Resoundingly Human

In this episode we will explore three different applications of O.R. and analytics in sports. Joining me for this episode are Sheldon Jacobson of the University of Illinois to discuss NCAA March Madness basketball brackets, Michael Trick of Carnegie Mellon University to give insight in to Major League Baseball game scheduling, and Walt DeGrange of CANA Advisors and past chairman of the INFORMS SpORTS Section to discuss current and developing applications of O.R. and analytics in sports.

In this episode we will learn how O.R. and analytics are helping the men and women of law enforcement and the corrections systems, from improving the health of prison inmates, to simplifying the assignment of inmates to the appropriate prison, to helping New York city police men and women better predict and respond to crime.

Guests include the new INFORMS president Ramayya Krishnan who will share some insight on what exciting things are in store for INFORMS in the coming year, Shane Henderson and David Shmoys of Cornell University on their INFORMS Wagner Prize winning research on bike share programs, and Alina Sorescu of Texas A&M university whose research takes a deep dive into the ups and downs of the financial stock market over a period of nearly 200 years.

In this episode, I am joined by a very special guest, Santa Claus, who called into the podcast all the way from the North Pole to share the role that O.R. and analytics plan in his annual journey to deliver toys around the world.

In addition, you will hear about the INFORMS Pro Bono Analytics projects for the Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap and Young Audiences: Arts for Learning of NJ and Eastern PA, and how O.R. and analytics helped these organizations better serve their communities.

Guests include Sheldon Jacobson, University of Illinois, to discuss how to enhance the TSA PreCheck, or the “poster child for risk-based security” over the next several decades; Natalie Scala, Towson University, to discuss the threat of cyber, physical and insider vulnerabilities on elections in the U.S.; and Sommer Gentry, U.S Naval Academy, to discuss how to improve kidney transplant rates in underserved areas.

Guests include Ed Kaplan of Yale University whose research has found that the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is twice what previous estimates were; Gino Lim of the University of Houston whose research of drone applications for healthcare could help patients with chronic diseases in rural locations; and Kayse Maass of Northeastern University whose research is working to improving outcomes for victims of human trafficking by looking at the impact of shelter locations.

Guests include James Cochran of the University of Alabama to discuss the newly published INFORMS Analytics Body of Knowledge; Carrie Beam of the University of Arkansas to introduce an exciting new competition, Freestyle O.R. Supreme, that will debut at this year’s INFORMS Annual Meeting; and Alan Briggs from Data Robot, to share the impact of the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) certification on his career path.

Guests include John Dickerson of the University of Maryland and Tuomas Sandholm of Carnegie Mellon University whose research on kidney exchange could significantly increase the number of successful kidney transplants; Eva Lee of Georgia Tech whose research in pediatric heart surgery has provided new insight to help fight the opioid epidemic; and Tallys Yunes of the Miami Business School who has some very valuable insight that can help all the fantasy football fans out there improve their lineups.

This episode explores different ways that INFORMS is helping to spread the word on the important role that O.R. and analytics play in our everyday lives. Our guests in this episode include the 2018 INFORMS president Nicholas Hall, Brian Denton, who served as the 2017 president, and the Director of public affairs and marketing for INFORMS, Jeff Cohen. Each will provide special insight into INFORMS current objectives and goals, as well as new initiatives and a look ahead to next steps.