Resoundingly Human

In this episode, I am joined by Pengyuan Wang, assistant professor in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, to discuss her new research published in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, which looks at the impact of legalizing marijuana on the alcohol and tobacco industries, with some surprising results, as well as some interesting insight into which demographics are most interested. Spoiler alert, kids keep an eye on your parents!

Exactly one year ago this month, INFORMS launched its very first episode of Resoundingly Human. I invited one of my very first guests to join me for this episode, Jeff Cohen, INFORMS Director of Public Affairs and Marketing, to take a look back over the last year. Jeff, however, had some ideas of his own and turned the tables on me, and the interviewer became the interviewee!

Some of the most impactful applications of O.R. and analytics are those in the medical field, improving patient outcomes and saving lives. Joining me for this episode are Cynthia Rudin, professor at Duke University’s Prediction Analysis Lab and Dr. Aaron Struck, a neurologist with the Department of Neurology at the University of Wisconsin. Their work on predicting damaging seizures in brain injury patients was recognized with the 2019 Innovative Applications in Analytics Award.

While algorithms play an increasingly integral role in our lives, there still seems to exist a great deal of misunderstanding and even mistrust regarding what algorithms are and what they do. Joining me is Gah-Yi Ban, professor at the London Business School, whose recent TEDx Talk, “The power and perils of algorithms,” delves into the fundamental truths of algorithms to help everyone, even those who are not algorithmic experts, better understand the role they play in our daily lives.

For some, artificial intelligence and automation garner images of exciting advances that will impact important industries and services. For others, it raises concerns that can stretch from a fear of employment opportunities lost to robots taking over the world. Joining me is Ramayya Krishnan, INFORMS President and the William W. and Ruth F. Cooper professor of Management Science and Information Systems and dean of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.

While often referred to as the "art of persuasion," my guest for this episode will be sharing that there is actually a science behind persuasion and will be providing insight into how and why it works. Joining me is Dean Hartley, principal of Hartley Consulting, to discuss his article in the June 2019 issue of OR/MS Today magazine, “Persuasion Wars, Part 1,“ which looks at how and why persuasion works, and its uses and misuses throughout history.

In this episode, I am joined by Scott Nestler, professor at the Mendoza College of Business with the University of Notre Dame, to discuss ethics in data. Scott has been a strong advocate for the importance of ethics for the analytics profession, and was the driving force behind the Certified Analytics Professional Certification Program’s Code of Ethics.

In this episode, I am joined by Hui Li, professor with Carnegie Mellon University, whose recent study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science, “Competitive Dynamics in the Sharing Economy: An Analysis in the Context of Airbnb and Hotels,” explored the impact of Airbnb and the sharing economy overall on the hospitality industry, with some unexpected results.

In this episode I am joined by Laura Albert, Assistant Dean for Graduate Affairs in the College of Engineering and Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Outreach on the INFORMS Board of Directors, to discuss the INFORMS 2019 Government & Analytics Summit, for which she served as Chair.

In this episode, we will be taking a look back, way back actually, to the first time the term Operations Research was employed, and some of the earliest applications of O.R. during World War II, when it helped the Allied forces in Europe achieve victory over Germany. I am joined by Gerald Brown, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of operations research at the Naval Postgraduate School and an INFORMS Fellow, to discuss these earliest applications, their impact, and how O.R. has grown since then.