation rallies and bake sales. So in the spirit of banging the drum for new ideas and fresh thinking, this blog will track all things innovative, not just in science and technology, but also in how we live, how we learn, how we entertain ourselves.

The Department of Innovation is about people and ideas that likely will shape the way we will live one day. Don’t hesitate to send in suggestions of subjects we should cover.

You can learn more about me on our About page.

Ed. note — Thank you to everyone for your comments about our logo. We have since shifted the gears and switched in a new logo.