Webinars

The WORMS Webinar Series comprises research talks by distinguished members of the OR/MS community, both from academia and industry. 

We have an upcoming webinar on October 4th, 2022. Visit the Upcoming Events page for more details. 

Using OR to make real-time aggregated predictions of hospital admission for emergency patients 

Date: Oct 4, 2022, at 4 PM (CEST) / 10 AM (EST)

Speakers: Dr. Sonya Crowe, the director of the Clinical Operational Research Unit (CORU) at University College London, and Dr. Zella King, an interdisciplinary academic based at the University College London (UCL) Institute of Health Informatics who works with healthcare data to improve service delivery.

Please save the date and register for this seminar here: lnkd.in/eVAmBFxD 

This talk is jointly organized with the Center for Healthcare Operations Improvement and Research (CHOIR) at the University of Twente, as part of their ORAHS International Seminar Series. Please find more information about ORAHS International Seminar Series here: lnkd.in/ewbVz_bK. The ORAHS International Seminars are planned monthly via Zoom in the late afternoon (Europe), morning (US), or evening (Asia/Pacific).



Some of our past webinars include:

Faster, Safer, Healthier: Adventures in OR (September 12, 2022)
Speaker: Sommer Gentry, Professor of Population Health/Professor of Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Abstract: While mathematical advances of all sorts have impacted our world for the better, operations research is a branch of mathematics that is expressly focused on applying advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions.  Operations researchers have eased traffic jams by closing selected streets, and gotten packages to you more quickly by planning UPS routes with fewer left turns.  Operations researchers have shown which personal decisions are the leading causes of death, and planned maintenance schedules to minimize bridge collapses.  The mathematical tools of operations research, like using random numbers to simulate a range of outcomes when some data are unknown, or finding clever algorithms that shortcut the need to try every possible decision in order to find the best one, can be recycled to solve problems everywhere in our world.  In this talk, Professor Gentry will describe some of her O.R. forays into far-flung fields, and tell her favorite stories about O.R.
Co-hosted with INFORMS


It's Not the Usual Cooking Session: The Ingredients to Make Analytics Work (July 19, 2022)
Speaker: Dr. Rina R. Schneur
Abstract: Analytics has become one of the most popular and sought-after jobs. It has been commonly used in different contexts - business, government, politics, and sports to name a few, and has been utilized at various levels. Whether you work with external or internal clients, in industry, government or academia, you will likely be faced with the challenges to realize the tremendous impact of analytics, and especially advanced analytics. You will also need to prove the benefits that analytics can bring to organizations. What are the key ingredients needed to make analytics successful? What are some key tools to putting them together? We will discuss what hurdles to expect and ideas to overcome them, drawing from personal experience in various domains. The intent is to provide a framework for an interactive discussion.
Co-hosted with INFORMS
View Webinar Recording


Clockwork: Air Traffic Operations Risk Mitigation (July 13, 2022)
Speakers:
Art Parra, Manager, Flight Ops Planning & Analysis @FedEx Express
Bo Sun, Operations Research Advisor @FedEx Express

Abstract: Air traffic operations at the larger hubs within the FedEx Express network must manage the FedEx ramp operations in conjunction with the airport authorities. Changes in procedures and/or construction within the ramp and airport must be vetted and shared with all parties. The visual aspects of simulation models help communicate risks and/or impacts better than just data analysis, reports, and dashboards. The simulation models helped to solve two primary business problems in this space. This first resolution was a procedure change in Memphis to use three runways better. Without simulation modeling, this change would have required hours of training for FedEx Air Traffic Ops and the Memphis tower personnel. The second resolution involved the Indianapolis airport considering closing one of its two main runways for construction, potentially impacting our operations and the airport. The team proposed mitigation strategies, supported by modeling to ensure the company took the appropriate steps to mitigate the risks.
View Webinar Recording

