News Room

A growing surplus of Ph.D.s in the math and science fields is creating more and more competition among individuals with an advanced degree to obtain tenured positions.

With the location-based augmented reality game Pokémon Go exploding in popularity, [INFORMS Fellow] William Cook, professor at the University of Waterloo, applies the traveling salesman problem to create the most efficient routes in several U.S. cities and universities for Pokémon players to reach all the game stops in that area. 

An article in the June issue of OR/MS Today, by [INFORMS members] Gary Cokins, Walt DeGrange, Stephen Chambal and Russell Walker, was highlighted for demonstrating that sports analytics can be more easily understood by applying classification techniques. This includes analytics for major league players and managers, as well as individual and amateur sports, and franchise and venue management.

Laura McLay, an associate professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and INFORMS vice president of marketing, provides insight on the scientific and analytical perspective that can help minimize the frustration of airport lines.

After attending several INFORMS conferences and recognizing the opportunities that they provide for communicating and collaborating with peers, a group of graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison established an INFORMS student chapter on campus.

“Being a part of INFORMS is a really good opportunity to step back from what you’re doing specifically in your research, and learn about what other students are doing, learn new methods, and be social with other graduate students,” said Erkin Otles, an industrial and systems engineering graduate student.