Learning from a Very Successful Isenberg MBA Alumnus

Last week I was in Bogota, Colombia, to give a plenary talk at an international congress. The experience was fabulous. It was my first time in Colombia and the themes of the conference with a focus on logistics and supply chain management very much resonated with me.

Another reason that I was very enthusiastic in accepting the invitation to speak in Bogota was that not only was I now collaborating on Internet research with Colombian colleagues, including a doctoral student, Luis Marentes, but one of my favorite former MBA students, Roberto Sanz de Santamaria, who received his MBA from the Isenberg School, lives and works in Bogota.  He and his family had visited me in Amherst a few years ago. His family traces its lineage in Bogota to the middle of the last millennium  and its members have included diplomats and civil engineers that have made a great impact on the country. For example, his grandfather, Carlos Sanz de Santamaria, not only twice served as Colombia's ambassador to the United Nations, and as the mayor of Bogota, but, as a civil engineer, was instrumental to some of the major building and other projects in Bogota.

The conference was over at noon last Thursday and I had the best private tour guide - my former student Roberto Sanz de Santamaria. He had also been my Research Assistant and we had worked on supercomputing applications of network equilibria using the Cornell University National Supercomputer Facility. When I was at Cornell for several weeks one summer he joined me for a visit.

Roberto is a walking encyclopedia on the history of Bogota and Colombia, its challenges and dreams for the future. Roberto showed me the dedicated bus lanes to reduce traffic congestion and I also heard about the ambitious project that Roberto is involved in to strategize about private public partnerships for a subway in Bogota.We had many discussions over a delicious lunch at the restaurant, Madre, which is in a converted warehouse and is very trendy, complete with a band.

The food was exquisite - featured below. A special treat was our drinks in cups with characters in them.

Roberto told me about magical realism and the writings of Colombia's Nobel laureate in literature - Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Coincidentally, he had studied at the National University of Colombia which was the site of the conference. The theme of magical reality surrounded our afternoon and evening.

After lunch, we walked through the Candelaria district, which is part of downtown Bogota and is actually the historic Old Town. During our explorations and the magnificent images of buildings, plazas, and the people, I continued to  feel a sense of wonder - what would be behind the metal or wooden doors of the various buildings? I got to see beautiful patios, historical homes, and even received a tour of one of the ministries of the government. Often Roberto would usher me into a building and I would gasp in awe. The symphony orchestra was rehearsing before its evening concert next to the palace on a grand plaza where there were many Colombian flags flying. Friday was a national holiday. We visited the cathedral and the Santa Clara museum, which is a converted church filled with gold in which fashion objects are also displayed.

In the second photo immediately above I captured (but not quite fast enough) a man walking his two burros, which thoroughly delighted me. And, speaking of burros (and since with my Colombian collaborators, we are working on Delay Tolerant Networks and the Internet for rural areas, which can include other modes of transport (even burros)), another plenary speaker at the conference, Jose Holquin-Veras, told me about the biblioburros, a very touching story about a man bringing library books to children in rural areas of Colombia, which was even featured on PBS.

One of the high points was seeing the house in Candelaria with a plaque in honor of his family.

 

It was great to meet several of Roberto's close friends whose creativity and energy are truly inspiring. I was even welcomed into a home of an entrepreneur and artists, which was one of the most beautiful homes that I have ever been in. The graciousness and hospitality that we were welcomed with were extraordinary.

Above is the garden of the home, which is a jungle. The view from the top of the home was a panorama of the city of Bogota with the Andes as a backdrop. That image I will never forget (I had left my camera downstairs in the living room and am still regretting that).

We ended the evening with a delicious dinner of Asian fusion cuisine - simply heavenly.

What could make a professor happier and prouder than learning so much from a former student, who has had a fabulous career in management consulting as well as in finance!

The day was exceptional and I will never, ever forget it.

Fabulous Logistics Conference in Bogota, Colombia - over 8,000 Feet Above Sea Level

I returned last night from Bogota, Colombia where I had very memorable experiences.

I was in South America to give a plenary talk at the 2nd Industry and Organizations Congress - Logistics, Innovation and Technological Development. I was invited by the PhD program in Industry and Organizations Engineering of the National University of Colombia. The Department of Indiustrial Engineering also served as a host since it was celebrating its 15th anniversary.

 Bogota is at an elevation of about 8,300 feet and is situated on what was a savannah with the stunning Andes mountains in the background. The climate is perfect - about 65 degrees Fahrenheit all year round during the day time.

The city now has over 8 million residents so it was very interesting to see the traffic flow and the articulated busses in special bus lanes  as we were shuttled from the Radisson Airport Hotel, where the other plenary speakers and I were housed,  to the university. The hotel is actually 15 minutes from the airport and it is stunning and so comfortable. The first day, Gustavo, in the photo below with me, accompanied us on the shuttle. He is matriiculating this Fall in the  Master's degree program in Supply Chain Management that my former doctoral student at the Isenberg School, Professor Tina Wakolbinger co-directs at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.What a small academic world!

There was a very elegant opening session to the conference (congress)  with welcomes from academics and other dignitaries. The two announcers were also excellent.
 

