“What is your SDory, Diana Fisher?”

Dr. Diana Fisher is a retired mathematics teacher. She taught math and computer programming for over 30 years and System Dynamics modeling for over 20 years at the high school level. 

Since 2014, she has been teaching a series of online SD courses for teachers. She earned a PhD in Systems Science from Portland State University where she also taught environmental math modeling using SD. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in System Dynamics from WPI.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/SD-cast-Ep9-Transcript

Videos about the importance of teaching SD modeling in high school algebra classes:  https://youtu.be/xjGuZR4zehU
https://youtu.be/sulh0klDk_g

Learn more about Diana, her 3 sequential online SD courses that are 10 weeks each and run in the summer for those who want to teach system dynamics, her presentations and her high school student’s model presentations on her website ccmodelingsystems.com
https://ccmodelingsystems.com/courses/

Links to her books:
Lessons in Mathematics: A Dynamic Approach    https://www.iseesystems.com/store/books/lessons-in-mathematics/
and
Modeling Dynamic Systems: Lessons For a First Course  https://www.iseesystems.com/store/books/modeling-dynamic-systems/

And information on publications:

Lifetime Achievement Award (2011): Fisher, D. M. (2011). “Everybody thinking differently”: K-12 is a leverage point. System Dynamics Review. 27, (4): 394-411.

Fisher, D. M. (2017). Reorganizing algebraic thinking: An introduction to dynamic system modeling. The Mathematics Enthusiast, 14(1). Article 20. Available at: http://scholarworks.umt.edu/tme/vol14/iss1/20.

Fisher, D. M. (2018). Reflections on teaching system dynamics modeling to secondary school  students for over 20 years. Systems Journal Special Edition: Theory and Practice of System Dynamics Modelling, 6(12).  Available at: http://www.mdpi.com/2079-8954/6/2/12/htm.

Fisher D.M. (2020) Algebra students build stock/flow models to study non-linear, dynamic feedback system problems. In: Stillman G., Kaiser G., Lampen C. (eds) Mathematical Modelling Education and Sense-making. International Perspectives on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematical Modelling. Springer, Cham.

Dr. Diana Fisher

Made learning environments richer
With CC-STADUS and CC-SUSTAIN
Through which she helped train
K-12 educators in systems modeling
To facilitate student-centered learning
And autonomy and curiosity in students.
Focus on incremental improvements
When you first start teaching
And remember to be gentle with grading
Help students define the problem scope
And their models pass the units check
To tackle problems that are complex
But most of all inspire in them hope

Thank you for listening to SD-cast. Please subscribe to SD-cast to hear more SDories.

Email me, [email protected], if you would like to be on SD-cast or recommend someone.  

See below for the WPI SD Social Media accounts:
https://twitter.com/WPISDclub
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1916314/

And the sign up link for the WPI System Dynamics Club mailing list:
https://bit.ly/WPIsdMailForm

“What is your SDory, Ken Cooper?”

Kenneth “Ken” Cooper has led hundreds of applications of System Dynamics modeling efforts for over 50 years with a total value of a quarter of a trillion dollars. He was President of Pugh-Roberts Associates, Managing Partner of PA Consulting and the founder of Cooper Human Systems. Ken is a two-time Edelman Laureate and a System Dynamics Society Applications Award winner. He is currently retired but works on select consulting projects. He earned his bachelors at MIT, studying under Jay Forrester, and his masters at Boston University.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/SD-cast-Ep8-Transcript

Ending
Ken and I continued chatting about my research interests so I cut that part out. If you would like to meet and talk to Ken and other SD practitioners, please sign up for the System Dynamics Society’s 2021 Fundraising Event for the Student Chapter!

The first WPI System Dynamics micro-course, System Dynamics Fundamentals is now available.

