January, 2004
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Getting Down to Business |
A new newsletter |
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Keeping members of the OR/MS community informed of innovation in
education
James Cochran
I hope all of you enjoyed a great holiday season. INFORM-ED continues to work on various initiatives and activities. A short summary of some of these efforts follows:
Our forum is very busy organizing various activities designed to improve ORMS education and assist ORMS educators. Upcoming activities include:
- the 5th annual Case Competition
- the 6th annual Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium
- a sponsored education track for the 2004 CORS/INFORMS Joint International Meeting in Banff (May 16 - 19)
- a sponsored education track for the 2004 INFORMS Conference in Denver (October 24 - 27)
More details about these and other INFORM-ED activities are provided in the STATUS REPORTS OF ONGOING EDUCATION INITIATIVES below.
Our officers are helping to coordinate many other activities that should be of interest to INFORM-ED members. These activities include:
- Steve Powell, Academic Director of INFORMS Summer Workshop on Teaching Management Science, is currently organizing the next workshop. The workshop will be held on July 8-11, 2004, in Marlboro, MA. This conference is modeled on the Teaching Management Science Summer Workshops that ran in 1998-2000. See Steve's report in this newsletter and visit the website (http://www.informs.org/Edu/TMSWorkshop/) for more details. This will be a great event for college instructors at all levels, so plan to attend!
- Erhan Erkut (Editor-in-Chief) invites you to visit the INFORMS Transactions on Education website (http://ite.pubs.informs.org/) and read a variety of provocative articles on ORMS education. Erhan also encourages you to submit your article that relates to any aspect of OR/MS education.
- Ken Chelst is again planning to Chair an INFORMS Teachers Program: How to Teach the Teachers session at the annual INFORMS Conference in October. This session, sponsored by INFORMS' Public Awareness Committee, will provide you with everything you need to "Teach the Teachers" at a local or state math teacher conference near your home. Members of the PAC team that developed the INFORMS materials (available at http://www.hsor.org) will demonstrate how to conduct these workshops at this comprehensive briefing. As a session participant, you will receive the program materials, videos, software packages (with instructions), and Teacher Instructional Modules you need to deliver a program at a state, county, or school district conference. We will provide more information on how to participate in this very worthwhile and rewarding program in the Spring INFORM-ED Newsletter.
- Our first program to assign doctoral students near completion of their degree to various INFORMS committees has been very successful. We successfully placed twelve doctoral students with nine of INFORMS' administrative committees in 2003. This experience should ease the transition these students are making from student member to productive, contributing, engaged full member. INFORM-ED hopes to continue the program in 2004 - contact me to suggest a doctoral student (who has nearly completed her/his degree) for this program.
- INFORM-ED held our annual reception and business meeting on Tuesday, October 21 during the national INFORMS Conference in Atlanta. Thirty-three members attended the meeting (including three members of INFORMS' Board of Directors). The minutes of the meeting are available at http://education.forum.informs.org//Minutes10_24_03.html. The Forum's biannual elections were conducted during the business meeting. Our newly-elected officers for 2004 - 05 are
President: Jim Cochran (JCochran@cab.latech.edu)
Treasurer/Secretary: John Lawrence (jlawrence@fullerton.edu)
Vice President - Programs: Pinar Keskinocak (pinar@isye.gatech.edu)
Vice President - Projects: Bill Christian (christwa@jmu.edu)
Vice President - Publications: Chris Zappe (zappe@bucknell.edu)
Vice President - External Relations: Julie Swann (julie.swann@isye.gatech.edu)
In addition, our 2004-05 editors were appointed at the meeting. They are
"Issues in Education" Column in OR/MS Today: Joel Sokol (JSokol@ISyE.GATech.edu)
INFORM-ED Website: John Kros (krosj@mail.ecu.edu)
INFORM-ED Newsletter: Mike Racer (mRacer@mocha.memphis.edu)
Please contact any of these officers or editors with any questions or suggestions.
