MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release

Contact Barry List, PR Director, (410) 691-7852; (800) 4INFORMS; (410) 358-7162h; pager (410) 368-6580; barry.list@informs.org

BIO-TERROR, DELTA, MATH-THAT’S-FUN LEAD ECLECTIC LIST

AS OPERATIONS RESEARCHERS MEET IN ATLANTA

LINTHICUM, MD, September 25, 2003 – Led by a diverse mix of analysts in information technology, the airlines, and public health, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS^®) holds an annual meeting in Atlanta from Sunday, October 19 to Wednesday, October 22 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza.

Operations researchers use mathematical and scientific methods to improve decision-making, management, and operations in a host of fields. Following are highlights of the meeting for the media —

Stopping Bio-Terror

• Smallpox Outbreak, Day Two: Stopping the Epidemic. Edward H. Kaplan Edward H. Kaplan , Yale School of Management. The author of major studies on smallpox and anthrax presents new models on the consequences of alternative vaccination strategies in the event of a smallpox terrorist attack. Monday, October 20, 8 – 9:30 AM
• Designing the Best Smallpox Vaccine Clinic. Michael Washington, Jacquelyn Mason, Martin Meltzer, Centers for Disease Control. The authors simulate a smallpox vaccination clinic, allocating doctors, nurses, and personnel to optimize the number of people who can be vaccinated in an emergency. Sunday, October 19, 8 – 9:30 AM

Delta Air Lines: Speeding Departure Time

• 50-Minute Turn Simulation for Song. Wendy Lockhart, Irina Ioachim, Delta Technology. The time an aircraft spends on the ground between flights, known technically as "aircraft turn," is time lost to passengers and airlines. In preparation for the launch of Song, Delta's discount carrier, the authors developed a simulation model to reduce the turn time and increase aircraft utilization. Tuesday, October 21, 1:30 – 3 PM

Teaching Atlanta Kids to Love Math

• Workshop for Atlanta Math Teachers. Georgia Tech Prof. Dave Goldsman  and friends help area teachers interest high school kids in math by providing some practical applications – from picking a college to scheduling after-school shifts at a fast food restaurant. Learn more at http://www.hsor.org Monday, October 20, 8 AM – 4 PM

Diagnosis: Mismanagement

• The Trouble with Healthcare. Michael Carter, University of Toronto. Those working in the health care system are often dedicated to providing the best possible service. The problem comes when management doesn’t know how to make the best use of available resources. Michael Carter ambitiously began developing a model of the North American healthcare system. The expert provocatively argues that operations researchers can cut health care costs by more than 10% - if we let them.  Sunday, October 19, 8 – 9:30 AM

Better Retirement Planning

• Making Better Healthcare and Investment Decisions for Retirement. Aparna Gupta, Lepeng Li, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Preparing to meet financial needs and healthcare costs are two crucial components of retirement planning. The authors present a useful framework for addressing these decisions. Monday, October 20, 8 – 9:30 AM

Math and Sports

• NFL Scheduling for the Computer Age. Irvin Lustig, ILOG.  Finally the old way, with hand-drawn charts, is gone. Here’s how operations research is simplifying the chart for 32 teams playing 16 games and one “bye” over a 17-week season. Monday, October 20, 8 – 9:30 AM
• A Management Scientist 'Coaches' the Atlanta Hawks. Jeffrey Ohlmann, University of Iowa. What makes a good starting lineup? 5 top scorers? Or a good mix of scorers, passers, rebounders, and defensive stoppers? The international teams that defeated star-studded NBA opponents may suggest the value of team chemistry. The author presents a basketball model for NBA teams, including the Hawks, using stats to find the best player combos. Sunday, October 19, 8 - 9:30 AM

The INFORMS annual meeting includes sessions on topics applied to numerous fields, including airlines, health care, the military, information technology, energy, transportation, marketing, and e-commerce. More than 2,000 papers are scheduled to be delivered.

The General Chair of the convention is Prof. Donna Llewelyn, Georgia Institute of Technology. Additional information about the conference is at http://www2.informs.org/Conf/Atlanta2003   and http://www2.informs.org/Press .

The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS^®) is an international scientific society with 10,000 members, including Nobel Prize laureates, dedicated to applying scientific methods to help improve decision-making, management, and operations. Members of INFORMS work in business, government, and academia. They are represented in fields as diverse as airlines, health care, law enforcement, the military, the stock market, and telecommunications. The INFORMS website is at http://www2.informs.org .  

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