FEATURED ARTICLE

Enhance Innovation by Boosting Idea Generation with Large Language Models

Can large language models (LLMs) help businesses and other organizations enhance innovation by boosting idea generation? Several recent research studies have addressed this question by comparing innovative idea generation by humans alone to that of LLMs working independently after an initial request for information (also known as a prompt) by a human. The studies adopted creativity outcome metrics that cognitive psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists have used in their research on human creativity as an information process in the brain. Here, we will take a closer look at these studies and consider ways that LLM performance may be enhanced through “prompt” engineering (i.e., improving the user input to the LLM) and other recent trends in GenAI LLMs.

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LATEST NEWS

INFORMS announces the next cohort of Senior Members. INFORMS members can earn the Senior Member distinction by being the most committed members of our community – the ones who get involved, contribute and engage. The base requirement for becoming a Senior Member is simply being a Regular INFORMS member for five (or more) continuous years.

Congratulations to the outstanding chapters recognized for their achievements with the 2024 Excellence Award! INFORMS chapters are the heart of our community, connecting academics and practitioners. To recognize their exceptional work, INFORMS established the Chapter Excellence Awards. These awards honor chapters that excel in areas such as membership, programming, community outreach, professional development, collaboration, innovation, leadership and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion).

The recent and seemingly rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to many discussions about its current and potential impact on our world. The plenary session on Monday morning at the 2024 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Seattle took a deeper dive into some of these topics, exploring the questions they pose among several leaders in AI research.

Harriet Nembhard, former dean of engineering at University of Iowa and current president of Harvey Mudd College, presented a keynote at the INFORMS Annual Meeting in Seattle, on the role of operations research (O.R.) in preparing responsible and hopeful interdisciplinary leaders.

John Dutton Conant Little, MIT Institute Professor and the Professor of Management Science at the MIT Sloan School of Management, died in the early morning hours of September 27, 2024. He was 96 years old

FEATURED ARTICLE

The SCORE Network

The consensus among researchers and educators strongly supports the use of real-world data in teaching data science and statistical concepts; however, two main obstacles often limit educators: time and concept alignment. Educators often struggle to find sufficient time to identify and curate real-world datasets that align with lesson objectives or reinforce key statistical or data science concepts. Consequently, educators often resort to prepackaged datasets. Even when educators do find a dataset that has a clear use case, they often don’t fully develop the lesson for a broad curriculum or provide their content online for others to use. To address these issues, and to motivate student interest in statistics, data science and sports analytics, we created the SCORE Network.

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SPONSORED CONTENT from Gurobi

The Science of Effective Presentations: Using Monroe’s Motivated Sequence to Communicate Analytical Findings

For operations research and management science (OR/MS) professionals, the ability to effectively communicate complex analytical work is not just a skill but a necessity. Although most presentations of analytical work at OR/MS conferences are for technical audiences and focus on the details and process of building mathematical models and analyzing data, the real impact of analytical work is observed through implementation. Therefore, it is crucial for OR/MS professionals to receive training in managerial presentations – especially in delivering concise and compelling demonstrations of credible results to guide nontechnical managers, executives and other decision-makers.

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What's Your StORy?

Carol DeZwarte, CAP

“There are two big things about being involved with INFORMS. In order: people and profession. As an introvert, I don’t meet people very easily, which makes it harder for me to know where to go and what to do when I’m frustrated at work, or when I wanted to change industries. Having INFORMS people to talk to has been so helpful. The more powerful thing is showing up at a conference and knowing you are with your people.”

—Carol DeZwarte, CAP, Data Science & Analytics Leader

Click here to watch the full video interview.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Ops Researchers, It’s Time to Git with the Flow

As operations researchers and decision scientists, we are efficiency experts. We create algorithms that make routes for food delivery, design schedules for healthcare workers, and set prices for goods and services. But how often do we find inefficiencies in the paths those algorithms take to production? So, what can we as decision science/operations research practitioners do to efficiently deliver more model code and model value? A first step: Adopt modern Git practices.

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SPONSORED CONTENT from INFORMS

A recap of 2024 with the INFORMS president

2019 Franz Edelman Award Finalists: Boston Public Schools

I certainly want to encourage the members of INFORMS to get involved, to find a way to participate in the organization. There are different ways, different places you can do that. We will be rolling out a volunteer database where you can put your name in the hat for certain kinds of things. But it can start with joining a chapter or subdivision and just volunteering to do what you can to help. That’s really where you build the core of what is so important for so many INFORMS members – that network, that participation – and that really brings value. So I encourage everyone to get involved, and maybe one day you’ll be interviewing some of them, Ashley.

As we close out another year of Resoundingly Human podcasts, I am joined once again by the 2024 INFORMS President Julie Swann, to share a final look back over the past year at INFORMS and reflect on Julie’s time as president.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

AI in the Classroom: Shaping the Future of Business Education

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform industries, business schools and higher education more broadly must adapt to the rapid pace of innovation to ensure that today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders are prepared to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world. This requires a broad-based approach to education, ensuring that AI is accessible not just to those with technical aptitude but to students approaching business from all backgrounds.

