By Malu de Guzman U (malu_de_guzman@yahoo.com)
After a series of forums on special OR topics, the September 8 Operations Research Society of the Philippines Technical Forum (https://orsp.org.ph/september-2021-online-technical-forum-or-conversations/) was a trip back to the basics. It was an afternoon of learning and sharing for 131 operations research students, teachers, and industry professionals. Even for an online event, participant enthusiasm was palpable. Presentations by invited speakers were followed by unprecedented breakout room discussions, a new feature of the technical series. This offered all participants an opportunity to interact and share experiences, making this webinar truly live up to its name, “OR Conversations”.
Hosted by ORSP Director Juanito Chan, the webinar was opened formally by ORSP President Marie Shella Tan-Mariscal. Elise del Rosario, past president of the International Federation of OR Societies (IFORS) and founding member of ORSP, then opened the afternoon sessions with “OR: An Express Overview”. She packed her presentation with many real-life applications she encountered as OR manager in San Miguel and beyond. She brought to light basic OR tools within Waze, Google Maps, Amazon, vehicle routing and ride-hailing apps, and a glimpse of their mathematical formulations. She covered a wide range of applications covering supply chain, optimal restocking of ATMs, marketing in the age of TV ads and social media, as well as COVID-19 vaccine deployment and health care capacity estimation. Her concluding synthesis for the whole presentation provided a concise working definition of operations research as “the application of analytical methods to help in decision-making.”
The second presentation, “On the Practice of OR”, was delivered by Martha Tan and ORSP Director Dennis Beng Hui, both from the management consulting firm Technopoly, Inc. They are also both part of academe, with Martha as operations management in Ateneo de Manila University and Dennis as former chair of Department of Industrial Engineering at the De La Salle University -Manila. M. Tan energized the attendees with a series of questions on their demographics, interests, and challenges through Mentimeter. D. Beng Hui explained the differences between OR in the classroom, where everything is well-defined, versus the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity one encounters when applying OR in the real world. He emphasized that in applying OR in the real world, focus is not so much on tools and techniques, but rather, on fully understanding the problem, employing systems thinking to spell out the goals not of the different compartments but of the entire organization. M. Tan then discussed a project with PhilSys to improve the systems involved in the national ID registration of 70 million Filipinos in 2021. She touched on the intricacies of the project such as dealing with data and generating evidence-based insights, subject to a demanding time frame in which to deliver results.
The last speaker, Alleli Ester Domingo, presented “On the Teaching of OR.” She shared a wealth of experience since starting her teaching career in 1978. As a teacher of different OR subjects at the University of the Philippines Los Baños Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics, she discussed how teaching has evolved through the years from merely delivering instruction to facilitating learning, and how a teacher must always focus on how students learn best. Her alumni students’ stories were inspiring to hear, especially the nonstellar ones and those who started out with little or no interest. From her classes, they grew to appreciate OR and learned not just tools of OR but also tools for success. Truly deserving each and every one of her teaching awards, A. Domingo quoted Christa McAuliffe, “I touch the future, I teach”. She ended with a quote from Amanda Gorman, “… that we’ll forever be tied together, victorious”, no doubt inspiring teacher and student participants, especially amidst the difficult online learning environment.
At the end of the three presentations, participants were assigned to several breakout rooms, each having a facilitator and a mix of students, teachers, and industry professionals. Prior to the event, participants responded to some discussion points, such as teaching and learning methods, important OR tools, necessary skills for an OR consultant, among others. Several student attendees were curious about applications, how it differs from business analytics, how best to make classroom learning more practical. Although time was short, attendees overwhelmingly appreciated this opportunity and have requested longer discussions in future events. An open forum followed where questions collected from the Padlet wall were raised by ORSP director Nestley Sore and answered by the speakers. The webinar closed with a wrap up by ORSP director Malu de Guzman U. Winners of the raffle prizes were informed after the
forum.
Everyone rated the webinar and the speakers, excellent, only wishing that there had been more time for the breakout and Q&A with the speakers. They left the webinar encouraged and energized, realizing yet again that OR functions amidst the complexities of the modern world, and plays a crucial role in supporting decision-making. Whether it is clearly presented or hidden underneath many layers and varying sectors within an organization, or within software tools embedded in apps, OR always tries to make systems more efficient, and, in so doing, improves lives.