- Many thanks to our outgoing officers and editors
Vice President - Programs: Janet Wagner
Vice President - Projects: Pinar Keskinocak
Vice President - External Relations: Barry Pasternack
"Issues in Education" Column in OR/MS Today: Bob Nydick
for a job well-done!
- Be sure to register for the upcoming CORS/INFORMS Joint International Meeting in Banff (May 16 - 19) - early registration (http://www.informs.org/Conf/CORS-INFORMS2004/reg.htm) closes on April 16 and the hotel reservation deadline (http://www.informs.org/Conf/CORS-INFORMS2004/hotel.html) is April 1. Erhan Erkut and his organizing committee have assembled a terrific program that can be viewed at http://www.informs.org/Conf/CORS-INFORMS2004/. The conference will feature plenty of education-oriented activities - Pinar Keskinocak has organized an extensive cluster of sponsored sessions for INFORM-ED, and we are tentatively planning an INFORM-ED business meeting to be held during this conference.
- The INFORM-ED reception and business meeting, traditionally held on Tuesday evening during the annual INFORMS Conference, has been moved to the Sunday evening of the conference. We will continue to provide snacks, beverages (beer, wine, soda, cheese, crackers, etc.), updates on INFORM-ED's efforts, and a forum for discussion of education issues.
- I am the General Chair of the 2005 INFORMS Conference in New Orleans (November 13-16, 2005) - contact me if you are interested in joining the Organizing Committee for this conference.
- Dick Larson (INFORMS President-Elect) has provided us with the following information that may be of interest to INFORM-ED members interested in distance learning and/or operations research applied to public problems:
Operations Research will be front and center in LINC 2004, as a new project will be described, centered around the MIT OR graduate course, "Logistical and Transportation Planning Methods." This course is sometimes called Urban Operations Research, after the book by Richard C. Larson and Amedeo Odoni that serves as the on-line text for the course. This course, with its 550+ page text, is now on line and available without charge worldwide via MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) program. The Sept. 2003 issue of Wired magazine listed the course as #9 in total popularity among all 500 MIT OCW courses, the only graduate course in the Top Ten.
The new effort to be reported on in LINC 2004 is the design and creation of a Global Community of Scholars, Learners and Practitioners around this course. We are 'seeding' the community with 800+ names we have received from pop-up voluntarily-answered questionnaires that one gets when one visits the Urban Operations Research text web site http://web.mit.edu/urban_or_book/www/. LINC 2004 will report on progress with this OR initiative and seek comments and suggestions from the audience.
- William Chritian (Combined Colloquia Chair and VP - Projects) updates us on his committees progress in developing the program for INFORMS Combined Colloquia (the Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium, Doctoral Student Colloquium, and Industry Colloquium) for the upcoming annual INFORMDS Conference in Denver (October 24 - 27).
- Chris Zappe (Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium Chair and VP ñ Publications) updates us on the fifth annual Case Competition and explains how you can enter next year's competition. He also posts us on his progress in developing the program for the sixth annual Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium (TEC VI) and tells how you can register for this event.
- Julie Swann (VP - External Relations) discusses the INFORM-ED speakers program she is developing.
- John Lawrence (Treasurer/Secretary) provides a quick update on our financial position.
- Pinar Keskinocak (Vice President - Programs) gives a progress report on the INFORM-ED track of sponsored sessions she is organizing for the upcoming CORS-INFORMS Joint International Meeting in Banff (May 16-19, 2004) and tells how you can organize and chair a session or give a presentation at this conference. Pinar also provides similar information for the INFORM-ED track of sponsored sessions she is organizing for the next national INFORMS Conference in Denver (October 24 - 27).
- Joel Sokol (Editor of the "Issues in Education" Column in ORMS Today) previews the next few columns and invites you to contribute to the column.
- John Kros (Webmaster) discusses additions and enhancement to our website.
