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STIHDE SECIEONCER OFI BNETTSERI ADT TEHE OHEAR RTI ONF ASNAILYDTICES O INSIDE OR JANUARY 2014 NO 517 AWARDS AND MEDALS :: INSIDE THIS MONTH ::::: PUBLISH OR BE DAMNED CAN DATA PROTECTION LAW HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF BIG DATA? BIG DATA AND CHIPS, TO GO! RIOTS, JUSTICE LAB AND POLICY ANALYTICS www.theorsociety.com JANUARY 2014 INSIDE O.R. 02 : : : : : : : NEWS : : How membership of : : NEWS : : : : : : : EDITORIAL - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 03 The OR Society PUBLISH OR BE DAMNED - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 04 will help your career path HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND… - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 05 JAM TOMORROW - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 05 CALLS FOR PRACTITIONER CASE STUDIES AND POSTERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 06 BEALE LECTURE 2014 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 08 GOLDEN DAYS AT LANCASTER - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 CAREERS OPEN DAY 2013 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12 PLANNING FOR A SUCCESSFUL OR56: HOW YOU CAN HELP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13 MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES IN SET FOR BRITAIN 2014 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 OAKS FROM ACORNS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15 THE ANSWER IS (EXACTLY) 42.00 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 CAN DATA PROTECTION LAW HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF BIG DATA? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 Y2OR: NEW YEAR’S RES-O.R.-LUTIONS - - - - - - - - - - - 22 THE PRESIDENT’S MEDAL - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24 MICROMORTS AND MICROLIFES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 25 STAFFORD BEER MEDAL - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 26 THE ELSIE CROPPER AWARD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 27 TOCHER MEDAL - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 28 THE OR SOCIETY DOCTORAL AWARD 2012 - - - - - - - - - 29 GOODEVE AWARD 2012 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 30 BEALE MEDAL 2013 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 31 Despite its low cost, membership of the UK Operational Research Society HUMOR COLUMN - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 37 brings you many benefits. These include: MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL AT THE O.R SOCIETY - - 37 • INSIDE O.R. EVERY MONTH keeping you up to date with job : : ANALYTICS : : : : : : : opportunities, salary levels and current topics in the O.R. world BIG DATA AND CHIPS, TO GO! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 32 • REDUCED PRICES for the Society’s training courses, which comprise the RIOTS, JUSTICE LAB AND POLICY ANALYTICS - - - - - - - - 33 most comprehensive O.R. training programme in the world. : : LEADER : : : : : : : • A SUBSCRIPTION to the Society’s journals, some of the world’s leading O.R. journals (print available on request, electronic version available free to FOUNDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 all members). : : REGULARS : : : : : : : • FREE ATTENDANCE at meetings of any of the Society’s 21 special interest CONFERENCE NEWS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 03 groups and its ten regional branches SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11 ... AND MORE! NEWS OF MEMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21 For information or to join, telephone +44 (0)121 233 9300 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 33 or fill in the online form at www.theorsociety.com REGIONAL SOCIETIES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 34 LAST WORDS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 38 INSIDE O.R. JANUARY 2014 : : EDITORIAL : : : : : : : 03 EDITORIAL JOHN CROCKER This year sees the inauguration of the 31st President of the OR Society, Professor Stewart Robinson – we wish him every success. Dr Geoff Royston provides a most interesting synopsis of what has happened within the Society during his two-year presidency and where he hopes this will lead. One of his last official duties was to present the awards at the problem to get their minds back into gear after the Christmas break annual Blackett Memorial Lecture before introducing this year’s – the most entertaining solutions will be published in the spring. guest lecturer. The eight awards were presented to fourteen As it happens, the O.R. Department at Lancaster University recipients (details of each can be found elsewhere within this issue). celebrated its Golden (50 th ) Anniversary recently. Lancaster is to The 14 are: Kevin Glazebrook (Beale); David Ryan (Companion); [O.R.] Presidents as Eton is to Prime Ministers and there was Philipp Kemmer, Arne Strauss and Thomas Winter (Goodeve); Hope certainly no shortage of them at the celebrations according to Koch, Ester Gonzalez and Dorothy Leider (Stafford Beer); Csaba Boer Graham Rand’s account. Although I am not an alumni of Lancaster and Saanen (Tocher); Tony Lewins, Simon Mardle and Louise Fildes University, I do have some great memories of the two weeks I spent (President’s); Kabir Rostogi (Doctoral Award) and Gary Preece at Bowness-on-Windermere attending a Lancord course on O.R. in (Cropper). Congratulations to one and all. the early 1970s. This year’s guest lecturer was David Spiegelhalter who gave a most Whilst on the subject of past presidents, in the article on Lord interesting and entertaining talk entitled ‘Communicating Risk’ in Halsbury it was stated incorrectly that P.M. Morse was a past which he introduced the concepts of ‘micromorts’ – one death per President. I am indebted to Jonathon Rosenhead for bringing this million miles/hours/events – used to compare acute risks (e.g. to our attention. I can only apologise for not checking the facts accidents) and its counterpart, the ‘microlife’ which represents before going to press. As of the 31 December 2013, I shall be approximately half an hour and is used to compare chronic risks officially retired so will perhaps have more time to check such (e.g. smoking, eating, drinking and breathing). The event was things in the future (deadlines permitting, of course). particularly well attended to the point that Hilary had to organise a new, higher capacity venue at very short notice (no mean feat in Continuing this series on the great men and women of O.R., this London just before Christmas). month we take a closer look at Stafford Beer. By coincidence, one of his papers was also published in JORS exactly 30 years ago so it For those that missed the Blackett Lecture, it can be seen on seemed natural to use this as the subject for OR -30. Stafford was http://tinyurl.com/ot428d4 an interesting character who gave the appearance that he would As mentioned last year, the OR Society had its 60 th birthday in have fitted in well into a hippy commune as I recall from the few November and we are continuing with this theme. This month we times that I met him. have contributions looking at the role of our publications and how May I, on behalf of the team, wish you all a very happy and social media is taking an ever-increasing part in the life of the prosperous New Year. Society. Louise provides us with another fascinating look into the life of a young operational researcher and sets her readers a <OR > CONFERENCE NEWS EVENT: Beale Lecture 2014 DATE: 27 February 2014 VENUE: Royal Society, London EVENT: SW14 DATE: 1 – 2 April 2014 VENUE: The Abbey Hotel & Golf Club, Worcestershire EVENT: OR56 Annual Conference DATE: 9 – 11 September 2014 VENUE: Royal Holloway University of London, Egham. EVENT: EURO2015 DATE: 12 (welcome), VENUE: University of Strathclyde, Glasgow 13 – 15 July 2015 JANUARY 2014 INSIDE O.R. 04 : : : : : : DIAMOND JUBILEE FEATURE : : PUBLISH OR BE DAMNED JEFF GRIFFITHS, CHAIR OF PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE The importance of the Society’s journals to the daily work of members varies, but our publications represent an achievement from which we all benefit, and of which we should all be proud. The first journal, then known as the Operational Research Quarterly, We are indebted to a small army of volunteers and professionals for was published in 1950 by the O.R. Club (i.e. before it became a this achievement. The publications committee of the OR Society, the ‘Society’). In that first volume of four issues, there was a total of peer reviewers, editors and editors-in-chief who receive little or no sixteen articles including papers, editorials, abstracts and sundry financial reward, Palgrave our publishers and all of those stalwart other items with a page count of 72. For the Silver Anniversary of people in the OR Society office all play a crucial part in the process. the Quarterly, now renamed the Journal of the Operational Research Society ( JORS ), there were twelve issues with 195 articles, mainly So what of the future? No organization can afford to stand still, and papers, and the page count had reached 894. The following year the OR Society is no exception. Work is currently underway to the page count broke the 1,000 barrier. In 2011, the page count determine the business case for a magazine-style publication, which peaked at a massive 2,204, settling back to 1881 in 2013. will focus on applications, in the form of ‘impact’ articles primarily aimed at disseminating the latest developments to practitioners In 1988 the Journal was joined by OR Insight , aimed at providing an and non-members who might benefit from a better understanding outlet for case studies written in a style that would make them more of what O.R. is all about. The magazine will be a replacement for readable for a non-specialist audience. Three