Bruce L. Golden

For their papers:

• "A Genetic Algorithm-Based Approach for Building Accurate Decision Trees"
• "Genetically Engineered Decision Trees: Population Diversity Produces Smarter Trees"
• "Diversification for Better Classification Tree"

Professor Bruce L. Golden, who holds the France-Merrick Chair in Management Science at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, has been an accomplished teacher, scholar, and practitioner of MS/OR for 27 years. The hallmark of his teaching has been putting theory into practice. His many successful students now employed in industry attest to the strong impact his teaching has had on their careers, and the positive impact he has had on them personally.

Professor Golden’s success as a teacher begins with his effectiveness as a practitioner. From his many years of consulting he draws examples from diverse applications. He has always been willing to get his hands dirty with real data and the idiosyncratic challenges of MS/OR practice. He brings this perspective to all his teaching, whether it is an undergraduate course in O.R. or a graduate seminar in networks. In his teaching, the problem, with all its richness, always comes first. He is an exemplary teacher of the craft of modeling.

Professor Golden has kindled a sustained interest in MS/OR in many of his students, with a select group going on to careers in MS/OR practice. This group is now reaching positions of authority and influence in major organizations. Many cite Professor Golden’s enthusiasm for teaching and dedication to learning, along with his ability to communicate both the theoretical and the practical aspects of the MS/OR approach, as keys to their career success. As one student put it, “To say that my graduate education with Professor Golden had an enormous effect on my professional career and subsequent research efforts would be a gross understatement. While his classroom teaching provided the basics, working with him in a research setting imparted valuable skills that I continue to draw upon. Putting theory into practice is Professor Golden’s touchstone and it pervades much of what I do today.”

For his extraordinary dedication to his students’ learning of management science practice and the resulting impact they have had in industry, INFORMS is proud to award its prize for the Teaching of OR/MS Practice to Bruce L. Golden.