Great Visit to the Yale Institute for Network Science

Yesterday I had the great pleasure and honor of delivering a Distinguished Lecture at the Yale Institute for Network Science (YINS). The title of my presentation was: Supply Chain Networks Against Time: From Food to Pharma.

My full presentation can be downloaded here.

I had been invited to speak at Yale by the Co-Directors of  YINS, Professors Nicholas Christakis and Daniel Spielman, and was delighted to be introduced by the INFORMS President, the one and only Professor Ed Kaplan, whose latest column is a must read. YINS is thriving under the visionary leadership of Christakis and Spielman.

The wonderful attention to detail surrounding my visit I am most grateful for and extend special thanks to Ms. Emily Hau. Not only did I have an office, but there was even a welcome sign and even gifts. Plus, there was a luncheon spread that the audience could indulge in before and during my talk, which was videotaped.

The lecture took place on the third floor of  17 Hillhouse Avenue on the Yale University campus. Professor Ed Kaplan introduced me.

Given the composition of the affiliated faculty, postdocs, and students of YINS, which include not only MDs but also PhDs from disciplines such as computer science, sociology, operations research, electrical and computer engineering, biology, public health, as well as other (all lovers of networks),  I wanted to make sure that the topics I covered would appeal to such a broad audience.

A delightful surprise during my presentation was having Cyrus, the YINS mascot, a highly intelligent German Shepherd who loves chasing after laser beams of remote pointers, show up o make a command appearance right next to me! I had to have a photo taken with him.

After my presentation I enjoyed speaking to faculty and students and had additional appointments even with MD/PhDs, a sociology professor, and a postdoc in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The day was filled with intellectual delights - from discussions on network models of the shared economy and new currencies to supply chains of pharmaceuticals in Africa - I wish that the day would not end.

And then to make a perfect ending to a fabulous day, we had dinner at the Union League Cafe. Walking through the Yale University campus was also a highlight of the day.

The ambience at the restaurant was perfect - with marble columns and Tiffany glass windows and the company magnificent - Professors Daniel Spielman, Ed Kaplan, and Leandros Tassiulas.

I marvel at what YINS has accomplished and look forward to its continuing growth and the breaking down of barriers between disciplines through Network Science and the building of new communities. Congratulations and thanks to its outstanding Directors: Professors Christakis and Spielman.

And I was even given souvenirs!

Looking Forward to Speaking at Yale at its Network Science Institute

The new semester begins at UMass Amherst on Tuesday. It will be a very busy semester but a thrilling one. Besides teaching two courses at the Isenberg School, I will also be hosting speakers not only in my classes but also through the UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter as its Faculty Advisor. Plus, I will be traveling to give invited lectures at various universities and companies.

I very much enjoy traveling to different locations and giving talks and always come back with new ideas, an expanded professional network,  wonderful memories, and, sometimes, even adventures. Plus, what could be better than interacting with faculty, students, and practitioners that come to your presentations?

The first invited seminar that I am giving in 2016 will be at Yale University. Although I have given talks at such Ivy League schools (at some of these multiple times) as: Harvard, Brown, Cornell, and UPenn, I have never before spoken at Yale. For this reason, and quite a few others, I am quite excited about speaking there on February 17, 2016.

Since my host at Yale will be the Network Science Institute, it will be extra special to be surrounded by those who share my passion for networks!

I am speaking in the Yale Institute for Network Science (YINS) Distinguished Lecture Series and the title of my presentation is: "Supply Chain Networks Against Time: From Food to Pharma." The abstract and announcement YINS has already graciously posted.  My presentation will be videotaped. The lecture and Q&A will take place from noon until 1:30PM.

I have started working on my presentation, which I will be polishing over the next couple of weeks.

The Directors of the Institute for Network Science are Professor Nicholas A. Christakis and Professor Daniel Speilman. The Executive Director is Dr. Tom Keegan. The Faculty in Residence at the Institute represent many different disciplines from Engineering and Computer Science to Sociology, so I will do my best to have something fascinating for each of them. The Directors have done extraordinary research that has also been widely covered by the media. The YINS Distinguished Lecture Series has hosted such network science colleagues as Albert-László Barabási (whom I had dinner with on October 30,2015), Matthew O. Jackson of Stanford, and Jennifer Chayes of Microsoft Research, among others.

Also, I expect to see the INFORMS President, Professor Ed Kaplan, there, which will be an additional highlight of my visit to Yale.

Dinner with a 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist on a Beautiful College Campus

I have met my share of Olympians, primarily, figure skaters, since that was one of my daughter's passions before college and she even skated in a performance with Johnny Weir at Lake Placid and we met Sarah Hughes and Todd Eldredge at the Mullins Center at UMass and Paul Wylie at a skating performance at Harvard when I was a Radcliffe Fellow.

Last weekend, I had a new experience - having dinner with an Olympic gold medalist, courtesy of my daughter, who has switched from figure skating to crew. Coincidentally, my Brown University room-mate for two years, Teresa Davila, had switched from being a ballerina in Chile to being  a member of the Brown University women's crew team when she matriculated there. I guess it is all about the muscle and the discipline!

The Olympian is Emory Clark, the author of  Olympic Odyssey.

The event was the Lafayette College crew banquet, which took place last Saturday. My daughter, as President of the Crew Club, got to officiate the lovely evening and we sat at the head table with the Olympian.

The beautiful campus was resplendent with blooming flowers (something not yet happening much in Massachusetts).

Now, how did an Olympian get to give the main speech? It's all because of those great school ties. The father of one of the rowers is Mr. Robert Hanke and he sent us the following explanatory message:

"Emory and I were fraternity brothers and classmates at Yale in 1960.  Emory was Captain of Yale’s Varsity Crew that year.  Following Yale, both Emory and I went on to serve as officers in the Marine Corps.  Emory then began rowing for Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia, where he went on to win the 1964 National Championship in the coxed pair.  After that, rowing in the Vesper Eight, he went on to win the U.S. Olympic trials, beating heavily favored Harvard, Yale and a number of other top collage crews.  That marked the first time a non-collegiate eight-oar, or club boat, ever represented the United States in the Olympics.  In 1964, Emory and the Vesper Boat Club went on to the Tokyo Olympics, winning the Gold Medal and becoming Olympic Champions.  Emory continued competitive rowing most of his life, winning many more races, right up to his early 70s.  He book, Olympic Odyssey, has just been published."

See you at the races,

Robert Hanke

Col. USMC (Ret.)

The evening was magical and below are a few photos from the great event.  The Olympic gold medal is also featured below. I especially enjoyed hearing Mr. Emory Clark speak about his Olympic gold medal team-mates, who ranged in ages from 20 to 34, and the cox was a 46 year old Hungarian who had become a US citizen. He also spoke about Mr. John Kelly, the brother of the Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly, who was affiliated with the Vesper Club. He emphasized how the team to beat at these Olympics (and many other races in that era) was the German team.

And, yes, both my daughter and Mr. Hanke's son were recognized for their leadership on the crew team. My daughter is the cox for two men's boats and if you can get a group of men to row fast as a team together, you are a born leader! The medals and trophies that they have been garnering this crew season plus the fun that they have been having, even with pre 6AM rowing practices, say it all.