Distinguished Lectures
ORGANISERS:
- Prof Christoph Schommer
- Prof Leon van der Torre
- Prof Raymond Bisdorff
- Prof Martin Theobald
- Prof Ulrich Sorger
- Prof Pascal Bouvry
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURES (2018)
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We are honored that the following speakers have agreed on giving a talk in 2018:
- Dr. Feiyu Xu, Head of AI Lab, Lenovo Research and Development, Beijing, China.
- Prof Raul Rojas, Freie Universität Berlin.
- Dr Luc Julia, Vice-President for Innovation Samsung Electronics. Menlo Park, CA, US.
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE V
Dr Hagen Fürstenau , Amazon Development Center Germany GmbH.
Neural Machine Translation
Time and Place: Thursday, 21 June 2018; 15h30; Room: tbd
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE IV
Prof Mateja Jamnik, University of Cambridge, Dept of Artificial Intelligence.
Prof Mateja Jamnik
Time and Place: Thursday, 6 June 2018; 15h30; Room: tbd
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Abstract to come |
Bio to come |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE III
Prof Jan Broersen, Professor of Philosophy at University of Utrecht.
Prof Jan Broersen
Time and Place: Wednesday, 2 May 2018; 15h30; Room: tbd
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE II
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Prof Susan Anderson, University of Connecticut; |
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Prof Michael Anderson (Hartford University) |
Machine Ethics
Time and Place: Wednesday, 28 March 2018; 16h45; Room: 2.400 (Maison du Savoir)
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Abstract: We argue that ethically significant behavior of autonomous systems should be guided by explicit ethical principles determined through a consensus of ethicists. Such a consensus is likely to emerge in many areas in which autonomous systems are apt to be deployed and for the actions they are liable to undertake, as we are more likely to agree on how machines ought to treat us than on how human beings ought to treat one another. Given such a consensus, particular cases of ethical dilemmas where ethicists agree on the ethically relevant features and the right course of action can be used to help discover principles needed for ethical guidance of the behavior of autonomous systems. Such principles help ensure the ethical behavior of complex and dynamic systems and further serve as a basis for justification of their actions as well as a control abstraction for managing unanticipated behavior. |
Bio: Michael Anderson, professor emeritus of computer science at the University of Hartford, earned his Ph.D. in computer science and engineering at the University of Connecticut. Susan Leigh Anderson, professor emerita of philosophy at the University of Connecticut, earned her Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles. They have been instrumental in establishing machine ethics as a bona fide field of study, co-chairing/authoring the AAAI Fall 2005 Symposium on Machine Ethics, a IEEE Intelligent Systems special issue on machine ethics, and an invited article for Artificial Intelligence Magazine on the topic. Further, their research in machine ethics was selected for Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence as an emerging application in 2006. Scientific American (Oct. 2010) features an invited article on their research in which the first robot whose behavior is guided by an ethical principle is debuted. They have published "Machine Ethics" with Cambridge University Press (2011). |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE I
Prof Dr Beishui Liao , Zhejiang University, China.
Argumentation theory and its Applications
Time and Place: Wednesday, 28 March 2018; 15h30; Room: 2.400 (Maison du Savoir)
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Abstract: Generally speaking, argumentation is a mechanism for people to exchange arguments in the context of disagreement with an aim of persuasion or resolving conflicts. There are basically two research lines regarding argumentation: informal argumentation and formal argumentation. The former, also known as informal logic, is about studying everyday argumentation from the perspectives of linguistics, rhetoric and ordinary reasoning, while the latter is more about building nonmonotonic reasoning formalisms in the field of artificial intelligence. In this talk, I’ll first introduce some basic notions, theories and methods in the field of argumentation, and then give some examples to show possible applications of argumentation. |
Bio: Beishui Liao graduated from the College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, China, in March 2006. He is now a full professor of logic and artificial intelligence (since 2013), and a Distinguished Young Scholar, of Zhejiang University. He is a visiting professor of Luxembourg University (since 2014). He serves as the vice-director of the Institute of Logic and Cognition of Zhejiang University (from 2014), and is a standing member of the National Committee of Logic of Science of China (from 2014). He was/is an organizer of Chinese Conference on Logic and Argumentation (CLAR), Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop on Present and Future of Formal Argumentation, and the International Workshop on Big Data, Reasoning and Decision-Making (BRaD). He visited the University of Texas at Austin from Jul 2009 to Jul 2011, and the Università degli Studi di Brescia from Jul to Oct 2014. As principal investigator, he has conducted three nationally funded projects, two provincially funded projects and an INTER MOBILITY project supported by the National Research Fund Luxembourg (FNR) (cooperating with Professor Leon van der Torre). He is participating a HORIZON 2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) project (MIREL - MIning and REasoning with Legal texts). He has published 3 monographs, and a number of papers in some leading journals such as AIJ, JLC, AMAI, Information Sciences, etc. |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURES (2017)
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Please feel free to download here the Proceedings of the ILILAS Distinguished Lectures 2017.
