Robert T. Sumichrast, former dean of Louisiana State University's business college, was named dean of the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business, effective July 1. Sumichrast succeeds P. George Benson, who left UGA to become president of the College of Charleston.

Sumichrast, an authority on management and operations science, holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Purdue University and a Ph.D. in management science from Clemson University. An active member of INFORMS, he has served as president, vice president and secretary/treasurer of the organization's southeastern chapter and received the chapter's Outstanding Service Award.

As dean of LSU's Ourso College, Sumichrast had notable success in increasing private financial support through such steps as instituting a professional fee structure for MBA students, increasing the fundraising staff and strengthening contacts with alumni. Annual private donations to the college rose from $1.5 million to $4 million under his watch, and the college recently received a pledge of $15 million.

Sumichrast has co-authored two books dealing with management science, as well as numerous articles in professional journals and papers presented at professional meetings. Along with his involvement with INFORMS, Sumichrast is a Fellow of the American Production and Inventory Control Society and has held several leadership roles with the Decision Sciences Institute.

INFORMS President-Elect Cynthia Barnhart appeared on CBS, NBC and ABC news programs and was featured in a New York Times article in connection with her research on flight delays and growing air traffic congestion that reached record levels this summer. The air traffic problem and long lines of disgruntled passengers stuck in airports made national headlines around the Fourth of July holiday, prompting several major news organizations to seek out Barnhart for her expertise and insight.

The Times article noted that Barnhart and her colleagues at MIT conducted a study several years ago that found that when missed connections and flight cancellations are factored in, the average wait was two-thirds longer than the official statistic. According to the Times, the same study determined that "as planes become more crowded — and jets have never been as jammed as they are today — the delays grow much longer because it becomes harder to find a seat on a later flight."

The Times continued: "That finding prompted the MIT researchers to dust off their study, which they are updating now. But with domestic flights running 85 to 90 percent full, meaning that virtually all planes on desirable routes are full, Cynthia Barnhart, an MIT professor who studies transportation systems, has a pretty good idea of what the new research will show when it is completed this fall: 'There will be severe increases in delays,' she said."

INFORMS President Brenda Dietrich was named an IBM Fellow, the company's most prestigious technical honor. Dietrich was recognized for her work connecting mathematics to business processes, such as supply chain and work force management.

One of Dietrich's achievements was reversing the process of getting products to market. Instead of designing a product and coming up with a parts list, Dietrich used mathematics to look at the materials in IBM's factories to ask what could be made with the goods on hand.

"It's a question we face on a daily basis when we look in the pantry and refrigerator and ask what can we make for dinner. You don't want to start by asking your kids what they want," Dietrich says. "At IBM, it's not the seven things in the pantry, it's the 700,000 part numbers we have."

Dr. John E. Kelly III, IBM senior vice president, technology and intellectual property, says, "IBM's Fellows are extraordinary technical experts in their fields. Today's new IBM Fellows are a great example of the exploration that defines IBM's technical community. We have the most brilliant explorers working on the boundaries of technology creating innovations that matter to IBM — and the world."

Including this year's six new honorees, only 199 people, and just 10 women, have been named IBM Fellows since the program began 44 years ago. IBM Fellows are given freedom and flexibility to pursue creative achievements and typically work on special projects or research initiatives that lead the company in exciting new directions.

Doug Samuelson has accepted a position as a Principal Decision Scientist at Serco-North America in Vienna, Va.






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