We are drowning in numbers, and we no longer understand what they mean. Every day, headlines bombard us with figures meant to inform: billions in spending, trillions in debt, percentages signaling growth or decline. But for most of us, these numbers blur together. They register as “large” or “small,” but almost never as real. And that is more than a math problem. It is a civic one.
INFORMS has awarded Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) its 2026 Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Advanced Analytics, Operations Research and Management Science, for reengineering how global cloud infrastructure is planned and delivered, applying advanced analytics and AI to orchestrate complex fulfillment decisions across its rapidly expanding data center network.
In the rush to adopt artificial intelligence, many employers are now requiring that employees use AI tools. As you’re using AI, be intentional and selective. It’s critical that you know yourself. Research published in Management Science found that AI is most valuable for people who understand their own abilities and limitations. Assess yourself, so you can factor this into your process for incorporating AI into your work.
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Anna Nagurney, Ph.D. (University of Massachusetts) joins the CareTalk Podcast to explain why COVID vaccines will require cold chain logistics and whether or not the US is properly equipped to supply the vaccines when they become available.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison offers a number of experts, story angles and resources for media covering Election 2020, including about creating resilient voting systems, the vice presidential debate and more.
Anticipation of a covid-19 vaccine is growing. The National Academy of Medicine issued the report “Framework for Equitable Allocation of Covid-19 Vaccine,” offering guidance on vaccine allocation. The process is certain to be fraught with politics, given that equitable, safe and effective all represent critical, albeit subjective criteria to assess the vaccine allocation process and meet the requirements of the vaccine supply chain.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts have warned about the horrors of the 1918 flu. After the first dangerous wave of infections that spring, cities and people relaxed their efforts to contain the virus and it came roaring back in the fall and winter, killing far more people. So far, COVID-19 hasn't behaved the same way. There was no summer break, and we're not seeing the ebb and flow that characterized the 1918 outbreak. It's been more like a forest fire spiking in one area while dying down in another.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, along with state and local health departments, coordinates this process. These agencies distributed flu vaccines during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic this way, and they manage childhood vaccines every day. However, the COVID-19 vaccine will be a whole new challenge.
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