The U.S. Census Bureau has named five new members and a chair to the Census Bureau’s Census Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC). The committee provides advice on the design, operation and implementation of Census Bureau programs. Among the committee members is Thomas M. Cook, a former INFORMS president and former president of The Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS). 

INFORMS is very excited to share the launch of our brand new podcast series, Resoundingly Human, which is dedicated to bringing O.R. and analytics to life by highlighting the incredible contributions of our members who are using O.R. and analytics to save lives, save money, and solve problems. Our first episode features members of INFORMS leadership to explore different ways that INFORMS is helping to spread the word on the important role that O.R. and analytics play in our everyday lives. Our guests in this episode include the 2018 INFORMS president Nicholas Hall, Brian Denton, who served as the 2017 president, and the Director of public affairs and marketing for INFORMS, Jeff Cohen. Each will provide special insight into INFORMS current objectives and goals, as well as new initiatives and a look ahead to next steps.

According to a new article by INFORMS member Joseph Byrum, every firm today that is heavily invested in big data, such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, all owe their success to beer. The pioneering work of Irish brewers a century ago made today’s big data and artificial intelligence gold rush possible. And the advances in genetics, technology, and mathematics may well be the key to humanity’s survival.

Few tactics in baseball fuel more debate than the bunt. Following a steady decline starting in 2011, this year has already seen record numbers of bunts among professional baseball players with surprising results. 

To ensure the increasing popularity of e-books did not undermine the success of their printed counterparts, publishers frequently delayed the digital publication date for several weeks after the print edition has been released. However, new research in the INFORMS journal Management Science found that delaying the sale of the e-version of a new book does not lead to increased print sales, and can result in significantly fewer e-book sales once the digital version is made available.

At the 2018 World Cup, the Brazilian team's star player has been criticized for his theatrics, in particular his repeated episodes of writhing on the ground claiming injury and fouls. But how did this effect his team's overall performance? Here is a break down of how often he 'flopped' and for how long, and the overall impact. 

“How might we use artificial intelligence and big data to help scientists advance our understanding?” That understanding, presumably, would be used to accelerate the creation of the universal flu vaccine, a topic that is explored in a new editorial from INFORMS member Eva Lee. 

Research in INFORMS journal Management Science indicates that publishers who tried to manipulate readers into buying paper books over eBooks, only managed to drive their eBooks sales down.

Since the first e-book platform launched in 2007, e-book sales grew to comprise 20 per cent of all book sales by 2015. To ensure the increasing popularity of e-books did not undermine the success of their printed counterparts, publishers frequently delayed the digital publication date for several weeks after the print edition has been released. 

According to a study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, co-authored by Yanwen Wang of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Michael Lewis of Emory University in Atlanta and David A. Schweidel of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., negative advertising is effective in influencing voters — but significantly more so when the attacking candidates themselves run the ads.

New research in the INFORMS journal Management Science found that delaying the sale of the e-version of a new book does not lead to increased print sales, and can result in significantly fewer e-book sales (a nearly 50 percent decrease) once the digital version is made available.

As a study by researchers from the City University of Hong Kong, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University, which has been published in the INFORMS journal Management Science, has shown, delaying the ebook's output does not have a positive impact on sales of the paper edition. In addition, it has a subsequent negative impact on e-book sales. 

In a new editorial, Eva Lee, professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and INFORMS Fellow, discusses the need for a universal flu vaccine, and how operations research and analytics hold the key to creating it. 

The annual federal report on toxic material emissions from industrial sites across the country gains widespread media attention and serves as a reminder of the potential environmental impacts of industrial activities. But do federal regulators actually persuade companies to abandon toxic chemicals by simply highlighting that information? The answer appears to be yes, according to a study in the INFORMS journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. 

The INFORMS International Conference, held for the first time this year in Taipei drew international top scholars from 25 countries around the world. Participants agreed that in addition to academic research and discussion on the latest trends, they were also impressed by the energy of Taiwan’s industry innovation and Taipei’s progress and friendliness.

Jack Levis, INFORMS member and senior director of process management for UPS, a winner of the INFORMS Edelman Award, discusses the company’s On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation (ORION) system, which uses IoT technology to allow more control over its operations. This ORION system is constantly collecting information from several sources, including drivers, vehicles and packages, and data from all sources is integrated and analyzed to create a full picture of the operation. With IoT technology, UPS has cut the miles driven per year by 100 million, ultimately cutting CO2 emissions by 100,000 metric tons, using 10 million fewer gallons of fuel and saving the company $350 million to $400 million per year.

Mary Beth Kurz, INFORMS member and professor with Clemson University, talks about the little things her grandfather did with her that made a huge impact on her as an engineer and as a person.

INFORMS member George Skiadopoulos shares new research in the INFORMS journal Management Science, which discusses a new economic indicator, based on stock index options prices, that predicts the U.S. economy is poised to expand robustly with no sign of a recession in sight. 

While many may dread campaign season because of the bad energy associated with negative political advertising, a new study has found that such ads actually work. Negative advertising in politics works, but it’s more effective if the advertising comes directly from a candidate or candidate’s campaign. That’s according to a new study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science. 

Brock University professor and INFORMS member Michael Armstrong analyzes data from the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and discusses the difference between linear growth and exponential growth, using that information to explain why it's important to stop the current outbreak in the Congo before it spreads.