Informs Today: The Podcast Series

In today's world of spy vs. spy, you need to do more than outfight your opponent; you need to out-think him, as well. Edward H. Kaplan of Yale University, the 2010- 2011 INFORMS Morse Lecturer has been using analytics to model potential terror and bioterror attacks since 9-11 and the anthrax mailings that followed weeks later. In a study, Terror Queues, appearing in the upcoming July/August issue of Operations Research, he explains how techniques now being used to study grocery store queues can also be used to assess the strength of terror plotters. This analysis, in turn, strengthens the ability of governments to thwart planned attacks on civilians. You’ll be amazed at the novel thinking in these new techniques.