You can read more of Ken’s bio in the document linked below:
https://bit.ly/Ken-Cooper-2021-Bio

Ken allowed us to share the following document “Finding Better Treatments Faster: How System Modeling Can Help Advance Human Disease Research”

Below are links to more videos and articles of Ken’s work with Mastercard, Litton, Fluor, Hughes Aircraft, and the NFL:
Ken Cooper Interview Series (on YouTube)

Now, here is a poem I wrote about Ken Cooper:

Ken Cooper
Is really super-duper
He and his team's work at Pugh-
Roberts are one of the few
Finalists and winners of multiple awards
Their wiSDom and going the extra yard
Can help teams improve their records
So learn from their work with MasterCard,
the NFL, Litton, Hughes Aircraft and Fluor
About litigation and mitigation (dispute no more!)
Because lawsuits can leave one destitute
So we must be ready to be able to execute
A plan to ensure a project's survival
(And recognize the rework cycle)
Ken now models the dynamics in a human body
(Cells, neurons, glucose, insulin and antibody)
To succeed one must persevere
Do not fall prey to doubt and fear
To make modeling problems easier than they seem
Find a champion client and join a strong team

Thank you for listening to SD-cast. Please subscribe to SD-cast to hear more SDories.

Email me, [email protected], if you would like to be on SD-cast or recommend someone. 

See below for the WPI SD Social Media accounts:
https://twitter.com/WPISDclub
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1916314/

Sign up for the WPI System Dynamics Club mailing list:
https://bit.ly/WPIsdMailForm

Music:
Intro and End
“Limelight” by Podington Bear is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. I cut and moved the music track to fit the intro and ending.
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Haplessly_Happy/Limelight
https://creativecommons.org/lic

"What is your SDory, Sema Çömez?"

Sema Çömez is a PhD Student in Industrial Engineering & Operations Management at Koç University in Turkey. She earned a master of science degree at Boğaziçi University and bachelors degree at Istanbul Technical University also in Industrial Engineering. She is the 2020 Lupina Young Researchers award winner and earned an honorable mention for the Dana Meadows Award of the System Dynamics Society for her work modeling heart failure.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/SD-cast-Ep7-Transcript

Sema and other young modelers were inspiring to watch in the 2020 International System Dynamics Conference. The 2021 conference is July 25th - 30th. See the link below for more information: https://systemdynamics.org/conference/

Please also consider attending the free Student-Organized Colloquium which is on Sunday, July 25th: https://systemdynamics.org/2021-colloquium/

Below are links to Sema’s works and the Lupina Award (which we referenced in the interview):
https://proceedings.systemdynamics.org/2020/papers/P1353.pdf
https://youtu.be/EJCWOm3MAxY
https://systemdynamics.org/lupina-young-researchers-award/

Now, here is a poem I wrote about Sema:

Sema Çömez

Students should do what she says
Start simple and learn the terminology
Before you jump into physiology
Sema won the Lupina Young Researcher award
And models the dynamics of health issues
To help prevent events that are untoward
By simulating our bodys’ mechanisms
To suggest treatment for our heart tissues
(Which can aid humans and other organisms?)
But we should exercise on a regular basis
To prevent problems like heart disease 
Diseases like cancer create unease
Messes up our natural homeostasis processes
Vicious cycles can bring us to our knees
(No reinforcing loops, please!
Unless it is virtuous and creates an oasis)
So we must screen and act early
(Else some patients may become surly)
In order to prevent a potential tragedy
From this unfortunate malady
We can model these diseases that one abhors
To focus on treatment like Sema and her mentors

Thank you for listening to SD-cast. Please subscribe to SD-cast to hear more SDories.

Email me, [email protected], if you would like to be on SD-cast or recommend someone.  

See below for the WPI SD Social Media accounts:
https://twitter.com/WPISDclub
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1916314/

Sign up for the WPI System Dynamics Club mailing list:
https://bit.ly/WPIsdMailForm

Music:

Intro and End

“Limelight” by Podington Bear is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. I cut and moved the music track to fit the intro and ending.
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Haplessly_Happy/Limelight
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

"What are your SDories, Jameses Hines and Lyneis?"

Jim Hines and Jim Lyneis were pioneers in online System Dynamics education at MIT and WPI. Both studied System Dynamics at MIT and worked together at Pugh-Roberts Associates.

