The Science of Skating and Thanks to the Coaches

This past week, The New York Times had a fascinating feature article on the Science of Skating. The article focused on the program at the University of Delaware in which scientists are tracking the motions and movements of figure skaters with goals of improving performance while attempting to also minimize injuries from improper training, overtraining, etc. The NYTimes also featured an article on a skate sharpener in Connecticut named "George," who sharpens skating blades with precision and knowledge of the skaters' skills and level of skating. Some of you may be aware of the President of the University of Delaware, Dr. Patrick Harker, who was the former Dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is well-known in the operations research and management science communities.

My figure skating skills are non-existent, but as the mother of a figure skater, I have been introduced to this magnificent, unique world of artistry, musicality, and intense athleticism. Plus, figure skating combines costumes, drama, competitions, training, and incredible discipline on the part of the skaters (and their coaches). Skating has opened up new friendships, taken us to places we may not have otherwise traveled to (such as Broadmoor and the Olympic training facilities in Colorado Springs and Lake Placid). We have also watched numerous ice shows from Harvard University's to our Amherst Skating Club's annual show at both the Amherst College rink arena and at the Mullins Center at UMass Amherst. Plus, we have had a chance to meet such Olympians as Sarah Hughes and Johnny Weir, whose kindness to the young skaters will always be treasured.

I wanted to take a moment to thank the coaches who have through their hard work and expert coaching steered the skaters in their individual directions to strive for their dreams. From skating coaches, to dance coaches, to off-ice coaches, and to all the volunteers who run the various skating clubs, I give a big Thank You!

The Importance of Knowing Languages, Prize Competitions, and Michael Jackson

This certainly has been an interesting week! I am serving on two scientific prize committees. The first competition is the 2009 Mathematics Competition for Young Mathematicians in Ukraine sponsored by the Shevchenko Scientific Society of America and the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation with a prize of $6,000US. This is the second year that this competition is taking place and I also served on last year's award committee. This week, as part of the reviewing process, I read over a dozen nomination packets and evaluated the scientific papers forwarded by the nominees, their curriculum vitae, plus letters by outside examiners who commented on the publications and overall reputations of the nominees. If English was the only language that I could read, I would have been unable to appropriately evaluate the submitted materials and to rank the top candidates for the award.

The years of learning both Ukrainian (my first language) and Russian (I have a degree in Russian from Brown U. plus three degrees in Applied Mathematics) paid off! As for English, that is my second language, which I began studying in kindergarten a while ago. During this competition I read mathematics papers in all three languages plus nomination and review letters in those languages. Mathematics is its own beautiful and elegant language so I certainly put my degrees and expertise to great use this week. The competition is now in its second round and we hope to announce the recipient of this award soon. To see the caliber of research and publications being done by young mathematicians in Ukraine, a country of 46 million people, which continues to struggle after its independence, was very inspiring!

In addition, I am serving as the Chair of the WORMS (Women in Operations Research and the Management Sciences) Award of INFORMS. The deadline for nominations is July 1, 2009. This award celebrates and recognizes a person who has contributed significantly to the advancement and recognition of women in the field of Operations Research and the Management Sciences.It is an honor to be serving as the chair of this committee.

The shocking and untimely death of Michael Jackson yesterday at age 50 invoked memories of the death of my dissertation advisor at Brown University, Dr. Stella Dafermos, who was truly a leader in her fields of operations research and transportation science and who died just shy of her 50th birthday. The former spoke in his language of music and the latter in her language of applied mathematics and operations research. They left lasting legacies, respectively, in music and scholarly publications.

Social Networking and Producing a Newsletter

Directing the Virtual Center for Supernetworks requires the production and dissemination of The Supernetwork Sentinel newsletter three times a year. We are pleased to announce that the Summer 2009 edition is now online (in pdf format). This newsletter contains an essay on highlights of recent presentations from Vienna to Rome, provides information on the just-published book, Fragile Networks, reflects on the World Science Festival in NYC, recalls the amazing speakers that visited the Isenberg School and UMass Amherst as part of our Speaker Series, and marks notable distinctions and awards received by Center Associates.

This newsletter serves as a unified vehicle in which to document and distribute news about activities of the Center and its Associates. It also further strengthens the social network ties of the researchers and students involved in the Virtual Center for Supernetworks.

The Fragile Networks book is published

We are delighted to announce that the new book, Fragile Networks: Identifying Vulnerabilities and Synergies in an Uncertain World, has arrived. In the above photo we are holding the first of two copies that we, as authors, received. It's always a very exciting moment to see the book that has been worked on for a long, intensive period of time. The feeling is almost like holding a newborn child in one's arms. The official release date, according to the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, was June 2009, and the book is now out, right on schedule!

The book is a culmination of several years of research and provides a unified treatment of the vulnerabilities that exist in real-world network systems, along with tools to identify synergies for mergers and acquisitions. The book consists of three parts: Part I focuses on the network fundamentals, efficiency measurement, and vulnerability analysis. Part II discusses applications ranging from transportation networks and supply chains to electric power generation and distribution networks, the Internet, and even financial networks. It also examines the efficiency changes and the associated cost increments after network components are eliminated or partially damaged. Part III provides models and analyses for assessing mergers and acquisitions, network integration, and associated synergies.

According to the publisher, Fragile Networks, with its numerous network examples and real-world applications, is an excellent book for courses in network science, transportation science, operations management, and financial networks. It is also a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners in the areas of applied mathematics, computer science, operations research, management science, finance and economics, as well as industrial, systems, and civil engineering. Additional information about the book is available here.

My co-author, Dr. Patrick Qiang, just happened to be wearing his Isenberg School of Management t-shirt when our copies arrived on June 17, 2009. Colleagues have commented from as far away as Italy that the cover of the Fragile Networks book looks "stunning."

We thank the editors and the publication assistants at Wiley for all of their help during the writing and production of this book! Needless to say, given the deterioration in our critical infrastructure and the opportunities that now are being made possible because of President Obama's stimulus package, the book can assist in wise and appropriate investment decision-making for the nation's (and the world's) network systems.

WSF to WF -- NYC to Hadley's 350th anniversary parade

I returned from NYC and the World Science Festival to Amherst in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, just in time to help our neighboring town of Hadley, which is still a farming community, to celebrate its 350th anniversary. Hadley was incorporated in 1659! Part of Route 9 was closed for hours (like Broadway now in NYC from 42nd to 47th Street) last Sunday afternoon to allow for the 3 hour parade to take place. The history of Hadley and the anniversary festivities this year are also online. The Pioneer Valley (besides having terrific native produce, which yields such delicious ice creams as "Hadley grass" ice cream, an ice cream made of asparagus and almonds and a seasonal favorite at Cook Farms on Bay Road), also, according to the NYTimes, has one of the highest concentrations of writers in the US.

The above photos were taken at the Hadley 350th anniversary parade on Sunday, June 14, 2009, and include the Hopkins School marching band, a classic car, and the Whole Foods (WF) Market shopping cart drill team with some members dressed as fruits.

Discover magazine, Infrastructure, The New York Times, and the Fragile Networks book

I am back from the World Science Festival (WSF) in NYC, which concluded yesterday with a science street fair. Photos from the numerous events have been posted on flickr.

There are also photos from the Traffic panel that I took part in last Friday evening.

The World Science Festival, which took place June 10-14, 2009, transformed NYC into a science mecca in which scientific research and exploration were recognized and celebrated. The atmosphere at the events, from the gala to yesterday's science fair, can only be described as electric -- the seats were filled at the various panels and events and I believe that many of those that participated will be looking at the world around us in new ways.

Megan Talkington, a journalist with Discover magazine, wrote a very nice article on the Traffic panel.

Now, it's time to reconnoiter and being on the Traffic panel at the World Science Festival has been the perfect segue for my new book with Patrick Qiang: Fragile Networks: Identifying Vulnerabilities and Synergies in an Uncertain World. Wiley, the book's publisher, has informed us that the book will be "released" this Friday, June 19, with worldwide distribution set for July 2009. Wiley issued a press release on the book in conjunction with my participation in the World Science Festival. The publication of this book is especially timely, given the interest surrounding infrastructure from transportation networks to the Internet and even electric power generation and distribution networks, plus financial networks. Indeed, the New York Times devoted yesterday its entire Sunday magazine to infrastructure. Plus, there have been recent OpEd pieces and major newspapers in the US highlighting the importance of complex networks and infrastructure. Our book provides an original synthesis of infrastructure networks and focuses on unique perspectives and solutions. The beauty and elegance of the book's approaches lie in a systematic analysis of networks, their resilience and robustness, as well as their vulnerability and the associated systemic risk. Fragile Networks identifies how to determine which nodes and links truly matter from economic and engineering perspectives. The book even formalizes mergers and acquisitions in a network framework!

Braess on Broadway and the World Science Festival

The above first two photos were taken Friday, June 12, 2009 in NYC as part of the Traffic panel of the World Science Festival. Joining me on the panel were Robert Krulwich, ABC and NPR journalist, Dr. Iain Couzin of Princeton University plus Dr. Mitchell Joachim of Columbia University.

I thought that you would also enjoy seeing a photo of Snowball, the "avian genius," who was also featured at the World Science Festival in a segment yesterday.

Thanks to all of you who were in the audience and helped to make the Traffic panel so enjoyable!

The World Science Festival concludes today with an all day science fair!