Western OR Discussion Network (WORD)

WORD is the regional branch of the OR Society, covering the south-west of England from Wiltshire to Cornwall.

Most of our meetings are held in Bristol although we have some joint meetings with other regional networks, particularly SWORD in Cardiff and Midlands OR Network in Cheltenham.

Through thought-provoking seminars, workshops, engaging discussions, and networking events, WORD is an inclusive community of operational researchers in the western region.

Committee Details

Name Role
Ken McNaught
Chair
Ian Mitchell
Treasurer
Richard Wood
Committee Member
John Crocker
Committee Member

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Future Events:

Coming soon.

Previous Events:

Joint SWORD/WORD Seminar - Operational Research and Artificial Intelligence: A Synergy for Success: Tuesday 6th February

Gilbert Owusu, BT and President of The OR Society

Location: Abacws, School of Mathematics, Senghennydd Road, Cardiff University in room 2.26

Synopsis

AI is certainly responsible for quite a bit of societal change. However, AI models are not infallible and require careful design, evaluation, and optimization to ensure their effectiveness and reliability. Like the earlier ’waves’ of analytics and data science, the ORS has spent quite some time thinking through the overlap with AI.

This talk discussed how OR can contribute to the development and deployment of AI solutions, as well as to the evaluation and mitigation of their risks and impacts. It also looked at how the ORS is positioning itself to take advantage of the interest in AI and to increase the awareness and appreciation of OR among AI practitioners, policy makers, and the wider society.