"Applying Science to the Art of Business" is the theme of the 2004 INFORMS conference on ORMS practice, scheduled for April 25-27, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Mass. The 2004 conference will be held in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the MIT Operations Research Center.

The MIT program, open to alumni and faculty, will run from Saturday through Sunday morning. A joint symposium on Sunday afternoon will bring MIT and INFORMS expertise to bear on current issues in the field. The practice conference will begin with the symposium and run through Tuesday at 5 p.m.

In addition to the joint symposium, MIT alumni and faculty will present several sessions as part of the INFORMS Practice Conference. "We're excited about the partnership with MIT, and know that it will enhance the depth of this already excellent meeting," says Grace Lin, conference chair and INFORMS vice president of Practice.

As in previous years, the 2004 conference will feature the Edelman Competition, showcasing presentations by finalist companies and then repeating the first-place winner as a plenary. Registrants at the 2003 conference had high praise for the Edelman component of the program in written comments like this one: "It really doesn't get any better than this in receiving information on real-world applications."

A "Young Researcher Roundtable," introduced in 2003, will be continued at the Cambridge conference. The program was created to provide young faculty with insights into the critical business problems facing industry and to broaden their research. Participants were nominated by their departments and selected by the conference Advisory Council. Sixteen young researchers attended in 2003 and confirmed the value of the program.

Pre-conference workshops led by exhibiting companies were another new feature in 2003. Attendance was free to conference registrants, and more than 150 people took advantage of the opportunity. Plans are to continue the workshop concept in 2004.

The conference Advisory Council, made up of professionals from both practice and academia, will analyze attendee evaluations as they design the 2004 program. They will maintain features that attendees ranked highly, including the mix of industries and methodologies, facilitated networking, and invited speakers who can offer applications, case studies and best practices.

Registration rates will remain the same as 2003: Member Super-Saver (by Feb. 16, 2004) — $685; Nonmember Super-Saver — $795; Member Early (by April 2) — $785; Nonmember Early — $895; Student and Retired — $300. Single-day rates and team discounts are also offered.

Hotel rates at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge are $159 single/double occupancy (call 800-233-1234 or 617-492-1234 and mention INFORMS). For continuing updates on the conference, go to www.informs.org/Conf/Practice04; 800-343-0062 or 401-722-2595; meetings@informs.org





OR/MS Today copyright © 2003 by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.
All rights reserved.


Lionheart Publishing, Inc.
506 Roswell Road, Suite 220, Marietta, GA USA
Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969
E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com
Web URL: www.lionhrtpub.com


Web Site © Copyright 2003 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.