Media Coverage

Media articles featuring INFORMS members in the news.

Most Recent Media Coverage

Topic
Testing Sewage Can Provide an Early Warning of COVID-19 Outbreaks

Testing Sewage Can Provide an Early Warning of COVID-19 Outbreaks

Yale Insights, October 28, 2020

Earlier this year, a team of Yale researchers showed that the concentration of COVID-19 RNA in sewage mirrors the spread of the disease through a population. In a new study, they find that testing sewage can serve as an early indicator of an outbreak relative to hospitalizations, and also use the data to assess the effectiveness of Connecticut’s stay-at-home order this spring.  

The Pandemic Could End Waiting in Line

The Pandemic Could End Waiting in Line

The Atlantic, October 28, 2020

On June 8, a crowd of maskless college students gathered outside Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub in East Lansing, Michigan. Like other bars and restaurants in the United States, Harper’s had closed when the state imposed a shelter-at-home order in March. When the bar was allowed to reopen in June, at 50 percent capacity, fewer people could enter, and more had to wait. So the inevitable happened. The Brits call it a queue. Americans call it a line.

How to Tame Those Long Lines: Voting Need Not Be a Three-Hour Affair

How to Tame Those Long Lines: Voting Need Not Be a Three-Hour Affair

NY Daily News, October 29, 2020

Once again, it’s election season, and once again, the New York City Board of Elections is under fire. This disaster is as predictable as the phases of the moon. To be fair, the long lines for early voting at sites across the city, which stretch down and around blocks and in some cases take hours to get through, are the result of many factors, some of which can’t be predicted precisely. The biggest variable is the number of people who will show up to vote. Small changes in demand can result in large changes in waiting time.

As "Pandemic Fatigue" Grows, Scientists Encourage One Pivotal Behavior

As "Pandemic Fatigue" Grows, Scientists Encourage One Pivotal Behavior

Inverse, October 26, 2020

In early 2020, as the spread of COVID-19 took off at a dangerous speed, the dominant reaction was characterized by fear, panic, and anxiety. Now, seven months in, much of that acute and paralyzing stress that led people to stay home and social distance has been replaced by "pandemic fatigue."

COVID-19 Model Quantifies Impact of Region-Specific Social Distancing Orders

COVID-19 Model Quantifies Impact of Region-Specific Social Distancing Orders

Medical Xpress, October 27, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in regions across the United States in the spring, governors, mayors and local leaders hoping to quell the spread of the virus turned to the only actionable defenses available at the time: They closed schools and businesses, banned mass gatherings, issued stay-at-home orders and enforced other social distancing measures.

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Artificial Intelligence

Study finds ChatGPT mirrors human decision biases in half the tests

Study finds ChatGPT mirrors human decision biases in half the tests

Celebrity Gig, April 2, 2025

Can we really trust AI to make better decisions than humans? A new study says … not always. Researchers have discovered that OpenAI’s ChatGPT, one of the most advanced and popular AI models, makes the same kinds of decision-making mistakes as humans in some situations—showing biases like overconfidence of hot-hand (gambler’s) fallacy—yet acting inhuman in others (e.g., not suffering from base-rate neglect or sunk cost fallacies).

Why 23andMe’s Genetic Data Could Be a ‘Gold Mine’ for AI Companies

Why 23andMe’s Genetic Data Could Be a ‘Gold Mine’ for AI Companies

TIME, March 26, 2025

The genetic testing company 23andMe, which holds the genetic data of 15 million people, declared bankruptcy on Sunday night after years of financial struggles. This means that all of the extremely personal user data could be up for sale—and that vast trove of genetic data could draw interest from AI companies looking to train their data sets, experts say.

Healthcare

Want to reduce the cost of healthcare? Start with our billing practices.

Want to reduce the cost of healthcare? Start with our billing practices.

The Hill, March 11, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as the new secretary of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s de facto healthcare czar. He will have influence over numerous highly visible agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, among others. Given that healthcare is something that touches everyone’s life, his footprint of influence will be expansive. 

We all benefit from and are hurt by health insurance claim denials

We all benefit from and are hurt by health insurance claim denials

Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 23, 2025

Health insurance has become necessary, with large and unpredictable health care costs always looming before each of us. Unfortunately, the majority of people have experienced problems when using their health insurance to pay for their medical care. Health insurance serves as the buffer between patients and the medical care system, using population pooling to mitigate the risk exposure on any one individual.

Supply Chain

LM Podcast Series: Looking at the state of the supply chain with Rob Handfield

LM Podcast Series: Looking at the state of the supply chain with Rob Handfield

Logistics Management/, April 22, 2025

During this podcast Handfield addressed various topics, including: the current state of the supply chain; steps and actions shippers should consider related to tariffs; how the supply chain is viewed; the need for supply chain resiliency; and supply chain risk mangement planning, among others. 

Tariff fight continues between U.S. and China

Tariff fight continues between U.S. and China

FOX News, April 18, 2025

Oklahoma State University's Sunderesh Heragu joins LiveNOW's Austin Westfall to discuss the evolving economic landscape after President Trump implemented tariffs on some of our biggest trade partners. Most tariffs have been halted for now -- but not with China. Beijing and the White House have levied steep tariffs on each other. Trump announced that tariffs on China would reach 145 percent. In response, China imposed 125 percent tariffs on U.S.-imported goods.

Climate