We are honored to host the following speakers:
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE XII
Prof Jean-Yves Beziau, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro & Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
Is the Principle of Contradiction a consequence of xx = x ?
Time and Place: Monday, 18 December 2017, 16h00, Room 1.040, Maison du Nombre;
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Abstract: In his famous book, The Laws of Thought (1854), George Boole presents a surprising result: the proof that the principle of contradiction is a consequence of xx=x (PROPOSITION IV of Chapter III), an equality he calls the fundamental law of thought, a symbolic feature of what is nowadays called a Boolean Algebra. In this talk I will discuss this proposition, examining its various interpretations: in set theory, algebra, first order logic and propositional logic. |
Bio: Jean-Yves Béziau works in the field of logic - in particular, paraconsistent logic, the square of opposition and universal logic. He holds a Maîtrise in Philosophy from Pantheon-Sorbonne University, a DEA in Philosophy from Pantheon-Sorbonne University, a PhD in Philosophy from the University of São Paulo, a MSc and a PhD in Logic and Foundations of Computer Science from Denis Diderot University. Prof Béziau is the editor-in-chief of the journal Logica Universalis and of the South American Journal of Logic - an online, open-access journal - as well as of the Springer book series Studies in Universal Logic. He also co-edits College Publication's Portuguese-language book series Cadernos de Lógica e Filosofia (Source: en.wikipedia.org) |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE XI
Prof Julia Stoyanovich, Professor of Computer Science at Drexel University, US.
Data, Responsibly
Time and Place: Thursday, 7 December 2017; 13h30; Room: 3.390, Maison du Savoir
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Abstract Data-driven algorithmic decision making promises to improve people's lives, accelerate scientific discovery and innovation, and bring about positive societal change. Yet, if not used responsibly, this same technology can reinforce inequity, limit accountability and infringe on the privacy of individuals: irreproducible results can influence global economic policy; algorithmic changes in search engines can sway elections and incite violence; models based on biased data can legitimize and amplify discrimination in the criminal justice system; algorithmic hiring practices can silently reinforce diversity issues and potentially violate the law; privacy and security violations can erode the trust of users and expose companies to legal and financial consequences. In this talk I will discuss our recent work on establishing a foundational new role for database technology, in which managing data in accordance with ethical and moral norms, and legal and policy considerations becomes a core system requirement. I will define properties of responsible data management, which include fairness, transparency, and data protection. I will highlight some of our recent technical advances, and will discuss the over-all framework in which these responsibility properties are managed and enforced through all stages of the data lifecycle. The broader goal of our project is to help usher in a new phase of data science, in which the technology considers not only the accuracy of the model but also ensures that the data on which it depends respect the relevant laws, societal norms, and impacts on humans. Additional information about our project is available at DataResponsibly.com |
Bio Julia Stoyanovich is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA, and an affiliated faculty at the Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) at Princeton Univeristy. She holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Columbia University. Julia's research focuses on responsible data management and analysis practices: on operationalizing fairness, diversity, transparency, and data protection in all stages of the data acquisition and processing lifecycle. She established the Data, Responsibly consortium, co-organized a Dagstuhl seminar by the same name, and serves on the ACM task force to revise the Code of ethics and professional conduct. Julia's research has been supported by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), the US-Israel Bi-national Science Foundation (BSF), and by Google. |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE X
Joanne Bryson, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Bath, UK, and Princeton University.
AI Ethics: Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Society
Time and Place: Tuesday, 7 November 2017; 15h00; Campus Belval. *** NEW ROOM: 3.510 *** Maison du Savoir, Campus Belval
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE IX
Kittichai Lavangananda, Professor of Computer Science at KMUTT University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Application of Genetic Algorithm in Spatial Economics : Emergence of Cities
Time and Place: Wednesday, 25 October 2017; 15h00; Room 2.240, Campus Belval. Maison du Savoir, Campus Belval
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE VIII
Luis Moniz Pereira, Professor at Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
Programming Machine Ethics
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Time and Place: 14 September 2017; 11h00; Campus Belval. Maison du Savoir, Room 04.020
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Bio:
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Luís Moniz Pereira, born in Lisbon in 1947, is a Professor of Computer Science (retired) at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and founder and director of CENTRIA (1993-2008), the Centre for Artificial Intelligence at the same University. He was elected a Fellow of the European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence (ECCAI) in 2001, received a doctor honoris causa degree from the TU Dresden in 2006 and has been part of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Advisory Board of IMDEA, the Madrid Advanced Studies Software Institute, since 2006. He is the founding president of the Portuguese Artificial Intelligence Association (APPIA), and serves on the editorial boards of various scientific journals. His research, which he has presented in hundreds of publications, focuses on knowledge representation and reasoning, logic programming, and the cognitive sciences. Currently, he is affiliated with the NOVA Laboratory for Computer Science and Informatics (NOVALINCS). More detailed information, including his awards, teaching and publications, can be found at http://centria.di.fct.unl.pt/~lmp/ |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE VII
Manolis KOUBARAKIS, Professor of the Dept. of Informatics and Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Big Linked Geospatial Data and its Application to Earth Observation
Time and Place: Wednesday, 6 September 2017; Campus Belval. Maison du Savoir, Campus Belval (Room 4.020 ; 15h00 s.t.)
