Saturday, October 25, 2014

A Harvard Alum, Financial Mathematics Whiz, Tried to Get Her Book Noticed at Harvard: This is What Happened


Iris Mack,who holds a doctorate in Applied Mathematics from Harvard, recently tried to get her book noticed at Harvard Magazine. After that summer experience, she emailed me and said that "Harvard is anti-math, anti-STEM, anti-practical issues and always harping on fuzzy crap. I mean if you take a look at the alum's books they feature in the Harvard Magazine you can definitely see how they discriminate against alums in hard sciences and mathematical sciences..."

Here is a part of a recent exchange she had with the magazine. Be sure to view the link where the notice was finally put, it reads "Class Notes and Obituaries":

To: iris_mack
 Subject: Form submission from: Share Your News
 From: harvard_magazine@harvard.edu
 Date: Sat, 7 Jun 2014 17:49:30 -0400

 Thank you for your submission to Harvard Magazine. If you require further
assistance, please reply to this email with your request.

 --Harvard Magazine

----

From: Iris Mack
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2014 7:29 PM
To: Harvard Magazine
Subject: Form submission from: Share Your News
Importance: High

Hi,

I just received a copy of Harvard Magazine for the month of July.

I see many books of alums featured in this issue - but not mine. Why?

Thanks,
Iris Mack, PhD, EMBA

Energy Trading and Risk Management: A Practical Approach to Hedging, Trading and Portfolio Diversification (Wiley Finance)

Iris Marie Mack (Author)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118339339/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1118339339&linkCode=as2&tag=economiccom0e-20&linkId=PGAVVSK45XTUT5YV

---

From: jean_martin
To: iris_mack
Subject: FW: Form submission from: Share Your News
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 22:04:28 +0000
Dear Dr. Mack,

Please accept my apology for this belated reply to your query.

Your submission to class notes of June 7 arrived too late to be included in our July-August issue, which was shipped to the printer early in June. A note about your book will appear in our September-October issue's class-notes section, and I thank you for sharing news of its publication with us.

Sincerely,
Jean Martin
--
Jean Martin, Senior Editor
Harvard Magazine
7 Ware Street
Cambridge MA 02138
 ---

From: Iris Mack
Date: Thursday, July 17, 2014 6:15 PM
To: Jean Martin
Subject: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News

Thank you!
---

From: jean_martin
To: iris_mack
Subject: Re: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 22:16:51 +0000

You're very welcome, Dr. Mack. Thank you for your note.

With best wishes,
Jean Martin
----

From: Iris Mack <iris_mack>
Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2014 12:59 PM
To: Jean Martin <jean_martin>
Subject: RE: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News

Did my book ever show up in the Harvard Magazine?
If so, can you send me the url.
Thanks!
Energy Trading & Risk Management: A Practical Approach to Hedging, Trading & Portfolio Diversification

Iris Marie Mack, PhD, EMBA
--

From: jean_martin
To: iris_mack
Subject: Re: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:10:47 +0000
Dear Professor Mack,

A notice of your book appeared in our September-October issue's class-notes section. I have attached a scan of the online version above.
With best wishes,
Jean Martin
--
Jean Martin, Senior Editor
Harvard Magazine
7 Ware Street
Cambridge MA 02138

---

From: Iris Mack <iris_mac>
Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2014 1:51 PM
To: Jean Martin <jean_martin>
Subject: RE: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News

Oh, I thought it was to appear in the Book section?
Nevertheless, can you send me the url so I can view it online & share the link with others.
Thanks
Energy Trading & Risk Management: A Practical Approach to Hedging, Trading & Portfolio Diversification

Iris Marie Mack, PhD, EMBA

---

From: jean_martin
To: iris_mack
Subject: Re: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 18:22:44 +0000
Unfortunately, our notes section is open only to alumni who have registered with the magazine, and not to the general public, Professor Mack. If you register, you will be able to see the note online yourself: http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/11/class-notes-and-obituaries.

Sincerely,
Jean Martin

--

From: Iris Mack <iris_mack>
Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2014 2:23 PM
To: Jean Martin <jean_martin>
Subject: RE: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News

OK, but you still have not answered the question as to why my book did not appear in the Book Section for Alums?
Energy Trading & Risk Management: A Practical Approach to Hedging, Trading & Portfolio Diversification

Iris Marie Mack, PhD, EMBA

-
From: jean_martin
To: iris_mackSubject: Re: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 18:31:18 +0000

My apologies. Most of the books we receive from alumni are not covered in our limited Off the Shelf section; we simply don't have the space. The editor picks a dozen or fewer books from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences that he considers likely to be of general interest to a wide range of our readers,  say 60 books a year or so, from the several hundreds we are sent or notified of. The other titles are mentioned in class notes if the authors are College or GSAS alumni. I am very sorry if my mention of covering your new book was insufficiently clear.
Sincerely,
Jean Martin
-- 

From: Iris Mack <iris_mack
Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2014 2:32 PM
To: Jean Martin <jean_martin>
Subject: RE: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News

Great. Tell the editor he just saved me thousands of dollars in future donations to Harvard! 
Energy Trading & Risk Management: A Practical Approach to Hedging, Trading & Portfolio Diversification

Iris Marie Mack, PhD, EMBA
​---


From: jean_martin
To: iris_mack
Subject: Re: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 18:36:17 +0000
Dear Professor Mack,

As a fellow alumna, I feel obliged to note that the magazine is a separate legal entity from the University, so I hope you won't feel it necessary to cut off Harvard entirely because you are displeased with us.

Sincerely,
Jean Martin
​---

​From: iris_mack
To: jean_martinu
Subject: Harvard Magazine: Form submission from: Share Your News
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:44:49 -0400


..... I have written two books
1.   One on mathematics and financial literacy.
2.   Another on trading and risk management in the global energy markets - that has been on amazon bestsellers list in several categories.

However you tell me that you only feature books in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences...which are only of interest to a general audience?

Then your editor must be dumb as a door nail to not know that with all the global turmoil in the economy and wars that energy and financial literacy are not of interest to a general audience.

Why should I give my hard earned money to an institution with such clueless people? 

Energy Trading & Risk Management: A Practical Approach to Hedging, Trading & Portfolio Diversification

Iris Marie Mack, PhD, EMBA


3 comments:

  1. Respect for Engineering and hard sciences in this country has been going downhill since the moon landing. Well that's the arbitrary point I pick. It certainly isn't like books and media make it out to be from the 1900s up to that point today. Much of what we have today, at least what gets presented to the public, is a state religion masking itself as science.

    In the HG Wells' film "Things to Come" an artist leads an angry mob to destroy the moon cannon in his quest to stop scientific progress. Just another part of that movie that seems to have landed close to the mark.

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