Letter to the Editor
What a Wonderful (MIT) World
To The Editor:
Thank you, Laurie Everett and Dick Larson, for the article on MIT World that appeared in the April issue of OR/MS Today ("MIT World: See It Now," pp. 48-51). The information was incredibly valuable, and I am certain that many of us in the profession, whether academicians, students or practitioners, will take regular advantage of this fantastic resource!
Wouldn't it be wonderful if INFORMS could follow the lead of MIT World and, perhaps, host online videos of INFORMS conference plenary lectures, various tutorials, Edelman Prize lectures and other significant talks? I can imagine also interviews with luminaries being posted and resources for graduating students. One could continue wherever one's imagination takes one.
As the article emphasized, the "viral" marketing aspects of such video resources transcend boundaries, and part of the excitement in today's connected world is the kind of impact (not totally predictable) that they would/could have in highlighting the great contributions of O.R.
Recently, I also had the experience of being videotaped with my lecture (more later) being put online as part of the 2007 Brown University Symposium for Undergraduates in the Mathematical Sciences (SUMS) Conference, held in Providence, R.I. The theme this year was "operations research," and I carried the banner for O.R. The videos of the faculty and the students who presented are available on the Brown University's Department of Mathematics homepage (www.math.brown.edu) or they can be directly accessed at www.math.brown.edu/dug/video/2007/videos.html.
Regrettably, since I was the second speaker, only about the last third of my lecture got recorded, but nothing ventured, nothing gained! (Besides, one can always view the posted presentation slides.)
Videos are not as good as actually being in the audience or on stage, but certainly the flexibility and reach that they provide, as the YouTube generation well knows, is outstanding.
In conclusion, it is great to have such true visionaries and pioneers as Richard Larson and Glenn Strehle, who co-founded MIT World in 2001, in our midst!
Anna Nagurney
Amherst, Mass.
Anna Nagurney is the John F. Smith Memorial Professor and director of the Virtual Center for Supernetworks and Supernetworks Laboratory for Computation and Visualization, Department of Finance and Operations Management, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass.
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