Professor Nagurney Excels in Fulbright Role in Italy

Mon., Mar 24, 2008
From March 5 - 19, John F. Smith Memorial Professor Anna Nagurney was as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Business Administration at the University of Catania, Italy. Hosted by Professor Patrizia Daniele of the University of Catania’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Nagurney lectured and conducted workshops exploring the theme, Complex Networks and Vulnerability Analysis: From Innovations in Theory to Education and Practice.

During her residency, Nagurney and Daniele conducted a workshop, Complex Networks: Equilibrium and Vulnerability Analysis with Applications, which attracted speakers and participants from various departments at the University of Catania and other Italian universities. The workshop explored the importance and analysis of networks, ranging from congested urban transportation systems to supply chains and the Internet. Nagurney opened up the workshop with a lecture, Vulnerability Analysis on Complex Networks from Transportation Networks to the Internet and Electric Power Supply Chains. The workshop brought together educators and students from disciplines ranging from operations research/management science to applied mathematics, physics, and engineering. Such an interdisciplinary audience, noted Nagurney, helps forge new linkages and new paradigms for network models and their applications.

"The three-day workshop exceeded our expectations—we had excellent presentations and lively discussions from faculty participants from half a dozen universities, and presentations by both undergraduate and doctoral students as well,” Nagurney emphasized. “The audience was grateful to us for bringing different disciplines together to learn from one another. Representation by female educators was also outstanding. Many commented to us what a special event the workshop was," added Nagurney, who praised her host university’s hospitality, attention to detail, and cuisine.

Another highlight of Nagurney’s visit was her two-hour lecture, Operations Research and the Captivating Study of Networks and Complex Decision-making in Professor Daniele's undergraduate Optimization course, where she met and talked with the students. The course lecture was also attended by faculty members and several Management of Technology doctoral students. During her visit, Nagurney also evaluated curricular materials and exchanged ideas in identifying best practices in educational strategies.

Professor Nagurney’s appointment at the University of Catania was her second Fulbright award. Six years ago, she held a Distinguished Fulbright Chair in Economics at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.


Click here to view Nagurney's lectures, the workshop program and speaker presentations.