Episodes

Search for a topic or title.

Filter by a popular topic:

Franz Edelman Award

Healthcare

COVID-19

INFORMS President

Solving Problems

Saving Lives

Supply Chain

Special Guest

Artificial Intelligence

Cropped shot of three young businessmpeople working together on a laptop in their office late at night

Wading through the hype to find the best solutions for your business

Operations research, analytics and data science can provide a wide range of solutions to many of the challenges facing organizations, from staffing to resource allotment to evaluating success and failure, if you have a business problem, O.R. and analytics can provide an effective, data-based solution. But making sure you are picking the correct solution, the right approach for your unique problem, is just as important. Sure, having AI or machine learning-based solutions might sound super cool, but how do you know it’s actually the right answer to your problem? And when organizations are investing thousands if not more in these…

Tags: , , , , , ,

Learn more
dorsal fin of great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, False Bay, South Africa

We’re gonna need a bigger … data set: Shark attacks and wicked problems

Today’s episode will be a little different than most, we’re going to take a bit of a detour but stick with me and I promise, I’ll bring us back around to data science. I’m going to take us back in time a little, back to the first time I watched what was to become my favorite movie, Jaws. It was the summer between 4th and 5th grade (probably way too young to be watching a movie about a killer shark) and I was at a sleepover where the next day, after being thoroughly terrified by this movie, we went to…

Tags: , , , , ,

Learn more
Young Woman Jogging Near River wearing headphones checking smart watch

How to ‘up the ante’ on your Fitbit goals!

We’re just about halfway through the summer, and with many days of warm weather still ahead, most of us are planning fun outdoor activities or family adventures, or maybe just working toward our summertime fitness goals. But for some, ok many of us, staying active can be a struggle, not only to reach our fitness goals, but to stick to our good exercise habits in the long run. The use of wearable heath devices, such as a Fitbit can serve as a valuable tool not just for tracking progress, but of setting goals and helping motivate users to meet them….

Tags: , , , , , ,

Learn more
Domestic abuse victim with hands pressed against glass window

27 each day: Understanding and combatting human trafficking

There is not a single country in the world that is not touched by human trafficking. Let that sink in. The number of people victimized by human slavery across the globe is currently greater than the populations of London, New York and Los Angeles combined. This is not a problem affecting people on the other side of the world, it’s one here at home, very likely in our own communities. One that will require collaboration and diverse and innovative approaches to combat. Joining me today is Renata Konrad, professor of industrial engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, who is using her…

Tags: , , ,

Learn more
Hipster Woman use Laptop huge Loft Studio.Student Researching Process Work.Young Business Team Working Creative Startup modern Office.Analyze market stock,new strategy.Blurred,film effect.

Supporting female entrepreneurs is not solely the responsibility of women

It’s no secret that women are making great strides forward in the workplace. In major cities across the country, analysis shows that the gender pay gap is closing. The number of women in mathematics, science and other STEM occupations is continuing to grow as well. In addition, the number of women entrepreneurs has increased by 48% year over year. That means the number of women taking the jump to start their own businesses each year is growing in leaps and bounds! However, it’s also no secret that there are still hurdles to cross, many more milestones to reach, and unfortunately,…

Tags: , , , ,

Learn more
Doctor is doing an injection to young African girl in small village, East Africa

Collaborating to improve the lives of mothers and children on the opposite side of the globe

As the host of this podcast, I am in a unique position to hear first-hand from people who are having an incredible impact on the world in such an amazing variety of ways, which in my role, I then have the pleasure of sharing with our listeners. While each episode of the podcast communicates an important discovery or significant impact, it’s seemed like a number of recent episodes, at least in my eyes and ears, have captured stories of the impact of O.R. and analytics that regardless of whether you have a background in these fields, are pretty inspiring. From…

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Learn more
Robot hand typing on the laptop keyboard

Can you teach AI common sense?

Common sense. A highly valued trait among our peers, partners, friends, and honestly anyone we interact with on a regular basis. Difficult to define at best, common sense is a necessary component to decision-making, helping us navigate any number of choices we must make day to day, to presumably achieve the best outcomes. And while common sense is an inherently human trait, much like our emotions, as applications of artificial intelligence in our daily lives continue to grow, from customer service interface to smart home technology, can common sense be introduced to this technology to improve their decision-making capability? Or…

Tags: , , , , ,

Learn more

Touching base on 2022 milestones

For this episode, I am so pleased to once again be joined by the 2022 INFORMS President Radhika Kulkarni. We started 2022 off with my first interview with Radhika as president and discussed what was in store for INFORMS in the coming year. Radhika joins me once again to share some important INFORMS milestones and updates on a few of the topics we discussed earlier this year.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Learn more
Tiger

Giving wildlife conservationists some helping PAWS

Wildlife conservation is an enormous global undertaking, vital to ensuring the health and longevity of our planet, and that the incredibly diverse plant and wildlife species we share our world with are here for generations more to come. A significant threat to conservation efforts is the poaching of wildlife, which can be difficult and even dangerous to combat and is pushing many species towards extinction, while also helping to support a multi-billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade. I’m pleased to introduce my guest for today’s podcast, Lily Xu with Harvard University, whose work to create a data driven approach to combat poaching…

Tags: , , , ,

Learn more
asian chinese senior man in wheelchair with face shield , face mask under dialysis treatment in hospital

Ensuring “compassion” is at the core of compassionate dialysis screening

End-stage renal disease, or ESRD, is a serious medical condition caused by failure of the kidneys that also has significant social and economic implications. The only treatments for end-stage renal disease are regular courses of dialysis or a kidney transplant. For individuals with ESRD who do not have access to treatment, either because they are uninsured or they may not be a legal residents of the U.S., often their only option is to resort to going to the emergency room in order to receive dialysis. However, mandatory hospital and even county protocols structured to prevent emergency room congestion can result…

Tags: , , , ,

Learn more