EURO 2024 Copenhagen
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120. Tackling hard problems: on the evolution of operations research

Invited abstract in session WC-20: Moments in the history of OR 2, stream Moments in the history of OR.

Wednesday, 12:30-14:00
Room: 45 (building: 116)

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Laura Albert
Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Abstract

As we think about what impact we would like operations research (OR) to have on the world, it can be helpful to look to the past for guidance and inspiration. This talk overviews the early stages of operations research becoming a discipline and academic field of study following World War II. In this talk, I will introduce “fun facts” about OR history, including the piece of OR history that inspired a scene in the film Good Will Hunting. I will also discuss early attempts to define the field of operations research, drawing upon the writings of Philip McCord Morse. The young field of OR experienced some growing pains, when some leaders in the field expressed their concerns about the demise and possible death of OR. Ultimately, OR flourished in the following decades. A theme of the talk is that various efforts taken to tackle hard problems defined the field of OR, opened up fruitful areas for exploration, and guided the evolution of OR.

Keywords

Status: accepted

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