LETTER from the e ditor ACTING ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR REPORT (ADS)

By Dr. Lori Murray, Acting Associate Director of Math and Analytics and Decision Science (ADS)

As I stepped into my new role as the Acting Associate Director of Math and Analytics and Decision Science (ADS) in January 2023, I was thrilled to work alongside an extraordinary administrative team. The support and camaraderie among my colleagues has been exceptional, and I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with them in supporting our students' academic success.

One of my key duties in this role was overseeing the School of MEM Help Centre staffed by our undergraduate students who earned a Teaching Assistant Fellowship for their outstanding academic achievements. It's truly inspiring to have worked with these dedicated students who brought their passion for management, economics, and mathematics to their roles as teaching assistants and made a positive impact on their peers' learning experiences.

In addition to overseeing the Help Centre, I was responsible for the newly developed ADS program. This program consists of courses related to decision analysis, data visualization, statistical analysis, risk modeling, simulation, professional analytics, and an analytics consulting project. The analytics consulting project involves collaborating with a not-for-profit, educational, private, or government partner, which provides a valuable experiential learning opportunity.

I am especially looking forward to developing a new programming course (ADS 2288F), which will be offered in fall 2023 for the first time. This course will teach students how to use Python and R, two programming languages necessary in today’s world of analytics. I am excited about this course's potential to enhance students' knowledge and prepare them for future careers in analytics.

It's been a privilege to be part of an administrative team that is committed to providing the highest level of support to our students and faculty, and I look forward to continuing to support our students' academic success.

“Everything is a learning experience.” – philosopher and actor Angus T. Jones

You go to university for a “proper” education. Classes, tutorials, books, discussions, exams – that’s how it’s done, right? Actually, there are many people who say that if you think that’s the only way you’re going to learn here at King’s, or at any other educational institution, you might be doing it wrong. And that’s what the writers of this year’s MEM Insider prove to us once again.

While we have articles about self-fulfilling theory and behavioural economics, and writers talk about the educational benefits they’ve received from King’s, many of the MEM students write about their experiences outside of the classroom: networking and internships, involvement in the King’s and London community, and interactions with the people – and wildlife – around them.

So many students, so much learning. Inside and outside of the classroom, on and off campus. People who will share their lessons in their MEM community and far beyond.

One of the best things about my work as a writer and editor is the continuing opportunity for incidental learning. There’s no way to read or write about a topic without learning a little bit about it. So I thank all the writers for their work on this issue of the MEM Insider – I really enjoyed editing it. And I hope you enjoy reading it… and learning from it.

--Laurie Bursch