Correction: Jim Lyneis earned his PhD in Business Administration from University of Michigan. Jim Hines earned his PhD in System Dynamics from MIT.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/SD-cast-Ep6-Transcript

Links to their works (which we referenced in the interview):
Corporate Planning and Policy Design: A System Dynamics Approach
”System dynamics for business strategy: a phased approach”
“System dynamics for market forecasting and structural analysis”
Mastercard project
Molecules of System Dynamics Structure

WPI System Dynamics Fundamentals micro-course

Picture of the end of the interview

Listen to more SDories on the WPI SD Club YouTube

Now, here is a poem I wrote about Professors Hines and Lyneis:

Professors Jim
Works are astute and impactful
You can read about them on a whim
Or take their SD 550 course to be successful
In your System Dynamics journey
They lay the foundation for your study
(And their humor may put you in a gurney)
Learning, modeling or teaching with a buddy
Is more fun and motivating 
Join WPI online and learn with us 
Jim Hines and Jim Lyneis
To have more accepts and not rejects
In the dynamics of a romance or projects
Who wants to rework a defect?
We want projects and products to be correct!
But learning is an interactive and iterative process
With cycles and periods for us to reflect
On our mistakes and how we digress
Listen, study, and practice to progress
So you can “Walk tall and model small”

Thank you for listening to SD-cast. Please subscribe to SD-cast to hear more SDories.

Email me, [email protected], if you would like to be on SD-cast or recommend someone.  

See below for the WPI SD Social Media accounts:

https://twitter.com/WPISDclub

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1916314/

Sign up for the WPI System Dynamics Club mailing list.

Music:

Intro and End

“Limelight” by Podington Bear is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. I cut and moved the music track to fit the intro and ending.

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Haplessly_Happy/Limelight

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

“What is your SDory, Khalid Saeed?”

Khalid Saeed is a professor of economics and system dynamics in the Social Science and Policy Studies department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he served as department head and developed new programs in economics, psychology and system dynamics. He earned a PhD in System Dynamics and Economic Development from MIT and is a past-president of the System Dynamics Society.

Transcript: http://bit.ly/SD-cast-Ep5-Transcript

I would like to thank Prof. Saeed for his continuous and longtime support of SD Club activities by presenting in and attending Collective Learning Meetings (CLMs) when he can. Below are links to his papers and book (which we referenced in the interview).

Slicing Complex Problems paper: https://doi.org/10.1002/sdr.4260080305
Slicing Complex Problems video: https://youtu.be/ht3VhcgzWBo
“Cancer as a System Dysfunction” paper: https://doi.org/10.3390/systems9010014
“Why Forrester Wished to Replace Both Differential Equations and Economics?”:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3692759
“Jay Forrester's operational approach to economics” paper: https://doi.org/10.1002/sdr.1525
“Connecting Feedback Map with Computable Model” video: https://youtu.be/mpgSjnPhhRU
Development Planning and Policy Design: A System Dynamics Approach
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GVRQTD2/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_2SZ98VB8PQGEQYZAC7GM

Now, as with the custom of SD-cast, here is a poem I wrote about Prof. Saeed:

Prof. Khalid Saeed
Is a Forrester award recipient
Advised Raafat's PhD on dissent
Has an good sense of humor
Models cancer as a system dysfunction (no tumors!)
Call him for advice on sustainable development
Economics, system dynamics or just to vent
He studied at MIT--the birthplace of SD
Brown bag lunches and table functions
Are where they talked of designing policy,
Feedback, stock-flow and DYNAMO

At WPI, our meetings have been online and free
To be inclusive so people worldwide can see
Or listen to our thoughts on modeling methodology
He documents his thoughts for scientific practice and for history
So others will know about the systems thinking and SD split
Same tools used to different extents. How can we rectify it?
Focus on slicing the problem into pieces?
Test the structure in equilibrium
For any unexpected increases or decreases?
"Keep calm and check DT" says Tim
Who models the dynamics of insurgencies and conflicts
Like his advisor who modeled farmers, soldiers and bandits
To understand what will help tensions cease
And create conditions for world peace

“Farmers, bandits and soldiers: a generic system for addressing peace agendas” paper: https://doi.org/10.1002/sdr.1507

WPI SD Social Media accounts:
https://twitter.com/WPISDclub
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1916314/

Sign up for the WPI System Dynamics Club mailing list:
https://bit.ly/WPIsdMailForm

Music:
“Limelight” by Podington Bear is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. I cut and moved the music track to fit the intro and ending.
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington