News Room

A collection of press releases, audio content and media clips featuring INFORMS members and their research.

Unmasking Human Trafficking: New AI Research Reveals Hidden Recruitment Networks
News Release

BALTIMORE, MD, May 24, 2025 – Most anti-human trafficking efforts focus on breaking up sex sales; however, new research in the INFORMS journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management is turning its attention to where trafficking truly begins – recruitment. Using machine learning to analyze millions of online ads, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have uncovered patterns that link deceptive job offers to sex trafficking networks. By mapping the connections between recruitment and sales locations, the study reveals a hidden supply chain – one that can now be exposed and interrupted earlier in the trafficking process.

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New U.S. drug prices doubled amid a shift toward treating rare diseases
Media Coverage

Drugs being explicitly developed to treat rare diseases are getting more expensive.

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Human air traffic controllers keep flyers safe. Should AI have a role?
Media Coverage

Old technology is behind the recent ongoing delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport, but newer technology will be an important part of the solution.

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Resoundingly Human Podcast

An audio journey of how data and analytics save lives, save money and solve problems.

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INFORMS
Catonsville, MD
[email protected]
443-757-3565

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COVID-19 Vaccines Could be Distributed Through Churches, Beauty Salons, and Poultry Farms

COVID-19 Vaccines Could be Distributed Through Churches, Beauty Salons, and Poultry Farms

Quartz, September 11, 2020

As beauty salons reopen across the US, they may eventually be able to offer mani-pedi-vaccine combos. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is weighing beauty salons and other community gathering points as potential distribution sites for Covid-19 vaccines. Though the CDC has told states to be ready to distribute a potential vaccine by late October, distribution logistics are still being worked out. Government experts are debating who should be first in line to receive a vaccine; once that’s decided, the government will need to plan how to deliver shots to those who need them first. All options are on the table.

Complexities of the COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain

Complexities of the COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain

Chicago's Very Own WGN9, September 12, 2020

Vaccine trials are in full swing in an effort to find a shot at beating COVID-19. But who will get the first inoculations? It’s a complicated equation hinging on shipping, storage, availability and risk level. Combine all of this with trial results for different vaccine candidates and the Centers for Disease Control has come up with a COVID-19 vaccine dosing schedule that could have millions getting their shot by December. As students head back to school and employers increasingly welcome returning workers it becomes even more critical for herd immunity.

Should a Covid-19 Vaccine Be Mandatory for Kids? Health Experts Are Trying to Decide

Should a Covid-19 Vaccine Be Mandatory for Kids? Health Experts Are Trying to Decide

Gizmodo, September 14, 2020

As the race to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus that causes covid-19 continues, a crucial question is on the horizon: Should a successful vaccine be made mandatory for children entering school? In a new paper out Monday, a group of experts argue that it’s still too early to answer the question definitively, but they outline several important criteria needed for a childhood covid-19 vaccine to be deemed required.

How Mathematics Can Help You Vote This November

How Mathematics Can Help You Vote This November

The Hill, September 14, 2020

We are just under two months before Election Day. As voters weigh the choices, mathematics offers a clue in how you should cast your vote in November. Every decision we make is weighed amongst several criteria. When we opt for the fries over the salad, the satisfying taste of greasy potatoes outweighs the health benefits of greens and fiber. Other days, we pick the apple over the apple pie, for the exact opposite reason. These choices are made with limited thought, often more by impulse rather than with sound reason. 

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