Posted 2:03 PM by Andy
It has been an eventful two weeks characterized by new experiences mediated by periods of tedium, so let me get to it, starting with the usual books that I’ve consumed.

“Nanotechnology.” This overview of the field for laymen starts with the science of materials, chemicals, and biology that are relevant to build the foundation for the portrayal of the emerging industry of nanotechnology, or science of the small. From the computing perspective, in order to circumvent physical laws that limit the number of circuits a designer can place on a chip, new ways of fabricating these chips need to be invented. The broad term nanotechnology has spawned some research directions to address these questions. There are implications for computing, medicine, and sensory interfaces. The fundamental structure of matter is being rearranged to create new solutions to computing power, drug invention, and new surfaces sensitive to climate change.

“Cities in the International Marketplace.” The work analyzes 10 cities in the Western hemisphere to explore the different approaches to urbanization and economic growth. Specifically, is city development controlled by the market or by the local government? What other factors influence the development pathways chosen and the resulting outcomes? For example, Paris is heavily ruled by local government planning while Detroit has beholden to business interests. New York City resides in the middle of the continuum. The authors create a framework to examine these development patterns which considers inter-governmental forces, demographics, historical, and social factors. Ultimately the development game is one played within a bargaining context, so even if De Gaulle enjoyed enormous political clout as mayor of Paris and a leadership seat in the national party of France, he still has to depend on local forces dictated by citizen interests to implement his policies.

“Nothing is Sacred.” A rumination on social issues written by a Harvard economist. The work discusses the ramifications of policy choices on society. For example, how does legalization of abortion affect the crime rate? Barro argues there is a positive effect; i.e. after Roe v. Wade was enacted, the crime rate dropped significantly in the twenty years hence. He talks about monetary policy and how different techniques work to stabilize economies in freefall like Argentina most recently. He peppers the book with anecdotes from his meetings with people that he has met, like the time he was called into a meeting with some high-level Russian cabinet officers in the late eighties and was asked to advise on the feasibility of a coup. He quickly demurred and focused on economic policy instead. This jumpstarted my exploration of prominent economists and their roles in government. Notable men who fall into this category include luminaries like Keynes and Friedman, the fathers of classical and monetary economics. JK Galbraith served Kennedy and wrote numerous books in his prolific career. More recently Stiglitz served Clinton as his chief economic adviser before heading up the World Bank. Summers led the IMF before his post at the Treasury. The coolest job is acting as the economic minister of a third-world country, if you can survive the persistent threat of political overthrow.

Valentine’s Day. The day was not very eventful except for a few moments. I was in a meeting with DF, SH, J, F, and a couple others going over John 1 in fellowship. F is not a Christian, so we dwelt on the first verse, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This statement is both plain and paradoxical. For the Christian the Trinity poses no great theological problem once we accept the triune nature of God. F asked a great question, “Does God have personality?” Asked another way, “What differentiates a dog from a human being because we say one is a person and the other is not?” DF made the analogy that he fulfills multiple roles as husband, friend, and small group leader, except that he is not omnipresent and omnipotent. I am not sure whether F understood fully, but that fifteen minutes was incredible.

Campus involvement. Since I’ve settled into my routine here, I’ve noticed I have ample time at my disposal. This is due to the fact that my academic workload is not very demanding. As a consequence, I have sought ways to involve myself in the community.

Crusade visit. I visited Campus Crusade’s large group meeting one Thursday night. There is a strong presence here and a good evangelistic emphasis. They practice evangelism in pairs at the student center every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I don’t think I will commit myself to this group mainly because it caters more to undergraduates although it’s refreshing to have that outlet to worship during the week.

Entreprenuership Center. The center associated with the business school encourages entrepreneurship and innovation. Towards that end, they have hired a new director to lead more initiatives. I met NM, who is from California and have previously worked as a sports agent and in Hawaiian government and asked to volunteer with her. Now I’m helping her researching some background materials to write a grant proposal for the National Science Foundation targeted to initiatives that foster innovation and regional economic growth. We’re focusing on tech commercialization and venture spinout and so need a viable model to present. UCSD has a good model with UCSD Connect which acts to bring industry and academia together for venture creation. I hope to learn a few different things from this exercise: the mechanics of grant proposal writing, economic growth models, and the venture incubation process. The value of the intellectual property in our research labs is questionable, but it will be great to get $600K for Syracuse.

Mediation training. There is a conflict management center on campus that mediates disputes. As someone that has been a witness to conflicts in the workplace and at home, I felt it would be beneficial to participate. I’ve spent about 25 hours over the last three days in practitioner-led sessions to learn the theories behind mediation and practice techniques in simulations. Most of the techniques are common sense ideas like reflective listening and reframing the issues, but in an emotionally charged atmosphere it is helpful to have a structured way to proceed and facilitate resolution. I learned some key differences between negotiation, conciliation, mediation, arbitration, and adjudication. The most worthwhile part of the activities was the role-playing exercises. We took turns being the co-mediators (typically one or two mediators will lead the session) and the disputants. Besides being able to toss around words like caucus, this enhances my ability to focus the issues and frame alternative options during any meeting. I don’t foresee myself mediating many disputes in the near future because it is voluntary and fairly exhausting, but I’ll have enough experience to draw on if I deem it worthwhile.

I can’t wait for spring break when I can finally go outside without being blitzed by the elements and also see some familiar faces.

Next time: Microsoft interview, spring break in the Bay.