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George Dantzig introduced the world to the power of optimization, creating trillions of dollars of value and saving countless years of life across the globe. In this laudation, John Birge describes the fascinating life and incredible accomplishments of a scholar whose footprints led the way to almost everything the global economy produces.

The road to a COVID-19 shot often leads through a maze of scheduling systems: Some vaccine seekers spend days or weeks trying to book online appointments. Those who get a coveted slot can still be stymied by pages of forms or websites that slow to a crawl and crash.

It seems simple enough to grasp: Protecting more people from COVID-19 — either by exposure or inoculation — makes it harder for the coronavirus to spread.

North Carolina health officials expect the state to receive as many as 400,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine per week by the beginning of April — a jump of 175,000 doses made possible by the production of the new Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine.