Op-ed: Here's why America's COVID-19 immunization depends on college campuses
Colleges are already planning for this fall, with in-person education at the top of the list. There are good reasons to believe that this is the right path at this time.
The INFORMS Analytics+ Conference showcased how companies are turning advanced analytics and AI into measurable operational results
In most emergency departments, beds are a hot commodity. But some patients don’t actually need a bed for their treatment – and accurately identifying those people is a low-lift but effective way to increase efficiency without sacrificing care quality, finds a study recently published in the journal Management Science.
The researchers developed a simple decision tree, informed by mathematical and machine learning models, to help staff decide whether a patient truly needs a bed or can be routed to a “vertical processing pathway” – that is, an area where they can be treated sitting up. Many hospitals already have such an area but don’t necessarily have a systematic way to decide which patients are treated there.
American teenagers start their school day too early.
Medical experts have been clear for years: sleep cycle changes during puberty make it hard for teenagers to learn in the early morning. Later school start times have been linked to better sleep, improved mental health, stronger academic performance and even safer driving.
Most school district leaders know about this problem and care about fixing it. But changing the schedule can feel operationally impossible.
An audio journey of how data and analytics save lives, save money and solve problems.

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Colleges are already planning for this fall, with in-person education at the top of the list. There are good reasons to believe that this is the right path at this time.
For months, the dining room tables at South City Kitchen in Buckhead have been the state-mandated 6 feet apart for the safety of employees and guests. And the indoor seating won’t be moving any closer today, when Gov. Brian Kemp’s new coronavirus emergency order will allow tables to be as close as 42 inches.
The handwriting on the wall was but a hazy ink back in January, when talks were beginning to form among educators, administrators, and teachers’ unions about how to reopen schools. For millions of American students, the transition will not be easy. Most have been out of the classroom for beyond a year, and many now struggle with depression owing to months of social isolation — suicide rates among America’s youth are skyrocketing. Yet instead of addressing students’ academic, psychological, and emotional needs, school district administrators and teachers’ unions remain hyper-focused on establishing and maintaining COVID-19 safety protocols, “welcoming” students back into what sounds more like a Communist-run system than a nurturing educational environment.
The fight: Since the beginning of the vaccine rollout, some scientists have argued that the U.S. should delay second doses of COVID-19 vaccines to allow more people to get some protection from the initial first dose.
Loss of shots that could have inoculated 7% of American adults serves as a reminder of strict quality controls measure meant to catch problems before they reach public

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