- Tom Grossman (INFORMS Case and Teaching Materials Editor) discusses the status of the Case and Teaching Materials initiative.
I encourage you to get involved with INFORM-ED! Please contact the coordinator of any INFORM-ED project/initiative or me (at jcochran@cab.latech.edu or 318/257-3445) if you have any questions or suggestions (or would like to volunteer!).
Jim Cochran
INFORM-ED President
President:
Jim Cochran (JCochran@cab.latech.edu)
Treasurer/Secretary:
John Lawrence (jlawrence@fullerton.edu)
Vice President - Programs:
Pinar Keskinocak (pinar@isye.gatech.edu)
Vice President - Projects:
Bill Christian (christwa@jmu.edu)
Vice President - Publications:
Chris Zappe (zappe@bucknell.edu)
Vice President -- External Relations:
Julie Swann (julie.swann@isye.gatech.edu)
Past President:
Tom Grossman (tagrossman@usfca.edu)
"Issues in Education" Column in OR/MS Today:
Joel Sokol (JSokol@ISyE.GATech.edu)
INFORM-ED Website:
John Kros (krosj@mail.ecu.edu)
INFORM-ED Newsletter:
Mike Racer (mRacer@mocha.memphis.edu)
OFFICER REPORTS
SECRETARY/TREASURER REPORT - John LawrenceCORS/INFORMS & INFORMS, Denver - Pinar KeskinocakINFORMS COMBINED COLLOQUIA - William ChristianRESULTS OF THE CASE COMPETITION - Chris ZappeTHE FIFTH CASE COMPETITION, 2004 - Chris ZappeOUTREACH ñ Telling Others About INFORM-ED - Julie SwannETHICS IN THE CURRICULUM - Julie SwannISSUES IN EDUCATION - Joel Sokol
SECRETARY/TREASURER REPORT
I. Minutes of the 2003 Business Meeting
The business meeting of INFORM-ED was held on Tuesday evening, October 24, 2003 at the National INFORMS meeting in Atlanta. Officer elections were held, winners of the Atlanta Case competition were announced, and a complete litany all of INFORM-ED programs and initiatives was discussed. For a list of attendees and official minutes of the minutes, please visit: http://education.forum.informs.org//Minutes10_24_03.html.
II. History of INFORM-ED
Initially written and modified over the summer, 2003, a synopsis of the origins, development and current programs of INFORM-ED can be found by visiting:
http://education.forum.informs.org//history.htm. Besides a narrative discussing the evolution of INFORM-ED, links are provided for past INFORM-ED newsletters, business meetings, strategic plans and sponsored conference presentations. This website should get updated roughly every six months.
III. Treasurer's Report
Prior to the Atlanta meeting INFORM-ED had a balance of $2,019.81. The cost of food for the meeting was $660.50. INFORM-ED funds go to supporting prizes, initiatives, and refreshments at meetings. The cost of joining INFORM-ED has not increased from last year. One can join and pay the dues directly when paying their 2004 INFORMS membership renewal. After the bulk of the membership renewals have been processed later this month, a revised treasurer's balance sheet will be presented in the next newsletter, along with an accounting of current INFORM-ED members.
John Lawrence,
Secretary/Treasurer
CORS/INFORMS & INFORMS, Denver
Progress on INFORM-ED sponsored sessions at CORS/INFORMS meeting
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently we have seven planned sessions. The following people agreed to organize and chair sessions: Joel Sokol, Julie L. Swann, Barry Pasternack, Jim Lowe, Victoria C Chen, Paul Griffin,and Jane Ross.
