Austin to Host 2010 INFORMS Annual Meeting

Austin, Texas, continually ranked as one of the most livable cities in the United States, and where culture and music meet technology and entrepreneurship, will play host to the 2010 INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences) Annual Meeting, Nov. 7-10. Major activities will take place in the newly modernized Austin Convention Center (offering free WiFi) and at the recently opened Hilton, both a short walking distance from Lady Bird Lake — an oasis of beauty and recreation. Be advised that Austin is a place that makes everybody feel at home. Austin has more than its share of offbeat characters, Mexican free-tailed bats and a spirit of creativity that has given rise to such national brands as Dell Computers, Whole Foods and Willie Nelson.

The conference will offer the full range of networking opportunities, with the INFORMS Membership Meeting on Saturday, the Welcome Reception on Sunday, the General Reception on Tuesday and subdivision meetings on Monday and Tuesday — all in the early evening. Due to the convention center’s close proximity to the bustling downtown entertainment district, the General Reception will be held at the Convention Center, giving attendees a chance to spend some time with their colleagues and then explore the area. However, conference organizers have lined up an array of novel and intriguing activities designed to keep attendees fully engaged, so you might never feel like leaving the premises.

The conference will run five days with workshops on Saturday followed by plenary and keynote sessions, tutorials, panel discussions and research seminars Sunday through Wednesday. A partial list of principal speakers includes Chip Groat, former director of the U.S. Geological Survey and current head of the Energy Institute in Austin; Edward Kaplan of Yale University, the Mc-Cord Morse Lecturer; John Birge of the University of Chicago, the Omega Rho Distinguished Lecturer; Chung-Yee Lee from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Jerry Brown from the Naval Postgraduate School. In addition, the Wagner Prize winner, to be determined at the conference, will give a talk, as will the Edelman Award finalists from the 2010 INFORMS Practice Conference. Finally, there will be 19 tutorials, 14 of which will be accessible from the INFORMS Web site, and a series of invited clusters in line with the meeting’s theme of “Energizing the Future.”

For those interested in a peek at local industry, conference organizers have arranged several plant tours, which include visits to AMD’s research center and Freescale’s semiconductor manufacturing facilities. Guests will have the opportunity to take two tours. The first, the Tour of Austin Art, stops at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, several museums and the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, all with world-class collections. The second, the Legends and Lore Tour, focuses on those outsized Texans that you’ve heard so much about such as the Alamo defenders, LBJ and a few not-so-reputable oilmen and, among other places, stops at Bob Bullock State History Museum where guests can catch an IMAX film.

IBM and AIMMS (Paragon Decision Technology) head the list of sponsors who have stepped up to help make this a memorable conference.

About 4,000 people are expected to attend the conference. For the most up-to-date information, go to http://meetings2.informs.org/austin2010/; for more information about Austin and area attractions, visit http://www.austin360.com/.