Getting the News Out About Important and Interesting Research

Getting the news out about important and interesting research is essential to the dissemination of knowledge, to the furthering of discoveries, as well as to the education of the public and policy-makers.

Typically, a researcher, upon completion of a study, which results in a paper, may first circulate the paper (now often done via email or via postings on various websites such as ssrn and arxiv) to obtain feedback, will give seminars on the paper, and will speak about the results at conferences.

In academia, one still needs to publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal. Lately, though, there has been a lot of discussion in the blogosphere about whether one should just have the wisdom of crowds be used for reviewing rather than anonymous journal reviewers. Interestingly, the blogosphere discussions about various"proofs" were, subsequently, covered by the news media. You can read in Science News the latest on this issue (regarding P doesn't equal NP), which has quotes from my colleague in Computer Science at UMass Amherst, Dr. Neil Immerman.

Once a paper passes the reviewing process (which can be time-consuming in the case of certain journals) and is published, how does one get the news out further?

Some journals and professional societies send out press releases about their publications that they identify as meriting and having a greater audience appeal (Science, Nature, PNAS, are prime examples of such journals).

Some schools, colleges, and universities are also outstanding at disseminating news about their faculty's and students' research findings and publications. (You can probably easily name some of these institutions who have the advantage of effective news offices, PR machines, and great media contact networks.) The same holds for such organizations as NBER who broadcast their studies (which may not be in peer-reviewed journals yet) and also have excellent media connections.

What if a researcher does not have many/any of the above "advantages?"

Yesterday, Dr. Sheldon Jacobson of UIUC brought to my attention a followup on the seminar, An Analysis of Pediatric Vaccine Stockpiling and Pricing Issues, that he gave in our UMass Amherst Speaker Series in Operations Research / Management Science last Spring, which was sponsored, in part, by the INFORMS Speakers Bureau, and which we greatly enjoyed and appreciated. My blog post on his visit to the Isenberg School (with photos) can be accessed here.

NSF, which funded his research on the stockpiling of children's vaccines, issued a press release on his co-authored paper on the subject, which was published online in the journal, JIMO, November 2010. The NSF press release is very well-written and can be read here.

Clearly, funding agencies (especially those supported by tax dollars) have a vested interest and, I should say, duty, in getting the news out about the research that they fund and it is important that they do so. This provides a researcher, who has funding, another option.

In conclusion, enjoy doing your research, and I hope that, once it is published, it gets the dissemination that it deserves. Then again, in the final roundup and tally, it is the citations to your work that matter, the new ideas that it generates, and how it is ultimately used and applied, from those in your own discipline and beyond.

From the NCAA Tournament to Pediatric Vaccines

Today we were treated to a brilliant talk by a star operations researcher, Dr. Sheldon Jacobson, of the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana. Professor Jacobson's talk was in our Spring 2010 Speaker Series in Operations Research / Management Sciences.

His presentation, An Analysis of Pediatric Vaccine Pricing and Stockpiling Issues, was simply outstanding! He recently returned from a trip that took him to Australia and Japan to investigate different vaccine issues in those countries. He discussed how integer programming can be used in the pricing of vaccines with real-world data and how he used stochastic programming to formulate and answer questions regarding the stockpiling of vaccines. He informed the audience of the challenges that vaccine manufacturers are faced with. He told the students to be willing to do "work for free" because sometimes great opportunities arise from doing research that helps others (as he had experienced with a pharmaceutical company and CDC project).

Today, as well, Dr. Jacobson was one of nine experts whose commentary appeared in The New York Times "Room for Debate" on the theme, How to Improve the N.C.A.A. Tournament! It was very cool to see Dr. Jacobson on the same short list as the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame member, Rebecca Lobo Rishin, and the former Temple University men's basketball coach, John Chaney, among other sports experts! Actually, they are lucky to be on the same short list as Professor Jacobson!

Now you might be thinking how can someone be an expert on healthcare topics such as vaccine production, stockpiling, and pricing, coupled with the analysis of sports tournament outcomes?! Dr. Jacobson is also an expert on aviation security and was a Guggenheim Fellow in 2003. His degrees are in mathematics and operations research (with a PhD in the latter from Cornell University). Having critical analytical skills, a strong math background, and the ability to develop creative and insightful mathematical models, with important policy implications, can lead you to study and address numerous important problems.

Dr. Jacobson is a Renaissance man and we are so grateful that he took the time out of his extremely busy professional schedule to come and speak at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.

We also thank Barry List of INFORMS and its Speaker Program for co-sponsoring Dr. Jacobson's wonderful talk today!

Lecture on Pediatric Vaccine -- Pricing and Stockpiling Issues

We are delighted to announce that next Friday, April 2, 2010, we will be hosting Professor Sheldon H. Jacobson, Professor and Director, Simulation and Optimization Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois, Urbana. Dr. Jacobson will be speaking on, An Analysis of Pediatric Vaccine Pricing and Stockpiling Issues. Support for his presentation is provided by the John F. Smith Memorial Fund and INFORMS through its speakers bureau.

I have heard Dr. Jacobson speak (last time was at the INORMS Conference in Puerto Rico) and he is a fantastic speaker plus his research is always on timely topics and it attracts a lot of media attention because he has very creative approaches to identifying problems and solving them.

Biography: Sheldon H. Jacobson is a Professor and Director of the Simulation and Optimization Laboratory in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois. He has a B.Sc. and M.Sc. (both in Mathematics) from McGill University, and a M.S. and Ph.D. (both in Operations Research) from Cornell University. His methodological research interests include the stochastic analysis and design of heuristics for intractable discrete optimization problems, and the analysis of stochastic dynamic assignment problems. His applied research interests address problems in the areas of homeland security (aviation security) and health-care delivery systems (public health: immunization and obesity). His research has been recognized with several awards, including the Aviation Security Research Award by Aviation Security International, the International Air Transport Association, and the Airports Council International (in 2002), a Guggenheim Fellowship (in 2003), and the Institute of Industrial Engineers Outstanding Paper Award (in 2009). His research has been published in a wide spectrum of journals, and he has received research funding from several government agencies and industrial.

PRESENTATION TITLE: An Analysis of Pediatric Vaccine Pricing and Stockpiling Issues

Abstract: The United States Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule outlines a comprehensive schedule of vaccines and vaccination periods to protect each newborn infant from several diseases that once plagued children. This presentation covers two important issues related to pediatric vaccines and immunization: pricing of new combination vaccines and pediatric vaccine stockpiling. Results are reported on using integer programming models to analyze the price and market value of two partially overlapping pentavalent combination vaccines for pediatric immunization. Results are also reported on using a stochastic inventory model to assess the impact of pediatric vaccine stockpile levels on immunization coverage. The implications of these issues on pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing and distribution are also discussed.

Date: Friday, April 2, 2010
Time: 11:00AM - Noon
Place: Isenberg School of Management Room 112
UMass Amherst

The announcement for this talk can be found at:
http://supernet.som.umass.edu/informs/speakernew.html