Call for Participation: INFORM-ED Cluster at INFORMS 2004, Denver
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We
would like to invite you to participate at the sessions sponsored by INFORM-ED
(INFORMS Forum on Education, http://education.forum.informs.org/) at the INFORMS 2004 conference in Denver. Please
contact Pinar Keskinocak (pinar@isye.gatech.edu) if you would like to organize a session or would
like to make an education-related presentation. For more information about
the INFORMS 2004 meeting, visit the conference website http://www.informs.org/Conf/Denver2004/
Pinar Keskinocak,
VP Program
INFORMS
will soon be accepting nominations for participation in the Combined Colloquia.
As in the past, the colloquia will be held prior to the INFORMS Annual Meeting
(October 22 and 23, 2004 in Denver). This year's program is being finalized
to include three concurrent and interlaced colloquia focusing on Teaching
Effectiveness, future academics, and future industry practitioners. Opportunities
for networking between speakers and presenters, between current doctoral students
and professors, and between academicians and practitioners will abound.
Colloquia
presenters and participants will begin the weekend with a dinner on Friday
evening featuring INFORMS President Michael Rothkopf. On Saturday, after breakfast,
the colloquia will feature "Day in The Life" sessions presented
by a current academician and practitioner. This will set the stage for the
day packed with informative and interactive presentations that will benefit
the novice participant as well as the seasoned. The last session of the day
will be a combined one on developing connections between academia and industry.
Throughout the
day, there
will be several coffee breaks, a catered lunch, and a dinner at a local restaurant
during which all involved will be able to relax and connect with new colleagues
of different backgrounds and professional futures.
The Teaching
Effectiveness Colloquium (TEC VI)---for current professors of OR/MS/OM---will
feature sessions on topics including active learning, teaching with cases,
and teaching with games and simulation. For future academicians, sessions
will address topics such as proposal writing, supporting and advising students.
And, for future practitioners, topics will include success strategies of recent
Ph.D.s and developing a research network.
Because
of the increased interest from the OR/MS community and the desire to limited
capacity and facilitate meaningful exchange between attendees, participation
in all three colloquia will be by nomination and acceptance.
For more
information and the "Call for Nominations", see the web site
http://chopsticks.cob.jmu.edu/Colloquia2004
or contact:
William Christian, Ph.D.College of Business - MSC 0202James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA 22807Phone (540) 568-3053
William Christian,
VP-Programs
RESULTS OF THE CASE COMPETITION
The Fourth Annual INFORMS Case Competition concluded at the Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The judges selected the following entries as finalists for this year's competition:
The Uncertain Supply Case by Russ G. Garber, Stanford University and Robert C. Carlson, Stanford University
Motel Max by John F. Kros, East Carolina University and Christopher M. Keller, Indiana University
Whistler Blackcomb Ski and Snowboard School by Martin L. Puterman, University of British Columbia and Stanley Tse, Visual8 Corporation
The winners of the 2003 INFORMS Case Competition were chosen to be Martin L. Puterman and Stanley Tse for their outstanding case entitled Whistler Blackcomb Ski and Snowboard School. The winners will receive a $500 cash prize and a plaque for their winning entry. The two runners-up will receive $100 cash prizes and plaques for their distinguished entries.
INFORMS, INFORM-ED, and INFORMS Education Committee
thank all those who submitted cases and congratulate each of the finalists.
We are particularly grateful for the contributions of Robert Carraway, Murat
Koksalan, and F. Sibel Salman who served as judges for the Fourth Annual Case
Competition.
Christopher J. Zappe,
Vice President for Publications &
2003 Case Competition Chair
INFORMS FIFTH ANNUAL CASE COMPETITION
What is the Purpose of the Case Competition?
To encourage the creation, dissemination, and classroom use of new (i.e., previously unpublished) cases in operations research and the management sciences
Who is Sponsoring the Case Competition?
INFORMS' Education Committee, INFORM-ED, and the INFORMS' Case and Teaching Materials Initiative
What are the Rules of the Case Competition?
1.