It was a pleasure to see colleagues from RPI (Abhi Deshmukh), Purdue (Jose Holquin-Veras), and Montreal (Teo Crainic), and to make many new connections with researchers and practitioners, as well as delightful students,  from Colombia, Mexico, France, Chile, the US, and other countries.

There were about 500 in attendance and two rooms were used to seat the audience for the plenary talks, and the lectures were videostreamed. 

The program even had a musical interlude with the duo even singing a Ukrainian song (I found out that the guitarist's mother was Ukrainian). This certainly made me feel welcome since Ukrainian is my first language!

About 70% of the lectures were in Spanish so I had a mini Spanish refresher immersion course. I had lived in Mexico between high school and college so I understood a lot and can communicate in basic Spanish. I enjoyed my time in Bogota so much that I hope to have more opportunities to practice this beautiful language and to return to Colombia.

My lecture on Sustainable Supply Chains for Sustainable Cities was translated simultaneously as were the others. The last time I had a plenary or keynote talk of mine translated was when I spoke in China and in Russia a few years back.

The discussions on sustainability and supply chains that I had afterwards with fellow conference attendees were stimulating and provocative on topics from life cycle assessment to sustainable fish supply chains and corporate social responsibility. We discussed freight consolidation, cooperation among stakeholders in supply chains, and, of course, freight deliveries at night among other "policies." I had many students and faculty come up to me afterwards to be photographed with me and I very much appreciated the warmth and hospitality.

I enjoyed all the lectures that I attended and below are a few photos of the plenary talks: My colleagues were brilliant and I hope that the presentations get posted by the conference organizers.

Once the conference was over on Thursday at noon I then met with a former Isenberg School of Management MBA student of mine who gave me a private tour of the city and historic district. This truly magical experience I will write about in a subsequent blogpost.

Below, I have posted additional photos from the conference, some scenes of Bogota and the university, as well as our scrumptious breakfasts at the Radisson with papaya, fresh pineapple, and even watermelon juice.

Colombia has had a very challenging history and security is fairly tight. For example, the guards and explosive sniffing dog (whose name I found out is "Mark"), were situated next to the gate in front of the Radisson.

Plus, on my flight yesterday from Bogota to Atlanta I sat next to a female executive who works at Cargill in Minneapolis,  and who has a degree in Industrial Engineering from Colombia, and an MBA. Our conversations on topics ranging from risk management to being a professional female, who travels a lot, were fascinating. My collection of business cards has grown.

Many, many thanks to our wonderful hosts at this Congress for their warmth, attention to detail, hospitality, and for putting together such an excellent scientific program! 

Hasta luego!

Fascinating Experiences at the Logistics Conference and Naval Academy in Cartagena, Colombia

I returned early this morning, around 1AM, from Cartagena, Colombia, where I had the pleasure of being a keynote speaker at the CIIO 2019 logistics conference and also delivering a guest lecture. Both of these took place at the Naval Academy located on an island in Cartagena. I had been a keynote speaker at the same conference, but four years earlier, in Bogota, so it was a special honor to be invited back to Colombia!

The other keynote speakers at CIIO 2019 were: Professors Jahre of Norway, Schwede of Germany, and Conway of the US. We were put up in the Naval Academy officers quarters. The views were majestic from and on the island  and there was excellent security. We had nameplates on our room doors; had an officer assigned to us to assist us; met with an Admiral; were taken on a tour of the Navy Museum in the Old Town, and were treated to a lavish dinner, this past Friday, at the Naval Club.

The experience was intense and very engaging and rich.  Below I posted some photos of the beautiful vistas and some of the activities at the Naval Academy.

 

 

My talk this past Wednesday at the Naval Academy was: "Networks to Save the World: Operations Research in Action" and it can be downloaded here.

 

My keynote on Thursday, on another very timely topic, was entitled: "Tariffs and Quotas in Global Trade: What Networks, Game Theory, and Variational Inequalities Reveal" and it is also posted on the Supernetwork Center website.

The hospitality extended to the keynote speakers was extraordinary and we had numerous conversations with naval officers that were truly inspiring. Their intelligence, dedication, work ethic,  physical fitness, and stamina are remarkable. I marvel at the intensity of the experiences that we had and the honor of being there as special guests. Below are a few additional photos from the talks and very memorable experiences. Not only were there officers and cadets at the conference but also Deans of the hosting universities, numerous students that were bused in from major cities, including Bogota, and even the Minister of Trade and Commerce came for the Friday afternoon late session. We finished off the conference with a fabulous panel and discussion, which I very much enjoyed being part of.

 

Friday evening, before the dinner at the Naval Academy, there was a reception and a lovely ceremony at which the keynote speakers were recognized by Commander Baron. I was honored to receive the award below.

The beauty of the landscape was breathtaking and we enjoyed the chatty parrot who would visit us at the officers quarters and I learned that what I thought were mangoes where actually coconuts!

 

Colombia may be faced with challenges but, given its natural resources, geographical location, and exceptionally talented individuals that we met, I am optimistic and hopeful that it can realize its full potential.

Muchas gracias por todo!