SIMULATED SOCIETY AN ABSURD INTERNET MONEYBALL INNOVATIVE EDUCATION:

OBSERVATIONS OF THINGS (IoT) PROJECT FOR MURDERBALL OPTIMIZATION GAMES

Charismatic influencers World’s first artificial End-to-end analytics Series of classroom games
affect polarization intelligence skateboard case for wheelchair rugby for young scholars

Spring 2023 I Volume 50, Number 2

MACHINE
LEARNING
VS. TRAFFIC
AI-POWERED AUTOMATED
VEHICLES PREVAIL
OR/MS TODAY

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The 2023 INFORMS Annual Meeting, October 15 –18 in Phoenix, Arizona, embraces
Marketing Science
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Foundation’s 10 Big Ideas: “Harnessing the data revolution” … all with the power of
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Organization Science
Lamar Pierce, Washington University in St. Louis
Service Science In addition to the tremendous growth in volume, velocity, and variety of data in
Saif Benjaafar, University of Minnesota
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Stochastic Systems
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to evolve.
Transportation Science
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Join more than 6,000 members, students, academic, and industry experts in analytics,
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ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 1

SPRING 2023 ISSUE CONTENTS

16 20 24 30
MASSIVE AI EXPERIMENT CHARISMATIC WORLD’S FIRST HOW TO GET AWAY
IN NASHVILLE INFLUENCERS AND IoT SKATEBOARD WITH MURDERBALL
Connected and automated SOCIETAL POLARIZATION Sometimes, “dumb” End-to-end analytics
vehicles (CAVs) help Simulated society shows ideas turn into cool, case study constructs
smooth traffic flow. how online influencers fun, teachable projects. wheelchair rugby lineups.
BY ZHE FU, KARA MANKE and messaging affect BY HARRISON BY ALBERT LOA,
AND ALEXANDRE BAYEN social division. SCHRAMM, CAP CRAIG FERNANDES,
BY JOHN M. BETTS, NATHAN SANDHOLTZ
ANA-MARIA BLIUC AND TIMOTHY C. Y. CHAN
AND MIOARA CRISTEA

36 DEPARTMENTS
INNOVATIVE EDUCATION: 4 Inside Story 40 Subject to… 59 Conference Preview:
OPTIMIZATION GAMES Annual Meeting
6 Presidential 43 Conference Preview:
Series of classroom Punk Rock O.R. Healthcare 60 BOD Candidate
optimization games Statements
geared toward young 8 HQ Highlights 44 Roundtable Profile
students available 62 Member Insights: DEI
for utilization. 10 Issues in Education 48 INFORMS Initiatives

BY TALLYS YUNES 14 Viewpoint 52 Student Perspectives

29 INFORMS Online 56 INFORMS Awards

2 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 3

INSIDE STORY
FROM EMBRACING EQUITY
TO CHAMPIONING CHANGE
BY KARA TUCKER
I’D LIKE TO START THIS COLUMN BY
addressing what turned out to be a highly debated
previous issue of OR/MS Today. (INFORMS Executive
Director Elena Gerstmann touches on this in her
column on page 8 so I will not dwell on it too
much here.) In case you missed it, the winter issue
featured member photos on the cover, with the
#EmbraceEquity theme and pose chosen for the
International Women’s Day 2023 campaign. We
saw the theme, loved the idea and began soliciting
participation from INFORMS members – posting
our call for action on each INFORMS social media
account, to INFORMS Connect, and reaching out
directly to the heads of INFORMS communities
and groups. If you submitted a photo, thank you.
I heard more feedback about this particular
issue’s cover than anything else we’ve published
in my short tenure as editor of OR/MS Today.
All press is good press, right? The feedback was
varied including some members reaching out to
say how beautiful the cover was, or that it was
their all-time favorite cover of OR/MS Today.
The magazine Others expressed criticism because they think
INFORMS has been shining too bright a light on
design team diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). (Again, see
and I are page 8 for more details on the question of “not
enough or too much.”)
committed We also heard from some members that the
to INFORMS’ photos didn’t reflect the full diversity of the INFORMS
community. It is this last point that resonates the
strategic goal most for me. I agree that the cover, unfortunately,
of “Advancing did not showcase the full diversity of INFORMS
members and our community. The magazine
diversity, equity, design team and I are committed to INFORMS’
and inclusion strategic goal of “Advancing diversity, equity,
and inclusion in all we do.” We can do better
in all we do." and we will do better.
In addition, I want to call out and publicly thank
Polly Mitchell-Guthrie for penning the insightful
and inspiring article that was attached to the
#EmbraceEquity idea and gracefully sharing her
story. There is an updated version of “A Tale of Two
Paulines” at https://doi.org/10.1287/orms.2023.01.13.
4 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
Onward and Upward
This issue of OR/MS Today may seem boring
(read: noncontroversial) in comparison, but I
think it is still filled with quite exciting use cases
of operations research (O.R.) and analytics.
Feature articles include stories about a massive
connected automated vehicle experiment in
Nashville (p. 16), a simulated society that proves
charismatic online influencers can affect societal
polarization (p. 20), an end-to-end analytics solution
to conducting wheelchair rugby lineups (p. 30) and,
according to the author, the world’s most absurd
IoT project resulting in the first AI skateboard (p. 24).
This issue also provides innovative education in the
form of readily available classroom optimization
games for young scholars (see page 36). Lots to digest.
However, we did not shy away from DEI stories in
this issue. You’ll find two prominent columns relating
to INFORMS' DEI Ambassadors Program. On
page 48, you’ll find the story of how Ambassador
projects led to the newest community at INFORMS,
the PRIDE Forum, which was officially launched
in April. You can also read about another DEI
Ambassador project, “To My Younger Self,” including
results from the first cohort, plans for future cohorts,
and guidance for universities and professional
communities to initiate a similar mentorship
program to improve student mentoring (see page 62).
In this issue, we introduce a new column based
on the popular podcast “Subject to” by INFORMS
member Anand Subramanian. He pens his first
column with co-author Holger Teichgraeber on the
interplay between O.R. and machine learning (p. 40).
Subramanian uses insights from his extensive podcast
interviews with O.R. greats for a comprehensive
account of relevant industry topics and trends.
Look for this new column in future issues as well!
Thanks for reading and keep the feedback coming.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll
always get what you’ve always got.” – Anonymous
KARA TUCKER is editor of OR/MS Today and Analytics magazines.
PRESIDENTIAL PUNK ROCK O.R.
ADVANCING ANALYTICS
INTO THE FUTURE
BY LAURA ALBERT
I RETURNED FROM THE 2023 INFORMS BUSINESS ANALYTICS
Conference in Aurora, Colorado, excited about the future of operations
research and analytics. The conference was attended by nearly 700 analytics
professionals who shared knowledge and discussed saving money, saving lives
and solving problems at the intersection of data, analytics and problem-solving
for business, government, military and beyond. I want to acknowledge the
efforts of the General Chair Aaron Burciaga, CAP (at AWS), for organizing
an excellent conference. The sessions, keynotes and networking events
were timely and engaging.
Conference Tracks and Speakers
Understanding how to make decisions well is something that every
organization values. Making better decisions captures a range of topics,
including data-driven decision-making, communication and the human
side of decisions, which were all captured in the conference talks and tracks.
The programming at the Business Analytics Conference consisted of 21
tracks and roughly 88 speakers! The tracks spanned topics such as cyber
analytics, behavioral analytics, and accounting and financial services, in
addition to traditional tracks such as revenue management and supply chains.
The two keynotes showcased great speakers who discussed opportunities
for the analytics community. Hilary Mason, co-founder and CEO of Hidden
Door, discussed modern trends and the future of analytics. She summarized
her experiences in using data-driven processes to solve problems and impact
a variety of settings, and she highlighted general approaches for considering
production and using analytics at scale.
Chris Tonas, chief technology officer of Pluralsight, discussed how leaders
in analytics need to “upskill” to stay ahead of technology trends, including the
role of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in data science. He predicted that
demand for data scientists will increase and that staying on top of the most
relevant technology, such as cloud computing, AI and cybersecurity, will be
necessary to innovate in the current landscape.
The conference program was filled with opportunities for learning, the
exchange of ideas and inspiration. A popular event was the Women in OR/MS
“Cocktails and Conversations” reception, in which INFORMS Past President
Radhika Kulkarni shared her reflections on her analytics journey to a packed
house and riveted audience.
The Edelman Gala
The Edelman Gala was the highlight of the
conference, showcasing achievements in analytics
that involved implementing solutions at scale in
real-world settings. At the gala, four INFORMS-level
prizes were awarded over the evening, culminating
in the Franz Edelman Award being awarded
to Walmart. Walmart was recognized for using
advanced optimization models for long-term supply
chain capital investments as well as an application
supporting daily decisions of truck routing and
loading to save money and reduce Walmart’s carbon
footprint. I look forward to reading more about the
finalists’ achievements in the INFORMS Journal on
Applied Analytics in an upcoming issue.
Walmart was also awarded the INFORMS Prize
for its consistent and innovative application of
demand forecasting, supply chain optimization and
merchandising operations to support organizational
decision-making.
A team from Anheuser-Busch InBev and MIT
was awarded the 2022 Daniel H. Wagner Prize for
their work leveraging physical retail experiments
and a platform named “TestOps” to increase sales
and revenue.
The UPS George D. Smith Prize was awarded
to Purdue University, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School
of Business, Business Analytics and Information
Management (BAIM) for their excellence in
preparing students to become practitioners
of operations research and analytics.
Forward-looking Programming
The 2023 Business Analytics Conference offered
several innovative programs outside of the regular
annual events, and there were five can’t-miss events.
But in case you did, here’s a brief summary:
• The Executive Forum gathered more than
70 senior executives and enterprise leaders
to discuss important issues in analytics and
provide networking opportunities.
• A “Responsible Data Scientist Workshop”
was offered by Grant Fleming, a senior data
scientist at Elder Research. This workshop
introduced a formal process to protect against
possible harm from machine learning and
AI deployments.
• Beverly Wright, CAP (head of data science
at Burtch Works), offered “Demystifying the
CAP® Exam Workshop” to help members of
the community embark on the journey to
earning their Certified Analytics Professional
(CAP) designation.
• The Early Career Professionals’ Network (ECPN)
convened to provide guidance to the new cohort
of recent graduates entering industry and help
build their professional networks. The ECPN
was co-chaired by Heather Moe (Esri) and
Qinglin Duan (Bayer Crop Science).
• The Meeting of Analytics Program Directors
(MAPD) provided program directors with an
opportunity to meet and discuss a variety
of topics relevant to their degree programs,
including relevant trends, challenges, pain
points and education innovation. The MAPD
committee was chaired by Nick Freeman of
the University of Alabama.
What’s Next?
I left the conference feeling energized and excited
about the future of operations research and
analytics. There are a few topics that I repeatedly
heard attendees mention throughout our time in
Aurora that reflect the current trends in industry:
• Building and leading data science teams.
• Machine learning in the cloud.
• Matching resources to customers in real time.
• Artificial intelligence in systems that span
data, people and processes.
• Cybersecurity.
Another theme I noticed was a commitment to
lifelong learning, which was one of the messages
in both keynote talks. In fact, Hilary Mason stated,
“Leaders with robust data skills are going to win.”
The conference provided avenues and opportunities
for building these skills.
In the coming months, INFORMS will build on
the success of the Business Analytics Conference.
Notably, INFORMS is continuing to develop new
programming to help early-career professionals with
transitions in their careers. For example, “INFORMS
Insights” is a new webinar series targeting early-
career professionals and will explore industry career
paths and experiences. The first webinar, “Lessons
for a productive and fulfilling career in analytics –
10 tips from a NASA Data Scientist” delivered by
Doug Trent, a senior data scientist at NASA, was
enlightening. Several other seminars have been
scheduled and more are coming (visit https://
info.informs.org/informs-insights for more).
The conference also helped advance the
INFORMS tagline project, which seeks to better
communicate what INFORMS does and why what
we do is important. Five draft taglines were crafted
after surveying members and stakeholders, as well
as several discussions with the board of directors.
Feedback on these draft taglines was solicited at
the conference, which will inform the selection
of a final tagline that will best position INFORMS
and our members. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, let’s keep saving lives,
saving money and solving problems.
LAURA ALBERT is a professor and the David H. Gustafson Chair of
Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison. She is the 2023 INFORMS president. She is the author
of the blog Punk Rock Operations Research. You can find her on
Twitter at @lauraalbertphd.
 HQ HIGHLIGHTS
RISING TIDES
DEI is not
LIFT ALL BOATS –
a zero-sum
game.
MY PERSPECTIVE
ON IMPROVING
INCLUSION
BY ELENA GERSTMANN
EACH DAY, THERE ARE NEW HEADLINES
and social media posts that reflect ongoing debates
surrounding diversity in the world. These include
complaints that span all sides of the continuum
related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Sometimes, it seems, a new continuum begins or the
boundaries that I thought anchored the continuum
have moved. For me, the month of June makes me
spend even more time reflecting on the status of DEI
in our world. Names like George Floyd and Breonna
Taylor come to mind as I reflect on making sure my
personal commitment to anti-racism is deliberate
and action-oriented. But for this column, what about
INFORMS? Are we making good on the promises
we’ve made? What do our members think?
Recent Member Survey
Last year, we conducted a large survey asking our
members to indicate their level of agreement with
a series of INFORMS-related statements, including
four statements specifically related to DEI. (We used
a 5-point scale from “1 = Disagree completely” to “5 =
Agree completely.”) The range of the average rating
by current members for these four questions was
between 4.1 and 4.4. Although this isn’t a bad place
to land, we know we can do better. As we add more
DEI-related activities and efforts, we expect the
ratings to increase. We will measure this again
in 2024 to see if we have moved the needle.
Unsurprisingly, not all members think the same.
Some members have expressed concern over
INFORMS’ focus on DEI. Some members have
conveyed diversity fatigue. Other members have
expressed frustration that INFORMS is doing too
little. So, we asked members, “Do you believe that
INFORMS spends too little, just enough, or too
much time on efforts to advance diversity, equity,
and inclusion?”
8 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
• One-third (32%) of members stated they didn’t
know or were unsure. Of those who did have
an opinion, the majority (65%) felt INFORMS
spends just the right amount of time, whereas
21% felt INFORMS doesn’t spend enough time
and 14% said INFORMS spends too much time.
• There were some differences in answers
based on member demographics:
◦ Students were the least likely group to say
INFORMS spends too much time on DEI
efforts (8% vs. the average of 14%); they were
the most likely to select “just the right amount.”
◦ Those who work for industry were the most
likely (17% vs. the average of 14%) to state
that INFORMS spends too much time.
◦ Those who work in academia were the most
likely (27% vs. the average of 21%) to think
INFORMS spends too little time.
We also asked about our members’ experiences.
We asked respondents two questions:
1. “Over the past 3 years, have YOU ever personally
experienced discomfort when engaged with
INFORMS activities because of your: [we listed
12 categories covering traditional diversity
categories such as race, ethnicity, age and
categories specific to INFORMS, such as
employer type; respondents could check as
many as applied, including stating that they
hadn’t experienced any discomfort]?”
2. “Over the past 3 years, have you witnessed
someone engaged with INFORMS activities
being treated unfairly because of their: [same
categories of the previous question]?”
The vast majority (88%) of members did not
personally experience discomfort, and 90% never
witnessed someone being treated unfairly. Members
who self-identified as being part of traditionally
marginalized demographic groups were more likely
to indicate they either personally experienced
discomfort or witnessed someone being treated
unfairly. (There was no difference between how
academic or industry members answered these
questions.) Not surprisingly, former members
were more likely to have personally experienced
or witnessed someone being treated unfairly.
Why it Matters
This last data point, to me, clearly demonstrates
one of the most important reasons why creating a
more welcoming and safer environment is one of
our top priorities. Members may disagree on the
level of INFORMS’ focus on diversity, but I doubt
we have any member of our community who likes
the fact that we may have lost members because
of an unwelcoming culture or climate.
As we think about ways to improve our culture
and climate, I’m reminded of an excellent example of
universal accessibility related to the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) and the increase of wheelchair
ramps. Although the ramps were initially installed
to make buildings and public spaces accessible
for people with mobility impairments, these ramps
have proved to be beneficial for many more people,
including those pushing baby strollers or using
wheeled suitcases. I love this example because it
shows how seemingly small design features can
have a significant impact on increasing access and
opportunity for many people.
How Can You Help?
My wife is an introvert. A tip she has taught me
when I’m at a large social gathering, such as a
conference reception, and talking with a group of
people is that I should try to angle my body in such
a way that it is clear that there is an opening for
someone to join us. That is, more of a horseshoe
shape than a closed circle. For introverts, this is
more welcoming because they see there is space
for them. Of course, this is not just a good way to
include introverts but possibly a way to include
someone who may not be sure if they will be
welcomed. (I’m not perfect, so if you ever see me
in a closed circle, just tap me on the shoulder.)
Another tip: I try to think of how I move in and
out of privilege. When I have privilege, I ask myself
how I can create space for and amplify others.
When I’m in a place where I lack privilege, how can
I manage to still be heard? Who are my allies? I
know as a white, upper-middle-class, well-educated
woman, I am in a place of privilege much of the
time. But not always … at times, the fact that I’m
a lesbian may put me at a disadvantage. Or the fact
that I was raised in a different economic status
(when I was little, my single mother was raising us
on welfare and food stamps) or that I’m a first-
generation immigrant because my father was
a refugee born in Austria.
So, what can we each learn from all this?
A lot! Sometimes someone is in the minority and
sometimes they’re in the majority. If we’re able
to thread the needle so everyone feels welcome,
we’ll each be able to go in and out of communities
and feel welcome whether we’re in the majority
or minority. Some may see this as overly optimistic,
but I prefer to reside in this aspirational space.
How is INFORMS Doing?
I believe that we are moving in the right direction.
Just in the past year, we had grassroots efforts to
launch two new forums: one for military veterans
If you want to
(and allies) and one for the LGBTQ+ community
(and allies). Yes, these communities will support
see something,
you can build
their missions and members, but I’m equally excited
that the existence of these two communities will it. INFORMS
remind all of our members that they can find a
is yours.
home in INFORMS. It also reinforces to members
that INFORMS is their community. If you want INFORMS
to see something, you can build it. INFORMS is
yours. INFORMS is ours. is ours.
The efforts and activities of the Minority
Issues Forum (MIF), Forum for Women in OR/MS
(WORMS), Junior Faculty Interest Group and other
groups are many and strong. The successful DEI
Ambassadors Program run by the DEI Committee
is in its fourth year. More of our societies, sections
and chapters have established committees and/
or officers dedicated to advancing DEI in their
respective communities. And there is a lot more
happening that’s yet to come.
I’m proud that we haven’t taken our foot off the
gas. Our efforts to be more inclusive are just one
step toward our ultimate vision of creating a truly
welcoming and empowering environment for all.
At times, we will stumble, and when we do, we
will apologize, reflect, learn and step up our efforts.
It Isn’t a Zero-Sum Game
I acknowledge that some members may feel
excluded by our focus on DEI. This is not my
goal. I believe we all agree it is important to create
an environment where everyone feels welcome
and included. My assumption is that we may have
different opinions on how to create this environment;
regardless, I value these diverse perspectives and
welcome open dialogue. I firmly believe that our
DEI efforts benefit everyone and do not come
at the expense of any particular group. It’s okay if
we don’t always agree, and I believe we can have
respectful conversations and find common ground
even when we have different perspectives.
I have great hope that we all – across the wide
breadth and depth of INFORMS – will collaborate
to lift others, raising the tide and elevating each
and every boat.
ELENA GERSTMANN, Ph.D., FASAE, CAE (egerstmann@informs.org),
is the executive director of INFORMS (5521 Research Park Drive,
Ste. 200, Catonsville, MD 21228). She can be reached via email
or by phone at 443-757-3521.
ISSUES IN EDUCATION
DATA ANALYTICS EDUCATION
WITH CHATGPT: UNLOCKING
NEW AI-POWERED POSSIBILITIES
BY ELHAM TORABI AND RHONDA A. SYLER
IN LATE 2022, OPENAI UNVEILED CHATGPT,
its chat-based language model, and the world has
been abuzz and filled with a cacophony of thoughts
and opinions – everything from cries of doomsday
prophecies and trepidation to elated expressions
of excitement and awe as businesses and society
have been scrambling to contemplate the vast array
of possibilities the latest artificial intelligence (AI)
technologies bring. For as many who are embracing
its dazzling linguistic prowess, there are equally as
many shuddering at its potential to set us back and
compound myriad ethical and moral dilemmas that
we are struggling to solve as it is – concerns ranging
from the implications of erroneous responses, the
ability to create imaginary companions, and the
further deepening of the challenges of being able
to distinguish fact from fiction in the never-ending
battle of disinformation and misinformation.
The world of academia has been no exception.
There was an immediate sense of alarm among
faculty and administrators alike. Not only had yet
another new tool erupted to help students cheat,
this novel tool, within seconds of receiving a
10 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
prompt, could produce humanlike responses in any
narrative style requested. The consensus: ChatGPT
was a game-changer. In addition to concerns
with cheating, many academicians also expressed
concerns that ChatGPT would put an end to critical
and creative thinking, hinder development of oral
and written communication skill development, and
all but end the ability to think autonomously.
On the flip side, however, ChatGPT has captivated
our minds and ignited our curiosity. We argue that
ChatGPT can be used to encourage critical and
creative thinking rather than destroy it; improve
and enhance communication skills; and provide a
vehicle for encouraging independent thought. We
will acknowledge the dark side of ChatGPT (and
similar tools sure to come) in the classroom, but
the primary impetus for this article is to provide
pragmatic ways in which these tools can add value
and enhance the student and instructor experience.
We aren’t alone in this endeavor; there has been
much discussion about its use in education in
general, but there has been little discussion about
how it could be adopted for use in more specialized
curriculum such as data analytics courses. Our
goal for this article is to begin a discussion, and
perhaps ignite a debate, about the opportunities
AI-driven tools like ChatGPT provide for the data
analytics student, educator and curriculum.
Potential Roles for ChatGPT
in Data Analytics Education
After testing and evaluating the features and
capabilities of ChatGPT, we believe this tool could
potentially improve the student experience and
facilitate learning and engagement in the data
analytics classroom. Many data analysts and data
scientists are already using AI as an aid in their
daily work environment. ChatGPT promises to
join the ranks as a valuable resource.
Among the knowledge, skills and abilities expected
of new data analytics graduates, three key areas
emerge as potential areas in which learning can
be augmented by ChatGPT: coding, data analysis,
and communication of the interpretation and
insights from the analysis. The key to adding value
with ChatGPT, as we will discuss, is providing
thoughtful exercises that are laser-focused on
key learning outcomes. From this approach, we
believe that ChatGPT can, in fact, assist students
in strengthening their coding abilities, data
analytics skills, and ability to articulate analysis
interpretation and data insights to technical
and nontechnical audiences – all of which will
enhance critical and creative thinking skills,
communication skills and students’ ability to
think autonomously.
Coding
Driven by natural language processing, text and
language are ChatGPT’s specialty, including
programming languages. When asking ChatGPT
what programming languages it can write code
in, the tool quickly responds with a sample list of
19 languages including SQL, Python, R, Java, C#,
Ruby, Swift and even Scala. Although ChatGPT
seems proud of its extensive knowledge, it does
caution the user, “keep in mind that while I can
provide assistance and generate examples in
these languages, my proficiency might not be as
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 11
ISSUES IN EDUCATION
extensive in all of them. If you need help with a
specific language or task, feel free to ask, and I’ll
do my best to help.”
ChatGPT can help students with writing simple
We argue codes in myriad programming languages, and it
quickly becomes clear that complex code must
that ChatGPT be broken down into smaller pieces. Students
can be used must be familiar enough with a given language
and its syntax and logic to put together the pieces
to encourage to come up with a complex code that executes
critical and the instruction the student intended. Rather
than being a hindrance, these limitations provide
creative an opportunity to encourage students to think
critically about how to assess the accuracy of
thinking rather output and work autonomously to determine
than destroy how to use it most efficiently.
In the case of existing code, ChatGPT can debug,
it; improve optimize and add comments. It can also explain
and enhance what a block of complex code does in simple
language. These features of ChatGPT provide an
communication opportunity for students to dive into code to better
skills; and understand its structure and logic while engaging
their critical thinking skills. Assignments that
provide a require students to use ChatGPT to write and then
vehicle for examine code for bugs, or exercises that require
students to input buggy code and assess the output
encouraging for accuracy, could help students improve their
coding skills while engaging in critical thinking.
independent
thought. Data Analytics
ChatGPT is not a specialized tool for analytics,
but it can provide assistance given a data set
and context. Students can copy and paste a data
set into ChatGPT and ask for basic descriptive
FIGURE 1: ChatGPT generates
analytics (e.g., means, medians, standard deviation
frequency table for a given and correlations). ChatGPT can also create
data set. data dictionaries and tables and conduct
12 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
sentiment analysis. Although these use cases
are straightforward, students still need to
understand the data set and the purpose of the
analysis and perform more advanced analysis
themselves in other tools. Providing assignments
that require the student to input data analysis
and prompts to critique and score ChatGPT’s
output can help students think critically while
fostering a deeper understanding of statistics and
mathematical models.
In addition to being limited to basic operations,
it is important to note that on its own, ChatGPT
cannot create data visualizations (at least not yet).
However, it can provide guidance, instructions, code
and insight on how to create visualizations. When
asked about this competency, ChatGPT responded:
“Unfortunately, I cannot create visual elements
like a bar chart as a text-based AI. However, I can
help you prepare the frequency distribution table
for your data. Please provide the data you’d like to
analyze, and I can guide you through the process of
creating the table. Once the table is ready, you can
use a tool like Excel or Google Sheets to create the
bar chart easily.”
We see this limitation as an opportunity. As you
can see in Figure 1, when given the data, ChatGPT
can create the frequency distribution table and
provide instructions for creating the bar charts in
another tool. A craftily created exercise can use
ChatGPT to guide students through this process
to help introduce and/or reinforce the connection
between a visualization and its underlying data, as
this case does with a bar chart and its underlying
frequency distribution.
Articulation of Interpretation and Insights
As a chatbot, ChatGPT is very powerful and
technically proficient in translating technical
language for nontechnical audiences, whether it
is explaining results presented in forms of graphs
and tables or explaining the methodology used
in an analysis in layman’s terms. It can also
transform data analysis outcomes and insights
into narratives for written documents, such as
executive summaries, reports or white papers,
and create content for presentation decks. In
fact, this is ChatGPT’s specialty, and it does it
well, particularly when it comes to organizational
structure, grammar and form. Where ChatGPT
falls short is in contextualization and originality –
the writing is generic, much like a broadcaster’s
tone in television news. This could provide an
opportunity for educators to assign exercises with
very specific content and style requirements that
position ChatGPT as the starting point.
We recognize, however, that improper application
or overuse of this capability could thwart students’
oral and written communication development.
However, strategically applied, ChatGPT could
function as a partner in learning and advancing
students’ communication skills and abilities.
Exercises that require students to generate
narratives based on data analysis output and
then require the student to dissect, critique and
improve the output could provide a perspective
that forces students to synthesize information
to improve the narrative in context, ultimately
advancing their skills.
Another caveat essential to acknowledge is that
ChatGPT can produce nonsensical, erroneous and
inaccurate responses (see Figure 2). Understanding
and considering the implications of this flaw is
important for all users, but this does not negate
its value. In fact, we argue that we can leverage
this in specific exercises.
One way to guide students to use these
capabilities is by assigning in-class team exercises
in which students are allowed and encouraged
to use ChatGPT. Partial points can be assigned to
proper use of ChatGPT, finding mistakes in the
output and refining the insights based on context.
Allowing student teams to rank and grade peers
would increase engagement. Another alternative is
to ask students to come up with questions instead
of having them answer our questions. In this way,
educators encourage students to be smarter than
the tool and master it. Their future may rely on
this skill set.
ChatGPT as a Teaching Assistant that are cheat-proof through their originality FIGURE 2: ChatGPT’s
In addition to enhancing student engagement and integration of ChatGPT in the exercises. disclaimer about possibility
of inaccurate responses.
and learning, ChatGPT and similar AI tools can More complex problems and incorporating
potentially help educators create new course ChatGPT into assignments may be part of
content and build new assessments. Additionally, the solution.
educators could use ChatGPT as a tutoring resource
for students, which would be especially useful for Final Thoughts
larger classes or distant learning environments. The potential roles for ChatGPT in data analytics
However, as mentioned earlier, the accuracy of education seem endless. As the tool continues to
ChatGPT’s responses can be questionable at times. learn and evolve – and reach the point at which
Thus, it will be critical, at least until this improves, its output is free from error and nonsensical
to carefully vet all output before deploying it in a ramblings – its place as an assistant, and perhaps
live classroom setting. even a partner, will become more salient. As
accuracy improves, trust will improve, and
The Elephant in the Room: educators will be more willing to lean in and fully
ChatGPT and Academic Integrity utilize its capabilities. Meanwhile, for those who
It is no secret that ChatGPT poses ethical dilemmas want more control of their data and privacy or
and opens the door for cheating. However, with want to train their own data for more accurate
the nature of tasks for data analytics assignments, and contextualized models, OpenAI provides
the level of concern does not seem as pressing API support for application development and
as it may be in humanities courses. Regardless, interfacing directly with ChatGPT.
there are AI solutions such as GPTZero for this It is too early to tell what the future of data
AI-generated problem, which allows instructors analytics and data education in the rise of AI
to check students’ work. Instructors need only looks like, but it seems certain it will include AI
be aware there is no guarantee that the results in some form. In any case, we are thrilled to be
are foolproof, and different AI-check tools might along for the ride.
show contradictory results, so they should be
used as a guide rather than as judge and jury. ELHAM TORABI is an assistant professor of computer information
systems and business analytics in the College of Business at James
Prevention of academic integrity violations,
Madison University.
however, is preferable to detection of infractions
that have already occurred. The pedagogical RHONDA A. SYLER is the R. Jarl Bliss Faculty Fellow and department
approaches we suggest in this article provide head for the Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics
a launching point for developing assignments Department in the College of Business at James Madison University.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 13
VIEWPOINT
A BRIEF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON
INTEGRATING NEW DECISION SUPPORT
TECHNOLOGY INTO THE SUPPLY CHAIN
MANAGEMENT DECISION PROCESS
BY KEN FORDYCE
THERE HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL
improvements in artificial intelligence (AI),
machine learning (ML), optimization, database
and visualization technology over the past 15
years. In fact, some optimization folks [1] consider
optimization part of AI and very different from
ML. But the challenge remains on how to best
incorporate these evolving new technologies into
organizations with the goals of improved decision-
making and organizational performance.
Here, I’ll offer an historical perspective on this
challenge. Since 1976, first at IBM and for the past
nine years at Arkieva, I’ve observed the efforts
in supply chain management (SCM) to apply
decision technology to support scientific discovery
and improve organizational performance. Decision
technology is an old term, but one I prefer: It
recognizes a diverse and growing set of technologies
14 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
(probability and statistical models, discrete
optimization, machine learning, expert
systems and more) that help humans make
smarter decisions.
In the 1970s, operations research (O.R.) and
statistics – the equivalent of today’s data science
and machine learning rage – were grounded on
four pillars.
Humans have their strengths, but also weaknesses,
such as cognitive limitations. Organizations have
cognitive limitations as well [2]. Humans make tools
to help with physical activities and augment our
cognitive abilities. Organizations must recognize the
same need. The tools should support human and
organizational decision-making [3]. The eventual
use of any invention is not clear when first deployed.
For example, the original role of telephones was
envisioned to replace the telegraph by transplanting
Morse code with voice. A century later, nearly every
desk housed a telephone, and now the phone travels
with us and doubles as a camera and search engine.
In 1977, the best and the brightest in O.R. were
working on how to effectively integrate information
and decision technology. Two early applications
included the Executive Information Network (EIN),
which enabled executives to keep track of events
and finances in the field engineering business (repair
of computer hardware), and the tax optimization
model to evaluate different tax strategies to legally
minimize tax costs.
A huge impediment to these systems at the time
was the lack of any display devices that could handle
full screen (Windows today). Interactive meant punch
cards and printed reports. As the aforementioned
core technologies became commonplace, the new
hot technology was the decision support system
(DSS). Two of the original DSS research papers were:
1. “Interactive Computer Systems for Managers
a Modest Proposal” by Peter Keen.
2. “Models and Managers: The Concept
of a Decision Calculus” by John Little.
In the 1980s, interactive computing became a
mainstay of advanced organizations [4], just as
the AI wave emerged. The core AI technologies at
the time were expert systems, search algorithms,
natural language processing, fuzzy sets and early
aspects of statistical learning. Access to the correct
data was, as is now, a challenge. But the primary
question was how best to use this technology in
organizations to support rather than replace the
human role.
This AI wave culminated in the late 1980s with
two books: “Innovation Applications of Artificial
Intelligence” by Herbert Schorr and “The Rise of
the Expert Company” by Turing Award winner
Ed Feigenbaum, who established the concept of
community intelligence, which directly addresses
organizational cognitive limitations.
“It is a new kind of entity – a community intelligence
born from the collective wisdom of various disciplines,
experiences, and points of view, which dynamically
disseminate the new intelligence around the same
community that engendered it, solving problems
that are too tough for us humans to figure out.”
[Feigenbaum, pp. 63-64]
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the sunset
of the AI wave, although the technical innovations
continued. We saw the reemergence of discrete
optimization (mixed-integer linear programming)
driven by improvements in solvers, hardware,
modeling environments and interest from major
industries. Again, the primary question was how
best to use this technology in organizations to
support versus replace.
The mid-1990s saw the emergence of modern
SCM, comprising two primary areas: demand
management (DM) and integrated master or central
planning engines (CPEs) [5]. A third area, sense
and respond (SaR), arrived in the early 2000s [6].
In DM, the critical challenge was and remains:
1. Better statistical methods (now including
machine learning) to extract the most
information from the data available.
2. How to effectively merge statistical
methods with human knowledge.
3. How to best manage the human expertise.
Support for these challenges comes from
proactive methods involving machine learning.
One post begins: “If you think machine learning
will replace demand planners, then don’t read this
post. If you think machine learning will automate
and unleash the power of insights allowing demand
planners to drive more value and growth, then this
article is a must read” [7].
The emergence of CPEs is attributable to
a combination of technology and business
awareness. The technology is the improvement
in optimization methods, whereas the business
awareness is the recognition that supply chains
are ever more complex and demand tools to
support planners and enterprises, but not
replace them. The role of the planner can shift to
application, rather than roles from just generating
results. Sense and respond, with its origins in
O.R., has become embedded in all best-in-class
The challenge
SCM organizations. remains on how
Improving the value of DM, CPE and SaR to
augment human and organizational decision- to best incorporate
making is an ongoing challenge. The INFORMS evolving new
Edelman Award Competition makes this clear [8].
technologies into
KEN FORDYCE is the director of Analytics Without Borders at Arkieva.
He joined Arkieva in 2013 after completing a 36-year career with IBM organizations
covering a wide range of analytics applications from supply chain to
colon cancer, where teams he was a member of won awards from IBM,
with the goals
INFORMS and AAAI.
of improved
REFERENCES decision-making
1. https://www.princeton.com/
2. Jay R. Galbraith, 1973, “Designing complex organizations,” and organizational
Boston: Addison-Wesley.
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_Behavior performance.
4. Jon McGrew, 2016, “Forgotten APL influences,” https://pok.acm.org/
meetings/foils/McGrew18paper.pdf.
5. Ken Fordyce, Alfred Degbotse, John Milne, Robert Orzell and Chi-Tai
Wang, 2008, “The ongoing challenge – An accurate assessment
of supply linked to demand to create an enterprise-wide end to
end detailed central supply chain plan,” 2008 Winter Simulation
Conference, IEEE, doi: 10.1109/WSC.2008.4736329.
6. Steve Buckley, Markus Ettl, Grace Lin and Ko-Yang Wang, 1970,
“Sense and respond business performance management,” Supply
Chain Management on Demand, pp. 287-311.
7. https://blogs.sas.com/content/sascom/2018/04/17/
how-machine-learning-is-disrupting-demand-planning/
8. https://www.informs.org/Recognizing-Excellence/INFORMS-
Prizes/Franz-Edelman-Award
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 15
 MASSIVE CAV
EXPERIMENT
IN NASHVILLE
PITS MACHINE
LEARNING
AGAINST
TRAFFIC JAMS
Can automated vehicles help traffic flow?

BY ZHE FU, KARA MANKE AND ALEXANDRE BAYEN

MANY TRAFFIC JAMS ARE CAUSED BY HUMAN BEHAVIOR:

A slight tap on the brakes can ripple through a line of cars, triggering a
slowdown – or complete gridlock – for no apparent reason. In a massive
traffic experiment that occurred outside of Nashville on Interstate 24
(I-24) in late November 2022, an academic consortium, CIRCLES [1],
tested whether introducing a specific proportion of artificial intelligence
(AI)-equipped vehicles on the road could help ease these “phantom” jams
and reduce fuel consumption for everyone.
Over the course of five days, researchers conducted one of the largest
traffic experiments of its kind in the world, deploying a fleet of 100 Nissan
Rogue, Toyota RAV4 and Cadillac XT5 vehicles onto a busy stretch of
Nashville’s I-24 during the morning commute. Each vehicle was equipped
with a variety of control algorithms overwriting the cruise control system
and was designed to automatically adjust the speed of the vehicle to
improve the overall flow of traffic – essentially turning each car into
its own “robot traffic manager” [2].

What is CIRCLES?
The CIRCLES Consortium is a multi-university research collaboration
dedicated to using machine learning, optimal control and other
optimization techniques to improve traffic flow and increase the
energy efficiency of traffic flow.

16 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 17

CONNECTED AND AUTOMATED VEHICLES
The massive Connected and Automated Vehicles
(CAV) experiment, which was carried out in
coordination with Nissan North America, Toyota,
General Motors and the Tennessee Department
of Transportation, was the first time the AI
technology pioneered by CIRCLES has been
tested at this scale [3].
This massive operation was planned over the
course of the past three years in parallel with the
development of the I-24 MOTION test bed [4],
a stretch of the interstate that has been equipped
with 300 4K digital sensors to monitor traffic.
The CIRCLES project was led by seven principal
investigators (PIs) from four universities: Professors
In addition Alexandre Bayen (main PI), Maria Laura Delle
Monache and Jonny Lee (UC Berkeley); Professors
to adjusting Dan Work and Jon Sprinkle (Vanderbilt University);
the speed of Professor Benedetto Piccoli (Rutgers University);
and Professor Benni Seibold (Temple University).
the vehicle in To achieve this tremendous undertaking, more
response to than 50 CIRCLES researchers from around the
world gathered in a large “command center” in a
local conditions, converted office space in Antioch, Tennessee. Each
the algorithms morning of the experiment, which ran Nov. 14-18,
2022, trained drivers took the AI-powered vehicles
also incorporate out on the recently opened I-24 MOTION test bed.
As the drivers traversed their routes, researchers
information collected traffic data from both the vehicles and the
about traffic I-24 MOTION traffic monitoring system. On Nov. 16
alone, the system recorded a total of 143,010 miles
conditions driven and 3,780 hours of driving. The I-24 MOTION
and adjust system, combined with vehicle energy models
developed in the CIRCLES project, will provide
the speed to an estimation of the fuel consumption of the entire
help smooth traffic flow during those hours.
the overall How Do AI-powered CAVs Smooth Traffic?
Driving is very intuitive. If there is a gap in front
flow of traffic. of you, you accelerate. If someone brakes, you slow
down. It turns out, however, that this very normal
reaction can lead to stop-and-go traffic and energy
inefficiency, which is precisely what AI technology
is able to fix. It can direct the vehicle to do things
that are not intuitive to humans but are overall
more efficient.
As part of the CIRCLES Consortium, UC Berkeley
researchers have taken the lead in developing the
machine-learning algorithms that govern how fast
AI-powered vehicles should go. These algorithms,
also called “speed planners” and “controllers,” use
information about overall traffic conditions and
the vehicle’s immediate surroundings to determine
the best speed for improving traffic flow.
The new control algorithms go a step beyond the
adaptive cruise control systems that are already on
the market [5]. In addition to adjusting the speed
of the vehicle in response to local conditions, the
algorithms also incorporate information about
traffic conditions and adjust the speed to help
smooth the overall flow of traffic.
18 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
Why Do We Need This
Massive CAV Experiment?
To develop the speed planners, the CIRCLES team
first had to define the mathematical models that
describe how traffic behaves. The flow of traffic can
be modeled using equations similar to those that
govern the flow of fluids, but the human element
of driving complicates it.
Capturing this human aspect of traffic flow is
one of the reasons the massive experiment was so
important. The team regularly runs computerized
traffic simulations to train the machine-learning
algorithms to smooth stop-and-go behavior and
minimize energy consumption. Data from the
experiment will be critical to refining these
simulations and algorithms for real-world driving.
Testing the software in the field is also important
to ensure that AI-powered vehicles don’t behave
in ways that might be considered “socially
unacceptable” to humans. For instance, vehicles
may smooth traffic by maintaining a slow, steady
speed rather than constantly accelerating and
braking. However, slow driving may open large
gaps in traffic, which could anger other drivers
or allow other cars to cut in.
In addition to training the algorithms to follow
the rules of the road, the software also must be
compatible with the hardware and capabilities
of actual vehicles. Although a simulated car can
jump from 0 to 60 mph in an instant, even the
most advanced sports cars can’t achieve that
level of acceleration.
The experiment also demonstrated a new feature
developed by the CIRCLES team: the ability to
simultaneously push collaborative algorithms
to different car platforms (Nissan, GM, Toyota).
The team is in the process of planning how the
technology can be deployed in California.
From a Ph.D. Student’s Angle (Zhe Fu)
I want to use the word “incredible” to describe
this journey. Fascinated by the idea of utilizing
automated vehicles (AVs) as mobile actuators
to smooth traffic, I joined the CIRCLES project
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coordinating and
conducting effective discussions through Zoom
with researchers around the world is very hard,
and even harder working this way weekly for nearly
three years. But we persevered because we all
share the common belief that this project is
meaningful and impactful for future research
and applications.
The spirit of this project is to excavate the
potential of new technologies to solve real-world
problems and gain systems-level benefits. With
proper design and coordination, automated
vehicles can not only ease the driving burden
for AV drivers but also help smooth traffic flow
and benefit the whole system with less energy
consumption and a higher comfort level. This
belief motivated me to design machine-learning
algorithms that could achieve on average more
than 15% energy savings in simulations.
The massive CAV experiment made this journey
even more appealing. Very little AV-related research
is able to be tested in the real world. By conducting
the experiment at this large scale, we hope to
show that our results can be reproduced at the
societal level. Taking into account all the hardware
limitations and considerations was a challenge, but
it resulted in practical strategies that can be applied
in the real world with on-the-market technologies.
The test week was intensive. To catch the morning
peak traffic, which usually begins around 6 a.m.,
to test our algorithms, we had to get up at 4 a.m.
every day. Moreover, to create “socially acceptable”
algorithms, we needed to spend extra efforts to make
daily tweaks to our “speed planners” and “controllers”
based on feedback from our drivers.
The experiment is not the end but the beginning
of an incredible journey. Our vision is that, eventually,
this technology will be deployed in many, if not all,
vehicles, and we are working on ways to make it
scalable to the public.
Authors’ note: A version of this article originally
appeared on the UC Berkeley news website [6].
ZHE FU is a Ph.D. candidate in transportation engineering at University
of California, Berkeley. She is one of the core algorithm contributors of
the CIRCLES Consortium. Her research interests lie in traffic control and
machine learning.
KARA MANKE is a science writer and media relations specialist at the
University of California, Berkeley, where she covers engineering, climate
change and public health. She holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
ALEXANDRE BAYEN is associate provost for Moffett Field Program
Development and the Liao Cho professor of electrical engineering
and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He
is the principal investigator for the CIRCLES Consortium.
REFERENCES
1. https://circles-consortium.github.io/
2. Ann Brody Guy, 2018, “Turning cars into robot traffic managers,”
Berkeley Engineering, October 29, https://engineering.berkeley.
edu/news/2018/10/turning-cars-into-robot-traffic-managers/.
3. Matthew Hutson, 2018, “Watch just a few self-driving cars stop
traffic jams,” Science, November 16, https://www.science.org/
content/article/watch-just-few-self-driving-cars-stop-traffic-jams.
4. https://i24motion.org/
5. https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a32813983/
adaptive-cruise-control/
6. https://news.berkeley.edu/2022/11/22/massive-traffic-experiment-
pits-machine-learning-against-phantom-jams/
Top to Bottom: 1) UC Berkeley-affiliated CIRCLES members pose in
front of signed I-24 MOTION and CIRCLES banners at the conclusion
of the testing week. (Photo courtesy Amaury Hayat.) 2) Zhe Fu waits
in the parking lot at 5 a.m. for the morning tests to begin. 3) Alexandre
Bayen (left) with co-principal investigators Jon Sprinkle and Dan
Work. 4) UC Berkeley Ph.D. students Zhe Fu (right) and Abdul Rahman
Kreidieh monitor the real-time data from the morning test and discuss
how to improve the algorithms. (Photo courtesy Han Wang.)
 THE EFFECT OF
CHARISMATIC
INFLUENCERS
ON SOCIETAL
POLARIZATION
Observations of a simulated society

BY JOHN M. BETTS, ANA-MARIA BLIUC AND MIOARA CRISTEA

POLARIZATION IN SOCIETY SEEMS TO BE INCREASING DESPITE MODERN TECHNOLOGIES

making communication more convenient than ever before. The ease of communication at scale has
given rise to the phenomenon of online influencers, who have become a common feature of social
media platforms. There is a complex relationship between the role of influencers, the community,
the social context and the message that influencers promote. Moreover, the effect of these factors
on societal polarization is not well understood. For example, the specific factors that exacerbate
polarization are difficult to determine. Is it the nature of the message or the ability to attract and
influence others (i.e., charisma) that makes the most difference? What effect does the type of
society have on polarization? Are influencers more or less effective in promoting their views
in societies that have a greater openness toward the beliefs of others?
To answer these questions, we conducted a study in an artificial (simulated) society of individuals
interacting with one another, exchanging views on a divisive issue, and forming or breaking social
connections because of those interactions. We then introduced an influencer into this society. By
varying the characteristics of the influencer and their message, as well as the properties of the
communities in which they operate, we were able to observe the combined effect of these factors
on societal polarization.
Our results show that the charisma of an influencer and the type of message the influencer
promotes (extreme or moderate) play an important role in the process of polarization – in
particular, the rate of polarization. Our results also suggest that the type of society in which
the influencer operates has a less significant role.

Societal Polarization and Online Influencers

Societal polarization is a complex process of social division resulting from ideological disagreement
followed by distancing between groups on significant issues. For example, climate change, Brexit,
the COVID-19 pandemic, gender identity and the age of retirement (in France) have received a lot
of media attention recently and have been the subject of intense public debate in which their
potential to divide communities has been made apparent. Disagreement within the broader
community can be amplified within closed groups, where members share the same position,

20 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 21

SIMULATED SOCIETY
owing to the echo-chamber effect, making the
group position more extreme and increasing
the ideological distance between the in-group
(“us”) and the out-group (“them”).
Extremist influencers are a ubiquitous presence
online and in social media. By definition, they
promote a view that is closer to one end of the
spectrum of belief held by the community at large.
Although many can be characterized as promoting
“conservative” or “right-wing” attitudes, influencers
are found at both poles, with “liberal” or “left-
leaning” influencers also shaping the public debate.
There is evidence that extremist influencers
on social media can spread polarizing content
faster [1]; however, it is not clear whether this
increases societal polarization.
Neutral influencers (i.e., those seeking to promote
moderate, often fact-based, central views on an
issue) are also contributors to public debate.
These include public or government agencies and
Extremist institutions, such as the Centers for Disease Control
influencers and Prevention, Office for Health Promotion in the
U.K., and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
with a broader Diseases in the U.S. These agencies often seek to
influence public opinion through online and social
appeal (more media campaigns. Again, it is not well understood
charisma) are whether this type of social influence is effective as
a buffer against societal polarization.
more effective Finally, because all debate and potential influence
in polarizing occurs in a social context, we investigate the impact
of societal openness (or levels of acceptance) to the
communities beliefs of others on the effectiveness of the influencer
than those to increase or mitigate societal polarization.
who have a Agent-based Modeling
narrow reach. We used agent-based modeling (ABM) [2] to study
the way polarization might be shaped by the
attractivity, reach and nature of the influencer’s
message. To do this, we simulated an artificial
society of agents (individuals in a closed society) who
have differing levels of belief on an issue and interact
within a society with various levels of openness
toward the beliefs of others. By simulating successive
interactions between agents, the complex net effect
of individual interactions over time on a population
could be observed, making this approach ideal to
study the process of polarization in societies and
the clustering of those who have extreme beliefs. We
then introduced an influencer with varying levels of
audience reach (charisma) taking either an extremist
or neutral stance on an issue, thus enabling us to
observe the role of influencers in these processes.
Computational models that help understand
complex societal dynamics such as polarization are
often derived from social psychological theoretical
models, such as those on the spread of social
influence. According to these models, influence or
belief disseminates through a society as the result
of interactions between individuals and is shaped
by the variation in differing opinions. The ABM that
we use in our study is based on three types of social
22 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
influence models: (1) assimilative: individuals who
are connected by a shared social identity always
influence each other toward reducing the difference
between them; (2) similarity biased: only individuals
who are sufficiently similar can influence each other;
and (3) repulsive: individuals who are highly different
repel each other [3]. Our model assumes that
individuals form a social bond with each other
when they hold a similar level of belief [4]. These
bonds strengthen over repeated interactions
between individuals with similar levels of belief, but
they also weaken over time if the individuals fail to
interact or if they interact but now hold sufficiently
different levels of belief [5]. Thus, agents in our model
form bonds based on similar levels of belief, which
evolve over time, reflecting changes in belief and
interaction history. Within this artificial society,
influencers are treated as zealots, advocating a point
of view, who broadcast their position to others but do
not form social bonds or change their own beliefs.
For our study, we created an artificial society
in which each member had the same degree of
confidence, or acceptance of the belief in one
another, for assimilative interactions. We varied the
level of confidence in our experiments to simulate
closed, moderately open and very open societies.
Thus, in very open societies, for example, individuals
would be accepting of the greatest difference in the
belief of others (for the purpose of an assimilative
interaction and forming or strengthening a social
bond). To examine the effect of the influencer
on polarization, we also varied the influencer’s
charisma or reach – that is, the confidence of
non-influencers in the message of the influencer.
In our simulation, a very charismatic influencer
would be positively regarded by individuals with
widely varying beliefs. They would have a wide
reach. To test the effect of message content, we
experimented with the influencer promoting either
a moderate or an extremist point of view. Finally,
we also varied the activity of the influencer – that
is, the rate at which they broadcast their message.
Experiments
Because societies divided on a single issue will
always tend to polarize [6], our experiments focused
on the degree to which the activity of an influencer
increased or slowed the rate of polarization. We used
two indicators of polarization. The first was the
degree to which individuals formed strong positive
or negative beliefs (ideological extremitization),
measured as the time at which 80% of individuals
had completely polarized (+1 or −1 on our belief
scale). The second measure was the time at which
two distinct clusters had formed (indicating
psychological distancing).
Our experiments started with agents having
a belief on a single issue, set randomly between +1
and −1, and no social connections. During the
simulation, interactions between pairs of agents
led to changes in belief and the formation of
social connections when these interactions were
assimilative. Over time, a social network of agents
emerged, and ultimately, polarized clusters formed.
Figure 1 shows a typical simulation at initialization,
partway through, and at the time two clusters
had emerged.
Results
Our results show that extremist influencers always
increase the rate of polarization due to both
ideological extremitization and psychological
distancing, regardless of the society’s openness to
the beliefs of others. This confirms the commonly
held concern that messaging by extremists of
any political persuasion or ideology will increase
the likelihood and speed of polarization within
communities. Extremist influencers with a broader
appeal (more charisma) are more effective in
polarizing communities than those who have
a narrow reach.
Interestingly, our research demonstrated that
a neutral influencer who is not charismatic will
also increase the rate of polarization. Analysis of
our model showed that this was due to the largely
repulsive influence of the interactions between
individuals and the influencer. That is, rather
than attract others to their point of view, their
narrow reach meant that they were pushing people
away. This finding is highly plausible because an
unpopular (unconvincing) communicator is likely
to be seen as an outsider, and hence unreliable,
by both sides of the ideological divide, leading
to increased polarization in both.
Finally, increased activity by a neutral and
charismatic influencer will always reduce the
rate of polarization. This effect is achieved by
slowing the rate at which belief diverges. Figure 2
(online) shows the time at which the artificial
societies completely polarized (80% completely
polarized) as a function of influencer type (neutral
or extremist), their level of charisma (reach) and
activity (frequency of influencer interactions).
These results have been averaged over all levels
of societal openness, which made only a small
difference in the rate of polarization.
Implications
Our study shows that an influencer holding extreme
views will always increase the rate of polarization,
with this effect increasing with their reach and
activity level. The effect of a neutral influencer varies
with the openness to opposing beliefs in the society:
slowing the rate of polarization for relatively open
societies but increasing the rate when societies
are more conservative or when the influencer has
narrow reach.
These results have implications for the design
of “influencer campaigns for social good.” For
example, the credibility, the audience reach and the
public capital of charismatic influencers can be used
to achieve positive social change. In the U.K., the
Initialization 1 = 5,000
I = 40,000
footballer Markus Rashford, a very popular athlete, FIGURE 1: A typical simulation
used his influence as a platform to change policy at initialization, partway
on the availability of free meals for students [7]. through and at the time
two clusters emerge.
This is a powerful illustration of the positive effect
of influencers in bringing together people of various
political orientations to achieve positive social
change with clear benefits for some of the most
vulnerable people in society (children facing poverty).
That said, online influencers can also actively
polarize society and harm its members. The effect
of toxic influencers such as Andrew Tate on similarly
vulnerable subgroups in society (young boys)
highlights the dangers of charismatic influencers
(with a high reach, in this case, due to a successful
sports career) to polarize and even radicalize [8].
By contrast, many public good campaigns are
well intentioned but use highly abstract, technical
language that is off-putting to lay people, limiting
influencer reach (due to low charisma). For example,
the scientific community is often ineffective in
this regard. Even when message content is neutral
(based on facts) and driven by good intentions,
scientific communication is often not trusted
by segments of the public and can even create
antagonism and further polarization. Historically,
antismoking campaigns that were based on
science but promoted fear were not very effective
because they alienated their target audience (both
nonsmokers and smokers alike) [9]. Scientific advice
given during the COVID-19 pandemic divided public
opinion on vaccination, despite the societal benefits
[10]. These salutary lessons are keen reminders
that how information is delivered is as important
as the message itself.
JOHN BETTS is director of education in the Department of
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Information
Technology at Monash University.
ANA-MARIA BLIUC is a social and political psychologist. She joined Note: The reference
the University of Dundee in 2019 as a senior lecturer in psychology, list and Figure 2 can
after working at universities in Australia since 2012.
be found online: https://
MIOARA CRISTEA is a social and political psychologist. She joined doi.org/10.1287/
Heriot-Watt University in 2015. orms.2023.02.12.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 23
 THE MOST
ABSURD IOT
PROJECT …
BY HARRISON SCHRAMM

I’VE BEEN FIRST READING ABOUT, AND THEN INTERESTED IN,

the Internet of Things (IoT) for the past few months. Over the 2022-2023
holiday season, my interest turned to action when I acquired an Arduino
Nano 33 BLE Sense [1]. This board has the form factor of about three-
fourths of a stick of chewing gum and has a variety of sensors, including
color, microphone, and inertial and magnetic sensors.
Having the board, I asked the natural follow-on question: “What
could I do with it?” Most of the applications that came to mind had
already been done or – worse – were hopelessly mundane. It’s like that
old joke: the potential applications were both novel and interesting;
unfortunately, the interesting applications were not novel and the novel
applications were not interesting!
Sometimes in our profession, we aren’t sure what the best thing is,
but we can understand what the worst thing is. If the stakes are low and
the timeline is flexible (both true in this case), picking a “bad” project
can be more instructive than a “good” one. Additionally, for established
professionals, working through a self-assigned project is a better way to
learn than pounding out textbook examples. Traveling back and forth
during the historic rainstorms in Northern California and bemoaning
the fact that I was driving instead of walking, biking or skateboarding,
I hit upon inspiration:

It became my goal to build the world’s first (to my knowledge, that is) IoT
skateboard. It’s absurd enough to be fun, but difficult enough to be interesting.

This ended up being an exciting journey through operations research

(O.R.), electrical engineering and data science.

and Skateboards …
I was into skateboarding as a kid, and I picked it up again at the beginning
of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the darkest days of the pandemic, I would
skateboard around my driveway as a break between meetings. During
COVID-19, I quit one job while riding my skateboard [2] and got a different
one skating to the interview [3]. Skateboarding is really hard and, to be
fair, I’ve never been any good at it, but that’s not really the point.

24 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 25


FIGURE 1: (top) Skateboards and testing. The two test articles are
an Alien Workshop “popsicle” shape, 7.85 inches wide (left),
and Powell-Peralta “old school” shape, 10 inches wide (right).
These two boards feel qualitatively different to ride, but can
a computer tell the difference? (bottom) Data collection.
26 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
Are Like Our Profession …
I imagine very few of us have considered the
similarity, but here it is: If you try skateboarding,
or if you watch amateurs in person or pros on
the internet, you quickly realize something.
They crash. All the time. It’s not uncommon
for top skaters to post occasional “no scores”
in competition because they crashed.
I crash my code. All the time. I’m not ashamed
to admit that approximately 85% of the things that
I try completely fail. Oddly (or not!), that number
has remained more or less constant over my entire
career. As we get “better,” we try harder things.
I’d like it if it became culturally “ok” for those
of us in O.R. to more freely admit when we crash.
This will make us more honest. If we all crash all
the time, it’s no longer embarrassing or “bad.”
Failing is typically on the critical path to success.
Definitions
First, some important definitions for the word
we pronounce /bôrd/:
1. Bored: A mental state of listlessness or
ennui, generally due to being under-tasked
or uninterested.
2. Board: A collection of electrical circuits in
one package.
3. Board: A (generally) wooden plank with four
polyurethane wheels attached with metal
axles called trucks.
Scheme
The overall idea of my project was to record
telemetry data from my skateboard and then use
it as a test set for machine learning, with a goal
to determine things such as speed, style, etc.
The first challenge was determining how to
extract data from the board. Although it is possible
to partition the Arduino’s program memory to
also hold collected data, I decided against that
for several reasons. First, it was recommended
against in just about all of the forums that I looked
at online. More importantly, I didn’t understand
any of the example code. True confession: I had
two courses in Java during my master’s program,
but it’s been a very long time since I’ve used it, and
moreover, I’ve only previously used it to run on
a “traditional” computer (i.e., keyboard, monitor,
etc.), which is fundamentally different than running
on a board (more on this later). Second, and of
equal import, I still have to off-board the data and
would prefer not to have to do this via a physical
connection. Whereas it is possible to connect an
off-board memory device to the USB, I want to
keep that slot clear for power supply as well as
the opportunity to reprogram (if needed).
Fortunately, the board has Bluetooth Low
Energy (BLE), which makes transfer much easier –
provided you can get Bluetooth to work.
Bluetooth Low Energy Planar Acceleration
I studied communications as part of my electrical Driveway vs. Ollie
engineering undergrad, but that was before
many INFORMS members were born. Although I
understood the theory, I never had the opportunity 4
to code a Bluetooth application. It turns out it’s
similar to brain surgery in that it’s straightforward
once you understand it. Having said that, the
investment in learning the ins and outs of setting
2
it up from the hardware side pays off handsomely
with the ability to connect via our phones to wider
y acceleration (gs)
computing infrastructure [4].
This project was fun because it combined Class
being an engineer with being a statistician. The 0 Driveway
approaches to writing code between disciplines Ollie
could not be more different. R (my native statistics
language) is high-level and tends to be elegant,
particularly with use of the %>% pipe operator. This
-2
is the first time in a very long time that I’ve written
code that runs on hardware and the first time I’ve
ever written Java to run on something other than
a traditional computer (i.e., desktop or laptop).
It is perhaps an epic understatement to say that -4
coding for hardware is completely different than
-4 -2 0 2 4
coding for software. One immediate difference: in
building R code, infinite loops are to be avoided. In x acceleration (gs)
coding a device, infinite loops are generally the point!
Refresh Rate
Making practical use of the Bluetooth connection Vertical Acceleration
to an Adafruit.io interface [5] via the LightBlue Driveway vs. Ollie
app was easy to connect; however, there were two
challenges. The first is that the maximum refresh
rate for this setup is 1 hertz, which is a tad slow for 4
telemetry data. Although the refresh rate was slow,
the size of each update can be as large as 1KB. The
(in retrospect) obvious solution was to package
multiple observations in a single burst. For this
2
application, I took samples at 20 hertz.
vertical acceleration (gs)
As an additional engineering (NOT elegant) tweak:
The raw accelerometer data is scaled from [−4,4]
and has high variability. The unfortunate side effect Class
was that while all data had the same number of 0 Driveway
Ollie
significant digits, the number of minus signs (−)
ensured that it was not always in the same position
in the output stream. I quickly abandoned the
“elegant” notion of regex [6] deparsing for the more -2
“pedestrian” technique of adding 4 to the output
stream, rescaling it to [0,8], and then subtracting 4
on the data analysis side.
We’ve Got the Data … Now What? -4
The overall goal of this project was to build 0 50 100
an artificial intelligence (AI) model that would
determine what sort of maneuver had just time (’00 ms)
been accomplished.
Once I got the hardware working, it was time FIGURE 2: Comparison of skateboarding around the driveway
to do some AI, which was the point of this exercise. and an “ollie.” Although somewhat similar in the x-y plot, there
Originally, I thought that it might be fun to do are differences – as one would expect – in the z-axis acceleration.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 27
INTERNET OF THINGS INFORMS ONLINE

TOP SOCIAL POSTS

x-axis acceleration
FIGURE 3: Time series of x-axis
acceleration between the two
skateboards ridden on the same
course. I would be hard-pressed
to build a non-machine-learning
classification approach.
2 1 2 3 4 Check out
the top 8
2023 Edelman The Interplay between [Live from Aurora] Press Release: Organ
Winner Walmart Operations Research Congratulations, Purdue Transplant Policies Need most-clicked
Board INFORMS and Machine Learning University Daniels School an Overhaul! [INFORMS items on
Alien OR/MS Today of Business, Awarded Journal Manufacturing
0 Powell
the 2023 INFORMS UPS & Service Operations INFORMS'
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last month.
-2 5 6 7 8 Connect with us
[Watch] Analyzing Operation Research 4 Prompting Techniques As business leaders strive
100 200 America's Supply Chains Ranked #1 Highest Earning For Solving Difficult to get the most out of their
on your favorite
time ((ms))
ti with Christopher Tang, Field. College majors have and Multi-Step Problems analytics investments, channel!
Tinglong Dai, and Anna a big impact on income. With LLMs democratized data science
Nagurney - a discussion on Here are the highest- and Mark Tech Post often appears to offer the
several different maneuvers on my skateboard that does not exist on your board, the the future of supply chains lowest-earning fields perfect solution.
and then use AI to determine which ones they board will cease to function with no in the United States. CBS News Harvard Business Review
INFORMS
were. The other approach was to ride two different reasonable error.
skateboards and use AI to determine which 3. Throughout the entire AI/machine learning/
skateboard was which. Ultimately, I went in the IoT enterprise, the most difficult tasks are

RECENT RESOUNDINGLY HUMAN

second direction; I was interested in learning about a. Getting to “Hello World”
this type of time-series data. Also, collecting a b. Parsing/deparsing text strings
labeled data set of (continuous) data is easier 4. If it’s dumb and it works, it isn’t dumb.
than completing a given maneuver a high number
Summation: What Was the Point? PRESS RELEASES March 2023

of times.
Using a three-layer (one hidden) neural network
in R keras/tensorflow [7], I was able to achieve
99% accuracy in predicting which skateboard the
time-series data was obtained from. The key steps
here were to take the overall time-series data
and extract samples; in this case, I chose a batch
size of 100, equating to 5 seconds of clock time.
I trained the model with 100 samples – 50 from
each skateboard.
The critical line of code is as follows [8]:
A fair question! The point of this exercise, to me
at least, was to show that with a little bit of effort
and a very small budget, you can deploy IoT and
machine learning to more or less anything you
want. I hope that this small example will serve as
a motivator for more of us to cross streams into
tasks that we traditionally consider “engineering.”
It has, for me, given confidence that I can create
and deploy something to the physical layer.
Organ Transplant Policies Need an Overhaul!
A Future of “Flying Cars” May be Closer Than You Think
New Research Finds Altering Language of Job Descriptions
May Not Help Organizations Address Diversity Issues
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
@INFORMS
Celebrate International Women’s Day and discuss the
importance of advocating for and supporting women
in STEM with Lauren Czerniak, University of Michigan.
Hilary Mason, Hidden Door, shared special insight into
her 2023 Business Analytics Conference keynote.
April 2023
In preparation for the Baltimore Orioles 2023 Opening
Day, we heard from Sig Mejdal, assistant GM and

mod = keras_model_sequential()
mod %>% layer_flatten(input_shape = c(100,3)) %>%
layer_dense(units = 128, activation = 'relu') %>%
layer_dense(units = 2, activation = 'softmax')
This seemingly innocuous set of instructions
invokes approximately 39,000 parameters to fit!
Lessons Learned
In decreasing order of pain:
1. Data formatting and cleaning remain
the most time-consuming tasks in O.R.
2. Compilers check the libraries and commands
in a code package against the idealized
hardware configuration. This may (or may not)
be the actual hardware configuration. If you
have the misfortune to, say, initialize a device
@INFORMS_orms
head of analytics with the Baltimore Orioles, on the
HARRISON SCHRAMM, CAP, PStat, is the immediate past president many ways analytics is leveraged in baseball. Also,
of the Analytics Society of INFORMS. His interests are at the intersection After One Year of War, How is Ukraine Managing?,
Shima Mohebbi, George Mason University, shared her
of mathematics, computing and public policy. He is founder of Schramm Industry Week, featuring Anna Nagurney
and Associates, a boutique technical consultancy. experience navigating NSF funding on a collaborative
This bill would pay colleges and universities to study to reduce public water infrastructure disruptions
offer more data science, Federal News Network, (such as hurricanes, etc.).
REFERENCES & NOTES featuring Laura Albert
1. https://store-usa.arduino.cc/products/arduino-nano-33-ble-sense May 2023
2. It wasn’t planned that way, but it was glorious, nonetheless. Can ChatGPT Give Women Accurate Advice
3. Ibid. on Breast Cancer?, U.S. News & World Report, 2023 INFORMS President Laura Albert shared an update
4. https://punchthrough.com/android-ble-guide/
featuring Subodha Kumar on INFORMS, including a recap of the 2023 Business
https://io.adafruit.com/
5.
Analytics Conference. Then, Commander Matthew
6. https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/stringr/vignettes/
regular-expressions.html Supplier, Buyer Relations Are Shifting Again as Williams, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, was joined by an
7. https://posit.co/blog/keras-for-r/ Pandemic Strains Ease, The Wall Street Journal, academy professor and two cadets to explore the role
8. How useful is this? If you write this kind of code, not very!
featuring Rob Handfield analytics plays in the Coast Guard and how the U.S. Coast
I haven’t shared, for example, how the data was preformatted and
have not given any information about how the model is compiled.
Guard Academy is preparing the next generation of
Can AI chatbots ‘with a brain’ replace customer those serving in its ranks to employ analytics in new
service reps?, Newsday, featuring Tinglong Dai and exciting ways.

ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 29

 HOW TO GET
AWAY WITH
MURDERBALL
An End-to-End Analytics Case Study to
Construct Lineups in Wheelchair Rugby

BY ALBERT LOA, CRAIG FERNANDES,

NATHAN SANDHOLTZ AND TIMOTHY C. Y. CHAN

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND THE ABILITY FOR STUDENTS

to apply their knowledge outside of the classroom are key goals for
instructors. Sports is a popular application area used to teach analytics
and operations research (O.R.) concepts. Some examples include Markov
models in baseball [1, 2], simulation in hockey [3] and integer programming
in cycling [4]. It’s also important for students to experience problems that
require multiple types of analytics to replicate the open-ended problems
they will encounter in the real world. This can be done through case studies,
such as a set of cases in airline revenue management [5], or designed
throughout an entire course, such as an undergraduate O.R. course that
combines machine learning and optimization with practical examples [6].
In our case study, “Moneyball for Murderball: Using Analytics to
Construct Lineups in Wheelchair Rugby” [7, 8], students develop an
end-to-end analytics solution approach that covers descriptive, predictive
and prescriptive analytics for a complex, real-world problem based on
the sport of wheelchair rugby (WCR). In addition to being a novel
and interesting application area, we also hope our work increases the
representation and visibility of Paralympic sports in scholarly activities.

What is Murderball?
Murderball, officially referred to as wheelchair rugby, is a co-ed sport
played on a standard basketball court with a goal line and key area at
each end (see Figure 1). The object of the game is to score more goals
than the opponent by bringing the volleyball-sized ball across the
goal line. Teams are made up of 12 players, with four players allowed
on the court at any given time. There are unlimited substitutions, but
only during a stoppage in play, which occurs after a goal, foul or time
violation. The game is played in four 8-minute quarters, with possible
3-minute overtime periods.

30 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 31

ANALYTICS CASE STUDY
Side Line
End Line Center Line
Center Circle
15m
3.6m
28m
FIGURE 1: Wheelchair One of the most unique aspects of the sport is
rugby court. Source: [7].
the player classification system, which is based
on physical ability. Players are assigned a physical
rating between 0.0 and 3.5, in increments of 0.5.
The physical rating is determined by the player’s
level of mobility, with a lower rating for those with
more limited mobility. For example, an athlete
This knapsack rated 0.5 might have extensive weakness in their
upper body ranging from arm to trunk function [9].
constraint The purpose of assigning these physical ratings is
ensures that to restrict which lineups can be played by only
allowing the sum of the physical ratings for players
lineups do on the court for one team to not exceed 8.0 at
not consist of any given time. This means that lineups such as
3.0-3.0-1.0-1.0 are allowed, but 3.5-3.0-1.0-1.0 are
too many not. Of course, readers may immediately recognize
this rule as a knapsack constraint! This knapsack
athletes with constraint ensures that lineups do not consist of
higher mobility, too many athletes with higher mobility, but more
importantly, it promotes the participation of all
but more athletes, regardless of their physical ability.
importantly,
Analytics Modules
it promotes the In the case, students are provided player and game
participation of data and are tasked with generating optimal lineups
for the Canadian National WCR team. The game
all athletes, data is arranged into “stints,” which are periods of
time without any substitutions or end-of-quarter
regardless of breaks, meaning the home and away lineups remain
their physical constant. For each stint, students have information
on which game the stint came from, the home and
ability. away teams, stint duration, number of goals scored
by each team, and the players on the court.
Through initial exploration of the data in the
descriptive analytics module, students are guided
to the “plus-minus” metric as a method to value
32 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
time played and home court advantage effects. extensions, such as more precise fatigue modeling,
When comparing the end result of this section with interpretations of multiple optimal solutions and
that of the previous section, students should notice modeling trade-offs.
the importance of proper statistical modeling to
1.75m better capture the value that a player provides to Classroom Experience
a given lineup. This case (or a subset of it) has been delivered on
Finally, in the prescriptive analytics module, an ongoing basis since the fall 2020 semester. This
students put themselves in the position of the includes undergraduate analytics, O.R. case-based
key decision-maker and solve problems from that and business courses throughout the University
perspective. To that end, the first question we ask of Toronto, Concordia University and Ivey Business
Goal Line
them is: What is the optimal starting lineup in a School at the University of Western Ontario.
8m Key game? This can be solved via the classic integer The case comes with a comprehensive list of 26
knapsack problem, which students should be questions with solutions, discussion prompts, raw
familiar with at this juncture. However, students data files and a complete Python notebook with
should quickly realize that one lineup cannot code solutions.
play the entirety of the game, leading them to In the analytics course, the case was delivered
consider substitutions. Thus, we move to a more in a 3-hour lab as an application to topics taught
realistic situation in which the head coach has in lecture. Students were given a skeleton of the
a rough idea of how many total minutes to give Python notebook and were guided to fill in the
each player, and students are asked to create missing code blocks. In the case-based courses,
feasible lineups throughout the game to meet these the initial lectures were used to brainstorm
requirements. This problem introduces the concept solutions as well as introduce more advanced
of dynamically changing lineups and provides a topics. Over the subsequent week or two, students
framework for substitutions moving forward. Using formulated their models, shared their results and
these two building blocks, we introduce students discussed improvements, nuances and limitations
to the concept of fatigue, which forces students to of the solutions.
players. Plus-minus is defined as goals scored by
think more carefully about substitutions. That is, Overall, instructors noted that a major strength
their team minus goals allowed by their team when
players on the court will experience diminishing of this case was the connection between prediction
a player is on the court. Students should conclude
performance as they fatigue. As the problems and optimization. There were rich discussions
that this value metric has limitations and does
become more realistic, the models become more surrounding the realism of the solutions, noting
not guarantee an accurate representation of an
complex. From here, curious students may start that substitutions potentially every minute of the
athlete’s skill, because it doesn’t account for the
to interpret the prescriptions and explore different game would not be realistic, and the presence of
strengths (or weaknesses) of the other players on
the court during a given stint. For example, even
if a player is on the court when their team scored
many goals, it is difficult to understand the level
in which they contributed to these points. This
intuition is confirmed when students plot plus-
minus values against an athlete’s physical rating,
which helps students visualize the significant
variation of plus-minus between players within
each physical rating group.
Next, in the predictive analytics module, students
are presented with a classic “adjusted plus-minus”
(APM) model, popularized in basketball analytics,
which accounts for the collective strength of the
players comprising a given stint via linear regression
[10]. In the case of basketball, plus-minus is used
as the target variable, and indicator covariates are
used to signify which players are on the court for
each stint. The coefficients of these player indicators
denote the APM values for each athlete (in reference
to a set of reference players who are held out of
the regression to ensure identifiability). Linear
regression models are a good starting point for
students because they should be familiar with
these models from previous courses and can directly
apply them to the WCR data using ordinary least
squares. Students may realize that although this
is an improvement over the raw plus-minus values,
it can be further improved by incorporating more
features in the data set, such as considerations for
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 33
ANALYTICS CASE STUDY
multiple optimal solutions and how to handle them.
In the analytics course, regression and optimization
were more recently taught, which enabled much
of the discussion time to focus on more advanced
optimization models. In the case-based courses,
there were more discussions around interpreting
the coefficients from the regression models and
questioning the assumptions of the problem, such
as plus-minus metrics being averaged over all
teams, fatigue curves to better account for rest,
more dynamic models to adjust to the game as
it progresses, and the sensitivity of the regression
outputs that influence the optimization results.
As for student feedback, a post-case survey
with 53 student respondents showed:
• 58.5% found it was more interesting
than other cases.
• 66.0% found it was more difficult
than other cases.
• 81.1% found it helped them identify
other applications in which analytics
can be applied.
To many students, this case reinforced how
the material they learned in class could be applied
in the real world in a relatable way, which helped
keep their interest when tackling the more complex
problems. One student quote captures the
sentiment of engagement in the face of difficulty:
“I honestly love analytics and sports, and I
loved this case because it helped me explore
more about analytics in sports. It was also pretty
challenging, which made it very exciting to solve.”
Overall, students expressed how the case
would help them with projects in the real
world, citing the realistic-sized data set and the
culmination of material across courses (statistics,
calculus, optimization).
With this case, we hope to create an engaging
learning environment that provides students with
an opportunity to showcase and explore a variety
of analytical techniques. The domain of wheelchair
rugby, although new to many, is accessible and
compelling, and we hope this case will support the
growth of wheelchair rugby and sports analytics
applied to Paralympic sports in general.
ALBERT LOA is a senior O.R. product developer for the AD OPT team
at IBS Software Canada, building products for airline crew planning
optimization. In 2022, he completed his Master of Applied Science
in operations research at the University of Toronto.
CRAIG FERNANDES is a second-year Ph.D. student at the University
of Toronto. His research focuses on optimization and machine learning
techniques applied primarily to economic and sport decision problems.
He recently spent time as a research data scientist at Amazon, focusing
on inventory optimization. He is a member of INFORMS.
NATHAN SANDHOLTZ is an assistant professor in the Department of
Statistics at Brigham Young University. His research mostly focuses on
inverse optimization, decision analysis and statistics in sports. Previously,
he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and a basketball
operations analyst with the Sacramento Kings.
TIMOTHY C. Y. CHAN is the associate vice president and vice provost,
strategic initiatives; Canada Research Chair in novel optimization and
analytics in health; and professor in the Department of Mechanical &
Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. His primary research
interests are in operations research, optimization and applied machine
learning, with applications in healthcare, medicine, sustainability and
sports. He is a member of INFORMS.
REFERENCES & NOTES
1. J.E. Bickel, 2004, “Teaching Decision Making with Baseball
Examples,” INFORMS Transactions on Education, Vol. 5, No. 1,
pp. 2-9, https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/ited.5.1.2.
2. Joel S. Sokol, 2004, “An Intuitive Markov Chain Lesson From
Baseball,” INFORMS Transactions on Education, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp.
47-55, https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/ited.5.1.47.
3. Armann Ingolfsson, 2004, “Simulating NHL Games to Motivate
Student Interest in OR/MS,” INFORMS Transactions on Education,
Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 37-46, https://pubsonline.informs.org/
doi/10.1287/ited.5.1.37.
4. Jeroen Beliën, Dries Goossens, Daam Van Reeth and Liesje De
Boeck, 2011, “Using Mixed-Integer Programming to Win a Cycling
Game,” INFORMS Transactions on Education, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp.
93-99, https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/ited.1110.0062.
5. Robert A. Shumsky, 2009, “Case Article—Introductory Integrative
Cases on Airline Revenue Management,” INFORMS Transactions on
Education, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp.135-139, https://pubsonline.informs.
org/doi/10.1287/ited.1090.0033ca.
6. Justin J. Boutilier and Timothy C. Y. Chan, 2021, “Introducing
and Integrating Machine Learning in an Operations Research
Curriculum: An Application-Driven Course,” INFORMS Transactions
on Education, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 64-83, https://pubsonline.informs.
org/doi/10.1287/ited.2021.0256.
7. Timothy C. Y. Chan, Craig Fernandes, Albert Loa and Nathan
Sandholtz, 2023, “Case–Moneyball for Murderball: Using Analytics
to Construct Lineups in Wheelchair Rugby,” INFORMS Transactions
on Education, https://doi.org/10.1287/ited.2023.0282ca.
8. World Wheelchair Rugby, “A Guide to Wheelchair
Rugby Classification,” https://worldwheelchair.rugby/
the-game-classifications/.
9. Dan T. Rosenbaum, 2004, “Measuring How NBA Players Help
Their Teams Win,” http://www.82games.com/comm30.htm.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 35
 CLASSROOM
OPTIMIZATION
GAMES
BY TALLYS YUNES

WHEN I FIRST SAW PROFESSOR NORMAN PENDEGRAFT’S LEGO

game published in OR/MS Today [1], I was fascinated. I loved the idea
of experiencing an optimization problem while touching physical objects
and wanted to use it in my own classroom. Many years later, I finally went
for it: I modified Pendegraft’s game to have three resources instead of
two, changed the data a bit and purchased enough off-brand LEGO-type
bricks to create 10 sets of parts carefully packaged inside zip-close bags.
Off to my MBA class I went, with a smile on my face (to be continued…).

A Greater Purpose
As a child, I naturally loved math. I never had anyone explain to me
how applicable it is to the real world; I just liked it and saw it as rules,
patterns and order. I do understand, however, that most children are not
like this. I believe that most (if not all) of the bad reputation that math
gets (and the bad memories people might have who grow up to say they
“never liked” or “hate” math) has to do with how it was taught to them.
In the book “What’s Math Got To Do with It?,” Boaler provides evidence
that learning mathematical problem-solving through challenges or
projects that involve group work and allow for freedom of thinking and
creativity to express oneself yields much-improved results in terms
of learning and one’s long-term relationship with mathematics [2].
Therefore, I decided to join the crusade to help change this sad reality.
Optimization is a great gateway into developing a passion for
mathematics: There are tons of real-life applications (i.e., its usefulness
is obvious), and it is easy to explain. There is a goal (objective function),
and there are rules (constraints) and moves you can make (decision
variables). Wait! It’s a game! Children love games, so I started creating
a series of them based on well-known optimization problems. I wanted
them to be easy to explain, easy to distribute to any teacher in the world
and easy to play. Hence, my game creation rules are (i) the game can
be fully explained in one page, and (ii) the game pieces can be made
with paper. This allows me to create a two-page PDF file for each game:
Page 1 explains the problem and illustrates it on a small example, and
Page 2 provides a larger (unsolved) instance of the problem and includes
drawings of the pieces that can be cut out with a pair of scissors. All that
is needed now is a printer.

36 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 37

INNOVATIVE EDUCATION
Games vs. Puzzles
One may argue that these games are actually
puzzles. I argue that it depends on how you
use them. The experience can be gamified in
several cooperative or adversarial ways, such
as the following:
• Divide the group into teams and give them
a set amount of time to work on the problem.
Whichever team produces the best solution
is the winner.
• Form pairs and let them take turns picking the
next move in the decision process. Compare
that against the solution obtained when they
solve the problem alone, and then ask them
to explain their rationales to each other.
Optimization is • Introduce some randomness by using dice to
decide how some moves are going to be made.
a great gateway The next person to make a move will need to
into developing try and compensate for that potentially bad
random move.
a passion for • Have one person on the team play the role
mathematics: of an adversary who, when their turn comes,
picks a decision that will hurt the solution
There are tons being built as much as possible.
of real-life
The Games
applications … Here, I will provide a brief explanation about
each of the seven games I have created thus far
and it is easy (there are more on the way), starting with the
to explain. introductory sentences of each game’s first page.
Each game can be freely downloaded [3], and
Portuguese versions are also available.
Games That Only Require Basic Counting
Elektra Bikes (set covering). Elektra Bikes Inc.
wants to install electric bike stations around the
city for their ad to claim, “Wherever you are, a bike
is never too far!” This means you are never more
than two street segments – that is, the length of
two blocks – away from a bike station. Stations
can be installed on any city corner. Your goal is
to pick corners on which to install bike stations
to cover all street segments of a given map.
Page 2 includes a large map and orange circles
(bike stations) for the players to cut out and place
around the map.
Stop the Fire (the firefighter problem). You
are a member of a firefighting squad that fights
large forest fires by dropping fire retardant onto
affected areas from two helicopters. Areas that
can catch fire are drawn as circles, aka nodes, on
a map, and corridors along which fire can spread
appear as lines connecting the circles. How to
play (illustrations are provided to clarify what is
happening): First, choose a node where the fire
will start and make it red to indicate it is burned.
Then, choose two nodes to defend with your two
helicopters, making them green. After a defense
round, all undefended nodes connected to a
burned node by a line will burn. You can then
move the two helicopters to two other nodes
to defend them, and so on, until all nodes are
either burned (red), defended (green) or safe
(white). Your goal is to save as many nodes as
possible or, equivalently, minimize the number
of nodes that burn.
Page 2 includes a large map, plus red and
green circles for the players to cut out and
place on the map.
Games That Require Some
Basic Calculations
LEGO Furniture (product mix). This is the same
kind of product mix problem as proposed by
Pendegraft [1], but with a third resource added
in for a bit more complexity.
Patty-O FunnyTure (product mix). This is a
simplified version of the LEGO Furniture problem
above that is suitable for children in first grade.
Pack That Bag! (knapsack problem). You are
participating in a TV game show in which each
contestant is given an empty duffel bag that
can carry up to 26 pounds. In front of you, there
are 12 household items, each labeled with their
corresponding weight and dollar value (a table
with data is provided). It is not possible to carry
all items in the bag because of the 26-pound limit
(assume space is not a problem). Your goal is
to choose which items to pack in the bag so that
the total dollar value of the items inside the bag
is maximized – that is, as large as possible.
This explanation is followed by a picture of
a strip of length 26 cm, with 1-cm markings, and
colored rectangles, one for each item, whose
length in centimeters equals how many pounds
they weigh. If your choice of items has total length
less than or equal to 26 cm, it means they fit in
the bag. On each item’s rectangle, its dollar value
is also indicated. A sample solution is provided
to illustrate a feasible packing of the bag and its
total value.
Sort at the Port (cumulative scheduling). Cargo
ships arrive at the port of Miami and need to be
unloaded. The ships differ in size (length) and
how long (hours) it takes the cranes to offload
their cargo (this depends on both the amount of
cargo and how fragile it is). The place at the port
where the ships dock for unloading is called
the berth and has a limited size. This means
only a few ships can dock near the cranes to be
unloaded at the same time. The question facing
the port manager is: In what sequence should
today’s ships be unloaded to finish as early
as possible?
This explanation is followed by an illustrated
example with three ships showing how different
unloading orders yield different completion times
(i.e., makespans). Page 2 includes drawings of
a large berth and several ships of different sizes
and unloading times for the players to cut out
and move in and out of the berth as they try to
produce a solution.
The Baker’s Conundrum (cumulative scheduling).
Every year, families get together for large feasts
during the holidays. This means preparing and
baking several different items, such as poultry,
fish, bread, cakes, cookies, etc. With a single oven
available in the kitchen and each item requiring
a certain amount of space and time in the oven,
choosing the order in which to bake these items
(and arranging them in the oven) can make a
difference in terms of total baking time. (The
sooner we are done, the sooner we can eat,
right? Yum!)
This explanation is followed by an illustrated
example with three items showing how different
baking orders can save you time. Page 2 includes
a drawing of a large oven plus myriad foods in
different sizes and shapes that require distinct
baking times. We are assuming that all of them
bake at the same temperature, but what if they
do not? Aha! Ask your audience!
Following Up After Gameplay
In addition to asking each individual or team
to explain their approach to solving the problem,
which can be an interesting activity itself, at the
end of each game’s description, I provide additional
questions for a follow-up discussion. They are a
great way for people to think about concepts such
as modeling and abstraction:
• How do you know for sure that your solution
is the best possible?
• What assumptions or simplifications from
the real-life situation were made while solving
this problem?
• Variations: If we changed <feature A> to
<feature B>, how would you modify your
approach to solving this problem? Does that
make the problem easier or harder? Can you
think of another modification that makes
it easier/harder?
• Abstractions and associations: At a high level,
this game is about locating things that cover
other things. Can you think of another example
or application that fits this same pattern?
• Creativity: Create your own instance of this
problem and try to solve it. See how well your
friends can do on your instance.
Classroom Experience
So, I entered the first lecture of my MBA class,
distributed the bags of LEGOs around the room
(accompanied by instructions), and told the
students to get to work. I left out key definitions
and details: For example, the instructions tell them
to find the best collection of products to make. But
what does best mean? Someone eventually brought
that up and we went on a tangent about potential
definitions, minimization/maximization, etc.
We then focused on one objective: maximize profit.
At which point someone inevitably shouted,
“But we don’t have enough data!” to which I
replied “True! What do you need?” I kept going
like this, omitting some things, waiting for
them to realize there’s an issue or to question
an assumption, until all groups converged on
a solution.
I also had a chance to use the Pack That Bag!
game with groups of prospective MBA students
several times during mock class sessions offered
through some recruiting events run by the
business school. The way I run those is similar
to what I described earlier. In both cases, the
feedback I received over the years has always
been very positive, with students particularly
emphasizing that they enjoyed the hands-on
aspect of the exercise.
If you happen to use any of my games in the
classroom, or with your family and friends, I
would greatly appreciate if you could share your
experience with me via email at tallys@miami.edu.
TALLYS YUNES (tallys@miami.edu) is an associate professor
of management science at Miami Herbert Business School.
REFERENCES
1. Pendegraft, N., 1997, “Lego of my simplex,”
OR/MS Today, Vol. 24, No. 1, p. 8.
2. Boaler, J., 2015, “What’s Math Got To Do With It?”
Revised edition, New York: Penguin Books.
3. Yunes, T., 2023, “Optimization Games for the Young,”
https://thyunes.github.io/games.html.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 39
SUBJECT TO ... MACHINE LEARNING

THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN OPERATIONS

RESEARCH AND MACHINE LEARNING
BY ANAND SUBRAMANIAN AND HOLGER TEICHGRAEBER

IN RECENT YEARS, APPLICATIONS OF
artificial intelligence (AI) have become ubiquitous
and part of our everyday lives. From the minute we
wake up and check the latest social media feeds on
our cell phones to the moment we tell Alexa to set
the alarm before going to bed, we are subjected to
products and services in which AI plays a key role.
In 2021, organizations across the globe invested
more than US$90 billion in AI [1].
AI solutions are based on different methods
across several subfields, predominantly in the area
journals more keen to welcome articles that are “Machine Learning” in INFORMS Journals
more trendy and full of buzzwords over those that
are closer to the O.R. roots?
Either way, it seems that a considerable portion
of the O.R. scientific community has found ways 500
to combine O.R. and ML in their research work.
It is thus no surprise that this is a topic of regular 436
discussion on the “Subject to” (s.t.) podcast. In
what follows, we highlight examples of where 400
O.R. and ML go hand in hand, supporting the
hypothesis that the combination is proving

Number of Occurrences
of machine learning (ML). ML has been of particular extremely advantageous and makes for valuable
interest to a vast number of researchers of various contributions of the O.R. community. 300 285
disciplines, and the number of ML publications
has grown substantially in the past decade. A large Machine Learning and Optimization
number of operations research (O.R.) scholars have Many modern data applications operate under
been attempting to explore the interplay between a paradigm that can be characterized as “predict- 200 181
O.R. and ML in distinct forms. In fact, the number then-optimize.” The “predict” part comes from an
154
of contributions in INFORMS journals/publications ML model that predicts probabilities or regression
containing the string “machine learning” has been outcomes and feeds them into an optimization 110
increasing exponentially in the past few years, as model, which makes coordinated decisions. Often, 100
shown in Figure 1. the two parts are disconnected, with the ML model 70
49 42 54
Given the above, one might ask: Do O.R. scholars handing off parameters to the optimization model.
24 20 32 21
genuinely believe that O.R. and ML make a perfect Nevertheless, combining the two can be powerful 4 2 5 11 7 18 19 22 15 13
match, or are they deliberately finding ways to in practice. For example, Elmachtoub and Grigas 0
accommodate ML approaches into their papers show that leveraging the optimization problem
to make them more appealing? Moreover, is this structure (i.e., its objective and constraints) can

21

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tendency the result of genuine discovery of new topic
areas, or is it the result of funding agencies’ focus
on ML topics and an attempt by O.R. folks to fit in?
Are we seeing the evolution of our field that is here
to stay, or are editors and reviewers of O.R.-related
20
help design better prediction models through the
development of new loss functions [2]. Moreover, Year
Donti et al. [3] include the characteristics of
stochastic optimization problems directly into
neural network loss functions by differentiating FIGURE 1: Number of occurrences of the keyword string “machine learning” in INFORMS journals over time.

40 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 41

SUBJECT TO ... MACHINE LEARNING
the optimization solution. This results in more
aligned ML and optimization models, and thus
in better decision outcomes. In fact, Dimitris
Bertsimas summarizes the natural codependency
and interconnectedness of ML and optimization
when defining analytics as “the science of using
data to build models for better decisions” [4].
ML algorithms can also directly benefit from
optimization. In particular, ML methods such as
random forests can be made more interpretable
using optimization, or support vector machines
can be enhanced through column generation,
as discussed by Dolores Romero Morales [5]. As
Thibaut Vidal mentions, there are a lot of hidden
heuristics in ML, for example, in the classification
and regression tree algorithm (CART) for decision
trees or in k-means clustering [6].
Another promising combination is integrating
optimization and causal inference to learn optimal
interpretable policies, for example, in resource
allocation for the homeless, as Phebe Vayanos
points out [7]. On a more general level, Vidal
highlights another case for how ML can benefit
from the O.R. toolkit: In O.R., we decompose
problems into the model and solution technique,
We have only whereas in ML, these two are often thought of as
scratched the one. This lens of decomposition can potentially
yield more systematic development of solutions
surface, and for a wide range of problems.
many new Not only can ML benefit from optimization – it
also works the other way around: Optimization
research and solvers can take direct advantage from ML methods,
and many of the state-of-the-art solvers today
application employ ML internally. For example, ML can be
areas in which embedded into mixed-integer quadratic optimization
solvers to help decide when to linearize, or embedded
ML and O.R. go into discrete optimization solvers to make promising
hand in hand branching decisions, as highlighted by Andrea Lodi
[8]. In some cases, the ML community is trying to
have yet to be replace optimization entirely, for example, to solve
discovered. the capacitated vehicle routing problem. Here, it
is important that ML solutions are compared to
state-of-the-art O.R. solutions so that the scientific
community does not reinvent the wheel [9, 10].
Another example of optimization turning ML
to its advantage is the development of surrogate
ML models to learn the optimal solution of an
optimization model as a function of its parameters.
An impactful application is in the security-constrained
economic dispatch to clear electricity markets,
work that Pascal Van Hentenryck elaborates on
in a forthcoming s.t. episode [11]. These models
run in electricity markets worldwide with an impact
on the order of billions of dollars per year [12], and
the requirement to run the dispatch optimization
models every five minutes limits the modeling
detail. By learning a surrogate model of the
optimization model, results can be returned
instantly. Because the runtime requirement of the
optimization model becomes less stringent, this
enables the development of much more powerful
optimization models to clear electricity markets.
These are all great examples of how ML and
optimization can be combined. But more broadly,
what is the impact of the exponential growth
around ML on the interest of students to study
mathematical optimization and O.R. [13]? Are
they drawn into other fields instead of O.R., or
does the hype increase overall interest? Eduardo
Uchoa points out that ML has a low barrier of
entry compared with O.R. [14]. However, it is likely
a balance of push and pull. On one hand, O.R.
as an ML-adjacent field receives more exposure
than without the recent hype. On the other hand,
many bright O.R. scholars may be tempted to leave
academia to pursue a career in the ML industry.
Overall, the strong interest in ML is a wonderful
opportunity for the O.R. community to bring new
attention to our field. O.R. has provided impactful
analytics for more than 60 years. However, because
in the past decade a vast number of applications
of AI and ML have changed the world of analytics,
the field of O.R. is also evolving, becoming more
data-driven and more intertwined with predictive
analytics. We have only scratched the surface,
and many new research and application areas in
which ML and O.R. go hand in hand have yet to be
discovered, with significant opportunities for the
O.R. community to bring ways of thinking to the
table that no other community can contribute.
ANAND SUBRAMANIAN is a professor at the Universidade Federal
da Paraíba in Brazil.
HOLGER TEICHGRAEBER is a data science manager at Archer
Aviation. He holds a Ph.D. at the intersection of machine
learning and optimization from Stanford University.
REFERENCES
https://www.statista.com/statistics/941137/
1.
ai-investment-and-funding-worldwide/
2. Adam N. Elmachtoub and Paul Grigas, 2022, “Smart ‘Predict,
then Optimize,’” Management Science, Vol. 68, No. 1, pp. 9-26.
3. Priya L. Donti, Brandon Amos and J. Zico Kolter, 2017, “Task-
based end-to-end model learning in stochastic optimization,”
Proceedings of the 31st International Conference on Neural
Information Processing Systems (NIPS’17), https://dl.acm.org/
doi/10.5555/3295222.3295300.
4. Dimitris Bertsimas, s.t. episode: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=cifspW4gLwA&t=1513s
5. Dolores Romero Morales, s.t. episode: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=rn4zFZCwsrE&t=3080s
6. Thibaut Vidal, s.t. episode: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=oqWlANvtviU&t=3415s
7. Phebe Vayanos, s.t. episode: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=9OtCbznTCJA&t=3022s
8. Andrea Lodi, s.t. episode: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=6JHr3dS1630&t=3202s
9. https://www.amazon.science/academic-engagements/winning-
last-mile-challenge-team-addresses-problem-of-combining-
mathematical-routes-with-driver-knowledge
10. https://uwaterloo.ca/combinatorics-and-optimization/news/
bill-cooks-team-announced-winner-amazon-last-mile-routing
11. Pascal Van Hentenryck, s.t. episode: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=gZ5Dlu9vnz4&t=4553s
12. https://www.ferc.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/
acopf-1-history-formulation-testing.pdf
13. Jeff Linderoth, s.t. episode: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=z82R6pI__wg&t=2813s
14. Eduardo Uchoa, s.t. episode: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=9mNjqkUIZRk&t=3242s
CONFERENCE PREVIEW: HEALTHCARE
INFORMS #HEALTHCARE2023
Equity and resilience in a post-pandemic world
BY DIONNE ALEMAN AND MIKE CARTER
AS WE EMERGE FROM THE COVID-19
pandemic, we look at the world of healthcare in a new
lens. Issues of data availability, system resiliency, and
equity and access have become focal points in real-
world healthcare and public health decision-making. In
turn, the world of operations research (O.R.) has grown
to respond to these pressing real-world concerns.
Data mining, machine learning (ML) and advanced
analytics have taken the O.R. world by storm, and we
have done tremendous things with the vast amounts
of data available across numerous fields, from
healthcare to finance to inventory management. But
what do we do when data is not readily available, or
the quality of the data is poor, as we saw throughout
the COVID-19 pandemic? What do we do when
solutions and analyses are needed immediately, and
there isn’t time to develop novel methodologies or let
algorithms churn until they achieve a small optimality
gap? What do we do when mathematically optimal
solutions aren’t easily implementable? Or when those
solutions fail to address important concerns of equity
and access? Looking to the future, what lessons have
we learned that allow us to respond faster and better
to the next emergent health crisis? How can we
design our healthcare systems to be more resilient to
uncertain but potentially catastrophic future events,
such as another pandemic? Can we be strategic now
to give room to respond to significant events?
All of these questions will be addressed at the
INFORMS Healthcare Conference 2023, hosted by the
University of Toronto, July 26-28, in Toronto, Canada.
The conference theme, “Equity and resiliency in
a post-pandemic world,” highlights how academic
achievements have been adapted to real-world
practice, with particular emphasis on public health
and pandemic preparedness. In addition to hosting
tracks on personalized medicine, medical decision-
making and healthcare operations management,
the conference features theme-specific clusters on
COVID-19, public health policy, global health, health
information technology and more. Plenaries feature
experts from academia and practice, broadening the
reach of the INFORMS community and connecting
researchers with the healthcare industry.
Three plenary speakers will address attendees
on each day of the confernce. Matthew Anderson,
president and CEO of Ontario Health, will give the
opening plenary on healthcare in Ontario, “Using
Quantitative Decision Tools to Achieve Goals.”
Timothy Chan will give a talk titled, “Got (Optimal)
Milk?” Chan is the associate vice president and
vice provost of Strategic Initiatives, Canada
Research Chair in novel optimization and analytics
in health, and professor of mechanical and industrial
engineering, all at the University of Toronto. His talk
proposes a data-driven framework combining ML
and optimization to predict macronutrient content
of human donor milk deposits to optimally combine
them into pools. In collaboration with a partner
milk bank, they collect a data set of milk to train
predictive models. Finally, Muhammad Mamdani,
PharmD, MA, MPH, vice president of data science
and advanced analytics at Unity Health Toronto,
and director of Temerty Faculty of Medicine Centre
for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in
Medicine (T-CAIREM), University of Toronto, will
discuss “The Application of Artificial Intelligence in
Healthcare.” AI has transformed numerous sectors
but its application to health has so far been limited.
The Toronto community is well positioned to
advance AI research and application given its
strengths in relevant disciplines such as medicine,
allied health, computer science, mathematics,
engineering, and statistics. Mamdani’s plenary will
present examples of applied AI research, with a
particular focus on AI translation.
The conference venue, Hilton Toronto, is centrally
located downtown, near multiple world-renowned
hospitals and the University of Toronto. Toronto is
famous for its variety of food and culture, and you can
easily walk from the hotel to world-class restaurants
and entertainment. TTC, the public transit system,
is also steps away. There will be a number of sporting
events and other entertainment opportunities in the
same timeframe as the conference, so there is plenty
to keep you busy during any conference down time!
Pre-conference tours of four local hospitals
showcase how O.R. and management science are
used on the ground in Toronto, which is home to
some of the top-ranked hospitals in the world.
We encourage participants to register early
because there is a limited number of hotel rooms
available at the INFORMS group rate. For more
information about the conference, including
information on registration, the progam or the
venue, visit meetings.informs.org/healthcare2023.
DIONNE ALEMAN is a professor of industrial engineering in the Department
of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto and
director of the Medical Operations Research Laboratory. She is general
co-chair for the 2023 INFORMS Healthcare Conference.
MIKE CARTER is a professor of industrial engineering in the Department of
Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto and director
of the Health Resource Modelling Laboratory. He is general co-chair for the
2023 INFORMS Healthcare Conference.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 43
ROUNDTABLE PROFILE
OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND
ADVANCED ANALYTICS AT DOW
BY MARIA PAZ OCHOA AND SATYA AMARAN
DOW (NYSE: DOW), RANKED 64TH ON
the Fortune 500 list, is one of the largest materials
science companies and manufacturers in the
world. Dow combines global asset integration and
scale; focused innovation and materials science
expertise; industry-leading business positions;
and environmental, social and governance (ESG)
leadership to achieve profitable growth and deliver
a sustainable future.
Dow was founded in 1897 in Midland, Michigan,
by Herbert H. Dow, a pioneer in electrochemistry
who was passionate about science and business,
and equipped with a “do it better” mindset. Dow’s
first commercialized product – bleach – helped
shape the company’s long-standing tradition of
rapid diversification of commodities. Within 20
years, Dow transitioned from inorganic chemistry
to producing organic chemicals, which included
phenol and indigo dye, and eventually magnesium
metal. Dow continues to innovate to meet ever-
changing demands of the market and society,
and Dow’s current product offerings, including
industrial chemicals, plastics, silicones and
polyurethanes, impact nearly all aspects of everyday
life. Dow made a commitment to its sustainability
goals in 2015, which included becoming carbon
neutral [1] by 2050. Furthermore, in 2021, the
company announced plans to build the world’s first
net-zero ethylene cracker in Fort Saskatchewan,
Alberta, Canada [2].
44 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
Unlocking Opportunities
across the Value Chain
Dow was an early adopter of computing and
analytics and migrated from linear programming
applications in the early 1950s to enterprise-wide
analytics applications today. The timeline in
Figure 2 depicts Dow’s digital trajectory and
reflects the company’s continuous investment
in computational research.
Dow’s vertical integration, magnitude of global
operations, and position as a materials inventor
and chemical process innovator host a thriving
environment for applications across the analytics
spectrum. The size of the company requires
contending with staggering numbers, such as
the fact that if all operations were based in the
large state of Texas, it would use an estimated
4% of the state’s total power capacity, or that
more than 20% of Dow’s commercial sales are
made by products developed within the past
five years – and this scale of operations comes
with commensurate opportunities.
At the same time, Dow’s scientists are equally
focused on researching phenomena at the molecular
scale to invent the next generation of energy-efficient
catalysts or intensify a production process to
its thermodynamic limit. This offers an exciting
array of addressable analytics problems, in addition
to conventional supply chain applications such
as planning and scheduling (see Figure 2).
The Original Digital Twins: Real-time
Optimization and Power Scheduling
Since the early 2000s, Dow has strived to achieve
operational excellence by using real-time
optimization (RTO) with first-principle steady-
state mathematical models that include material
and energy balances, thermodynamic equilibrium
relationships and reaction kinetics. Operating profit
is maximized by considering pricing, as well as
process constraints, with results implemented by
using underlying model predictive controllers [3].
The optimization models, which are nearly always
large-scale nonlinear programs (NLPs), are self-
adjusting to process and ambient conditions and
make the right trade-offs among feeds, products
and energy based on total operating profit. An RTO
implementation typically results in higher operating
profit because of a combination of 1%-5% plant
capacity increase, 1%-5% energy savings and 1%-2%
overall improvement [4]. The technology is widely
practiced across the company’s continuous plants,
including the largest closed-loop Aspen RTO model
worldwide, in terms of size and complexity at the
time of deployment.
Dynamic Optimization at Industrial
Scale: Polymer Recipe Optimization
In capacity-constrained situations, it is crucial to
maximize the output of existing assets. In 2012, a
Dow collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University
led to the development of novel algorithms
for off-line and real-time nonlinear dynamic
optimization of semi-batch processes for polymer
production [5]. This technology, along with Dow’s
own experts and existing mathematical models,
advanced its capabilities from simulation to
dynamic optimization and yielded a 25% reduction
in batch time for the chosen product. This effort
highlighted the importance of Dow’s University
Partnership Initiative, both as a source of new talent
and economic benefit for Dow. This collaboration
received the 2014 Innovative Manufacturing
Leadership Award in the category of Engineering &
Production Technology Leadership and is one
of Dow’s outstanding examples of the transfer of
technology in the space of analytics from academic
collaboration to a capability that is routinely
practiced today.
Breaking Decision Silos: Enterprise-wide
Maintenance Turnaround Planning
Maintenance turnarounds for production plants are
scheduled downtimes that can be costly, owing to
both direct spending on maintenance activities and
lost production time. Turnaround interval timing
and scope of work are influenced by manufacturing
reliability, supply chain and market demands, the
economy, and labor, to name a few [6, 7]. Dow has
developed mixed-integer programming (MIP) and
mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP)-
based tools that enable economic optimization of
Dow’s vertical
turnarounds for individual business portfolios, in integration,
addition to Dow’s entire multibusiness portfolio.
Short-term maintenance expenses and supply
magnitude
constraints can have a significant impact on of global
operations, so finding a balance with long-term
asset reliability risks and net present value operations,
(NPV) maximization opportunities is a must. and position
Implementation of these models requires inputs
ranging from asset-level technical models such as as a materials
inventor and
fouling and catalyst degradation [8], to business
strategies for capital projects and long-term price
chemical
predictions that require multifunction coordination
across manufacturing, maintenance and reliability,
supply chain, and finance teams.
process
innovator
AI-assisted New Product
Formulation: DOW Paint Vision host a thriving
Beyond the application of analytics in supply environment
chain and manufacturing, Dow remains invested
in the continuous application of data to product for applications
development. For example, the emergence of new across the
formulations typically requires strong expertise
to navigate an infinite number of combinations analytics
of ingredients, conditions, procedures, hypotheses
and experiments.
spectrum.
DOW Paint Vision is a great example of how
Dow is leveraging digitalization and machine
learning in product formulations and sustainable
materials to further innovation throughout the
paint and coatings industry [9]. This platform
empowers customers with the ability to derive
new coatings solutions in a matter of minutes,
accurately outlining ingredients and attributes
required for specific applications. Paint Vision was
recognized this year with an Artificial Intelligence FIGURE 1: Dow’s footprint
Excellence Award by the Business Intelligence at-a-glance.
ROUNDTABLE PROFILE
Group for its computer vision technology
that identifies and predicts corrosion
failures in metal coating applications [10].
Collaborating for Superior Results
Dow’s analytics experts span the enterprise
and are organized in four ways:
1. Deep analytics expertise groups within
various functions.
a. Global Research & Development (Machine
Learning, Optimization & Statistics,
Information Research – Data Science).
b. Manufacturing (Chemometrics,
AI & Statistics).
c. Commercial/IT (Advanced Analytics).
Year
2. Embedded teams in areas of practice, such
as advanced process control, real-time
optimization and supply chain network design.
3. Hubs for collaboration and piloting technology,
such as the Digital Fulfillment, Digital
Operations and Digital Marketplace Centers.
4. Practitioners and teams with dual domain
expertise within business units.
With analytics professionals across the
organization, Dow relies on a strong practitioner
network to grow talent, collaborate and share
opportunities and accomplishments. Dow’s
Insight Scientist Community brings together 600+
practitioners through internal poster sessions and
conferences, monthly seminars that include internal
and academic speakers, and the biannual Data
Science Challenge, in which cross-functional teams
pitch ideas to an executive panel to gain support
for transformative projects.
A notable strength of Dow is its University
Partnership Initiative (UPI) housed in Corporate
R&D. Since launching the program in 2011, the
company has pledged and invested more than $250
million in more than 10 engineering and chemistry
departments in the U.S. This initiative aims to
develop the next generation of leaders in consumer
applications, energy, process development,
transportation and modeling, while giving graduate
students a chance to gain an industrial perspective
on their research. The program’s outcome has
ensured a robust project pipeline that extends
beyond the initial 10-year time frame.
Dow’s Core Values and Ambition
Dow focuses heavily on strengthening its expertise
and collaboration with industry partners, NGOs
and more to help create a sustainable future for
all. The company’s core values of integrity, respect
for people and protecting our planet are coupled
with its desired goal of delivering value growth
and best-in-class performance.
Modern times call for leadership in environmental
sustainability, as climate change aims to pose
FIGURE 2: A timeline of analytics and computing at Dow. serious consequences for the global economy,
46 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
BIG™ - Four
Sustainability
Awards, 2022
#4 Best Workplaces
6 Winners and 1
in Manufacturing &
special recognition
Production and PEOPLE®
R&D 100 Awards, 2022
Companies that Care, 2022
people’s health and well-being of life. This is why
Dow has set new targets in regard to advancing
a circular economy and climate protection by
focusing on two closely related issues: reducing
carbon emissions and eliminating plastic waste.
As part of Dow’s action plan to be on a path
toward carbon neutrality by 2050, it has committed
to implementing and advancing technologies
that enable product manufacturing by using
fewer resources; improving collaboration with
suppliers, customers and value chain partners;
and holding itself accountable throughout the
entire manufacturing and supply chain process.
Although plastic is beneficial to generating
a low-carbon future, such as the reduction of
vehicle weights and food waste, improved fuel
efficiency and energy performance in buildings,
the material is recognized as a major contributor to
current global carbon emissions. Dow’s circularity
mission is centered around creating a world where
plastic waste ceases to exist through several steps,
some of which include making key investments
in technology, infrastructure and industrial
ecosystems, as well as Dow’s commitment to
redesigning and promoting reusable or recyclable
packaging applications.
As a result of Dow’s efforts to power a
sustainable future through innovation, it has
recently been recognized with several awards
and honors (see Figure 3).
For more than 125 years, Dow’s community
of scientists and engineers has addressed some
of the greatest issues that have faced people and
the planet through sustainable, market-driven
scientific and technical solutions. The company’s
innovations helped solve challenges related to
affordable and efficient food supply, housing and
high-performing buildings that are suitable and
long-lasting, improved personal health and comfort,
and advancements in emerging technologies such
as electric vehicles and smart devices. With the
growing and the ever-changing complexity of
questions that Dow strives to solve, the increased
reliance on predictive and prescriptive analytics
to find answers is certain.
BIG™ - Five BIG™ - AI
Innovation Excellence Award,
Awards, 2023 2022 & 2023
#74 America’s Most
JUST Companies, 2021
Authors’ note: The authors would like to thank FIGURE 3: Dow’s
the following colleagues for their contributions to recent recognition.
this article: Rahul Bindlish, Scott Bury, Leo Chiang,
Ibrahim Eryazici, Jeff Ferrio, Philippe Hayot, Shachit
Iyer, Sophie Kim, Sreekanth Rajagopalan, Carlos
Villa, Birgit Braun, Jeff Tazelaar, Joe Czyzyk and
Milan Revels.
MARIA PAZ OCHOA is an associate research scientist within Dow’s Core
R&D Machine Learning, Optimization, and Statistics team. She earned
her B.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Universidad Nacional
del Sur, Argentina, and her postdoctorate at Carnegie Mellon University.
SATYA AMARAN is an R&D leader for Operations Research, a group within
the Machine Learning, Optimization, and Statistics team, part of Dow’s Core
R&D organization. He earned his bachelor’s degree in technology from the
National Institute of Technology in Karnataka, India, followed by an M.S.
and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. With analytics
REFERENCES & NOTES
professionals
1. Scopes 1+2+3 plus product benefits. across the
2. Dow Chemical Company, 2021, “Dow announces plan to build
world’s first net-zero carbon emissions ethylene and derivatives organization,
complex,” October 6, https://investors.dow.com/en/news/news-
details/2021/Dow-announces-plan-to-build-worlds-first-net-zero- Dow relies on a
carbon-emissions-ethylene-and-derivatives-complex/default.aspx.
3. Bindlish, R., 2016, “Power scheduling and real-time optimization of strong practitioner
industrial cogeneration plants,” Computers & Chemical Engineering,
Vol. 87, pp. 257-266.
network to grow
4. Bindlish, R., 2018, “Operational excellence with real-time
optimization,” Texas A&M Energy Institute, Texas A&M
talent, collaborate
University, College Station, TX, April.
5. Nie, Y., Biegler, L.T., Villa, C. and Wassick, J.M., 2013, “Reactor
and share
modeling and recipe optimization of polyether polyol processes:
Polypropylene glycol,” AIChE Journal, Vol. 59, No. 7, pp. 2515-2529.
opportunities and
6. Amaran, S., Zhang, T., Sahinidis, N.V., Sharda, B. and Bury, S.J., accomplishments.
2016, “Medium-term maintenance turnaround planning under
uncertainty for integrated chemical sites,” Computers & Chemical
Engineering, Vol. 84, pp. 422-433.
7. Rajagopalan, S., Sahinidis, N.V., Amaran, S., Agarwal, A., Bury,
S.J., Sharda, B. and Wassick. J.M., 2017, “Risk analysis of
turnaround reschedule planning in integrated chemical sites,”
Computers & Chemical Engineering, Vol. 107, pp. 381-394.
8. Chiang, L., Braun, B., Wang, Z. and Castillo, I., 2022, “Towards
artificial intelligence at scale in the chemical industry,” AIChE
Journal, Vol. 68, No. 6, Art. no. e17644.
9. https://coatings.specialchem.com/tech-library/
article/dow-paint-vision-digital-innovation
10. Dow, 2023, “Dow wins 2023 Artificial Intelligence Excellence
Award,” March 29, https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/news/
press-releases/dow-wins-2023-ai-excellence-award.html.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 47
INFORMS INITIATIVES
FROM NUMBERS TO STORIES TO
COMMUNITY: HOW DEI AMBASSADOR
PROJECTS LED TO ESTABLISHING
INFORMS PRIDE FORUM
BY PRIYANK ARORA (HE/HIM), PRITHA DUTTA (SHE/HER),
ALISON MURPHY (THEY/THEM), TYLER PERINI (HE/THEY)
AND DWAIPAYAN (DWAI) ROY (HE/HIM)
IN 2020, INFORMS LAUNCHED A DIVERSITY,
Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Ambassadors Program
to empower members and fund initiatives to
foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive INFORMS
community. The program, now in its fourth year,
has supported a variety of initiatives ranging from
early outreach toward underrepresented students
to an analysis of the diversity of editorial boards [1].
The projects in support of LGBTQ+ members have
been a resounding success and demonstrate the
importance of sustained institutional support to
make the INFORMS community more inclusive.
By the Numbers: Understanding
LGBTQ+ INFORMS Members
The first step toward building community was to
identify the representation and distinctive support
needs of LGBTQ+ members. During the inaugural
year of the Ambassadors Program, Alison Murphy
and Dwai Roy headed such a project. An anonymous
survey was launched to gather information about
(1) the demographics of INFORMS members, with
a focus on gender identity, sexual orientation, and
their intersection with ethnicity and national
origin; (2) any negative experiences related to
gender or sexuality at INFORMS conferences; (3)
the awareness and use of existing DEI resources
through INFORMS Connect; and (4) any additional
resources that would help create a more safe and
inclusive environment.
48 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
Although the response rate of the survey was
low (175 INFORMS members initiated the survey,
of whom 146 (~83%) completed the survey), there
were still several important findings. As with the
broader population, LGBTQ+ respondents skew
younger (85% of LGBTQ+ respondents were under
40 compared with 65% of all respondents). We also
found that LGBTQ+ respondents, especially those in
early career stages, were concerned about “coming
out” in an environment in which others may feel
that issues of diversity and inclusion should not
matter in a “society that cares about numbers.”
Several resources and practices identified through
the survey have already been implemented by the
INFORMS leadership team. Notably, members
now have more gender identity options (beyond
binary male or female) and can self-identify their
sexual orientation and pronouns in their INFORMS
account. These are the first steps toward providing
a voice to the LGBTQ+ community at INFORMS,
considering that even three years ago when this
survey was launched, there was no formal way for
LGBTQ+ INFORMS members to self-identify and
build a community.
Another notable finding from our survey was
signs that there is less acceptance, or even denial,
of the transgender INFORMS community. To directly
quote one of the respondents, “I [understand]
lesbian, gay, and bisexual. But the whole trans
thing seems made up to me.” Moreover, only 1 out
of 146 respondents self-identified as a transgender professionals. But many LGBTQ+ folk feel that Although the
person. Given these findings, we noted that future “how they should come out” in this scenario, and
DEI Ambassador projects can make concerted many others, is an unanswered question. This official launch
efforts (possibly with support from the senior question becomes increasingly difficult with
of the forum
INFORMS leadership team) to shed more light rising tensions in the broader political landscape
onto the representation of transgender INFORMS of the U.S. Therefore, establishing structures to seems like a
members. Additionally, these projects can highlight facilitate these professional networks will be
the distinctive challenges faced by transgender highly impactful. culmination
people in INFORMS (and within broader STEM Beyond networking, there are many more of months of
and academia) because these challenges are consequential professional relationships, in
different and unique in comparison to those particular, those with advisors, students and effort by several
faced by LGB people. colleagues. The participants displayed wide INFORMS
Going Deeper: Stories and Unmet Needs
variability in which of the three relationships
they were open about their identity. The majority community and
In the second year of the Ambassador Program, of participants were open in two out of three, and
staff members,
Tyler Perini initiated a project to capture the for the third, they felt either uneasy about how
stories of 11 LGBTQ+ INFORMS members to to come out or apathetic about its importance. it is in fact the
underscore the human experience of being in A small fraction of participants felt comfortable
beginning of
academia by sharing, validating and empathizing being out in all three.
with personal narratives. See Figure 1 to meet Academia is not just an intellectual marathon our collective
the participants (pseudonyms used). The stories but also an emotional one. Interviews suggested that,
highlight the unique challenges that come with for such a taxing journey, authentic relationships efforts toward
an invisible minority identity. As such, “coming are crucial to success. Participants pointed to the creating a more
out” is an optional process that (1) comes with importance of mental health during graduate
cognitive load, (2) causes emotional distress and school and, often, the positive effects after having interconnected
(3) may limit how well professional relationships
can form or last.
come out. For example, some relationships felt and inclusive
superficial or even distant until this identity was
One clearly unmet demand of 9 out of 11 shared, after which they could bring their “full professional
participants is the lack of mentorship from self ” to the table. The details from this study can
LGBTQ+ members of their research area (see help make recommendations – on the individual
community.
Figure 2 responses). In fact, the majority of and systemic levels – about what to do so that
participants were totally unaware of LGBTQ+ all LGBTQ+ members of INFORMS feel that they
researchers in their research area (at least at have complete freedom in bringing this identity
time of interviewing). This lack of visibility is to all of their workspaces.
a clear disparity between individuals in the
majority and this minority group. New Connections: Annual Meeting
How “should” two LGBTQ+ individuals reveal Breakfast Reception
this shared identity in a professionally acceptable The successes of prior LGBTQ-centered DEI
manner? Consider the classic example of networking. Ambassador projects and the connections made
Professional networking is important for all between Ambassadors and INFORMS staff led to
Noah (he/him/his) is a Ph.D. Zack (he/him/his) is an assistant Ava (he/him/his) is an assistant
student who identifies as a professor who identifies as a gay professor who identifies as a gay
gay cisgender man. cisgender man. cisgender man.
Harley (they/she) is a potential River (she/her/hers) is a Ph.D. Gianna (she/her/hers) is an
graduate student who identifies student who identifies as a assistant professor who identifies
as a nonbinary, pansexual person. lesbian cisgender woman. as a lesbian cisgender woman.
Joseph (he/they) is a Ph.D. Charlotte (she/her) is a Ph.D. William (he/him) is an assistant
student who identifies as a candidate who identifies as professor who identifies as a
gay cisgender man. a bisexual cisgender woman. gay cisgender man.
Sasha (he/him) is an O.R. Chandler (he/him) is an assistant
scientist who identifies as professor who identifies as a gay
a gay cisgender man. cisgender man. FIGURE 1: Meet the 11 interviewees
(pseudonyms used).
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 49
INFORMS INITIATIVES
Have you received mentorship from an LGBTQ+ member of your research area?
No. I will have to say, Not really.
unfortunately not. No.
No.
Noah Zack Ava
I don’t I think I know of any LGBTQ+
I haven’t. Or if they
member that is a mentor to me in my
were, I didn’t know it.
research area.
Harley River
No. No. No. Sadly.
Charlotte William Sasha
FIGURE 2: Interview responses the idea of a large-scale, visible event to provide
to the question “Have you a much-needed space for the LGBTQ+ community
received mentorship from
within INFORMS to seek solidarity and allyship.
an LGBTQ+ member of your
research area?” Priyank Arora and Pritha Dutta led the 2022
DEI Ambassador project to host an informal
reception at the 2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting
in Indianapolis. The main objectives of the
reception were to (1) celebrate and support
LGBTQ+ members; (2) provide a safe space for
LGBTQ+ members and allies to meet, network
and seek solidarity; and (3) create a more
interconnected professional community.
The breakfast reception, which took place
on the morning of Day 2 of the Annual Meeting,
was attended by approximately 50 members
who were welcomed at the door with cookies
with the INFORMS logo in rainbow colors. The
reception was kicked off with a message of hope,
joy and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community
within INFORMS from Priyank Arora. This was
followed by a speaker session in which 2023
INFORMS President Laura Albert and INFORMS
Executive Director Elena Gerstmann spoke
about the significance of the inaugural reception
and expressed their support and commitment
toward fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive
INFORMS community. The event continued with
fun activities aimed at facilitating interaction
among attendees and generating suggestions
for future steps.
To the best of our knowledge, this breakfast
reception was the first event of its kind to bring
together (in a visible manner) LGBTQ+ members
and allies at an INFORMS conference. The reception
provided an opportunity for LGBTQ+ members
to bring their full selves to the conference and
mingle with other individuals self-identifying
as LGBTQ+ members and allies. Hopefully, this
reception also signals to individuals who may
still be questioning whether to come out to their
50 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
professional community that there’s a welcoming
space waiting for them in the future. The breakfast
also provided an opportunity to gather input
from members in their own words and voices
as to how to create an inclusive, equitable and
safe environment for LGBTQ+ members.
The desire for more authentic interactions was
immediately seen after the breakfast reception;
many informal lunch meetings and get-togethers
were held among some of the LGBTQ+ community
members before departing the 2022 INFORMS
Well, unfortunately
not yet. Annual Meeting. The speed of these new connections
underscored the strong demand and need for
community and mentorship among the members
Joseph
(especially for finding senior LGBTQ+ members
as mentors).
Building Community: Establishment
of the INFORMS PRIDE Forum
Following the LGBTQ+ breakfast reception in
Indianapolis, there was clear support to start a new
INFORMS forum focused on LGBTQ+ members.
Thus began the work to formally propose the
creation of such a forum to the INFORMS board
and leadership, which culminated with the new
INFORMS PRIDE Forum officially being chartered
on April 7, 2023.
The primary purpose of the PRIDE Forum is to
encourage collaborative ties among individuals who
share the objective of supporting and championing
interests of the LGBTQ+ community. We believe
that this forum will help foster an environment
in which everyone is not only able to bring their
whole self to the INFORMS community but also
celebrated and valued for their unique identities.
This diverse and visible representation of LGBTQ+
members will be of value to all members. The
LGBTQ+ community at large will have healthy and
positive connections and self-affirmations, and
the broader INFORMS community will be able
to see more perspectives within the profession,
and identify and reflect on their conscious and
unconscious biases.
The PRIDE Forum will also serve as a safe
networking channel for LGBTQ+ members so
that they can rely on each other for support,
guidance and information exchange. This is
especially important because, without self-
identification, it is generally not possible to
identify LGBTQ+ members and allies. Hopefully,
this forum will facilitate formation of a strong
network of LGBTQ+ folks and allies within the
INFORMS community and enhance the feeling
of belonging for all. The resources, visibility and
structure that come with an official forum would
be particularly beneficial in organizing LGBTQ-
focused tutorials, panels, mentorship programs
and other social events. The forum will also
proactively advise the INFORMS board on
issues facing the LGBTQ+ community in
the profession.
Creation of the PRIDE Forum signals strong
support and conviction from the INFORMS
leadership toward diversity and inclusion.
We certainly believe that it is an important
(and much-needed) step toward creating and
ensuring a collegial, inclusive and professional
environment. Although the official launch of the
forum seems like a culmination of months of
effort by several INFORMS community and staff
members, it is in fact the beginning of our collective
efforts toward creating a more interconnected
and inclusive professional community. To ensure
sustainability of the forum, Priyank Arora and Dwai
Roy are leading a 2023 DEI Ambassador project to
give momentum to the PRIDE Forum and to excite
and energize the members. Planning for activities
(such as a kickoff event at the 2023 INFORMS
Annual Meeting in Phoenix) and programs (such
as a safe zone coffee hour) during the first year
of the forum is already underway.
Moving Forward
We encourage any member of INFORMS who self
identifies as an LGBTQ+ community member or
an ally of the community to join the PRIDE Forum.
The launch of the PRIDE Forum is a milestone,
full of enthusiasm and hope for the journey ahead
toward more equity and inclusion in our leading
international association for operations research
and analytics professionals. We look forward to
fostering an engaged forum that is at the forefront
of supporting and uplifting LGBTQ+ members
and allies within INFORMS.
Our story shows that the DEI Ambassadors
Program is supporting meaningful steps toward
making INFORMS a more equitable and inclusive
society for a diverse range of OR/MS scholars and
practitioners. We hope that the progress we have
made over the past few years to build support
for LGBTQ+ INFORMS members will encourage
others to contribute to INFORMS as a community
in their own way.
PRIYANK ARORA (he/him) is an assistant professor of management TYLER PERINI (he/they) is Pfeiffer Postdoctoral Instructor at Rice (l-r) Priyank Arora and Pritha
science in the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of University’s Department of Computational Applied Mathematics and Dutta attend the first INFORMS-
South Carolina. His current research interests focus on nonprofit and Operations Research. His research explores topics on multiobjective sponsored LGBTQ+ reception
sustainable operations. Besides his research, Priyank is passionate optimization and integer programming. He is passionate about at the 2022 INFORMS Annual
about promoting the visibility and inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals humanizing the academic experience, platforming LGBTQ+ Meeting in Indianapolis. Visit
in university campuses, firms and society at large. He is the first researchers and improving inclusivity of academia broadly. INFORMS YouTube channel
(founding) president of the INFORMS PRIDE Forum. for a recent Community
DWAIPAYAN ROY (he/him) is an assistant professor of business Showcase interview in which
PRITHA DUTTA (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of administration at the University of Virginia Darden Graduate School of Arora and Dutta provide
Management and Management Science in the Lubin School of Business Business. His research studies socially responsible operations, focusing more details about the PRIDE
Forum (https://youtu.be/
at Pace University, New York. Her research interests include sustainability, on the ways in which organizations design, scale and sustain inclusive
socially responsible practices, healthcare operations, agriculture and supply chains. Apart from being the inaugural vice president of the KbQ6khXb0IE).
food supply chains. She is passionate about teaching and is committed INFORMS PRIDE Forum, he also serves on the INFORMS Diversity,
to contributing to the advancement of a diverse, equitable and inclusive Equity and Inclusion Committee. His unique life experiences
community in higher education. motivate his passion to create a safe and inclusive INFORMS for all.
ALISON MURPHY (they/them) is a Ph.D. candidate at the Carlson School
of Management at the University of Minnesota. Their research interest REFERENCE
is at the intersection of people operations and equity issues within
1. https://connect.informs.org/diversity/
healthcare. They are also passionate about increasing the diversity and
ambassador-program/2021-ambassador-projects
accessibility of business school classrooms.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
IS BATTERY SWAPPING THE MISSING
PIECE OF THE PUZZLE FOR MASS
ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADOPTION?
BY NANDAN KUMAR SINGH
THE PHRASE “AS ELECTRIC VEHICLE
thrives, battery swapping revives” implies that
with the increasing popularity and success of
electric vehicles (EVs), the concept of battery
swapping – which had lost momentum – is now
being reconsidered and revived as a viable solution
to improve the charging infrastructure and address
the range anxiety concern of the consumer.
Battery Electric Vehicle Landscape
and Current Challenges
swapping has Bloomberg reports that the total value of electric
cars sold in the passenger vehicle segment has
the potential surpassed $1 trillion [1]. The global sales of fully
to mitigate electric vehicles have increased by 68% percent
in comparison to 2022, with a total of 7.8 million
the obstacles units sold [2]. Electric vehicle manufacturers’
impeding the valuations have skyrocketed in recent years,
which has enticed many new companies to
widespread enter the industry.
adoption Despite this market growth and their potential,
global EV sales remain at only around 10% of
of electric global car sales [3]. Although there is keen public
vehicles. interest in more sustainable modes of transport,
consumers are not ready to own EVs on a massive
scale because of several major hurdles. Three
major challenges have been identified that are
hindering the accelerated adoption of electric
vehicles: 1) a lack of charging infrastructure
and access to and management of charging
facilities, 2) high upfront purchase cost and
3) the performance of the batteries used in
52 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
EVs, which presents opportunities to improve
the sustainability of EV batteries throughout
their life cycle [4].
How Battery Swapping
Addresses the Challenges
The battery-swapping idea is an innovative
business strategy; its function is akin to that of
mobile service providers. It creates and manages
the infrastructure network, such as charging
adapters and battery-swapping stations, and
provides a service for EV owners to “refuel” their
vehicles [5]. Battery swapping has the potential
to mitigate the obstacles impeding the widespread
adoption of electric vehicles. As shown in Figure 1,
battery swapping offers a feasible solution to each
of the challenges previously mentioned.
The battery is the costliest part of an EV, currently
making up 35%-45% of the total cost [6]. Because
of battery swapping, automakers such as NIO
and Renault are able to sell EVs without batteries,
which reduces the upfront cost of the vehicle.
Swapping technology allows the EV owner to lease
the battery and thus avoid paying the high upfront
cost of the battery. Customers have the option to
choose between a monthly or yearly subscription
for battery-swapping services, or they can opt for
a pay-per-use model based on their requirements.
Furthermore, battery-swapping stations
provide a promising resolution to the issue
of range anxiety among EV users during long
journeys. These stations allow EV owners to
FEATURE ADDRESS CHALLENGE
Provide an option to
buy EV without battery Reduces the high upfront cost.
and lease the battery.
Alternate charging technology, Reduces the range
Battery Swapping which allows rapid charging of anxiety and improves
EV in a mere one to two mins. charging infrastructure.
The swapping station monitors Improves sustainability
the battery health using battery by improving the
management system. longevity of battery.
FIGURE 1: Battery-swapping
replace their discharged batteries with fully contributing to sustainability. However,
features address the EV
charged ones that were previously stored and battery swapping has experienced a mixed
charged at the station. The replaced batteries level of success globally.
adoption challenge.
are subsequently recharged and exchanged
for other arriving EVs needing a battery swap. Failure in the U.S. to Success in
Additionally, battery-swapping stations have the China: What Lies ahead for India?
facility to monitor battery health through the The concept of battery swapping for electric
smart battery management system (BMS). They vehicles has gained renewed interest in recent
mount a smart BMS over the battery and monitor years because of its potential to facilitate the
the temperature of battery packs, reducing mass adoption of electric vehicles. Although the
battery degradation and improving battery U.S. has struggled to implement a successful
age for application in the first and second life, battery-swapping model, China has emerged
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 53
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
as a leader in this area, with several successful
projects and initiatives. As India works toward
promoting the adoption of electric vehicles,
the question arises – what can India learn from
the successes and failures of battery-swapping
initiatives in other countries?
Failure in the U.S. (Past)
During the nascent phase of the battery-swapping
technology, Tesla Motors and Better Place, a
venture-backed entity headquartered in Israel,
took the initiative to establish a network of
battery-swapping stations. In 2013, the potential
of widespread adoption of swappable EV battery
packs in the U.S. was hindered by the collapse of
battery-swap company Better Place. Subsequently,
Tesla gave up on the idea a few years later [7].
One significant challenge impeding this concept
was the need for a universal battery standard that
multiple automakers could share. The battery packs
needed to have identical dimensions and shapes to
be compatible. Furthermore, during initial phases,
the economics of battery swapping was not great; for
example, Better Place was only offering the facility
for one car, the Renault Fluence [8]. Consequently,
the swapping was not sustainable.
Standardization is a key prerequisite for the
commercial viability of battery swapping, and
addressing this challenge is critical to the widespread
adoption of the technology. China has successfully
implemented a battery-swapping system for EVs
by mandating battery size and shape, leading to
a renaissance of battery swapping in the country.
However, such a model may be difficult to implement
in the U.S. and Europe due to the complexity of
the regulatory framework and diverse stakeholder
interests. Graham Evans, director of supply chain and
technology at S&P Global Mobility, said, “It is not
54 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
the same in the U.S. or Europe with its many different
platforms and the battery itself becoming a unique
selling point for some electric vehicles” [8].
If the U.S. and Europe intend to promote battery
swapping as a viable alternative to traditional
charging infrastructure, they must overcome this
significant obstacle by bringing the change in
strategy or regulations that require car companies
to use common battery standards.
Success in China (Present)
Battery swapping has experienced a revival
in China, where the technology has gained
significant traction. The Chinese government has
demonstrated a keen interest in promoting the
adoption of EV battery swaps. China’s Ministry
of Industry and Information Technology issued
the following statement [7]:
“We will actively promote the demonstration
application of battery-swap mode and improve
the system and standardization. As the next step,
we will optimize the development environment,
guide enterprises to improve battery-swap
technology, promote the formation of a more
mature business model, and further improve
the convenience of new energy vehicle usage.”
Forbes [8] reported that in 2022, only about
2% of EVs produced worldwide had battery-
swapping capability, and most were found in
China, accounting for 4% percent of China’s
EV market. The standardization of battery has
resulted in significant reductions in battery
costs, and generous government leasing subsidies
have also been instrumental in driving adoption.
According to Bloomberg News reports [9], the
Chinese government is intensifying its efforts
to establish industry-wide standards that would
enable EV drivers to replace their batteries in
approximately three minutes. The goal is to
make the process uniform across any car, any
battery and any facility.
What about India? (Future)
The adoption of electric vehicles in India has
experienced a sharp increase in recent years.
In the fiscal year 2021-2022, more than 420,000
EVs were sold, a substantial increase from the
130,000 sold in the previous fiscal year. Notably,
in December 2021, India recorded a milestone
in monthly EV sales, with 50,000 units sold
across all car segments for the first time [10].
This surge in EV sales is attributed to various
factors, including government initiatives, tax
incentives and the increased availability of
charging infrastructure.
Recently, Government of India think tank
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI)
Aayog prepared a battery-swapping policy draft [11]
and has made it available for public consultation.
The proposed policy suggests allocating appropriate
subsidies to battery providers in battery-swapping
ecosystems, assigning unique identification
numbers to swappable batteries and battery-
swapping stations, installing battery-swapping
stations at various locations, and prioritizing
metropolitan cities with a population of more than
40 lakhs (4 million) for the development of battery-
swapping networks.
The battery-swapping policy has been stalled due
to strong opposition from industry stakeholders
against the prescribed interoperability standards.
The standards dictate the use of swappable batteries
with specific outer dimensions as a prerequisite
for accessing incentives. The Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS), responsible for formulating the
specifications, was advised against releasing the
standards because they were perceived to be
biased toward a particular original equipment
manufacturer (OEM). Additionally, there were
concerns that standardizing battery dimensions
would require substantial modifications to the
existing operator and OEM platforms, making
it impractical in the current business context.
Investor and battery-swapping companies such
as Lithion and Gogoro India need clarity on the
swapping policy. Kaushik Burman, general manager
and managing director of Gogoro India (a unit of
the Taiwan-based battery-swapping major), said,
“India will need an investment of at least $100 billion
and nearly 450,000 swap stations to handle existing
requirements for two- and three-wheeler vehicle
parks. So, it is a capital-intensive business and needs
incentives and a firm policy direction” [12].
Timely government intervention is imperative
for successfully implementing battery swapping as
an alternative to traditional charging infrastructure.
NITI Aayog and BIS may either release the policy
without imposing strict interoperability standards or
engage in further consultations with the Department
of Science and Technology and relevant stakeholders
to identify viable alternatives for achieving customer
interoperability without mandating uniform battery
pack dimensions. Such a collaborative approach
can facilitate the integration of battery-swapping
networks into the existing EV ecosystem while
addressing the concerns of diverse stakeholders.
Acknowledgment: The author acknowledges Sofia
Perez-Guzman for her valuable input and edits.
NANDAN KUMAR SINGH is a visiting research scientist at New York University.
He is a MicroMasters credential holder in Supply Chain Management
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Transportation
and Logistics. Currently, Nandan is pursuing his Ph.D. in the production
and operations management area at the Indian Institute of Management
Visakhapatnam. He serves as production editor for OR/MS Tomorrow, the
student magazine of INFORMS.
REFERENCES
1. Colin McKerracher, 2023, “Electric Vehicle Sales Top $1 Trillion
in Wake-Up Call for Carmakers,” Bloomberg, February 14,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-14/
electric-vehicle-sales-top-1-trillion-in-wake-up-call-for-carmakers.
2. William Boston, 2023, “EVs Made Up 10% of All New Cars Sold Last Timely
Year,” The Wall Street Journal, January 16, https://www.wsj.com/
articles/evs-made-up-10-of-all-new-cars-sold-last-year-11673818385. government
3. International Energy Agency, 2022, “Global EV Outlook: Executive
Summary,” https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2022/ intervention is
executive-summary.
4. Frank Mühlon and Jonathan Eckart, 2020, “The Decade Of Electrification: imperative for
How EVs Can Keep Us On The Road To Paris,” Forbes, September 9,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/worldeconomicforum/2020/09/09/
successfully
the-decade-of-electrification-how-evs-can-keep-us-on-the-road-to-
paris/?sh=d805b4d7423f.
implementing
5. Ho-Yin Mak, Ying Rong and Zuo-Jun Max Shen, 2013, “Infrastructure
Planning for Electric Vehicles with Battery Swapping,” Management
battery
Science, Vol. 59, No. 7, pp. 1557-1575. swapping as
6. James Eddy, Alexander Pfeiffer and Jasper van de Staaij, 2019,
“Recharging Economies: The EV-battery Manufacturing Outlook for an alternative
Europe,” McKinsey & Company, June 3, https://www.mckinsey.com/
industries/oil-and-gas/our-insights/recharging-economies-the-ev- to traditional
battery-manufacturing-outlook-for-europe.
7. Bradley Berman, 2020, “EV Battery Swapping is Dead in US, but charging
China Wants to Make it Happen,” Electrek, January 17, https://
electrek.co/2020/01/17/ev-battery-swapping-is-dead-in-us-but- infrastructure.
china-wants-to-make-it-happen/.
8. Neil Winton, 2022, “Battery-Swapping Unlikely To Ruffle
Fragile U.S., European Chargers,” Forbes, September 22,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilwinton/2022/09/22/
battery-swapping-unlikely-to-ruffle-fragile-us-european-chargers.
9. Bloomberg News, 2020, “China Embraces Battery-Swapping
System for Electric Vehicles,” Bloomberg, January 17,
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-17/
china-embraces-ev-battery-swap-technology-tesla-has-cooled-on.
10. Barnik Maitra, Fabian Sempf and Prathamesh Chaudhari,
2022, “EV Batteries: To Swap or to Charge, That is the
Question,” Financial Express, September 10, https://www.
financialexpress.com/express-mobility/vehicles/electric-vehicles/
ev-batteries-to-swap-or-to-charge-that-is-the-question/2661582/.
11. NITI Aayog, 2022, “Battery Swapping Policy,” Government of India,
https://www.niti.gov.in/draft-battery-swapping-policy.
12. Alisha Sachdev, 2023, “EV Battery Swap Policy Stuck a Year
After Draft,” Mint, March 28, https://www.livemint.com
companies/news/ev-battery-swap-policy-stuck-a-year-after-
draft-11680024250547.html.
13. Government of Andhra Pradesh, 2018, “Electric Mobility Policy 2018-
23,” https://www.acma.in/uploads/doc/AP%20Policy_final.pdf.
14. Nandan Kumar Singh and Vinay Ramani, 2022, “Battery Swapping
Business Model: The Case of Lithion Power,” Cases on Circular
Economy in Practice, Hershey, PA: IGI Global, pp. 28-50.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 55
INFORMS PRIZES & AWARDS
2023 INFORMS BUSINESS ANALYTICS
CONFERENCE AND EDELMAN GALA
THE 2023 INFORMS BUSINESS ANALYTICS
Conference in Aurora, Colorado, brought together
hundreds of leading advanced analytics, artificial
intelligence, machine learning and data science
professionals and industry experts to discover new
mathematical solutions to problems, networking
strategies for career advancement, and recognized
individual and team efforts with the most prestigious
awards in analytics and operations research.
The Edelman Gala features the presentation
of four INFORMS-level prizes over the course of
an elegant evening. The following awards, finalists
and winners were recognized and celebrated
Visit INFORMS during the 2023 INFORMS Business Analytics
YouTube channel Conference in Aurora, April 16 -18.
to watch the Franz Edelman Award for Achievement
full Edelman in Advanced Analytics, Operations
Research and Management Science
Award Ceremony As the most prestigious award for achievement in
the practice of advanced analytics and operations
and winner research, finalists for the Franz Edelman Award
announcements! have made incredible contributions to nearly every
industry around the world, for a cumulative impact
of more than $400 billion since the award’s inception,
and countless other nonmonetary benefits.
For more than four decades, winners of
the Edelman Award have been credited with
transforming how we approach some of the
world’s most complex problems. This year’s finalists
presented revolutionary contributions in software
bidding systems, rideshare matching applications,
e-retailer optimization technology, retail truck
routing and load planning, delivery order dispatching
and streaming service traffic allocation – proving
the impact of their work can save lives, save money
and solve problems.
56 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
Information Management (BAIM) during the gala,
for its excellence in preparing students to become
practitioners of operations research and analytics.
The BAIM programs at Purdue University are
known for their rigor and flexibility, have grown
consistently and yield significant student outcomes.
With a strong emphasis on algorithmic reasoning,
innovation and research-inspired courses, BAIM
challenges students to become bold creators,
change agents and effective communicators. The
program also actively promotes diverse perspectives
and empowers students to use analytics for the
betterment of society and enhancing human dignity.
Supported by Krenicki Center for Business
Analytics and Machine Learning, and corporate
partners, BAIM provides abundant experiential
learning opportunities, including immersive
experiences, paid projects and industry practicums.
Students gain valuable skills by presenting their
findings through social media, professional
applications, particularly for its consistent
and innovative dedication to utilizing O.R. and
analytics in its organizational decision-making
The 2023 Edelman Award
winning team from Walmart
celebrates with their trophy.
organizations and articles. To hear from a BAIM
student, visit INFORMS YouTube channel [2].
for demand forecasting, supply chain and
merchandising operations.
By honoring Purdue with this award, INFORMS Use cases include tracking inventory positions,
recognizes and celebrates the university’s pioneering optimal truck routing, forecasting demand
efforts in reimagining business education with a and inventory levels, cross-docking and shelf
Walmart was announced as the winner of the
focus on business analytics. space optimization.
2023 Franz Edelman Award for its use of operations
Named in honor of the late UPS Chief Executive The INFORMS Prize honors effective integration
research (O.R.) to enhance retail truck routing
Officer – a champion of operations researchers of O.R. and analytics into organizational decision-
and load planning. Walmart, the world’s leading
at a leading Fortune 500 corporation – the UPS making and is awarded to organizations that
retailer, used advanced optimization models to
George D. Smith Prize was created in the spirit have repeatedly applied the principles of O.R.
build a transformation roadmap for long-term
of strengthening ties between industry and the in lasting ways.
supply chain capital investments as well as an
schools of higher education that graduate young Reflecting on their all-encompassing use of data
application supporting daily decisions of truck
practitioners of operations research. The prize is science, Walmart Global Tech’s U.S. Omni Tech EVP
routing and loading. The application avoided 72
awarded to an academic department or program Srini Venkatesan said, “We have a long history of
million pounds of CO2 and resulted in a savings
for effective and innovative preparation of students using O.R. across the enterprise. It all comes back to
of $75 million during fiscal year 2023.
to be good practitioners of operations research one core purpose: to make sure our customers can
Visit INFORMS YouTube channel to watch
or analytics. get the items they want, where they want them and
the 2023 Edelman Award winner announcement
as well as the full awards ceremony [1].
The two other finalists for the 2023 UPS Smith when they want them. We are honored to accept the
Prize included: Georgia State University, Institute INFORMS Prize and will continue applying O.R.
In addition to Walmart, the 2023 finalist
for Insight, J. Mack Robinson College of Business; to drive innovation at scale.”
teams included:
• DHL Supply Chain for “Network Mode,
and University of Toronto, Rotman School of Speaking on behalf of the selection committee,
Management, Master of Management Analytics. Nilay Noyan Bulbul, 2023 INFORMS Prize committee Left: Matthew Lanham accepts
Mixed Fleet, and Staging Optimizations the 2023 INFORMS UPS George D.
chair, remarked: “Walmart is showcasing data
for the DHL Supply Chain” Smith Prize on behalf of Purdue
2023 INFORMS Prize science as a source of business success and a
• Huawei Cloud for “Huawei Cloud Adopts
In addition to the Franz Edelman Award, necessary element to achieve customer satisfaction
University. Right: Walmart
Operations Research for Live Streaming accepts the 2023 INFORMS Prize
Services to Save the Network Bandwidth
Walmart was also awarded the 2023 INFORMS with continuous and dedicated practice. Walmart for sustained innovation and
Prize for half a century of successful analytics is truly deserving of this prestigious prize, and O.R. application.
Cost: The GSCO System”
• JD.com, Inc., for “Socially Responsible Planning
Strengthens Supply Chain Capability for JD.com”
• Lyft, Inc., for “The Perfect Match for Drivers
and Riders: Real-time Reinforcement Learning
at Lyft”
• Meituan for “Meituan’s Real-time Intelligent
Dispatching Algorithms Build World’s Largest
Minute-level Delivery Network”
2023 UPS George D. Smith Prize
In addition to the Edelman Award, INFORMS
awarded its 2023 UPS George D. Smith Prize
to Purdue University, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr.
School of Business, Business Analytics and
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 57
INFORMS PRIZES & AWARDS
Left: Tianyi Peng accepts the 2022
Wagner Prize from Chair Jim
Cochran, on behalf of MIT and
the other winning team members
from Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Right: Drs. Sanjay Joag (left) and
Urmila Diwekar from the winning
IAAA team with Juan Jaramillo,
2023 IAAA Co-chair (right).
Congratulations
to all of this
year’s award
finalists and
winners!
the entire O.R. and analytics community joins
INFORMS in thanking them for their priceless
contributions to the field and the business world.”
2022 Wagner Prize
The winner of the 2022 Daniel H. Wagner Prize for
Excellence in the Practice of Advanced Analytics
and Operations Research was selected during the
2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.
The winning team included researchers from MIT
and Anheuser-Busch InBev for their work that
leverages physical retail experiments and a platform
named “TestOps” to increase sales and revenue.
