During the summer of 1993, I got a chance to qualify for the Howard Hughes Medical Fellowship. Like most undergraduates, you work hard because this could be the big break you're looking for and you give it your all! Although scholarships pay for tuition and books, your tummy knows that feeling of hunger. You take on lots of jobs (beyond studying) that are related to what you're good at: math and chemistry so you can build your profile and increase your earnings.
Hunger pangs lead to opportunities
I got noticed by several faculty for doing well academically, motivation and working hard in the laboratories. I was invited to take graduate level classes. They told me the course I was going to be enrolled in would change my life. I would see things differently -forever.
Amongst friends
The name sounded awfully familiar to Group Therapy and my high school friends used joke about me taking this almost 5000 level course in Group Therapy (*smiling and laughing loudly), you'll most certainly solve your middle-age crisis!! One friend Angela (who studied Journalism) said "Hey Gord, sounds interesting remember to tell us what you learned ... I was never really good at studying math or chemistry ..."
Defined: Group therapy can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format and is explicitly utilised as a mechanism of change by developing, exploring and examining interpersonal relationships within the group.
A class of five
Well, it was January of 1994, second semester of sophomore year and the course was titled Group Theory. The class consisted of five students ages 52, 47, 43, 39 and myself at 19 years old. It was like learning a whole other kind of language with very few speakers. At first, homework would put me to sleep. Then the sleep patterns normalized but the strangest recurring dreams about particles being waves and waves being particles happened (*not too bad because that was just the Schrödinger's cat acting up probably from 1. trying to stay on the Dean's List 2. living in a fraternity as a cook and often times smelling the *second-hand pot* that was burning in the rooms below).
Classes continued and we were deep into the semester.
Defined: Group Theory is one of the most powerful mathematical tools in abstract algebra, combinatorial, matroid theory, Cayley graphs and have led to powerful ideas, concepts and breakthroughs in numerous industries. Abstract mathematics when applied to economics have evolved into Game Theory. The 1944 publication of the book, Theory of Games and Economic Behavior is widely considered the groundbreaking text that created the interdisciplinary research field of Game Theory. The Nash equilibrium (an application of Game Theory) became publicly known after the screensplay "A Beautiful Mind" produced by Akiva Goldsman on the life of John Forbes Nash Jr was released in 2001.
Getting fock'd
Eventually, we were told that we were getting Fock'd. Everyone still had a straight face. Our professor looked at us and agreed the material was sinking in and we had truly gained an appreciation for Fock Space (Fock pdf).
Well youtube did not exist then and even if it did, I didn't have a camera. In doing this piece, we are fortunately able to get a glimpse of a reaction that was similar to Angela's reaction with her friends. I am sure they tried to restrain themselves but I learned that public humor for this topic would be inevitable. Youtube "Who Fock'd the Focker"
If I could see the future 15 years later
Soon it was over and I had been exposed to profound and powerful methods that could change the way drugs could be discovered, solve extremely difficult problems in chemistry, biology, medicine. Later experiences in the life would allow applications in making safer, effective, earth friendly and kind products in beauty, cosmetics, foods, personal care etc. But it all started here at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1994.
Immediate benefits of getting fock'd
This would become a story passed amongst friends for eternity. And friendly remarks that following Fock led me to Pfizer (get it F-> F *friends laughing: birds of a feather flock together?) Another funny comment was I had benefited from being fock'd. But it was true, I had benefited from the mathematics and chemistry background which landed the position at Pfizer. The discoveries and accompishments at Pfizer led to the publication four years later with Tetrahedron Letters (1998). One time during a client dinner, a nearby table's a kid asked his Mommy, "Is Tetrahedron a dinosaur?"
Business World: Internet & Finance
It often appeared to me that the finance world knew alot about "four letter words" for stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange but they were never heard of this four letter word "fock". This starts to show why pay-per-click, search engine optimization and marketing/financial strategies fail. They don't consider enough key variables. In fact, solutions labeled diversification are provided but the general system becomes non-diversifiable due to large populations doing the same thing.
We started to be able to help companies see the benefits of this principle towards optimization parameters and another four letter word was selected that described the overview of the system: Directed Combinatorial Algorithmic Library (aka DCAL). It contains a modified form of the fock matrix in addition to powerful algorithmic library generation that incorporates business, economic and mathematical principles.
Algorithm F
The proper data collection needs to be verified in equilibrium with an initial hypothesis and direction. In laymen's term is if you're going to look for a needle in a haystack, you should at least know you're looking for a needle. Unless you have unlimited time and an unlimited budget. Then you use the Fock Matrix. In the design, we've come up with a unique version 2.0 to create Fock'd data to enter into DCAL for businesses rather than chemistry.
Capability of DCAL (Directed Combinatorial Algorithmic Library) -examples
Utilizing abstract mathematics including algorithm F, the needle in the haystack or directional principles can be determined to match what the customer will want.
Directed Combinatorial Algorithmic Libraries (DCALs): This is a novel science-mathematics-business hybrid methodology that allows rapid and low cost creation of high returns for the client. DCAL will impact numerous industries (i.e. entertainment, financial, insurance, property, retail etc) by impacting the development cycle by increasing the rate and return of revenue by finding potentially useful channels of loyal customers (hits). As hits are modulated to improve their loyalty, purchase and confidence patterns, DCAL can speed up this process through rapid analoging. Better choices among loyal purchasers can prevent commitment to sub-optimal customers that have less regard for the brand. At the same time, companies can establish a broader proprietary position with a secure customer base including a secondary loyal user market that retains much of the valuation (i.e. Louis Vuitton Used IT bag market, GameStop Used Games market). Competitive me-too products would not be able to compete against a DCAL based organization that invests early in distinguishing, building and broadening of its loyal customer base.
GY-DCAL Competitive Advantage:
Companies with underdeveloped marketing/sales divisions would suffer dramatic losses in their revenues against a DCAL system based opponent. SEO/SEM/PPC/CPC function on the online space whereas DCAL is operative in both the online and offline spaces.Furthermore, DCAL has a matrix approach and chooses only multiplicative expansion of hit profiles whereas all other methodologies don't use a lattice structure and are essentially random and non-repeatable. While many large corporations stand to benefit, smaller businesses will also see a rapid increased return. They will be able to track at an early stage their improvements, determine and select variables that correlate with positive outcomes. In addition, they will effectively reduce distractor variables that lead to negative outcomes. Competitors of all sizes who do not utilize DCAL will experience a growth and development bottle neck. Ultimately, this will lead to valuable time loss, profit loss and inaccurate data generation leading management towards high overhead, low margins, decimated volume and wrong customer profiles.
Владимир Александрович Фoк
