The Impact of John Cornell on My Life and Work at a National Laboratory

• Activity Number: 592 - Memorial Session: The Legacy of John A. Cornell (1941-2016), Mixture Experiments and So Much More
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 3, 2017 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Memorial
• Author(s): Greg Piepel*
• Companies: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Keywords: Mixture experiment ; John Cornell

Abstract

In this presentation I discuss the impact John Cornell had on my life and work. This impact began in 1978 when I started my career at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) after completing my M.S. degree. On day two of employment, for a new project I began reading journal articles on mixture experiments (which I knew nothing about), including several by John. This was the genesis of my career-long focus on statistical methods for the design and analysis of mixture experiments and other experiments on irregularly-shaped regions. From 1982-1985, John was my Ph.D. advisor at the University of Florida (where I went specifically to work with him). Subsequently he continued to be a mentor and friend as I continued my career at PNNL, and provided opportunities for my professional growth. John had a big impact on my professional career as well as my personal life, which I will discuss in the presentation.