Choices, Choices, Choices Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

As you plan a career after graduating from a university or a college, you are faced with many choices and decisions, not just now but for many and your most productive years. While there generally is not a right or wrong decision, it is helpful to think about and make these decisions in a more systematic way. In this discussion, we look at perspectives on how one might think about making a choice and making an impact, especially as an architect of future advanced systems. Also, my lessons learned along the way, in architectural thinking and in management, are presented in the hope that you might find them useful as you advance in your careers. Finally, a short overview of MIT Lincoln Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center, is presented as a case study on how one can leverage such an organization to make an impact.

Dr. Robert T-I. Shin is Head of the Tactical Systems and Homeland Protection Division at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Major activities of the division include the Air Vehicle Survivability Evaluation Program (Air Force Red Team); Rapid Capability Technical Assessment Program (Air Force Blue Team); Homeland Air Defense programs, Biodefense programs, and FAA Air Traffic Control Technology programs.
Dr. Shin joined the Laboratory in 1984 and his early research focused on application of electromagnetics to various air defense problems. He is widely recognized across the Department of Defense as a national expert in RCS measurement and prediction techniques and has provided independent assessments of major U.S. Air Force programs. Subsequently, as a member of the Systems and Analysis Group, he directed numerous studies on topics of critical importance to national security, including susceptibilities of all major USAF advanced programs, GPS jamming, unconventional air defense techniques, and foreign air defense analysis. More recently, he served as an Intergovernmental Personnel Act appointee to the newly formed Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (SAF/RCO). He currently serves on the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Shin was also a Research Affiliate member of the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics from 1984 to 2000. He has supervised over 20 graduate theses, published over 150 refereed journal articles and conference papers, and coauthored Theory of Microwave Remote Sensing (Wiley, 1985). Dr. Shin holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.