DC 3 -- Social Science Competition and scavenger hunt

After Monday DC2 completion, we got a new assignment for DC3, which includes two parts -- Social Science and scavenger hunt. There are three topics: Disaster relief, higher education and economic development, each team has to use scavenger hunt points won by monday evening to bid for the topic they would like to work on. The winner of each topic will receive $500 to donate to the charity we choose for the presentation. After quick brain storming, my new team(each design challenge, we were formed into different team in order to work with each other.) head on the road. Sadly, the cold snowy Boston suddenly changed into very windy and heavy rainy place, have to say, the rain here has not similarity with Seattle one. The wind was wild, and rainning hard, not like Seattle mild drizzling. My new SDM umbrella has not working well at all, totally got upside down multiple times, completely miss the function of preventing me from the rain. After a few stops, we went underground(apparently, the underground is way more complex than infinite corridor, at least in my eyes), where became the place we got lost, after circling around many turns, we could not figure the direction of building we need to go, and trying to get out. When we saw the elevator, we got in, then stuck with which button to push, 'P' or 'B', what does that mean?? ok, try 'P', raise up and reach the level, no door open, then we went back, stepping out the elevator, find the exit door to stairs, that is how we got out. When I turned around looking at this place again, I told myself that I'd rather confused with direction on the ground than going under.

After part of scavenger hunt, we all met at Characters for a celebration of completion of DC2. Yes, we all need this pause moment. By now, we have know each other pretty well, esp. with DC1 and DC2 team mates, we can comfortably joke around, expressing our opinions and sharing thoughts. Somehow the celebration always involves drinks. As we ordered different drinks, I told the waiter that I need something sweet. He came back with a "Happy Howaii". What I asked what is in it? couple classmates joked me not qualified for working for Liquor Control Board, since I do not know all the drinks!! Maybe I should suggest to my LCB Director to add this piece of information as new employee orientation requirement :)

Tuesday (26th) I could not join my team in the morning right away as I have registered one course at Harvard Business School. Apparently there is no easy way to get there, walking, then subway, then bus, then walking. The course is very informational and interesting. At HBS, I feel that I walk into a bank, at MIT, I feel that I am living in a creation of history. All great, but in a totally different way. At Harvard, it is taught by case-study. Your classmates will feed you with you various opinions, Prof. is like a captain, guiding your thoughts, pulling you back if you went too far. Meanwhile, my teammates went for scavenger hunt, exploring MIT and Boston. Later we suggested the program to have this done at DC1 while we were full of energy at the beginning of program and felt excited to explore.

After class, I raced back MIT, working with my team on disaster relief, our charity is a furniture donation organization. We use the mindmap which we used it as tool from System architecture class, to analyze the system for pre-disaster, disaster and post-disaster. Align with what is going on in Haiti, this research and study showed us how things could easily go wrong inside of system. It is easy to shrug the shoulder criticizing how things went wrong in Haiti rescue system, but it is so complex when we drilled into each step, which interconnect with so many things. Plus, even though many counties & people are willing to help and donate, the coordination job is humongous to take on.

By Wendesday morning, we started to see the draft of picture how we want to present. This DC is short one, several students will fly out right after DC3 presentation.

As I have a meeting in the afternoon(the same time to present DC3), I could not present, so, I was in charge of creating presentation and putting everything together. now, I have to mention, by this moment, we have been so tired, hate to use this word since it really sounds negative. We are having a good time, but we are in deed tired, some people getting sick(including my periodically 'duck voice'), I have starting forgetting things around or loosing the careful working part of me. One mistake I feel bad was to write down a wrong teammate name on the final presentation slide, terrible :( I could not use my tiredness as an excuse to explain why this happened. One of my classmates said something which I will always remember and remind myself of this incident that "when you present business plan to CEO, any tiny mistake could abort the plan, no matter how much time and efforts you put in."

