News Releases

PHOENIX, October 11, 2012 – Despite homeland security improvements since September 11, 2001, subway and rail commuters face higher risks of falling victim to terrorists and mass violence than frequent flyers or those engaged in virtually any other activity. And while successful criminal and terrorist acts against aviation have fallen sharply, those against subways and commuter trains have surged. These are among the findings of a new study by Arnold Barnett, George Eastman Professor of Management Science at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, who will deliver a presentation titled “Has Terror Gone to Ground?” at the INFORMS Annual Meeting in Phoenix on October 15.

When 4,000 analytics experts in everything from predicting the winner of the U.S. Presidential election to keeping Arizona’s borders secure come to Phoenix on October 14, the city will find itself filled not only with smart people who use math for a living but also problem solvers who tackle some of today’s greatest challenges.

The Defense Department, faced with cuts of what Secretary Leon Panetta said could be $487 billion over the next ten years, can find tens of billions of dollars in cost reductions by better aligning the Pentagon supply chain rather than imposing precipitous reductions to the uniformed forces, according to a former Army colonel who is speaking at a conference hosted by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS^®), the premier organization for advanced analytics professionals.

The analytics process – the way that business and government organizations collect and analyze data to gain competitive advantage – will be a key focus at a conference hosted by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS^®), the premier organization for advanced analytics professionals.

A special program for Charlotte-area high school math teachers is the latest contribution in a national initiative to improve applied math that has seen North Carolina universities and school systems take the lead in making America more competitive in math and science.

When 4,000 experts in everything from greening America’s energy to reducing crowded emergency rooms come to Charlotte on November 13, the city will find itself deluged not only by experts who use analytics for a living but also problem solvers who tackle America’s greatest challenges.

Operations research models developed by a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology helped CARE International pick three locations worldwide to supply relief quickly to victims of earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters, according to a paper in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS^®).

Online consumers thought to be motivated primarily by savings are, in fact, often willing to pay a premium for purchases from online vendors with clear, protective privacy policies, according to a new study in the current issue of a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS^®).

 Patients posting their opinions about doctors on online ratings websites are much less likely to discuss physicians with low perceived quality and are more prone than offline populations to exaggerate their opinions, according to a paper being presented at a healthcare conference sponsored by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS^®).

The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS^®) and Military Operations Research Society (MORS) today commended the U.S. Defense Department Board Task Force on Defense Intelligence for a report recommending, in part, that operations research (O.R.) and advanced analytics methods be harnessed to improve counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and other theaters.