As accounted in my previous blog article here is the official report of the conference.celebration. It consist of :

1. Event report:. It is made by Prof. Hui Yang (from Penn State University, Editor-in-Chief, IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering). This is attached below as a written report

2. YouTube video documenting the entire workshop, also made by Prof. Hui Yang. It is really nice. Please watch it at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJZikB5i8r0

3. The original zoom recordings of all presentations without editing (handled by Professor Lina of Harvard, co-chair of the workshop):

Day 1:

https://harvard.zoom.us/rec/share/VJTkmFyWgsJrgagAwvJ-K8cRxT_NGBDUkrhDJ5DIQJw0IfqlNMtEpjHW43Cll-BM.mKgU_Yxx57bfch0-

Day 2:

https://harvard.zoom.us/rec/share/y6vhN7Tt4g6rxctuTzmxaBk8Es_VRKNXwGlzqBNl90EdzxF54l2u2nMcRbo6cxDp.td8HA85TsHZaAK4B

Harvard Hosts Workshop Celebrating Control Theory Legend Professor Yu-Chi Ho’s 90th Birthday

August 22, 2024

By

Hui Yang

Professor of Penn State University

Cambridge, MA – On August 16-17, 2024, Harvard University hosted a prestigious workshop to celebrate the 90th birthday of Professor Yu-Chi (Larry) Ho, a legendary figure in the field of decision and control. The event gathered top scholars and industry professionals from five generations of students, as well as students of students in Prof. Ho’s Academic Family around the world. The event is organized by Drs. Lina Li & Chun-Hung Chen, and serves as a platform for exchanging ideas, networking, and honoring Professor Ho's pioneering work in a celebratory atmosphere.

A YouTube video summary of the event created by Prof. Hui Yang, Pennsylvania State University

As a pioneer, leader, and giant in the field, Professor Ho is widely recognized as the father of Perturbation Analysis and Ordinal Optimization. His seminal book, "APPLIED OPTIMAL CONTROL," co-authored with A. E. Bryson Jr. in 1975, remains a best-selling text and a cornerstone in control theory literature. Over his illustrious career, Professor Ho has mentored 53 Ph.D. students, many of whom have become influential leaders in academia and industry.

The workshop featured a series of technical sessions, invited talks, and a special birthday celebration for Professor Ho. The event kicked off with opening remarks from Lina Li and Chun-Hung Chen, the General Chairs, followed by Todd Zickler’s welcome speech, Academic Dean for Finance and Strategic Priorities at Harvard SEAS. In his address, Professor Ho expressed his gratitude, stating, "I am lucky to be here, honored to be here, and glad to be here, seeing so many colleagues and former students. The age of 90 is a time to reflect on your life. I have many things to thank for. First of all, of course, thank my mother who brought me into this world. At age 16, she sent her only son 8,000 miles away to United States. So I had a head start on this. Next, I have my lovely wife here. We have been married for 65 years which is an accomplishment on our life’s journey. We have three financially independent and successful children who only give us love and pride. Last, I lived by American dreams and I did it my way. So, I think everyone will understand and appreciate only America”. Only immigrants like me are privileged to experience all of this in the adopted country”.

The workshop featured many insightful talks and new discussions on the future of control theory from Ho’s colleagues, special guests, and students from his academic family. Participants praised Prof. Ho’s blog in sciencenet as a “must-read” for academic, professional, and life advice. With over 1229 posts and 9,891,463 visitors, Prof. Ho attracts a global audience eager for his latest insights and thought-provoking

discussions. His blog’s influence extends beyond its digital presence, guiding the successful career development of young scholars and professionals.

Students of Professor Ho express deep appreciation for the valuable advice he has imparted over the years. They have noted that his practical wisdom, often shared in the form of candid advice, has been instrumental in shaping their approach to research and life. Michael Fu shared Prof. Ho’s life advice “if you want to get rich, do not get divorced”. Jonathan Lee commented “we can all feel and say that he cares for each one of us. Thank prof. Ho for being in our lives!” Liyi Dai’s memorable advice from Prof. Ho and Mrs Ho is “one learns faster by doing than by reading,” and “keep your wallet open and your mouth shut”. Sameul Jia stated “Prof Ho told me that happiness is positive derivative. As long as you are better than yesterday, you can enjoy the entire procedure.” Also, Sameul mentioned three conditions to graduate, “Teach me something, write a paper in top journal, and make a good presentation.” Hui Yang quoted prof. Ho’s advice to pursue research excellence, “If you make a sincere commitment to work on a real problem rather than a commitment to use a particular technique, something good and interesting always comes out of it in the end.”

Participants also come together in scholarly exchange to discuss the latest advancements in decision and control theory, emphasizing the importance of continued collaboration and innovation. Harvard professors Heng Yang, Jia Liu, and Le Xie gave three insightful talks on “nonconvex optimal control”, “soft and flexible bioelectronics,” and “AI for power, and power for AI”. David Yao from Columbia shared latest research outcomes on “Polynomial Voting Rules, Reinforcement Learning, and Emission Trading System”. Christos G. Cassandras from Boston University reviewed the historical development of discrete event systems and discussed “AI being the latest driving force for tackling ambitious new problems.” Lucy Bao from UC Boulder presented the control of wind energy systems. Rutgers professor Weiwei Chen talked about optimization challenges in supply chain systems. The younger generations of scholars, Enlu Zhou, Yingying Li, Liao Wang, Jie Song, Runyu Zhang, also shared their up-to-date research outcomes in decision and control. Runyu Zhang stated “I am honored to be the only PhD student who is giving the talk, hope to represent the younger generation in doing successful research”. Prof. Jianwu Lin’s daughter, 14 years old, also showcased her impressive Python programming skills to create a birthday cake in computer programs and celebrate Prof. Ho’s 90th Birthday.

Further, prof. Ho’s influence reaches well beyond the academic realm. Mike Yang is a distinguished entrepreneur and founder of LuxCreo, a pioneering 3D printing company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His company has revolutionized the 3D printing industry with cutting-edge technology to make dental products. Michael Larson, a Senior Principal Scientist at Amazon. Larson is an established industry leader in navigating the intersection of mathematical and data science principles to drive business distinction. Jim Poage, a consultant at JLP Performance Consulting, exemplifies another dimension of Prof. Ho’s influence in “Soft Systems Analysis.”

The 2024 Harvard Control Workshop was a fitting tribute to a legendary figure, Professor Yu-Chi (Larry) Ho, in the field of decision and control. Lina Li and Chun-Hung Chen stated “Without his guidance and the opportunities he provided, many of us wouldn't have achieved the cherished milestones we celebrate today. Happy 90th Birthday, Prof. Ho! May your life be filled with endless happiness and excellent health!" This workshop is a testament to Prof. Ho’s continuing legacy, inspiring the next generation of academic and industrial leaders in control theory.

The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Huaxia Yiming International Cultural Communication, and an anonymous donor from Tsinghua University sponsored this workshop. (THE END)

Of course this blogger sincerely thanks the co-organizers of this wrokshop, Professor Chun Hung Chen of George Mason University nand Professor Li Na of Harvard, as well as numerous other attendees who gave presentations, send written greetings and gifts - all of which made this once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. My wife and I are speechless with gratitude.