Studying at MIT, I feel that you will study with the master of that field, the creator of known concepts/theories, the leading founder in this research area... I remind myself that I need to soon get over this excitement of new student(every time, we 'wow' to show how cool this is) and focus on the content in order to ask questions with those masters. I had a meeting with Prof. Jackson, who is such a down to earth, easy to talk with person! during the conversation, I told him that I applied Jackson system development steps in couple of system implementations I lead and shared my experience and opinions on that. I asked him if he plans to make any updates. He looked at me, saying "I am sorry that I am not the person who created this, you put the wrong name!", I looked at him, wondering how I could miss this, then he said "I will certainly let the creator know that you appreciate, he is my father who created this diagram and steps to implement system." oh my!

The meeting was at building of Ray and Maria Stata Center. It is quite unique building. Again, this is my one more time lost myself at MIT building, I just kept circling, could not find the office I was supposed to be. If you come to visit MIT, you should visit that building and a tour inside, which contains many famous MIT students' reactivities.

You have to be amazed by every team how they choose the charity, and what they presented, one team got the whole class involved to do a online test, to show how we can help the elementary education in science, very clever and creative!

As the close curtain of DC3, we also completed Jan. IAP. Bunch of us went to the famous Boston Beer House to celebrate. We found out as long as you have a local Bostonian around, you will find all kinds of fun place. Please do not take my post in a wrong way, we celebrate with alcohol, but we do not get drunk!

Events analysis and blah blah...

From Prof. Crewley taught us to think big, every class, before it starts, he usually comes in 10-15 mins early, start global events analysis. "What happens today in the wold?" from last couple weeks MA political attention to Google announcement to leave China, Professor constantly reminds us that nothing is accidental but have internal connection, only by training yourself systematically, you will seek the underneath link. It is part of learning ability and train yourself to be a good 'observer'. Any predictions are based on the data and evidence, sometimes the random events seem like random but are planned ahead of time. I have watched closely about lately China and U.S. political relationship changes. If you look back the last century, how much involvement these two countries have been. Here in Boston, the course about 'How to do business in China!" at Harvard Business School is totally full with more registered student, so did Harvard Kennedy School, whose "political economy transition in China" class, not many Chinese student there but full of students from different countries. I asked myself if I have followed Chinese news, economic and political development like this close? you really need to catch up, Charlotte!

you think globally, you act globally.

Sitting in the classroom, break time classmates will update you with many gadgets in the new market. This morning classmates have talking a lot about iSlate, iTablet, making you can not wait to see the real product and test it. One of classmate teaches a design class for MIT undergraduate, seriously, if you ask what computer to buy, he does a better job than Apple sales person to tell you everything about Mac. Some of us got sort of interested to check out his class.

I do not know how many Apple products I will continually buy. The new Lenovo T400 I got in Jan. for school has giving me more problems than I could expect, constant memory freeze have not help my study but delay. I guess I soon will convert myself totally from PC to MAC.

DC 2 -- We won the 2nd Design Challenge competition!

After two weeks working each selected projects, we reach the moment of presentation day. For days, we wonder why there are weird scary masks showing up at study rooms, why guys came in with wet shoes/lower pants(the famous men's bathroom flooding, unfortunately, I am not able to check out:), the deliver table... and a lot of cleaning products(e.g. sponge). We have total 8 teams, working for mexico major companies. Some of business people came all the way from Mexico to hear our presentations.

Which one should I pick, so many great ideas breaking through the existing market, they did not just work on their own, but heavily involved with customers, users and clients, constantly get feedback and upgrade. That is the major gap we learn how to close, not missing any market request/need.

One furniture update team starts their presentation with a fun 3D video to show the crowded cubicle life. After working for 9 years, I totally understand the frustration of sitting in the traditional cubicle settings, which separate each other, less communication and more isolation. The suggestion they have is to well use the angle of combine even number of joint cubes and lower the cubicle wall to maximize the cubes(traditional cubes 40 will be increase to 51-53 cubes in the same space) and maintain individual space. I like the new layout and wonder what new users/employees think about the settings.

