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October 4,
2004 Vol 75, no. 6F
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IEOR professor Philip Kaminsky has been teaching
at Berkeley since 1997. His research interests include analysis
of integrated supply chain management models, production scheduling,
modeling and analysis of production control and logistics systems.
He also studies design and analysis of algorithms and integration
of production and distribution strategies. He is interested in
the use of computerized games to teach important supply chain
management concepts.
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Professor
Minute with IEOR professor Philip Kaminsky
What do you do to forget
about engineering?
I never feel like I need to forget about engineering, but sometimes
I feel like I need to forget about writing reports, grading papers,
and doing administrative work. I like to distract myself by spending
time with friends, going to movies, and listening to music. But, for
me, the
best way to forget about things is to go for long bike rides. Whatever
I’m focusing on at the start of the ride, after I’ve been
riding for a couple of hours, all I can think about is finding the strength
to make it over the next hill.
What is your personal recipe for success?
I like to challenge myself by concentrating on those goals that I’m
not sure I can achieve. Doing things I know ahead of time I can easily
do isn’t always very interesting, but overcoming doubts and discovering
what I can accomplish makes life interesting.
How can a student get through your hardest class?
The best way to make it through all of my classes is to ask questions
and make sure you understand the lectures and homework assignments.
It’s easy to copy down lecture notes or review homework solutions
quickly without really understanding the material, but if you manage
to figure everything out, you’ll be fine.
Why did you become a professor?
I’ve had other kinds of jobs in the past, but I get bored easily.
This is the only job I know of that allows me to continually learn new
things, and to help other people learn new things. I can’t imagine
doing anything else.
If you would like us to
feature your favorite professor, please e-mail his or her name to engnews@coe.berkeley.edu.
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