How O.R. is helping our first responders combat the coronavirus epidemic

From EMTs and hospital staff, to firefighters and police, our first responders are continuing to provide essential and often life-saving services to protect our health and security, despite serving on the front lines of the pandemic response. I’m joined by Laura Albert, professor of industrial & systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to discuss her research regarding emergency response during mass casualty incidents, and how operations research can provide valuable insight to support the efforts of our first responders.

Interviewed this episode:

Laura Albert

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Professor Laura Albert’s research applies operations research methodologies to important societal applications. Her primary methodological base is discrete optimization, including integer programming and Markov decision processes. She has applied operations research methodologies to address public sector problems related to emergency medical services, homeland security, critical infrastructure protection, public safety, and disaster response and recovery.