2019 January Inside OR

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This month, we look at the impact of OR and analytics on northern rail; we consider the interesting potential of DIY learning projects as career development; we explore a route planning case study from an Italian retailer; and celebrate the award of the Beale Medal to Professor Russell Cheng.

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Leader: Reflecting on the Last Nine Years

RUTH KAUFMAN OBE FORS FIMA CSCI, CHAIR OF THE EVENTS COMMITTEE, THE OR SOCIETY

I first joined The OR Society General Council in January 2009, and the board a couple of years later. On 31 December 2018, after four years in the President-Elect/President/Immediate Past President cycle, I finally step down. In that time I have met a huge number of operational research (OR) and OR-related people, seen a huge amount of OR and OR-related work, and noted both change and continuity. What a fantastic excuse for ...

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Transport for the North: Modelling the Northern Powerhouse

SARAH FORES, SECRETARY, YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE OR GROUP

The Yorkshire & Humberside OR Group (YHORG) was reinvigorated with exciting talks by Aidan Cross, Rachel Tadd, Chris Storey and Jack Snape on 14 November 2018. Aidan Cross joined Transport for the North (TfN) in 2016 to lead the development of the evidence base for Northern Powerhouse Rail. He introduced the complexities of the...

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Machine learning tool can predict viral reservoirs in the animal kingdom

NIGEL CUMMINGS

Simulation or modelling utilising a new machine learning algorithm has been developed which uses viral genome sequences to predict the likely natural host for a broad spectrum of RNA viruses, the viral group that most often jumps from animals to humans. Many deadly and newly-emerging viruses like...

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Careers Talk on Operational Research at Leeds University

ELEANOR WILSON, ASSISTANT OPERATIONAL RESEARCHER, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE

I went through four years of doing my undergraduate degree in physics without ever hearing of operational research (OR), and I went almost 3.5 years of my PhD without ever coming across it. It was only through luck that...

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Algorithms in Route Planning

NIGEL CUMMINGS

Last mile delivery optimisation (the movement from a hub to the final delivery destination) is the goal of a ‘smart logistics’ provider called Milkman. Milkman launched in the spring of 2016 with services in Milan. Soon after, it added Rome. A deal with the number one grocery retailer in Italy led to an expansion in four additional...

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DIY Learning Projects

CALLUM STAFF AORS, LEAD DATA SCIENTIST, MARKS AND SPENCER

Way back in August I talked about a range of less ‘off the shelf’ methods for doing learning and development that operational researchers have at their disposal. Of the techniques mentioned, I’m a particular fan of DIY learning projects – projects where you identify/invent the problem yourself and then also ...

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