The delivery table comes with patient dashboard, like a tablet PC, reflect the time, next contraction, and doctor return time(apparently, everyone wants that), health data, messages, pictures, video, webcam, music, etc. It looks like that you are having a business class for the ride of delivering baby. Since there are several classmates, whose wives are expecting this year. The questions from class are quite fun to listen, esp. looking the chair animation. This chair is really cool, at least is way simple, user-friendly than the one I saw when I visited a girlfriend in hospital during her labor.

Our presentation is Somaki Fregon Sponge redesign and development. The original sponge is not a real sponge as it does not absorb liquid, sort of like scrubber. The food easily stuck on the fiber and not easy to clean. Due to copying, in local Mexico market, there are similar products with very cheap prices, cause Somaki loosing price and brand identify. We did 14 interviews from 4 continents for market research, later we did 2nd survey to get feedback finding out if they are happy with our new designed product. The Fregon Sponge does not absorb the liquid, actually it is a scrubber, so instead of designing a new sponge, we focus to design scrubber. I personally quite happy with the solution, ergonomic handling, suitable for women's hands(somehow, the cleaning jobs are done by women, come on, guys!), able to target low end as well as high end, kit allows various surface cleaning. From financial analysis, we removed the costy 70% foam with the special designed handle support. So, users can replace fiber often and clean the fiber by either microwave or dishwasher. The whole experience allows me to explore the marketing and sales strategy, which I have not spend much time on those field. It really lets me engage with customers and clients. Often engineers receive the business requirements, heavily depends the client company's request, but this experience, we are able to work with client as well as practical users, helping us to see the perspectives from manufacture and buyer point of views. As engineer, we usually underestimate the benefits from marketing and sales strategy in our early design. This is a quite fun learning curve and let me see the importance to engage every side of experts. When you spend much time on product design, one failed function could cause the failure of entire product. Simple design brings function directly to user. This is very basic concept, but when we work on the product design, we overestimate and complicate the whole process.

So many highlights during presentations, also some models refuse to cooperate, like the Halloween LED Masks and body model, not moving as the way it designed.

By using survey feedback rating, the final competition result is: Team 4 won with their world best scrubber design!! I am so proud of my team :) Blade and I did the presentation, but we can not forget the dedicated team members: Vishal, Rafaral, ChangBae, and Jose. They are awesome!! It really pays off all these very late nights, many discussions and update. We even took the highest cost management, customer needs, profitability overall. From the whole class feedback, we are able to see the first impressions from each classmates, every good to know how we can do better.






Oh, we say goodbye wrapping up DC2, and say hello to welcome DC3, which is the last competition in our Jan. IAP. Most of us have already began to plan the mini vacation to get away this weekend, getting some break before next week Spring semester start.

Chomsky

This has been a long week. Once a while, when you missed a good night sleep, you could easily catch up, but when you have had short of sleep for so long, get up in the morning is a such drag. Not complaining but a fact! Morning time we all search the place of coffee provider, so important.

Today's system architecture touched the topic of Ambiguity. How many examples we could find out we take same word/phrase into different meanings, which cause many problems. It is very critical to define the word/phrase in the agreed setting. Prof. Crowley passed on the envelopes with a number on top, with some sort of coin inside, after we discovered what is inside, we understand that we should not assume that every coin has head or tail, some even does not have coin. most of all, he wants us to review the fact of what ambiguity could cause us.

By noon, I nodded my head constantly sitting inside classroom, need a nap, definitely. When I wake up, I saw a note at MIT website about Chomsky concert. I watched closely again, making sure that I was reading what I thought was. It was a honoring concert to Noam Chomsky, with his talk prior to the concert. oh, my, I was thrilled. When I first learned Linguistics in China, his theory was all-over my textbooks. That was a huge break through in linguistics field. For me, to learn a foreign language, how he defined normal grammar has impacted so many language learners. Later Chomsky's Hierarchy, has influenced so many fields, including computer science. I know that I will go. What a surprising finding after a needed nap!

