Off to Washington DC!

As an academic, my busy professional life is filled with research, teaching, and professional service activities. I often write on this blog about research and about teaching -- this post is about service.

The service activities that an academic may be involved in (let's say some do not engage in much service) take on numerous forms -- from internal service, that is, departmental, school-wide, and university service -- to professional service, which may require travel. The latter involves reviewing journal articles, serving on editorial boards, serving on society committees, on conference organizing committees, and other activities. I receive, on the average, requests to review 3 papers a week and professional service alone could keep me with a full workload if I were to accept everything that came my way.

(Note: much of the service that we do as faculty is "pro bono" and we do not get paid extra for it but it is essential to maintaining the integrity and sustainability of our disciplines and their growth and sustenance.)

Service also involves taking part in peer-review panels and in evaluating different proposals for funding. I have reviewed proposals for scientific agencies in Canada, Sweden, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Denmark, and Ireland, to name just a few. Also, I review proposals for scientific agencies in the U.S.

I will be out of town shortly to serve on a scientific review panel. Preparation entails reading thoroughly and carefully a pile of proposals and writing drafts of the evaluations. This takes place even before the face-to-face meeting and discussions with other panelists. Getting together in the DC area, where many of the major funding agencies (the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, etc.) are located and where the panels are convened, to see colleagues and to meet new ones, is always enriching intellectually. There are times of the year (Fall, late Spring and early Summer) during which the Washington DC area is quite beautiful; plus, several times during my flights to/from DC I have sat next to Congressmen, which always makes for stimulating conversations.

My suitcase is packed, my briefcase filled with proposals and my reviews, and I am looking forward to another trip to Washington DC!

Of course, my classes are covered, and when I return, I will be grading piles of midterm exams!

Celebrating Diversity, Sotomayor and the American Dream

I concur that the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States is a testament to the American Dream and a reason for celebrating the possibilities and dreams of those residing in the US both now and in the future. Her story of struggles, growing up in NYC, and being raised by a single mother who worked tirelessly to support the education of her children, plus Sotomayor's work ethic which led her to and through Princeton University and Yale University Law School and now to the Supreme Court is one we should all be celebrating. I have enjoyed reading about Sotomayor growing up as a child -- her love of Nancy Drew books, which I also devoured as a child growing up in Yonkers and now so has my daughter -- her devotion to Perry Mason episodes -- her dedication to her friends and their families -- her exercising venue of walking the Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favorite "city" walks, as well). I watched part of the confirmation hearings on television and was touched by seeing her mother in the audience as well as her brother, a medical doctor. Congratulations to Chief Justice Sotomayor, to her family, and to all of her mentors who helped to pave the way!

In this day and age, celebrating diversity matters and so does service to one's profession. I am reminded of the words of past-President of INFORMS (The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences), Dr. Mark Daskin of Northwestern University, who in one of his columns in ORMS Today emphasized volunteerism and also recognized that our professional societies can benefit from more diversity. At that time I had chaired an ad-hoc committee on diversity and our "preliminary" study noted some areas that needed improvement. Obviously, getting nomination packets to recognize females and other deserving members of the professions for various positions, awards, etc., takes time and effort but needs to be done. As a member of an awards committee recently told me at the conclusion of our deliberations: the fact that we are giving this award is a reward in itself and I fully concurred.

In celebration of diversity and great achievements, despite what seem, at times, insurmountable odds, I leave you with a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge, to honor Chief Justice Sonia Sotomayor and all those who do their very best. The photo was taken during a walk I took last November while I was at the Regional Science Association's annual conference to give a plenary talk as a Fellow of that society.