Abstract: Terabytes of geospatial data have been made freely available recently on the Web. For example, data from gazetteers such as Geonames, maps from geospatial search engines like Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, and user-contributed content form social networks such as Foursquare. Some particularly important rich sources of open and free geospatial data are the satellite programs of various countries such as the Landsat program of the US and the Copernicus programme of the European Union. Satellite images can be utilized in many applications with financial and environmental impact in areas such as emergency management, climate change, agriculture and security. This potential has not been fully realized up to now, because satellite data ``is hidden'' in various archives operated by NASA, ESA and national space agencies. Therefore, a user that would like to develop an application needs to search in these archives, discover the needed data and integrate it in his application. In this talk we show how to ``break these silos open'' by publishing their data as RDF, interlink it with other relevant data, and make it freely available on the Web to enable the easy development of geospatial applications. This work has been funded by EU projects Copernicus App Lab, Melodies, Optique, LEO and TELEIOS. Bio: |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE VI
Daniel KUDENKO, Professor of the Dept of Computer Science, University of York, UK.
Abstract Markov Decision Processes for Reinforcement Learning
Time and Place: Wednesday, 5 July 2017, 15h00; Campus Belval. Maison du Savoir, Room 04-4.020, Campus Belval
Abstract:
While reinforcement learning (RL) had recent great successes in game AI and other decision making tasks, there are still two major challenges:
In this talk, I will show how abstract Markov Decision Processes, reward shaping, and quantitative verification can be used to tackle these challenges.
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE V
Dov Gabbay, Emeritus Professor, Augustus de Morgan Professor of Logic, King's College London, UK, and Professor, Bar-Ilan University, Israel.
Weaponizing the Fallacies: Human Effective Argumentation - The Next Step in the Evolution of Logic
Time and Place: Tuesday, 9 May, 16h00s.t.; Maison du Savoir, Room 04-4.310, Campus Belval
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This lecture is about weaponizing the Fallacies, and offering them as the new evolutionary logic for the 21st Century. Logicians since Aristotle considered the fallacies as wrong arguments which look correct but are not. They classified them into groups, discussed them and left them by the side-lines of logic as failures. Modern society, with the rise of the internet, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube showed the fallacies as most used and most effective in argumentation and debate. If this is the way humans reason and think then we need to develop the logical theory of the fallacies and legitimise them. This manifesto outlines our approach to the new logic of the 21st century- The systematic use of the fallacies in argumentation and debate as practiced by people in the mass media. |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE IV
Raymond BISDORFF, Full Professor of Computer Science, Dept of Computer Science, University of Luxembourg.