A submitted case must:
…
be no more than 10 pages (8.5X11.0) single spaced (maximum of
approx. 3000 words) - exhibits are in addition to page limit (shorter cases are acceptable)
…
include Teaching Notes of an appropriate length
…
use Times New Roman 12 point font with 1 inch margins
…
not have been published previously in any format
2.
INFORMS' A complete submission will consist
of six hard copies and one electronic copy (in a specified format) of the
following:
…
a title page with indicators of authorship eliminated in five
copies
…
a short (250 word maximum) abstract which identify the
- industry
- business and technical issues
- pedagogical objectives
- suggested use(s) of the case
…
the case
…
all relevant electronic files
(data files, animated simulations, etc.) use
of such material is encouraged!
…
teaching notes
…
Case Competition Submission Form (downloadable here
as a Word document)
What Are The Criteria For Judging The Case Competition Entries?
1.
The relevance of application of one (or more)
of INFORMS constituent disciplines
o
real
problem situation that is
embedded in the issues facing the organization
o
potential
for use of OR/MS to analyze
the situation
o
reasonable alternate
approaches to solving the problem posed by the case exist (i.e., there is
more than one good approach to the analysis of the case)
o
well-defined pedagogical
outcomes
2.
The substance of application
o
nontrivial problem situation and/or solution(s)
o
formulation, analysis,
and solution at a level appropriate for intended
student audience
o
significant insight results from participation in analysis of
the case
3.
The quality and organization of the exposition
o
lucid and interesting
narrative style
o
writing style ready
for publication
o
quality of exhibits
4.
Value and content of teaching notes
o
synopsis of case
o
clear case objectives and suggested uses
o
discussion questions and suggested answers
o
linkage to underlying concepts and theory
o
suggested teaching
pattern or flow
5.
Quality of session presentation (for finalists)
o
discussion
of case scenario
o
indication of potential solutions
o
explanation of the
pedagogical benefits and teaching notes
Who Will Evaluate The Case Competition Entries?
Biographical sketches of this yearís Case Competition judges will be provided shortly.
What Is The Timeline For The Case Competition?
The timeline for the competition is:
…
August
13, 2004 - application packages
due
o
Publication-Ready Case
o
Teaching Notes
o
Case Competition Submission Form
…
August
& September, 2004 - packages are blind reviewed by the panel of judges
…
September
24, 2004 - the panel of judges
will select four finalists. The Chair will notify all contestants of the judges'
decisions
…
October
24 - 27, 2004 - the final competition
o
Finalists will give thirty minute presentations of their entries
at one of two special open sessions of the Fall 2004 INFORMS Meeting in Denver,
CA
o
The panel of judges will select the winning entry from these finalists
based on these presentations
o
The winner will be announced at the INFORM-ED Business meeting
during the Fall 2004 INFORMS Meeting
o
Finalists must present their cases at the Fall 2004 INFORMS Meeting
to be eligible to win
What Are The Prizes
To Be Awarded In The Case Competition?
In addition to the
gratitude and admiration of your peers:
…
First Prize - $500.00 and a plaque*
…
Up to Three Runners-Up
- $100.00 and a plaque*
*INFORMS
reserves the right to present no awards/prizes if the judges' committee determines
that no deserving entries have been submitted.
Where Do I Send My
Entry Material?
Please electronically
submit all documents simultaneously to Christopher J Zappe at:
or submit physical
copies of all documents through the mail to:
Christopher J. Zappe
Associate Dean of
Faculty & Associate Professor of Decision Sciences
113 Marts Hall
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Is There Anything
Else I Need To Know About The Case Competition?
Yes - please note
that:
…
All submitted cases
will be considered for publication by the
INFORMS Case and Teaching Materials Initiative
…
For more information
contact Chris Zappe at zappe@bucknell.edu.
OUTREACH-Telling others abut INFORM-ED
INFORM-ED
announces the creation of a Local/Student Chapters Outreach program. The program
is designed to increase the awareness of INFORM-ED activities and how the
forum can benefit the chapters, as well as to increase the future participation
in INFORM-ED.
