I just got back from the trip to Boston where we had the AAR for the data collection contract in Haiti. I have to say that the MIT/Lincoln Laboratory facility is pretty cool. I was walking down one of the halls and I noticed this flashing light. Like the ones at a radio station that says “On Air” except that this one said “Caution Laser in Use!”. That was kind of nuts and then there were tanks of liquid nitrogen everywhere.

What can I say, just pretty cool to be in a real research facility.

The AAR went really well and it looks like the overall program is being continued by GRT and USAID with MIT providing some support in analysis. It was a very well done and honest look at what we all did right wrong and the way ahead fro MIT/LL in the HADR field.

Overall it looks like MIT/LL will be getting into the Research and Development of HADR decision analysis.

Dr. Zissman (the lead for MIT/LL in the Haiti program) had a dinner for everyone on Thursday night before the AAR and then on Friday night he invited me and several others to his house for dinner. It was a great 3 days hanging out with all the guys from MIT that had been in Haiti.

The head of the Lab gave all of us an MIT/LL coin, very cool and something I never expected. It is one of those once in a lifetime coins that will be very nice to show off. Also, Dr. Doug Jones got me an honorary MIT Diploma as a “Doctor of Cat Herding” mainly because of all of the meetings, travel arrangements, briefing time lines and schedules I managed with and for MIT. That was really awesome and I fully intend to hang that one in my office.

Hope you like the picture.

Thanks for reading!!