Little Rest for Professors on Sabbatical
By: 24712 Brent Fisher
This article is the second in a series on RMC professors who are currently on sabbatical leave, a period that allows a scholar the opportunity to initiate or complete research without the distractions of daily teaching or administrative responsibilities. Many professors take advantage of this opportunity to complete research outside of the Kingston area by visiting other universities or research centres while on their break. These articles will highlight many of the unknown feats and accomplishments that RMCC professors are completing during these special stages in their careers.
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Dr Jack Brimberg (left) has worn many different hats throughout his time at the Royal Military College of Canada. Having originally arrived in the summer of 1988, he has been a member of the Department of Engineering Management, later the Department of Business Administration, and more recently the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. His research interests in operational research have also led him to a four and a half year appointment as Dean of the School of Business at UPEI. A one-time Department Head of Business Administration, Dr. Brimberg now completes work in operational research primarily from a mathematical perspective. His one-year sabbatical will allow him to make further advances within this field.
Having first taken a sabbatical in 1994, this is the second of Dr. Brimberg’s career. The leave period was split between research visits to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and the Technical University of Denmark. In Israel he formulated and analysed mathematical models related to the integration of marginal water sources in their water supply system, which led to publications in the European Journal of Operational Research, Management Science, and Water Resources Research. Dr. Brimberg was also able to publish the results of his research from Denmark, which involved models for locating semi-desirable facilities.
This time, Dr. Brimberg’s work will not only be related to his own research. Although he will be developing and completing projects with colleagues at the University of Gottingen in Germany, California State University-Fullerton, and the University of Kent in Caterbury, UK, Dr. Brimberg will also be working on an ambitious proposal for RMCC’s very own Faculty of Science: The creation of a Centre for Operations Research. Considering the variety of military applications in operational research as well as the wealth of knowledge of several professors already teaching at RMCC, this proposal should turn out quite interesting indeed.
Although Dr. Brimberg is sure to produce top quality research throughout the upcoming year, he is quick to remember that not being amongst his students will be a significant change. He will be as anxious as ever to return to the classroom next fall, as he is always looking forward to interacting with officer cadets. After all, he was in a similar position several years ago.