The program will match an INFORM-ED member with a chapter that has expressed
interest in knowing more about INFORM-ED. The member will attend the meeting
and talk about what INFORM-ED is, what we do, and what the forum has to offer
members. A presentation will be provided to the member in advance, along with
guidance on its content if desired.
If you wish to request a visit from INFORM-ED to your chapter or volunteer
your services for this external outreach, please contact Julie Swann at jswann@isye.gatech.edu.
Let's spread the good word!
Julie Swann, VP External Relations
ETHICS IN THE CURRICULUM
Are you trying to incorporate ethics in your engineering curriculum to satisfy
the ABET requirements? Are you adding ethics to your management science
classes to avoid future Enron scandals? Do you wish you knew how to
teach ethics but aren't sure where to start??
We want to hear from you! We want to hear what you are doing now or
what you would like to do. We will collect course materials on ethics
from those willing to share them and make them generally available to members.
Help all of us improve ethics in the curricula (contact Julie Swann at jswann@isye.gatech.edu). It's the right
thing to do.
Julie Swann, VP External Relations
Educational issues in OR/MS have a wide range
of character - tactical and strategic, inside the classroom and out, dealing
with educational issues in OR/MS and using OR/MS to analyze educational issues
- and I hope to motivate submissions of all types to this column.
I use the word "tactical" to refer
to the educational tasks we perform on the "shop floor," in this
case, the classroom. Do you want to share your method for teaching an OR/MS
concept in a way that your students will easily understand and/or never forget?
Or would you like to provoke thought and discussion on a classroom issue you've
been struggling with? All of these would be good topics for this column.
In contrast to the shop-floor tactical issues,
strategic issues in education generally have broader and higher-level scope.
What should an OR/MS curriculum include (or not include)? Are there skills
that OR/MS graduates (at any/all levels) should have but generally don't?
How do alternative learning models (distance learning, online courses, etc.)
affect OR/MS education, and how might they do so in the near (or not-so-near)
future? Any strategic issue in OR/MS education is fair game for this column.
Often, we fall into the trap of considering
"issues in education" to be things that relate only to the classroom.
There are many educational issues, both tactical and strategic, that have
little to do with what goes on inside a classroom. There are many broader
educational issues that deserve our ideas in this column. How can we attract
more of our undergraduates to consider graduate studies in OR/MS, especially
at schools where no undergraduate department exists? How can we educate the
public - or our potential clients or bosses - about what we do and what our
impact can be? These are just a few examples of the many broader educational
topics that would be good fits for this column.
There are many ways to interpret the phrase
"issues in education," and this column is wide enough for all of
them. Tactical or strategic, broad or focused, written from the point of view
of an academic or a practitioner or a student (or any combination thereof)
ñ anything involving education and OR/MS is a good topic for this column.
Many of the issues can involve differing opinions, so I also would like to
encourage "point/counterpoint" columns that present more than one
side of an issue.
To submit a column, or if you're considering
writing and want to bounce an idea off me, you can reach me at joel.sokol@isye.gatech.edu
Joel Sokol, Issues in Education
Are you involved in teaching management science? Then don't miss this opportunity to hone your skills and learn new teaching methods! Attend the INFORMS first annual Teaching of Management Science Workshop on July 8-11, 2004, at The Learning Center at Marlboro, Marlborough, Massachusetts.
The Workshop will bring together a small group of participants (60-80) and a faculty of experts in teaching management science. The overall objectives of the workshop are to improve teaching effectiveness by providing a practical background in learning theory, communicating effective strategies for teaching management science, and creating an on-going learning community for monitoring and sharing pedagogical experiments. This workshop is designed to serve both new and experienced teachers of management science.
