Talks/seminars/conferences around Cambridge in December 2013

The best of this month: "The Flawed Dominance of Economics: Engaging other Social Sciences in Government". My key takeaway is that the combination of economics and social science (e.g. Psychology, Behaviour Science, Sociology, Criminology, etc.) can be intriguing to me. Or, I would like to challenge the Economics from a different perspective and tools, not limited within the conventional Economics.

The Keynes Lecture Theatre, Kings' College, Cambridge

The second best: Neuroscience clash course. My key takeaway is that I am not so super interested in the actual functions of the nerve system in the body; rather I am much interested how we interpret the surface meanings and interact with each other, and thus how the overall ecosystem of human beings works.

As the first week was the end of Full Term of Michaelmas, there were not much although I overachieved the target by over 50%(!), with the participation target of more than 30 talks/seminars/conference in this term.

On top, I now feel that I am grasping what I would like to invest my time in next year. It's been a very effective decision to test my interests by listening to various topics beyond the ordinal MBA course, even from time to time some were very hard to be understood.

The full list of talks/seminars:

• #041 Neuroscience Clash Course (2) Glia = Glue ++++
• #042 London Business School Global Healthcare Conference 2013 +++
• #043 Neuroscience Clash Course (3) Neurons +++
• #044 The Flawed Dominance of Economics: Engaging other Social Sciences in Government +++++
• #045 i-Teams Michaelmas 2013 final presentations +++

Two assignments done; now is the time to relax and think over the future.

Overall, two presentations on this Monday and Tuesday went well.

After completing one presentation, from the riverside terrace of the Anchor, Cambridge

The first one was quite similar to my previous job in management consulting; yet the second one was more challenging because it was talking about a bit unfamiliar technology to around 50 people, most of whom I don't know, including a bunch of angel investors/serial entrepreneurs; however, I surprisingly did a good job at the latter one, maybe thanks to some confidence that has been developed through these months.

A certificate of completion of i-Teams at Cambridge University

Anyway, after one essay for Management Practice and one in-class assignment for Management Science (Statistics), will arrive the end of this term (and the Christmas break).

The end of Full Term...now four assignments to go!!

This Friday was the final day of Full Term in Michaelmas...not much sentiment as I still have four assignments to go within 10 days:

Conduct the final presentation of Cambridge Venture Project 

Conduct the in-trim presentation of i-Teams Plus

Complete the essay for Management Practice; and

Crack the in-class group exam of Management Science.

What's more, I have to start preparing for a fruitful next year, namely:

Reach out leads for Global Consulting Project in Lent term;

Prepare for the examinations in January: Accounting II, Corporate Finance, Organizational Behaviour; and

Initiate preparatory actions for the application of another master course in social science: 

1. Contact a few professors at Judge; 
2. Seek related academic opportunities in/out Cambridge; 
3. Consult with senior mentors on this choice 
4. Prepare hypothetical thoughts on the subject for the summer dissertation and check research already completed in the past.

The last point is quite crucial in a sense to go for the future. The winter vacation should not be so easy. :-p 

Photos of Christmas Market at Lincoln

It was a very good Christmas market indeed, even comparable to those in Germany. Yet I have to admit that food in Germany Christmas market was much better than here, to be honest. :-p

Park and Ride from/to the Christmas Market at Lincoln (~10min by bus, which goes every 5-10 min) 

Christmas Market and the Lincoln Cathedral on the back 

Christmas Market and the Lincoln Castle on the back

One phrase from the famous Magna-Carta at Lincoln Cathedral 

A mysterious night and the moon, over the Lincoln Castle

Finally December...yet almost only one week to go!!

Only one week to go. To-dos of this week (on top of usual dull lectures) are to

• Crack past exams of Accounting and Corporate Finance, to raise questions to lectures;
• Apply to i-Teams 2014 Lent on Commercialising a point-of-care blood testing system;
• Learn from Neuroscience Clash Course;
• Join the Global Healthcare Conference at LBS;
• Enjoy Cambridge Corn Exchange: FOUR SEASONS BY CANDLELIGHT;
• Decide the next Lent term electives: candidates are Philosophy in Business, Strategic Pricing, The International Film Business, and Strategic Performance Management; 
• Submit the assignment of Organizational Behaviour, by polishing other team members' work;
• Enjoy Christmas Dinner at St. Edmund's College;
• Submit application to Kellogg Biotech & Healthcare Case Competition;
• Finalize presentations of Cambridge Venture Project and another entrepreneurial project; and
• Initiate the essay for Management Practice, at least 250 words;

Wow, surprisingly a lot to do for next week. I have to be intentionally productive and efficient then.

On the contrary, to-dos for the next week from 9th Dec are not many, including:

• Conduct aforementioned presentations (mentioned above);
• Reach out leads for Global Consulting Project in Lent term;
• Finalize the essay for Management Practice, up to 2,500 words (a lot more to mention); and
• Prepare for the in-class group exam of Management Science (Easy!).

Talks/seminars/conferences around Cambridge in November 2013

What a pleasure to learn something new or get stimulations in such a traditional atmosphere.

The best of this month: "Neuroscience Clash Course (1) The organisation of the brain."

Sidgwick Site, Lecture Block

The second best: " This house would retroactively strip Obama of the Nobel peace prize."

The Chamber of the Cambridge Union Society

...and "SVC2UK 2013:  Transformation of Healthcare" and "Communicating risk and scientific uncertainty" were the second best too.

The full list of talks/seminars:

• #019 Inaugural Dinner Meeting of the Cambridge Judge Business School Wittgenstein Society ++++
• #020 Border crossings: in the light of history ++
• #021 Land of silence and darkness: a film by Werner Herzog ++++
• #022 How can mice using iPads help cure Alzheimer’s disease? +++
• #023 SVC2UK 2013:  JBS Masterclasses +++
• #024 SVC2UK 2013:  Transformation of Healthcare +++++
• #025 The Economics of Electricity Storage for Renewable Electricity Generation: A German Case +++
• #026 The cultured chimpanzee: nonsense or breakthrough? ++++
• #027 Venture Capital and Knowledge Transfer +++
• #028 Behavioural Insights in Finance / Graphical Displays on Investment Risk Appetite. ++
• #029 Communicating risk and scientific uncertainty +++++
• #030 Digital Connectivity in Cities: The Role of Policy +
• #031 Are you your brain? ++++
• #032 This house would retroactively strip Obama of the Nobel peace prize, at CUS +++++
• #033 Information storage in DNA ++++
• #034 Decoding human genomes on a population scale: solexa/illumina sequencing +++
• #035 Transformation of India's Security Exchange +++
• #036 Nanotechnology in medicine, run by OBR ++++
• #037 Economics was useless during the financial crisis. What can be done? ++++
• #038 Mathys & Squire's IP workshop, run by CUTEC ++
• #039 Neuroscience Clash Coruse (1) The organisation of the brain. +++++
• #040 Academic English Writing Seminar ++++

University of Cambridge Training, or how I encounter the Neuroscience Clash Course

There are a lot of training courses available for students in the University of Cambridge. The website will help you search suitable ones for you. This is how I joined the Neuroscience Clash Course, which is a 2 hours x 3 days introductory course to neuroscience by the great lecturers at the University of Cambridge. It was fur worth than a boring accounting course.

A few key words for stepping into 2014

I came up with some keywords for further steps in next year:

• Neuroscience: my mind is more than my brain, and cannot be detached from my bloody body.
• Network theory: small-worldness is a effective way to see the world to control a desirable change. 
• Artificial Intelligence: people's ideas will be soon combined with information flows over computers.
• Limits of language: the limits do not necessarily mean the boundary of my world.
• Contradictory, the power of a word: how a word can spell a blessing or curse on the life of a person.

What I have found myself NOT in favour of any more:

• Any project mostly based on way outside demand, unfortunately it is usually called "the client".
• Too theoretical economic/management theories, with tons of equations to prove the bloody apparent facts if you work in the real world, or with superficial understanding of the complexity of every individual workers.
• "Social enterprises" which just covertly makes entrepreneurs to be less rich or to be exploited by super-rich guys who built foundation.

In a nutshell, I am interested in how people are, effectively or ineffectively, interlinked and organised with each other.

Photos of Edinburg, Scotland

Visited Edinburg for second time; first time for my wife. Short but very neat stay there.

A Harry-Potter-like night, near from the Castle.

A lady gazing at a man-sized bag: marketing campaigns by Rakuten.co.uk, an e-commerce site from Japan. 

A fantastic sunny view from the Palace to the large "rock".

We can overview the sea from the Royal mile, if the weather is sunny enough.

The taste matrix of Scottish Whiskey: my once favorite Bowmore is positioned near "smokey" tag.

Whiskey tasting competition; I got it right only one while my wife got a half right.

8 weeks have passed since Cambridge MBA started

Eight weeks already have passed since the course started. Amazingly, almost 3 weeks plus alpha (presentations and exams) to go, how quick this term passes!!

What have I got and missed so far? Let me think it over slowly this weekend, with a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland.