Salute To Prof. Mohamed Gouda: Elegance Inwards Computing
A distich months ago, I attended a special half-day workshop organized honoring Prof. Mohamed Gouda's contributions to estimator science, as well as specially the self-stabilizing systems community.
Mohamed is the Mike A. Myers Centennial Professor at University of Texas at Austin. He has been at Austin Texas since 1980, for almost forty years. His enquiry contributions to the distributed systems has been phenomenal (borrowing a give-and-take Mohamed likes to usage for things that excite him.) I am proud that Mohamed is my academic grandfather; he was the PhD advisor of my PhD advisor, Prof. Anish Arora. I wrote virtually "how to notice your advisor" inwards my previous post, I promise elegance/rigor from Mohamed as well as Anish rubbed off on me a bit.
At the workshop, in that location were virtually 10 talks technical inwards nature, only at the destination of the talks, each speaker mentioned how their enquiry as well as career has been enriched past times Mohamed's contributions/help.
I talked virtually my technical written report on "Does the cloud demand stabilizing?", as well as at the destination I took some fourth dimension to shout what I learned from Mohamed, as well as how I benefited beingness around him, albeit for a express time.
The most meaning things I learned from Mohamed is non from what he taught on the board or at the conferences, only from how he acted. Actions speak louder than words.
What impressed me most was Mohamed's passion for research. At that fourth dimension he was involved amongst enquiry 30+ years already, only he was every bit fresh as well as enthusiastic virtually enquiry problems every bit PhD students. When somebody mentioned a enquiry problem, y'all could reckon his ears prick upwards as well as his eyes literally sparkle. And this was oftentimes after a long tiring solar daytime of enquiry talks/meetings.
There has been many days inwards my academic career where I was feeling tired as well as down, as well as I motivated myself past times remembering Mohamed's passion virtually research, as well as quest myself what excuse create I bring to live on bored/unexcited/unmotivated. (I volition live on amiss if I don't add together my advisor Anish Arora as well as postdoc supervisor Nancy Lynch to this mention. I effort to copy their genuine excitement virtually research.)
He jokes that he never says no to whatsoever collaboration opportunities after he regretted to tell no to collaborating at that fourth dimension on the newly starting plain of "ad hoc networks" (I am most probable misremembering the name/anecdote only was that amongst Charles Perkins), proverb that "ad hoc networks" does non audio similar a respectable shout for a enquiry expanse :-)
He helped create the self-stabilizing systems community, every bit many speakers credited him at the workshop. If y'all assistance people, y'all assistance yourself every bit well.
In a enquiry speak y'all could notice Mohamed listening carefully, quest a distich petty seeming Definition questions, as well as towards the destination of the speak making real insightful comment/observation virtually the work. After knowing how Mohamed works, I tin reckon he is simplifying as well as mapping the operate to his mental framework as well as generalizing as well as contributing from there.
Mohamed's majority on "elements of network protocol design" idea me virtually networks, after the networking degree I took made me loathe networking. (I wrote virtually it hither earlier.) The majority also showed how y'all abstract away details as well as simplify things to their substance as well as focus that essence.
1) Mohamed has ever been an exceptionally skilful storyteller every bit well. Several successful researchers I know are keen storytellers. I wonder if this is an of import characteristic for successful researchers. Could this live on correlated amongst the researchers' might to frame/present their operate better?
2) Shouldn't nosotros create to a greater extent than opportunities for our graduate students to pass character fourth dimension (or hanging around fourth dimension -- or peradventure they are the same) amongst such energizing as well as inspiring researchers? Conferences these days await far away from fulfilling that goal, peradventure real pocket-sized workshops or summertime schools are improve places for that. What are other ways to cultivate that interaction? Or to brand this scale, how tin nosotros capture the thought-processes of these people better? The enquiry papers are finished products as well as neglect miserably at capturing the idea processes of the researchers.
3) I called it the "art of abstraction", because I don't mean value that in that location are well-defined rules to abstraction. What is the correct flat of abstraction to care for things at? Should y'all abstracts things every bit far every bit most people bill y'all to acquire besides far?
In a quote attributed to Einstein, he says: "Everything should live on made every bit uncomplicated every bit possible, only non simpler." Could this locomote past times every bit a helpful heuristic? What is the boundary of possible?
Mohamed is the Mike A. Myers Centennial Professor at University of Texas at Austin. He has been at Austin Texas since 1980, for almost forty years. His enquiry contributions to the distributed systems has been phenomenal (borrowing a give-and-take Mohamed likes to usage for things that excite him.) I am proud that Mohamed is my academic grandfather; he was the PhD advisor of my PhD advisor, Prof. Anish Arora. I wrote virtually "how to notice your advisor" inwards my previous post, I promise elegance/rigor from Mohamed as well as Anish rubbed off on me a bit.
At the workshop, in that location were virtually 10 talks technical inwards nature, only at the destination of the talks, each speaker mentioned how their enquiry as well as career has been enriched past times Mohamed's contributions/help.
I talked virtually my technical written report on "Does the cloud demand stabilizing?", as well as at the destination I took some fourth dimension to shout what I learned from Mohamed, as well as how I benefited beingness around him, albeit for a express time.
The most meaning things I learned from Mohamed is non from what he taught on the board or at the conferences, only from how he acted. Actions speak louder than words.
Always live on passionate virtually research
When I was a PhD student, I had fourth dimension to pass amongst Mohamed at self-stabilizing systems workshops as well as later on every bit purpose of our operate on the DARPA NEST wireless sensor networks project.What impressed me most was Mohamed's passion for research. At that fourth dimension he was involved amongst enquiry 30+ years already, only he was every bit fresh as well as enthusiastic virtually enquiry problems every bit PhD students. When somebody mentioned a enquiry problem, y'all could reckon his ears prick upwards as well as his eyes literally sparkle. And this was oftentimes after a long tiring solar daytime of enquiry talks/meetings.
There has been many days inwards my academic career where I was feeling tired as well as down, as well as I motivated myself past times remembering Mohamed's passion virtually research, as well as quest myself what excuse create I bring to live on bored/unexcited/unmotivated. (I volition live on amiss if I don't add together my advisor Anish Arora as well as postdoc supervisor Nancy Lynch to this mention. I effort to copy their genuine excitement virtually research.)
Never plough downward collaboration opportunities
Mohamed has ever been real positive as well as total of issue energy as well as humor. He has been graceful as well as gentle amongst everyone.He jokes that he never says no to whatsoever collaboration opportunities after he regretted to tell no to collaborating at that fourth dimension on the newly starting plain of "ad hoc networks" (I am most probable misremembering the name/anecdote only was that amongst Charles Perkins), proverb that "ad hoc networks" does non audio similar a respectable shout for a enquiry expanse :-)
He helped create the self-stabilizing systems community, every bit many speakers credited him at the workshop. If y'all assistance people, y'all assistance yourself every bit well.
Clarify, Simplify, as well as Generalize
On the technical side of things, I learned from Mohamed the fine art of abstraction. He actually has a knack for simplifying things to their essentials as well as contribute in that location as well as generalize from there. Mohamed is famous for saying, he does non trust whatsoever distributed algorithm that has to a greater extent than than iii actions. You tin reckon this elegance/simplicity at operate inwards his classical papers. He was colleagues amongst Dijkstra for many years, who was a grandmaster of the fine art of abstraction.In a enquiry speak y'all could notice Mohamed listening carefully, quest a distich petty seeming Definition questions, as well as towards the destination of the speak making real insightful comment/observation virtually the work. After knowing how Mohamed works, I tin reckon he is simplifying as well as mapping the operate to his mental framework as well as generalizing as well as contributing from there.
Mohamed's majority on "elements of network protocol design" idea me virtually networks, after the networking degree I took made me loathe networking. (I wrote virtually it hither earlier.) The majority also showed how y'all abstract away details as well as simplify things to their substance as well as focus that essence.
MAD questions
(This department is hither because of my novel year's commitment.)1) Mohamed has ever been an exceptionally skilful storyteller every bit well. Several successful researchers I know are keen storytellers. I wonder if this is an of import characteristic for successful researchers. Could this live on correlated amongst the researchers' might to frame/present their operate better?
2) Shouldn't nosotros create to a greater extent than opportunities for our graduate students to pass character fourth dimension (or hanging around fourth dimension -- or peradventure they are the same) amongst such energizing as well as inspiring researchers? Conferences these days await far away from fulfilling that goal, peradventure real pocket-sized workshops or summertime schools are improve places for that. What are other ways to cultivate that interaction? Or to brand this scale, how tin nosotros capture the thought-processes of these people better? The enquiry papers are finished products as well as neglect miserably at capturing the idea processes of the researchers.
3) I called it the "art of abstraction", because I don't mean value that in that location are well-defined rules to abstraction. What is the correct flat of abstraction to care for things at? Should y'all abstracts things every bit far every bit most people bill y'all to acquire besides far?
In a quote attributed to Einstein, he says: "Everything should live on made every bit uncomplicated every bit possible, only non simpler." Could this locomote past times every bit a helpful heuristic? What is the boundary of possible?
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