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What's Your StORy?

Jonathan Owen, CAP

“You don’t know what you don’t know. We interview a lot of new graduates, and I always tell them, when you’re looking for something, the two most important things (in my experience) are 1) who your leader is (your direct boss) and 2) the culture of the team. I never try to sell anybody. When you’re interviewing for jobs, you’re looking for a match.”

—Jonathan Owen, CAP, GM, Retired

Watch the full interview on the INFORMS YouTube channel.

FEATURED ARTICLE

Markowitz: Not Just a One-Shot Nobel Laureate

The contributions of Harry Markowitz to optimization are vast, so as a Ph.D. student building on portfolio theory, it was inevitable I would come across his work. The more I read, the more I was awed by the life of a man who sowed the seeds for two entirely distinct fields of research. His is an incredible story, with coincidences, connections and copious name drops weaved throughout, and one that emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary thinking.

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DEPARTMENTS

Inside Story

Unlimited

The operations research and analytics community is fraught with unlimited data and often has to come together to solve wicked problems – complex problems with many interdependent factors making them seem impossible to solve. Solving them requires a deep understanding of the perspectives of stakeholders involved, and an innovative approach. Most wicked problems are social or cultural in nature, such as poverty, climate change, homelessness, education and sustainability. This issue sheds light on some wicked problems, as well as others popular topics including AI in the classroom, prompt engineering, LLMs and more.

President's Desk

A New Season for INFORMS

INFORMS is entering a new season, and 2024 INFORMS President Julie Swann shares why in her final "President's Desk" column.

HQ Highlights

Snowing Greatness at INFORMS

This "HQ Highlights" column is complete with a top-10 list reflecting on 2024 and noting the top things Elena thinks will make members most proud to call INFORMS their forever professional home.

INFORMS Initiatives

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Improving Transparency and Fairness in INFORMS Publications

One of the five goals stated in the INFORMS Strategic Plan is the commitment to “advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all we do.” As INFORMS vice president of publications and director of publications of INFORMS, we pledged to improve three key areas in the fall of 2022, and it is now time to report on our progress.

Q&A

The Path to Presidency is Paved with Positivity

What does a member of the Subdivisions Council and INFORMS Strategic Planning Committee, an Edelman Award judge, VP of Chapters/Forums and INFORMS Treasurer have in common? Dave Hunt. They are all Dave Hunt. A longtime member of INFORMS – 34 continuous years! – Hunt is your incoming INFORMS president and will serve in the role in 2025.

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Corporate Academia: Navigating Waters Through Perks and Pitfalls

In the last two decades, researchers in academic positions around the world have found themselves subject to mounting pressure to stand out by publishing numerous papers in highly ranked journals or conferences at a rapid pace. The operations research and management science (OR/MS) community and many others are in the same boat. This has resulted in a turbulent ocean of scientific articles published each year. Academic staff need to acquire funding sources to stay afloat in a very competitive landscape on “trendy topics,” whereas the younger sailors (including postdocs and early-career academic staff) need to follow the trend with fewer available resources. To navigate these waters, some academic institutions have turned into corporate settings, in which the responsibilities of academic staff as managers at different levels dominates their role as educators and mentors.

Member Insights: AI-SCORE

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The Inaugural Artificial Intelligence School for Computer Science and Operations Research Education (AI-SCORE)

The operations research (O.R.) and computer science (C.S.) communities have recently started cross-fertilizing their respective strengths in developing foundational methodological and computational tools for artificial intelligence (AI) – with the objective of enabling decision-making in a broad range of use-inspired problem domains, and striving to realize the full latent potential of progress in individual fields. Professional communities in both fields recommended a dedicated “school” to (1) train the next generation of researchers to be dually conversant in both methodological traditions and (2) pose challenge problems that are positioned to excite researchers across the C.S.-O.R. spectrum to catalyze the kinds of advances that are possible.

Member Insights: Data Sharing

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A New Approach to Community Partnerships: Sharing Data the Tulsa Way

Information technologies have created new ways to see the challenges facing communities and track and assess interventions and their outcomes. Data reveals structural inequalities and their ongoing effects on behavioral and medical health. Data highlights social determinants and provides trackable, quantifiable insights into the challenges that organizations like Family & Children's Services in Tulsa, Oklahoma, aim to address: strengthening families, improving education and employment opportunities, reducing substance use and addiction, treating mental health needs, and ensuring coordinated care.

Student Perspectives

INFORMS DEI Committee and Its Impact on the Future of OR/MS

The INFORMS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) began in 2020 and has since been an advocate for advancing DEI-related initiatives within the Institute. This article discusses the DEIC, its student-relevant initiatives, and a 2024 DEI Ambassador project on TechFest Dayton.

Last Word

Data Fatigue: Overcoming the Overload in a Data-Driven World

“Data fatigue?,” I thought. “How could anyone get tired of data?” After all, we live in a world where data is king. The more data you have, the better your insights and decisions – or so I thought. As the conference progressed, the term kept popping up in conversation. I soon realized that it was more than just a buzzword. Data fatigue was a real and growing problem, one I had unknowingly experienced myself on more than one occasion.

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