The concert is at MIT auditorium. This concert is delicated to scientists from musical tributes. MIT and Harvard head of Linguistics gave their stories about knowing Chomsky, they even did a few liguistics exercises with audience, which totally reminded me of the time when I first learned English, the grammar and how to think about English structure.

After Concert, I went up to Prof. Chomsky, thanking him for his findings which impact my language and computer science studies. I just could not believe that this is the man that I have learned so much from his research.

Challenger

This week we spend couple days in our Human side of Technology, understanding how and why people behave certain way at the critical moments(which you could not define critical until later). The Professor tried to get us understand that making a decision involves full understanding, before drawing conclusion as you will live in the consequences. Two videos he showed us. One is Challenger -- Space Shuttle. Another one is British Steel.

The video of Challenger is to recreate the pre-launching plan, discussion, esp. when engineers identify the Orin issues, how manager/NASA took on the information. Despite of knowing the final result, if you could just pretend not knowing what will happen, watch the movie, truly is going through some frustration. Seeing engineers trying to present the case, seeing how manager spoke and word certain uncertainty. Prof. wants us to see when you deal with uncertainties, what you want your mind go through first. The video is so powerful, as we know, there are always some engineering issues when launching a new product, at what point, you will call the stop and roll off the product. How can a good engineering manager know which technical issues he can drop, which he needs immediate attention, when there are several in front of you. Since we have two Chilean air force men, two U.S. air force men(one retired already), the whole discussion, with their experience, and the video information are incredible. for me, I thought every airplane is safe, but even in Boeing, there is margin of failing probability analysis. How can you, as a manager, be responsible to make the right call? (side note, I learned that if flight suddenly has to drop down, put your oxygen mask first, as in 5-6 second you will faint, so there is no way you can help your family put on mask first, then you, I guess air attendent just does not want to announce this at the beginning of flight.) Most of all, how can we live the decision we made? esp. certain consequences! some of managers involves in Challenger are still working in the same company. The mental reminder of the decision to let shuttle launch in such cold temperature will carry them long time. I still remember in 80s when this happened,my dad had quite a few conversations with me teaching me the history and U.S. aerospace plan competing with Soviet Union. By then, it was an accident from a foreign country. But now, watching this, all of classmates could identify that our work has similar discussions/struggles like movie's scenes when they does not know how they should deal with Orin issues. Prof. said every time when he showed this video to his consulted company, the customers felt chilled by how much similar they have in their work place. What odd response! Over 20 years Challenger's launch shocked us emotionally and intellectually. Can we pretend it happen in any fields, like IT, Health care?

Another movie is British Steel. Did CEO have vision, yes, but the whole business deal of buying one plant or two or more have been quite a manipulated process. Prof. reminds me of paying attention at people's body gesture, which let me think about show. That is the only show I see online if I have time. One thing from this movie is if you go for a very important and hard meeting, remember to bring your ally along otherwise you won't get all your ideas/suggestions go through. This is over 20 years old movie, but what it presents not just represent the time of those periods, but completely typical for nowadays business. The CEO's plan was brilliant, but failed terribly. His vision was so right but too early. Now British Steel does the same plan in Europe, and totally a leading technology.

What will this degree do for you?

While we close to DC2, the prof. closed the class by asking us "what will this degree do for you?" Thankfully, classmates are very honest, answers are various. Prof describes the degree as a necklace, so, what do you do with it? someone want to bury it, someone wants to display it on the wall, even put the picture on the facebook, some will exchange it for salary, freedom, power, etc. Some want to link with high known alumni, join the club... Then, Prof. reminds us to think about the frequency of of natural wave, do not go out side the wave, but keep bargaining for freedom, bringing impact from what you are good at; Gradually, he talked more about passions inside of you. What he asked us is a fundamental question, though I disagreed or should say, could not reach the same level of opinions as others on some part of his opinions, I appreciate he brought this question up at the beginning of the program instead of the end. It is a good question needed more thoughts.

