Let’s Connect

Happy almost summer to those in the Western Hemisphere! I’m glad to report that there’s not much to report since my last column. While there is always worldwide news and happenings – some tragic, some positive – I’m not going to use this issue as a platform for any particular occurrence this time. Sometimes I editorialize in my editorials, or share personal stories, but I wonder … how many members are reading through my column, and for those who are, do they enjoy reading my thoughts about war, inequality, equity and what my middle child has been up to? I’d love to find out!

It is a vulnerable place to be on these pages. Writing this column typically follows a two-step process (well, three if you count step 1 as “procrastinate until inspiration hits”). Step 1: Write something intriguing and insightful, sprinkle it with a bit of humor and personal touch, and then somehow relate it all to the INFORMS community and the world of OR/MS and analytics. Step 2: Tell the readers what’s in the issue to decide what page to flip to or which article link to click. Rinse and repeat quarterly. Is this even the proper “outline” for this column? Or would readers rather I simply write out what’s in the current issue and move on? I enjoy sharing my thoughts, but if straightforward is the way to go, I can streamline.

I have asked for feedback in the past, and I’d like to ask again. For the readers of OR/MS Today: Tell me what you like about the contents and look/feel of the magazine in the past few years. What’s missing? What do you want to see more/less of? As a wise manager once told me, I can’t operate in a vacuum. I’m aware that soliciting feedback can be a slippery slope. The unsolicited feedback I receive is rarely positive. If you’d like to share a criticism, please follow it up with something constructive. I can’t fix “I don’t like it” or “I used to read the entire magazine cover to cover and now I don’t.” I need to know why.

Step 1 complete. I will be taking this discussion to INFORMS Connect in hopes that we can have a meaningful dialogue to make your membership magazine even better.

Unintentional “Special” Issue

Step 2: What’s in this issue? Well, I have unintentionally compiled a “special issue” of sorts. When OR/MS Today was a bimonthly publication, we would publish two special issues per year – the International issue in June and Innovative Education issue in August. After moving to a quarterly publication schedule, I’ve made a conscious effort to include international and innovative education pieces in each issue. This issue happens to include each (and of course the usual dose of AI).

For the international O.R. angle, Bahman Rostami-Tabar has written about his experience building and launching the Democratizing Forecasting (DF) initiative that aims to provide high-quality forecasting education to underprivileged communities worldwide. The story of his selfless journey is awe-inspiring.

Although the academic year has come to an end, we’ve got plenty of innovative education articles to keep you thinking about how to enhance next year’s courses. Read about how to use a Microsoft Excel error as a teaching tool or how to introduce students to optimization – a modernization from the Dantzig and Bellman days, penned by Warren Powell. Members of the Teaching Pathways subcommittee of the INFORMS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) discuss “Teaching Strategies and Tools to Address Accessibility Barriers in Our OR/MS Classrooms.” The Issues in Education column considers “Systemic Change Inside Universities” with a focus on using OR/MS methods to improve efficiency, quality and resource allocation.

Last, but not least, we simply cannot go an entire issue without some AI content. You can read about the value and risks of large language models (LLMs), how to use LLMs to create analytics solutions and its implications for O.R. practitioners.

Step 3: Closing remarks that inspire readers to read the entire issue, renew their membership and join us at one of INFORMS upcoming meetings, including the INFORMS Security Conference, July 28-30 and INFORMS Annual Meeting, October 20-23.

I look forward to hearing from readers on INFORMS Connect.