News Room

David Simchi-Levi, professor of engineering systems at MIT, talks about what’s next for supply chains, as the U.S. looks to reopen businesses after the coronavirus quarantine.

Now that Gov. Phil Murphy has reopened the Jersey Shore for the Memorial Day holiday, will the crowds come? Experts and a poll said people are more likely to drive to the beach at Belmar than fly to French riviera. Another temptation to get them out of the house are lower than normal gas prices. But it will be a gradual transition from coronavirus staycation to vacation.

The world was waiting for any sign of hope in countering the COVID-19 pandemic when researchers released the first encouraging drips of data from a large clinical trial of the antiviral remdesivir last month. The drug, they said, reduced the time to recovery from COVID-19 by a few days — not enough to be branded a ‘cure’, but hopefully enough to relieve some pressure on overwhelmed health-care systems.

As states ease their restrictions, nonprofit leaders at all levels face some unsettling questions. Have we reached a point where we can safely open our doors? Is the virus sufficiently under control, and are we convinced we will not be adding unnecessary contagion opportunities by resuming “normal” operations? Do we trust that those who are making decisions and guiding the reopening process at the federal, state, and local levels are always making wise decisions?

INFORMS, the leading international association for professionals in operations research and analytics, has awarded Smith School of Business at Queen’s University the 2020 UPS George D. Smith Prize. The award recognizes excellence in preparing students to become practitioners of operations research and analytics.