The meeting with Robert Herendeen in Vermont

Guess what! I am visiting Vermont to meet with Robert Herendeen, PhD (Bob), a fellow at Gund Institute of Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont. Our goal is to discuss the development of the quality assurance (QA) procedure. We hope that such a procedure should not only help assessments be of the highest accuracy, but also assure clarity in communication, particularly about limitations of assessments.

My coworkers and roommates are absolutely right. The Nature of here is amazingly beautiful. Trees with shades of red and yellow are everywhere, and we enjoyed riding our bike along this huge lake that is probably bigger than the island I come from, Okinawa.






I am staying at Bob's house. The House is surrounded by tall trees where squirrels are finding foods and playing. Additionally,a few minute walk from the house brings us to a public park and to the lake. This evening after a long discussion about EF-IO assessment, Bob took me to walk along the lake. As you can see from the picture above, this peaceful environment allows for a great connection with nature. I would say that I feel like doing research while enjoying camping.

As far the research is concerned, it is going extremely well. The overall process of calculation seems reasonable. Some additional data sets and modification will help the research much further. Tomorrow, we will have a speech about EF-IO assessment at the Gund Institute at the University of Vermont. I am looking forward to sharing the methodology and to receiving some ideas for the improvement of our model.

The most impressive in this visit is the warm hospitality of Bob and his wife, Ann. Their kindness makes me feel at home. Bob is a very active person who enjoys playing African drum, keeping bees, and riding his bicycle in all season. It was the first time I played on a talking drum. I also rode a bike to go up to the Gund institute with Bob. Honestly speaking, I could hardly catch up with his speed. He is much much stronger than me. Finally, the delicious dinner Ann cooked warmly brought us closer together. Their life style is simple but very deep. I believe that this visit has changed the path of my life.