The platform finds that when treatment effects are
small, the environment is noisy and nonstationary,
and adherence problems are common, which results
in roughly 100x increase of experimental power
relative to alternatives. This work sees a 1%-2%
increase in sales and nearly $135 million in monthly
revenue. The winner was announced in the fall as
well as during the Edelman Gala, and a reprise of the
winning presentation was also given during the 2023
INFORMS Business Analytics Conference in Aurora.
The prize-winning paper, “Generalized Synthetic
Control for TestOps at ABI: Models, Algorithms,
and Infrastructure,” provides profound applications
of analytics and O.R. to understand experimental
power relative to alternatives using physical retail
experiments and the platform, “TestOps.”
Congratulations to Tianyi Peng, Patricio
Foncea, Luis Costa, Jingyuan (Donna) Gan and
Vivek F. Farias, MIT; Ivo Rosa Montenegro, Ayush
Garg, Dusan Popovic and Kumarjit Pathak,
Anheuser-Busch InBev.
2023 Innovative Applications
in Analytics Award (IAAA)
The IAAA finalists presented in Aurora during the
2023 conference and the winner was announced
during an awards luncheon hosted by the INFORMS
Analytics Society.
The purpose of the IAAA is to recognize the
creative and unique application of a combination
of analytical techniques in a new area. The
award promotes the awareness and value of the
creative combination of analytics techniques in
unusual applications to provide insights and
business value. IAAA is sponsored by the
Analytics Society of INFORMS, Kinaxis and
Adelphi University.
The winning application, “From Particulate
Processes to In-vitro Fertilization: Theory to Clinical
Practice,” was submitted by a team representing
Stochastic Research Technologies LLC, Jijamata
Hospital (India) and Akanksha Hospital & Research
Center (India). Members of the winning team
included Urmila Diwekar, M.Tech. Ph.D.; Rajib
Mukherjee, M.Tech. Ph.D. and Sanjay Joag, MD
Ph.D., Stochastic Research Technologies LLC;
Vibha Bhalerao, MD, Jijamata Hospital, India; and
Nayana Patel, MD, Akanksha Hospital & Research
Center, India.
The winning team’s entry shared clinical trials
conducted regarding in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in
India. The success of IVF majorly depends upon
successful superovulation, defined by the number
and uniformly high quality of eggs retrieved in a
cycle. Currently, this step is executed using almost
daily monitoring of the follicular development using
ultrasound and blood tests. Although there are
general guidelines for the dosage, the dose is not
optimized for each patient, and overstimulation
complications can occur. The cost of testing and
drugs makes this stage very expensive. To overcome
the shortcoming of this system, the team developed
a mathematical procedure that can provide a
personalized model and optimal drug treatment
for each patient. The results of the clinical trial show
that the model’s predicted dosage is 30%-40% less
than that suggested by the IVF doctors. The testing
for patients is reduced by 72%. The team also found
that the number of good-quality embryos obtained
using this approach was significantly higher than
in current practice. This model and optimal control
procedure were released in September 2022 as
decision-support tool Opt-IVF for hospitals to use
in their clinical practice. So far, five hospitals have
signed up to use Opt-IVF and are using it daily.
Congratulations to this year’s award finalists
and winners!
REFERENCES
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbsS7IVkSIg&t=2s
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k37tFUcSoxc
CONFERENCE PREVIEW: ANNUAL MEETING
REGISTER FOR #INFORMS2023
Early discount rates end Thursday, August 31!
BY ESMA GEL AND SANJAY MEHROTRA
THE 2023 INFORMS ANNUAL MEETING
will take place October 15-18 in Phoenix, Arizona,
where the world’s leading minds in operations
research (O.R.), analytics, AI, machine learning,
data science and more, will converge for a
transformative experience. This premier event
offers a unique platform to explore the forefront
of research, exchange knowledge and connect
with peers from around the globe.
Join the more than 6,000 students, academic and
industry experts at the Phoenix Convention Center in
downtown Phoenix for a one-of-a-kind opportunity
to connect with the INFORMS community, as well as
network with prospective employers and employees.
The theme for the 2023 INFORMS Annual Meeting
will help professionals find new ways to tackle one
of the National Science Foundation’s 10 Big Ideas:
“Harnessing the data revolution” … all with the
power of OR/MS!
In addition to the tremendous growth in volume,
velocity and variety of data in today’s digital age,
technological advancements such as cloud computing,
big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) have
enabled the data revolution to continue to evolve.
With OR/MS uniquely positioned to play a key
role in addressing this challenge by developing new
methods and techniques for collecting, analyzing
and interpreting data, #INFORMS2023 will provide a
platform for researchers, practitioners and industry
leaders to come together and explore these ideas,
share insights and experiences, and work together to
develop innovative solutions to the challenges posed
by the data revolution.
What to Expect in Phoenix
Register for #INFORMS2023 for the following
opportunities and much more!
• Cutting-edge Research Presentations:
Immerse yourself in a vibrant intellectual
environment as esteemed researchers present
their groundbreaking work. Gain insights into
the latest advancements in O.R., analytics and
data science. From novel mathematical models
to innovative algorithmic approaches, you’ll
witness the evolution of the field firsthand.
• Inspiring Keynote Speakers: Be captivated by
influential thought leaders who will share their
visions and expertise. Our lineup of keynote
speakers comprises industry pioneers, academic
luminaries and renowned practitioners who
have made significant contributions to O.R.
and analytics. Their transformative insights will
leave you inspired and motivated to push the
boundaries of your own work.
• Interactive Workshops & Tutorials: Enhance
your skills and expand your knowledge through
hands-on workshops and tutorials. Led by
experts, these interactive sessions will equip
you with practical tools, techniques and
methodologies to tackle complex challenges.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or
a student just starting your journey, there’s
something valuable for everyone.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with a
diverse and global community of professionals,
academics and industry leaders who share your
passion for O.R. and analytics. Forge meaningful
connections during coffee breaks, networking
receptions and special interest group meetings.
Engage in stimulating discussions, exchange
ideas and establish collaborations that can
shape the future of your career.
• Career Development: Accelerate your
professional growth through the dedicated
career development sessions and INFORMS
Career Fair. Gain insights into industry trends,
emerging career opportunities and connect
with potential employers. Whether you’re
seeking new challenges or looking to recruit
top talent, #INFORMS2023 provides career
advancement opportunities.
• INFORMS Initiatives & Programs: These
offerings aim to advance O.R. and analytics for
societal impact. Engage with representatives
from these initiatives to learn how you can get
involved and contribute to meaningful projects
that address critical global challenges.
Don’t miss this unparalleled opportunity to
immerse yourself in the world of O.R. and analytics at
#INFORMS2023. We look forward to exploring new
ways to visualize and communicate data insights!
Take advantage of early registration discounts to
maximize your savings and ensure your spot at this
premier conference. All speakers are required to
register by August 1 and early discount rates expire
on August 31. Register at meetings.informs.org/
phoenix2023!
ESMA GEL is the Cynthia Hardin Milligan Chair of Business and professor
of supply chain management and analytics at the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln. She is general co-chair of the 2023 INFORMS Annual Meeting.
SANJAY MEHROTRA is a professor in the Department of Industrial
Engineering and Management Sciences at Northwestern University.
He is general co-chair of the 2023 INFORMS Annual Meeting.
INFORMS PRESIDENT-ELECT NOMINEES
DAVID T. HUNT
Vision Statement
WHEN THE INFORMS PRO BONO ANALYTICS
program was launched, I received a heartfelt request
from the founder of a community-based homeless
shelter serving women and children. The founder
said she collects data on families at the shelter and
the services they use. She was sure the data could
help her provide better services, but she didn’t
know where to begin. We connected her with local
INFORMS volunteers, who helped organize the data
to support program improvements through more
informed decision-making.
This story, to me, is what operations research and
analytics represents – making direct and lasting
impacts on society and the lives of people through
research and applications. INFORMS members
drive fact-based policy decisions, improve profits
and growth at corporations, reduce inefficiencies
During this for a more sustainable world – and help a homeless
golden age shelter better serve its community. Our vision
succinctly sums it up: “Better decision-making
of algorithms, for a just, prosperous, and sustainable world.”
with frequent I am honored to be nominated for President-Elect
of INFORMS. My 32 years as a member, six years on
advancements the INFORMS Board, and a career in management
consulting have helped prepare me for this position.
and new If elected, I will strive to advance the five goals
buzzwords, in our strategic plan:
INFORMS must Enhance Member Value
promote the INFORMS provides tremendous member value
through connecting people, disseminating research
contributions and best practices, honoring achievement, providing
and impacts volunteer opportunities, and promoting the profession.
There is, however, always room for improvement.
from the O.R. I will focus on enhancing value for all members,
both in the United States and internationally, but
community especially for two cohorts:
to ensure our • Early Career Academic and Industry
Professionals: INFORMS has a vibrant student
voices are heard. community, but too many leave when they
transition into their careers. It is important to
provide meaningful opportunities and relevant
content to the future leaders of our profession.
• Industry Members: INFORMS offers great value
for practitioners, but a campaign is needed
to better package and promote this value to
industry leaders and potential members.
Champion Our Profession
A benefit of being INFORMS President is the
opportunity to tout the cutting-edge research and
impactful applications developed by our members.
INFORMS needs to continue communicating these
contributions outside of the O.R. community. I will
therefore build on existing efforts to:
• Engage funding agencies to discuss
the relevance and impact of our work.
60 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
• Support our members in expounding their
contributions to science and society.
Advance the Science and
Technology of Decision Making
During this golden age of algorithms, with frequent
advancements and new buzzwords, INFORMS must
promote the contributions and impacts from the
O.R. community to ensure our voices are heard.
Nominating members to serve on relevant national
and international boards and committees is a key
strategy to advancing our viewpoints.
Advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
INFORMS is making great strides on volunteer and
leadership opportunities, recognition & awards, and
codifying DEI values in policies and procedures. I will:
• Continue to support K-12 efforts and programs
such as DEI Ambassadors that help attract
more diversity into our field.
• Champion how Pro Bono Analytics, Doing
Good with Good O.R., and other efforts
demonstrate that our solutions are inclusive
for all and can equitably benefit everyone.
Ensure Operational Excellence
and Financial Health
Having just completed four years as INFORMS
Treasurer, I have a deep affinity for ensuring our
financial health. INFORMS is in strong financial
shape, but the budget impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic are still being felt and curtailing
opportunities to advance new member benefits.
During my tenure as treasurer, INFORMS staff and
the Finance Committee developed the first-ever
5-year financial plan with a path to a balanced
budget. I would like to see this effort through.
Thank you for considering me for President-Elect!
Bio
David Hunt (he/him), vice president at Oliver
Wyman, focuses on transportation policy, operations
and strategic planning. He has worked with clients on
six continents and across all transportation modes.
Projects include developing market share models
that predict modal shifts under industry changes,
developing predictive maintenance programs using
machine learning, and implementing large-scale
optimization models for equipment repositioning.
Dave is a 30+ year INFORMS (and ORSA) member,
where he received the 2017 INFORMS President’s
Award for founding Pro Bono Analytics and chairing
the INFORMS Ethics Guidelines committee. He
has served six years on the INFORMS Board, as
treasurer and vice president of Chapters and Fora.
Dave was chair of the Railway Applications Section
and the New Jersey Chapter, in addition to serving on
numerous committees.
Dave earned a B.S. from West Virginia University
and M.S.E. from the Civil Engineering and Operations
Research Department at Princeton University.
HARRISON C.
SCHRAMM, CAP
Vision Statement
I AM BOTH HONORED AND HUMBLED TO
be running for President-Elect of INFORMS. As
your president, I will strive to increase the reach
and impact of our society, and by extension, our
profession. To reach our full potential as individuals
and as a profession, we need to continue our current
activities, and in some cases, increase our focus.
My personal journey in operations research
began as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy. Flying
over the open ocean has two analytic problems:
aircraft reliability and ensuring that fuel onboard is
greater than distance to landing. It is the reliability
problem – which claimed the lives of several of my
shipmates – that drove me to the study of O.R. This
ethos became my “fuel.” While I primarily identify
The importance as “practitioner,” my career has traversed three
and impact major areas: government, industry and academia.
My industry involvement has ranged from grand
of O.R. is problems – mostly around public policy – as well as
increasing trivial, such as AI-enabled skateboards. INFORMS
is my professional home; these are my people.
across all I have been a member long enough to have a
endeavors. It’s physical membership card.
never been Responsibilities to Ourselves
I have long said that if you are receiving OR/MS
a better time Today – in whatever form – you are amongst the
to be in this wealthiest and most actualized humans that have
ever lived. We need to appreciate that position and
profession – use it as motivation to constantly strive to bring out
and an the best in ourselves, each other and the world. I
am committed to this singular goal. No professional
INFORMS society exists long without being fiscally responsible
member! and INFORMS sits in a strong position compared
to similar organizations. Having said that, not every
decision is fiscal, and not every activity needs to
turn a profit to be “worthy.” I am unafraid to launch
new initiatives; specifically, I was the inaugural chair
of the INFORMS Security Conference, which is now
in its third offering for 2024. As president of the
Analytics Society, I am proud to have supported
the launch of both the Military Veteran’s Interest
Forum and new PRIDE Forum.
Responsibilities to the Profession
The defining characteristic of a professional is
their responsibility to the profession. As your
2024 INFORMS BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION (AUGUST 1– SEPTEMBER 30)
For a full list of all open board positions and candidate profiles, as well as information on
the 2024 election process, visit informs.org/About-INFORMS/Governance/INFORMS-Election.
president, this will include both an INFORMS
focus as well as increasing our reach and
involvement with partner societies. I will focus
on building these relationships where they make
sense, in a manner that is mutually beneficial
for both sides with an eye toward using our
skills and tools for the betterment of society.
Similarly, we need to ensure that we balance our
focus on sound technical rigor with the need to
be forward leaning. Our “forward lean” has both
technical and social aspects, and I applaud – and
support – INFORMS’ long-running DEI initiatives.
Additionally, viability as a professional society
critically depends on the engagement of our
members. One area that I plan to pay specific
attention to is the creation of “on-ramps” for
newer members to take on increasing volunteer
roles throughout the organization. This requires
intentionality from those of us who have “been
around,” and as president, I plan to take the
leading role.
Responsibilities to Society
This responsibility goes beyond the business,
government and academic fields we directly
support. As a practitioner with one foot in
academia, it is important to me – professionally
as well as personally – to continue to deliver
timely, actionable insights in a way that is
palatable to those we support, and ultimately,
the public writ large. This has been the singular
focus of my career for the past decade and
will continue to be so. Finally – fulfill your
responsibility to the society and vote!
Bio
Harrison Schramm (he/him), CAP, PStat, has been
working in a variety of applications within O.R. in
industry, government and academia. Starting
his career as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Navy,
Harrison received a master’s degree in O.R. and
has a focus on the policy aspects of analysis. He
is a frequent contributor to media both inside
and outside INFORMS. Harrison has been an
INFORMS member since 2007 and served as
inaugural chair of the INFORMS Conference on
Security, and is the Immediate Past President of
the Analytics Society. Prior to his involvement with
INFORMS, he served as a vice president of the
Military Operations Research Society (MORS).
He is the recipient of the Clayton Thomas prize
for contributions to operations research. When
not working on analysis, he is an avid backpacker.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 61
MEMBER INSIGHTS: DEI
“TO MY YOUNGER SELF”
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Guidance for universities and professional
communities to improve student mentoring
BY BANAFSHEH BEHZAD AND SUSAN E. MARTONOSI
Above: First cohort of THE FIELD OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH
TMYS mentors and mentees. and analytics suffers from a “leaky pipeline” in which
female students are disproportionately more likely
to leave academia than their male counterparts [1].
The causes of this are complex and systemic; however,
one possible solution is improved mentoring for
these students. Although some universities offer
structured mentoring programs, other schools use
a decentralized approach: Some doctoral advisors
provide such coaching and others don’t. Many
women who have successfully risen to the ranks
of full professor, department chair and beyond did
so despite not having adequate mentoring along
the way.
In 2022, the authors were selected as INFORMS
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Ambassadors.
The INFORMS DEI Ambassadors Program (https://
connect.informs.org/diversity/ambassador-program)
provides small grants to teams of INFORMS members
to support programs that advance diversity, equity
and inclusion in the profession. Our INFORMS DEI
Ambassadors project, “To My Younger Self ” (TMYS),
provided professional development to 10 women – all
62 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023
doctoral students – through a tiered set of activities
that allowed them to interact with more experienced
women in the field as well as with their peers. We
called this program “To My Younger Self ” because
many of the invited workshop facilitators, mentors
and panelists provided the sort of mentoring and
professional development coaching they wish they
had received earlier in their careers.
The purpose of this article is to outline the
structure of TMYS and provide guidance for
universities and professional communities
to improve their doctoral student mentoring.
The need for structured mentoring and peer
support is acute among current doctoral students.
In early February 2022, we announced a call for
student participants, inviting applications from
women-identifying Ph.D. students in their third
or fourth year with academic career aspirations
who would not be graduating during 2022. As we
reviewed the applications, we were particularly
struck by how the COVID-19 pandemic affected
this cohort of graduate students. Some applicants
spent most of their graduate study learning remotely
and were lacking peer support. Many had never
attended a conference. Prioritizing applicants
with limited mentoring infrastructure at their
home institution, we selected 10 participants
for TMYS 2022.
TMYS 2022 offered a multitiered mentoring
structure. Mentoring is not without its challenges,
some of which include personality mismatch,
inattention by the mentor, erroneous or ill-informed
advice from the mentor, or even abuse and
manipulation [2]. TMYS is structured to provide
opportunities for mentorship across multiple tiers:
paired mentoring, virtual professional development
workshops, peer mentoring and a celebratory
dinner. The combination of these components
ensures consistent and multimodal engagement
with the program throughout the year. Several
videos and blog posts originating from TMYS 2022
and its participants are publicly available on the
web, further extending the reach of the program
(see references [3-7]).
Paired Mentoring
We created mentor-mentee pairs, identifying for
each student participant a senior woman faculty
mentor who came from a different (but similar)
institution as the student. The mentors were
established women in the operations research
and analytics profession with a track record of
excellent mentorship, including past recipients
of the WORMS Award for the Advancement of
Women in OR/MS. Mentors and mentees were
encouraged to have monthly virtual meetings, and
we provided suggested discussion topics following
the themes of the bimonthly virtual workshops.
Many mentor-mentee pairs met more frequently,
and some continue to meet regularly even after
the program’s completion. We are grateful to
the dedication of the eight faculty who served
as mentors in addition to ourselves: Lauren Davis
(North Carolina A&T), Leila Hajibabaie (North
Carolina State), Dorothee Honhon (University
of Texas at Dallas), Siqian Shen (University of
Michigan), Alice Smith (Auburn University), Beril
Toktay (Georgia Tech), Candace Yano (UC Berkeley)
and Shengfan Zhang (University of Arkansas).
Virtual Professional Development
Workshops and Peer Mentorship
Bimonthly virtual workshops covered a
variety of topics important for doctoral
students preparing for academic careers:
• Workshop 1: Developing Your
Professional Workshop
• Workshop 2: Preparing for the Job Search
(S. Shen and B. Toktay)
• Workshop 3: Imposter Syndrome and
Wellness (coaching session led by Jessica
Dowches-Wheeler of Bright Space Coaching)
• Workshop 4: Practice Presentations
for the INFORMS Annual Meeting
• Workshop 5: Academic Life (A. Smith
and C. Yano)
Except for Workshop 4, each workshop started
with a brief presentation on the topic by a speaker
or panel and was followed by discussion and
breakout sessions with mentor-mentee groups.
Workshops 1, 2 and 5 were facilitated by the TMYS
mentors. Workshop 3 about imposter syndrome
and wellness was facilitated by professional coach
Jessica Dowches-Wheeler. In Workshop 4, the
student participants presented research talks in
preparation for the INFORMS Annual Meeting.
Midyear student feedback reflected a desire
for more peer interaction opportunities, so we
incorporated peer breakout sessions into the
end of the final three virtual workshops.
Many women
Celebratory Dinner
During the 2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting in who have
Indianapolis, student participants and mentors
gathered for a celebratory dinner. For most, this was
successfully
risen to the
their first opportunity to meet face-to-face, and
it was a great opportunity to cement friendships.
ranks of full
Public Dissemination
To broaden the impact of the TMYS program,
professor,
Workshops 1, 2 and 5 were recorded and posted department
to the INFORMS Diversity Community Connect chair and
page and INFORMS YouTube channel [3-5].
Additionally, several participants wrote short blog beyond did
posts about their takeaways from each workshop,
so despite
which were also posted on the INFORMS Diversity
Community blog [6-8]. not having
TMYS was well-received by mentees and
mentors alike. To assess the effectiveness of the adequate
TMYS program, we conducted a midyear and end- mentoring
of-year survey. In both surveys, student participants
reported that the networking and one-on-one along the way.
mentoring opportunities were the best aspects of
the program. The student responses on the final
survey also reflected an increase in confidence in
their ability to succeed in the profession compared
with the midyear survey. To measure the long-
term success of the program, the students will be
contacted again in one year.
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 63
MEMBER INSIGHTS: DEI
We will assess the impact of the program on
their career and modify future offerings of the
program accordingly.
TMYS has been adopted by WORMS and is
moving forward in 2023. Due to the tremendous
success of the 2022 DEI Ambassador Project, the
INFORMS Forum for Women in OR/MS (WORMS)
has taken ownership of the TMYS program moving
forward. The 2023 program is already underway.
We are thrilled that some of our TMYS alumna are
leading the 2023 program, and several of our 2022
volunteer mentors have also rejoined for 2023.
To make this happen, WORMS introduced a new
position, DEI Liaison, to the WORMS Board.
Guidance to Universities
and Professional Communities
Based on our experience running TMYS in 2022
It is not sufficient and interacting with pandemic-era doctoral
students, we make the following observations
to assume that and recommendations to universities and
professional communities.
faculty advisors 1. Doctoral programs should establish formal
will provide mentoring programs to support their students.
It is not sufficient to assume that faculty advisors
adequate will provide adequate professional mentorship
professional beyond research supervision. Moreover, a
student’s professional interests may not align
mentorship with the interests of the faculty advisor, and
beyond research conflicts of interest can arise. Lastly, women
and students from underrepresented groups
supervision. experience specific challenges that benefit
from a tailored mentoring approach. The 2019
report by the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine outlines many
evidence-based recommendations for academic
mentorship programs [2].
2. Professional communities, such as INFORMS
subdivisions, should establish mentoring
programs. Students benefit from having
multiple mentorship structures, both within
and outside of their departments [2]. INFORMS
subdivisions are a natural gathering point
for scholars of similar professional interests.
WHAT’S YOUR ST ORY?
Connecting students to mentors within
subdivisions can yield research area-specific
mentorship opportunities.
3. Students benefit from cross-institutional peer
networking. The student TMYS participants
expressed that the ability to network with other
doctoral students was a distinct advantage
of TMYS. Learning from the experiences of
students at other institutions can help place
an individual student’s own experience within
context. When going through a difficult To me, the Decision Analysis Society is really the whole reason I’m
situation in graduate school, such context part of INFORMS. It is such a great community – and we have a
can make the difference between choosing
journal! It’s a surprisingly small community for as big as the field is.
to leave the profession or staying.
4. Mentoring is particularly important for Kara Morgan, Principal, Quant Policy Strategies, LLC
pandemic-era graduate students. Today’s
doctoral students are not having the same
experience and opportunities many of us
experienced as graduate students. The
COVID-19 pandemic isolated students
and limited opportunities for conference
Professor Domschke in Darmstadt introduced me to O.R., and to
travel. For these students, the need for
formal mentoring is particularly acute. this day, I find it fascinating to make better decisions with models
and algorithms.
BANAFSHEH BEHZAD is an associate professor of information systems
in the College of Business, California State University, Long Beach. She
Carsten Jordan, Product Owner, Supply Chain Solutions, Kinaxis
is the past president of Women in OR/MS Forum (WORMS), past chair of
the INFORMS Membership and Member Services Committee and co-chair
of the INFORMS DEI Ambassador Program. Her research examines the
applications of OR/MS to public health and social network-related issues.
SUSAN E. MARTONOSI is a professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd
College and the current treasurer of INFORMS. She is past chair of the
INFORMS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, as well as co-editor My advice to students entering this field: Explore what interests you,
of an upcoming special issue of INFORMS Transactions on Education
on diversity, equity and inclusion in the OR/MS classroom. Her research and remember, you can do it! OR/MS can be intimidating at times,
examines applications of OR/MS to public policy questions, such as
mitigating the spread of fake news on social media and negotiating but with passion, repetition and time, you will become an expert.
pricing contracts for pediatric vaccines.
Veronica White, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison
REFERENCES & NOTES
1. S. Winslow and S. N. Davis, 2016. "Gender Inequality Across
the Academic Life Course," Sociology Compass, Vol. 10, No. 5,
pp. 404-416.
2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019.
"The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM," Washington, DC:
The National Academies Press, https://doi.org/10.17226/25568.
3. “To My Younger Self: A Mentoring Workshop for Women Ph.D. In my organization, we value certifications. So, for me, it does boil
Students,” Workshop 1 on networking and mentorship,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPEHkwsuEo4. down to getting the CAP in order to be promoted and get more
4. “To My Younger Self: A Mentoring Workshop for Women PhD
Students Second Workshop,” Workshop 2 on academic job money. But, I will say that my organization did an evaluation of several
search, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHo-Xtgs6o4.
5. “To My Younger Self: A Mentoring Workshop for Women PhD certifications before we settled on CAP as the required certification for
Students,” Workshop 5 on academic life, https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=vZAkJ5N84EQ.
the Business Intelligence team because the CAP is an overarching exam.
6. S. Safaya, “To My Younger Self 2022: A Mentoring Initiative to It is not vendor-specific. It covers the 7 domains of analytics. Also,
Bridge the Gap Between Who You Are and Who You Want to Be,”
INFORMS Diversity Community, https://connect.informs.org/ it helps that it is sponsored by a global organization like INFORMS.
diversity/diversity-blog/mentoring-initative.
7. L. L. Czerniak, “To My Younger Self: Workshop: Impostor Tayaba Nadeem, Business Intelligence Services Team Leader, MCM CPAs & Advisors
Syndrome and Work-Life Balance,” INFORMS Diversity
Community, https://connect.informs.org/diversity/diversity-
blog/workshop-imposter-syndrome.
8. R. Alfant, “To My Younger Self: Bridging the Mentorship
Gap for Underrepresented Students,” INFORMS Diversity
Community, https://connect.informs.org/diversity/
diversity-blog/bridging-mentor-gap.
For full interviews, scan QR Code or
visit informs.org/whats-your-story!
ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023 65
 Join INFORMS in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on July 26–28, for the premier healthcare
conference bringing together sensing and digital communication technology developers,
operational systems engineers, social-behavioral scientists, and health services researchers,
as well as practitioners and policymakers in various sectors of the healthcare industry,
to address barriers and challenges faced by those on the frontlines of healthcare.

With so much insight gained over the past several years, the INFORMS Healthcare
Conference 2023 will serve as a can’t-miss event for the healthcare analytics community.

Sessions will cover a wide range of subtopics, including:

+ Chronic Diseases + Infectious Disease Modeling

+ COVID-19 + Long-term Care

+ eHealth & Telemedicine + Medical Decision Making

+ Health Economics & Outcomes + Public Health

+ Healthcare Informatics + Queueing

+ Healthcare Quality & Safety + Sustainable Health

For more information and to register for #Healthcare2023,

scan this QR code or visit meetings.informs.org/healthcare2023.

66 ORMSTODAY.INFORMS.ORG I SPRING 2023