OR/MS Today articles from February 2007

OR/MS Today archives from February 2007

Unsolved mysteries.(INSIDE STORY)(operations research)
February 1, 2007... Many years ago, when I was first introduced to the term "operations research," I recall someone telling me at an ORSA/TIMS meeting (or was it TIMS/ORSA?) that O.R. was doomed. The doomsday theory went something like this: All the really good...

Beef up O.R.'s Web presence.(PRESIDENT'S DESK)(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)
February 1, 2007... Congratulations, Time magazine has named you Person of the Year. Actually, they've named all of us Person of the Year, in recognition of individual activity on the Internet resulting in "community and collaboration on a scale never seen...

Where do we go from here?(INFORMS ONLINE)(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)
February 1, 2007... I am the new INFORMS Online (IoL) editor in chief following two terms by Matthew Saltzman, who, thankfully has stayed on to help me settle in. IoL--not just the Web site but also the organization of professionals behind it--has been up and...

Netflix Prize poses poseidon-like problem.(WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID)
February 1, 2007... Have you heard about the Netflix Prize? As you may know, Netflix is a company that ships DVDs to its customers' homes. Customers manage their own request lists and preferences via the Web, where Netflix' proprietary recommendation system makes...

O.R. and physics.(Q.E.D.)
February 1, 2007... Like most lay people, I admire physicists and am fascinated by their studies of the large--solar systems, galaxies and even the universe--and of the small--quarks, neutrinos and hypothesized particles like gravitons. I particularly admire their...

When a reporter calls, be prepared.(FORUM)(tips on maintaing public relations and marketing)
February 1, 2007... Alone in our offices with our spreadsheets and our software and our scrubbed database, operations researchers often talk to fellow specialists in language that doesn't bring our valuable message to a broader public. Then sometimes, stuff...

INFORMS president right on the money.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... To the Editor: What a great interview with INFORMS President Brenda Dietrich! ["Dietrich Gets Down to Earth," OR/MS Today, December 2006] What a great practitioner! Finally someone who knows about dealing with people! Finally a realistic...

Computerized third party concept draws a crowd.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... To the Editor: I was pleased to see the article by John Kettelle ["When Three's Not a Crowd," OR/MS Today, October 2006] and thought that your readers might like to know that there are also other approaches to employing a computerized...

Analyzing decisions to counter terrorism.(VIEWPOINT)
February 1, 2007... As the defining issue of his presidency, the decision to invade Iraq is without question the most important event of George W. Bush's political career. Had he used decision analysis in making this momentous choice, as proposed in "Should the...

Great unsolved problems in O.R.: from real-time mixed integer programming to improving air traffic and disaster management, plenty of challenges await operations research.
February 1, 2007... About two years ago, the program committee of the Pittsburgh INFORMS annual meeting issued us a challenge: Organize a special track of four or five sessions in which the speakers would address the "Great Unsolved Problems in O.R." We were given...

Smart Ops for the 21st Century: O.R. modeling considered essential for ambitious Air Force program's implementation and success.(Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century)
February 1, 2007... OPERATIONS RESEARCH HAS REPEATEDLY demonstrated its versatility to make contributions to the success of military operations. Many optimization techniques were developed during the World War II era specifically to enhance military missions. To...

Psychiatrist prescribes O.R.: psychopharmacology algorithms effectively communicate best practices to front-line physicians.
February 1, 2007... AS THE RESIDENT-IN-CHARGE OF THE PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY CLINIC AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL in 1978 and later as cofounder of the National Psychopharmacology Laboratory, Dr. Kenneth Jobson became aware of the salience of...

Finding a path in an uncertain world: biennial update of statistical software survey provides current snapshot of tools for O.R. practitioners.(SOFTWARE SURVEY)(Survey)
February 1, 2007... The modern world is full of uncertainty and variation. Last summer the cost of gasoline varied almost daily, subject to the interplay of demand, current stock levels and interdictions of the weather or politics that are beyond our control. A...

Edelman finalists named.(INFORMS NEWS)
February 1, 2007... INFORMS named five finalists that will compete for the 2007 Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Operations Research and the Management Sciences. INFORMS Executive Director Mark Doherty made the announcement at a ceremony honoring Warner...

Spring conference eyes business strategies.(INFORMS NEWS)
February 1, 2007... The 2007 INFORMS spring conference on "Applying Science to the Art of Business" is designed to give O.R. professionals an inside look at business intelligence strategies deployed across the enterprise. Leading companies will share their...

INFORMS subdivision awards.(INFORMS NEWS)(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences )(Awards list)
February 1, 2007... The following subdivision (sections, societies, special interest groups, etc.) awards were presented at the INFORMS annual meeting in Pittsburgh last November. APPLIED PROBABILITY Erlang Prize Recipients: Kavita Ramanan,...

Peter Hammer (1936-2006).(IN MEMORIAM)(In memoriam)(Biography)
February 1, 2007... On Dec. 27, 2006, four days after the celebration of his 70th birthday, Peter Ladislau (Laci) Hammer suffered a fatal car accident while driving home from Washington, D.C. He leaves behind his wife of 45 years, Anca, his sons Maxim and Alex...

University of Georgia.(PEOPLE)(P. George Benson appointed)
February 1, 2007... P. George Benson, formerly the dean of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, recently became the 21st president of the College of Charleston. Benson takes over the position vacated by Lee Higdon, who left last year to...

SUNY Oswego.(PEOPLE)(Qiong June Dong gets Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activities)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Qiong June Dong, professor of management at SUNY Oswego, has received a SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activities. In the past five years, Dong has co-authored a book, "Supernetworks: Decision-Making for the...

INFORMS meetings.(INFORMS NEWS)(Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)
February 1, 2007... INFORMS National & International Meetings 2007 April 29-May 1 INFORMS Practice Conference: Applying Science to the Art of Business Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Vancouver, BC, Canada Chair: Jack Levis, UPS ...

Making heads or tails of COIN-OR: annual update on the online, open-source repository for O.R. technology.
February 1, 2007... COIN-OR was designed following the open-source model to provide a much-needed repository for O.R. technology. For more on COIN-OR's history, goals and projects, see "COIN-OR pays off" (OR/MS today, October 2005) or visit COIN-OR online at...

JMP 6.0.3: interactive exploratory data and statistical analysis tool meets the statistical needs of virtually any user.(SOFTWARE REVIEW)(Product/service evaluation)
February 1, 2007... WHEN THE SOFTWARE REVIEW EDITOR for OR/MS Today is looking for someone to review software, I usually lock my office door and hide under the desk until I get the all-clear signal. However, when I noticed the editor was looking for someone to...

The basketball coach's parable.(ORACLE)(Discussion)
February 1, 2007... In the large, wood-paneled finished basement of a handsome suburban house, the party was progressing cheerfully. Chips, dips and other munchies were disappearing into smiling faces, along with an assortment of beverages. So far, at least, none...