I am so happy to have a one MIT undergraduate classmate in my team, who gave me a lot of insights about how to drink this water from fire-hose. It is totally MIT style. You will be dump with many and many overwhelming tasks, knowledge, and projects. It is your responsibility to learn how to swim, figure out where to find the support. School has so many support but they will not hand it to you, but you need to find it. When you find it, you will be amazed with how incredible resources are available for you. I view it as to be independent through your exploring. So, can you imagine how undergraduate 1st year look like? I am amazed with my classmate, such energetic and decisive attitude! also, I am so grateful for my first two years study in Iowa, caring and welcome, often I was asked if I need help, instead of now, I knowck door around asking where I can get information. different perspectives and different life stages for me to study.

My DC2 scrubber has been in a wild ride. I told Zhiyong that I will be in charge of my future household scrubber/sponge purchase as I have viewed and touched pretty much every kind exist in the Markets, not just U.S. market. The Mexico company's owner has quite expectation from us. Apparently, there are over 9 millions dollars profit from this per year there. The designer Professor warned us contently that we need to think outside of box, play with product, talk with real customers not just team members/classmates. We certain have a lot of wild check from various customers. I start seeing the light of marketing and sales strategy. This is not my strong area, I am in charge of Marketing and see how this has been tight up with product design.

We had a leadership framwork workshop the whole afternoon today. The presenter through several frequent leadership related questions on the table, but, instead of circling or debating, she asked us to see sometimes how you sort through the clear thread when you face a mass. How sensemaking, relating, inventing and visioning work coherently. A lot of time, only focus on vision will corner us on one thing, but combine all these together, will lead you the big picture of leadership. She shows up the story of Green Belt Movement by Wangorri Maathai, impressive. What even impressive more is the reminder she set that many of those leadership are from much more practice and learning from other leaders. I like the leadership journal we got today, using to capture our reflection of learning & thinking on leadership. How to make the triangle of reflection, skill development and practice in the best balance to help me grow, I know, one step at a time.

Technology

While I was debating which classes I should take in Spring, what to listen in and what I should wait, I found myself spending too much time on those choices, the bottom line is that I should use my time wisely on my study, social networking and what I am passionate about.

MIT's media-lab has attracted for several years, which you would feel like that you living in the technology fantasy world. It is not about what you can think, but what can you imagine?? Pranav's innovation has been quite hot here, but there are more. I am very thankful to live in this amazing high tech world, and glad that I am in this field.

My energy group has checked out last week MIT energy presentations, so many great things happening in Energy. I am glad that I took risks of picking energy topic and learn from scratch, instead of playing safe and staying in Software topic. So far, the most research I follow is about Lithium.

By the way, I have to mention about the survivor exercise from Human side of Technology class. Prof. Catz lets us to do a survivor exercise, suppose you all were in plane crash but all alive close by north pole, there are list of things, please rate it based on the priority of needs. After individual answer, form a group, to get group answer, the ending results are most group answers are either better or slight better than individual answers, showing the wisdom of group, But he asked us again to re-discuss to see if we could get the answers better, apparently, no single team got together to discuss. That is the point. He wants to show us that when there is task/design, team members will show the dynamics either following someone or compromising the decision to get the final plan. After the final plan is done, it is very hard to do improvement, much applied in the project mode. That is so true. If you have ever been in a IT project, you know what I talk about here. One side note, when prof. asked individual total score, the less the better surviving ability, our lowest score was from Rej, 25 points, the highest score in my class is 74, and the person was me :( after I honestly reported my score in the class, I got ear full comments, my answer was "I will sit next to Rej during the flight.".