Participants in the workshop can expect an intense and focused experience. Over the three days of the workshop, participants will be able to focus their attention on acquiring ideas and skills for improving their teaching, and they will be encouraged to develop specific plans for implementing these new ideas in their courses. Participants will meet frequently in small groups to discuss what they have learned, how it applies to their teaching situation, and how they might implement new methods in their courses. The teaching faculty will be available throughout the workshop for individual consultations.
The workshop will be built around a small number of plenary sessions that will introduce fundamental and broadly useful topics such as:
* applying
the latest findings from brain science and cognition
* using active learning techniques to engage students in problem solving
* solving the student assessment conundrum
* using learning objectives to define and communicate the purpose of your
course
* teaching strategic management science
* using cases to teach students how to apply management science
In addition to plenary sessions,
we will have several sets of parallel sessions on topics such as:
* teaching end-user modeling
* web-based learning
* integrating management science into the curriculum
* student learning needs and styles
* teaching with spreadsheets
* teaching optimization
* teaching problem formulation
* teaching simulation
* teaching statistics within management science
* teaching with projects
* teaching the process of problem solving
* modeling for insight
* teaching VBA
If you have questions or suggestions for the Workshop program, contact Steve Powell at mailto:sgp@dartmouth.edu. If you have questions or suggestions about other aspects of the Workshop, contact Lisa Klose at mailto:lisa.klose@informs.org. For more information, visit http://www.informs.org/Edu/TMSWorkshop/.
Helpful Links
- INFORMS
- EUSPRIG
-
High School Operations Research: http://www.hsor.org/
o Ken Chelst and Company have done an amazing job of bringing resources to the high schools, to let them know just a bit about what OR/MS is all about. Take a look at these resources, drop Ken a note and tell him what you think. And while you're at it, maybe you can make some time to be a part of this outreach effort!
- INFORMS Education and Student Affairs page: http://www.informs.org/Edu/edu-inst.html
Lessons in Decision-Making From
the School of Reality ñ Gene Woolsey
Lionheart Publishing's latest release "Real World Operations Research: The Woolsey Papers" collects 33 of Dr. Gene Woolsey's best articles and essays into what some would call a "Textbook for Success."
Aside from his reputation within the Operations Research community for being controversial and outspoken, Gene Woolsey is one of OR's best educators. He runs what is generally considered "the most relentlessly applied program of any in the world," and it pays off -- Woolsey's students have generated a verified $820 million in savings for businesses and governments.
Over the last three decades Woolsey has repeatedly challenged the efficacy of OR education that favors theoretic methodologies over verifiable, real world problem solving. Gene teaches that defining the algorithm and getting the math right is only half the job. Getting the algorithm implemented is the other half of the job and that requires effectively dealing with people and politics. In his quest to expose students to the political realities of the workplace, he requires them to think beyond technical solutions.
"Real World Operations Research: The Woolsey Papers" is available through Lionheart Publishing's online book store located at http://www.lionhrtpub.com/books. You can also order copies by calling (toll free) 888-303-5639, ext. 214. If you are a teacher ordering multiple copies for a class please contact Lionheart for bulk discounts!
"Real World Operations Research: The Woolsey Papers" by Robert E. D. Woolsey, Ph.D., F.I.D.S., edited by Richard L. Hewitt, Ph.D., Pages: 164, Print Price: $19.95 (Plus Shipping & Handling), 6 x 9, paperback, ISBN: 1-931634-25-4
Just A Thought-COMING SOON!!
In the next few weeks, weíll be shipping out another letter to you. This oneís going to be less oriented to business, and more focused on whatís happening in OR/MS education. Iíd like to tailor this to your needs and interests. If you have something youíd like to see included, let me know. Contributions are open to anyone.
Make this your newsletter! Send me your contributions, mracer@memphis.edu
Link of the Month...Getting Down to Business, http://lionhrtpub.com/orms/orms-8-03/frgetdown.html
Tom Grossman discusses
how changes in AACSB accreditation are providing opportunities - and challenges
- for those of us in OR/MS.