August 1999 Philadelphia Story Fall INFORMS meeting to focus on quality of life issues By G. (Anand) Anandalingam This year's fall INFORMS meeting will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, Nov. 7-10, on the theme "OR/MS and the Quality of Life." Philadelphia, the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, is also the home of the first hospital (Pennsylvania Hospital), the first all-electronic general purpose computer (the ENIAC), the first library (The Free Library), and the first "university" distinct from college (University of Pennsylvania), and the first stock market (the Philadelphia Bourse) in the United States, all of which contributed to the quality of life in this country. Although the traditional focus of operations research and management science has been on economic efficiency, there is a growing trend towards expanding this focus to include other issues that relate to the enhancement of quality of life and strengthening the bonds of civil society. In addition to covering the customary spectrum of OR/MS technical topics, we will have tracks on health care management, telecommunications, service operations management, natural resources and environmental management, technology management, and safety and reliability that address important questions pertaining to the quality of life. The conference will feature 14 tutorials, one for each session, including those on Medical Informatics, Financial Services, Retail Operations Management and Internet Applications. There will also be software demonstration workshops. Plenary Speakers include: Arnold Barnett, George Eastman Professor of Management Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Barnett has worked for a number of years on public policy and societal issues, and is well known as the world's leading authority on airline safety. Barnett will talk on Nov. 7 on OR/MS and public policy. Donald Gips, senior vice president for Corporate Development of Level 3 Communications, a fast emerging telecommunications company. Gips manages the operations research activities in the company. Gips will talk at the INFORMS Plenary on Nov. 8 on the usefulness of OR/MS in both tactical and strategic decision-making at a telecommunications company. William Kelley, chief executive officer of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital System and dean of the Medical School, manages what amounts to a $1.1 billion corporation. Kelley will talk at the INFORMS Plenary on Nov. 9 on the use of decision theory, statistics and quantitative modeling in medical diagnosis and decision-making. In addition to the standard program of events, the fall meeting will be host to several special events, including the Edelman Prize, the Beale Award of the U.K. Operational Research Society, the CPMS Daniel H. Wagner Prize, the CPMS Isolated Practitioner Workshop and the Forum on Women in OR/MS. Guest programs include a visit to Longwood Gardens and a tour to Lancaster and the Amish Country. For cultural enrichment, this city offers the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the second largest Rodin Museum, and the world famous Barnes Foundation, with its unique Impressionist art collection. The Philadelphia Zoo, the oldest in the country, is only a short distance away. Philadelphia offers entertainment for all tastes, ranging from the world-class Philadelphia Orchestra to jazz groups, rock concerts and folk musicians. Philadelphia boasts two of the top restaurants in the country (as rated by Conde Nast), Le Beq Fin and The Fountain. G. (Anand) Anandalingam is the general chair of the INFORMS Philadelphia Fall 1999 Meeting. Table of Contents OR/MS Today Home Page OR/MS Today copyright © 1999 by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. All rights reserved. Lionheart Publishing, Inc. 506 Roswell Street, Suite 220, Marietta, GA 30060, USA Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969 E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com URL: http://www.lionhrtpub.com Web Site © Copyright 1999 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.