Special Issue Dedicated to the Memory of Paul A. Jensen

Abstract

As theory and practice merge, we have seen dramatic advances in the design and use of analytic methods across all subdisciplines of operations research, industrial engineering and business-related fields. This has been accompanied by an explosive growth in computer power, which has allowed for ever-wider implementation and the solution of very large-scale problems. Nevertheless, much analysis in industry, government, and academia occurs with commonly available software such as spreadsheets running on personal computers with limited processing speeds. Because of the pervasiveness of spreadsheets, if we succeed in embedding our analytical tools available in them and in making our success stories known, we can reach a wider audience. For similar reasons, spreadsheet computation can strengthen the teaching of mathematical models and methods, particularly because it can provide a standard interface across topics ranging from optimization and decision analysis to queueing, simulation, and statistics. During his 39-year career at The University of Texas in the Cockrell School of Engineering, Paul Jensen was in the vanguard of developing and implementing computer-based tools to flatten the learning curve for those wishing to solve problems arising in operations research, industrial engineering, operations management, and engineering economics. His first of several co-authored textbooks, Network Flow Programming, broke new ground in its comprehensive coverage of single-commodity network models and algorithms, including all pure and generalized formulations with both convex and concave costs. What was unique about this award-winning book was its algorithmic details, computational flowcharts, and packaged software written in Basic for minicomputers. At the dawning of microcomputers in the early 1980s, Paul published Microsolve/Operations Research, the first compendium of OR computer programs specifically adapted for PCs. Soon after, the Student’s Guide to Operations Research appeared, surveying OR topics and related computational methods in an easyto-read style. For the remainder of his career, Paul designed, programmed and distributed a vast collection of Microsoft Excel add-ins for every aspect of OR, IE, MS, OM and more. These add-ins have been used by hundreds of thousands of analysts, and are freely available at http://www.me.utexas.edu/ ~jensen/ORMM/. This site was originally created to support the text Operations Research Models and Methods but has grown in content much beyond its initial scope. In early 2005, Paul was asked to undertake a full revision of the required undergraduate course, Engineering Economic Analysis, offered by the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas. Although just retired, he relished the challenge and jumped into the project with the enthusiasm of a new faculty member. Because he had taught the course in the traditional manner for 30 years, he understood what worked and what the potential was for engaging the students in a more interconnected way. Rather than digitizing his notes and problem sets, he set out to develop a comprehensive online course using a variety of media including videos, Excel addins, interactive quizzes, embedded calculators, and flash presentations. What emerged was a completely new course renamed Engineering Finance, along with the website http://www.me.utexas.edu/~me353/ to house the material. Paul was passionate about OR education, and in 2007 he received the INFORMS Prize for the Teaching of ORMS Practice for his work highlighted here. The breadth and scope of his contributions continue to resonate deeply within the INFORMS community