Panel: Understanding the Journal Paper Publication Process and Writing Papers that Will be Chosen for Publication (May 17, 2022) 
As we all know, publishing in scholarly journals is critical to your academic success. This webinar discusses key aspects of successful publication in journals from problem inception to final publication. The panelists explain what happens to your manuscript after you submit it. They will cover problem selection, identification of the target audience and journal, manuscript design and structure, manuscript writing, and manuscript revision.
The panelists will also share what editors and reviewers are looking for in a paper and what are some ethical concerns faced by authors, reviewers and editors. And if you’ve ever considered taking on a journal editorial position, our panelists will cover that topic as well. There will be time for Q&A at the end of the webinar.
Panelists:
Margaret Brandeau, Professor, MS&E department, Stanford University 
Alice Smith, Joe W. Forehand/Accenture Distinguished Professor, Auburn University, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Co-hosted with INFORMS

Using AI to co-develop new product formulations and the future of flavor innovation (October 14, 2021)
Speaker: Robin Lougee, The National Academies

Abstract: Each year, more than 30,000 new consumer products are launched. An estimated 80% fail. In this presentation, the speaker will introduce “computational creativity,” present challenges in new product creation and share results from a novel AI system that helps product developers more efficiently and effectively create new product experiences.
Co-organized with the INFORMS Practice Section.


Panel: Navigating the Path to Editorial Positions (May 21, 2021)
This webinar panel features four experienced editors who discuss their roles, how and why they got involved in the journal editorial process and give tips and guidance for exploring the possibility of becoming a journal editor at any level.
Panelists:
Michael Johnson, University of Massachusetts Boston
Steven Kou, Boston University
Maria E. Mayorga, North Carolina State University
Karen Smilowitz, Northwestern University
Moderated by: Alice E. Smith, Auburn University
Jointly sponsored with the Minority Issues Forum and an INFORMS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ambassador project.


Flying High with Math (January 29, 2021)
Speakers: Sharon Arroyo, Technical Fellow, Boeing, and Shabnam Khamooshi, Associate Technical Fellow, Boeing
Abstract: The speakers are members of Boeing Research & Technology. They partner with business units to develop operations research based solutions and mathematical tools that help Boeing reduce costs, improve products and operations. They have developed operations research and math solutions as well as simulation models for applications across Boeing including supply chain, aircraft delivery, airline scheduling, wind tunnel testing, robot scheduling, logistics, communication networks, sensor fusion, rate analysis, and facility layout design. In this presentation, the speakers give an overview of some of the projects on which they have worked and will give insights into what it is like to work as a mathematician in industry.


Innovative Uses of Drones for Last Mile Delivery with a Focus on Healthcare (September 25, 2020)
Speaker: Alice Smith, Auburn University
Abstract: This webinar discusses two novel strategies for employing a combination of drones and delivery vehicles, such as trucks, for last mile delivery to homes and businesses.  The work is general, but we aim for a healthcare application.  The first strategy uses a drone to resupply a truck during the day for same day delivery, as orders are made available at a central depot.  The truck delivers the orders to the customers but does not have to return to the depot during the day since it is being supplied by the drone for new orders.  The second strategy integrates a truck with a drone.  In this case, either the truck or the drone can make both deliveries and pick-ups, and the drone is launched from and returned to the truck.  A mathematical model is formulated and solved for each strategy.  We show that both strategies offer benefits in customer service and cost of delivery compared to traditional truck delivery only.  We focus our work on healthcare and specifically the delivery and pick up of medical supplies and tests (such as COVID tests) in challenged, rural environments.  A limited field trial will take place later in 2020.


The Role of Agility and Analytics in Powering Supply Chains through Disruptions (July 17, 2020)
Speakers: Anne Robinson and Polly Mitchell-Guthrie, Kinaxis
Abstract: Supply chain planning is a complex art under the best circumstances and even harder during disruptions. In this webinar the speakers will talk about best practices observed in the current pandemic and the importance of both analytics and agility in supporting them. 


Work in the time of Coronavirus (May 15, 2020)
Speaker: Susan Sanchez, Naval Postgraduate School
Abstract: In this webinar, Susan Sanchez discusses:

COVID related research
  • Data farming approach to conduct large-scale experiments on a stochastic model of infectious disease propagation
  • Scalability to large populations - 350 million people, the approximate size of the U.S. population
Work/Life Balance
    • Work/life balance issues as a n optimization problem
    • Changing gender roles in the current crisis