Algorithmic decision theory for solving complex decision problems
Time and Place: Wednesday, 3 May 2017, 16h00s.t.; Maison du Savoir, Room 04-4.020, Campus Belval
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The objective of Algorithmic Decision Theory (ADT) is to improve the ability of decision makers to perform well when facing these new challenges and problems through the use of methods from theoretical computer science, in particular algorithmic methods. The primary goal of ADT is hence to explore and develop algorithmic approaches for solving decision problems arising in a variety of applications areas. Examples include, but are not limited to:
This presentation will focus more specifically on multiple criteria decision aiding methodology, the actual research field of the author. |
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Bio:
Raymond Bisdorff holds an LBA Degree in Business Administration from the University of Liège, Belgium (1975), a MScBA (NATO Graduate Degree Apprenticeship in Systems Sciences grant, 1975-1978) and a PhD in Operations Research (OR), supervisor Prof. B. Roy, from the University Paris-Dauphine (1981). He holds, furthermore, a PhD in Management Sciences from the University of Liège, Belgium (2002). He is since 2003 full professor of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Luxembourg, where he teaches courses on algorithmic decision theory, multiple criteria decision aiding, computational statistics and discrete mathematics. |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE III
CHRISTOPH BENZMüLLER, PD, Dr. habil, Dept of Mathematics and Computer Science, FU Berlin, Germany
Computational Metaphysics: The Virtues of Formal Computer Proofs Beyond Maths
Time and Place: Monday, 27 March 2017, 16h00 s.t.; Maison du Savoir, Room 04-4.020, Campus Belval
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Formal computer proofs - irrespective of being developed interactively with modern proof assistants, fully automatically by automated theorem provers, or in a combination of both - are still rather unpopular amongst many mathematicians. Benzmüller will challenge this stance and point to recent success stories of computer-assisted proofs in maths and beyond. In particular, he will demonstrate how the rigorous assessment of rational arguments in philosophy can be fruitfully supported by modern theorem proving technology. A prominent example includes the “Ontological Argument for the Existence of God“ for which even relevant new insights were recently revealed by automated theorem provers. The latter research activities have inspired the conception of a new, awarded lecture course on “Computational Metaphysics“ at Freie Universität Berlin which brings together students from computer science, maths and philosophy. |
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Bio:
Christoph Benzmüller is affiliated as Privatdozent for Computer Science and Mathematics with Freie Universität Berlin and Saarland University, Saarbrücken. Currently, he is visiting University of Luxemburg. Previous research stations of Christoph include Stanford University, USA (visiting scholar), Articulate Software, USA (senior researcher), Intl. University of Germany, Bruchsal (full professor), University of Cambridge, UK (senior researcher), Saarland University (associate professor), University of Birmingham, UK and the University of Edinburgh, UK (postdoc). Christoph received his PhD (1999) and his Habilitation (2007) in computer science from Saarland University. His PhD was partly conducted at Carnegie Mellon University, USA. In 2012, Christoph had been awarded with a Heisenberg Research Fellowship of the German National Research Foundation (DFG). Christoph is an expert in higher-order automated and interactive theorem proving, which he utilises as a basis for an approach towards universal logic reasoning. His broader interests concern all aspects of knowledge representation and reasoning. Moreover, Christoph is well known for his interdisciplinary applications. Most recently, for example, he has pioneered, together with colleagues, the area of computational metaphysics. Christoph is trustee and vice-president of CADE (Conference on Automated Deduction), board member of AAR (Association of Automated Reasoning) and spokesman of the section Deduction Systems of the Gesellschaft für Informatik. He serves in various further functions (chair, editorial board, steering committee, trustee, etc.) for various conferences and organisations. |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE II
MADY DELVAUX-STEHRES, European Parliament
Civil Law Rules on Robotics
Time and Place: Monday, 20 March 2017, 10h00 s.t.; Campus Belval, Maison du Savoir, Room MSA-E04-4.020
Abstract
Social assistive robots, cyber-physical systems in Industry or Artificial Intelligence (AI) are no longer a concepts in science fiction. We are living through a new Industrial Revolution and it is changing our society. In this context the new agents surpass current laws and now it is necessary to adapt civil rules and to create robot regulations to face the new scenario. |
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Bio
Mady Delvaux-Stehres est députée européenne luxembourgeoise depuis mai 2014. Membre du Groupe des Socialistes & Démocrates au Parlement européen, elle est élue Vice-présidente de la commission des affaires juridiques et suppléante de la commission des affaires économiques et monétaires. Elle fait également partie du comité consultatif sur le code de conduite des députés européens. Entre 1989 et 2014, Mady occupe plusieurs postes ministérielles. Entre 2004 et 2014, elle est Ministre de l’Éducation nationale et de la Formation professionnelle. En tant que Ministre de la Sécurité sociale, des Transports et des Communications de 1994 à 1999, elle s’occupe entre autres de la mise en place de la nouvelle assurance dépendance, de la réorganisation des chemins de fer d’après les directives européennes et de la libéralisation des services téléphoniques. Nommée en 1989 secrétaire d’État à la Santé, à la Sécurité sociale, à la Jeunesse et à l’Éducation physique et aux Sports, elle y engage notamment la réforme de l’assurance maladie. De 1999 à 2004, Mady est membre de la Chambre des députés. En octobre 1987, elle est élue pour la première fois conseillère communale de la Ville de Luxembourg, mandat que les électeurs lui confient à nouveau en 1999. Pendant toutes ces années, Mady est active au sein des Femmes socialistes. Après ses études de lettres classiques à la Sorbonne, Mady est professeur au Lycée Michel Rodange à Luxembourg-Ville jusqu’en 1989, lorsqu’elle est nommée au gouvernement. Mady est née le 11 octobre 1950 à Luxembourg-Ville. |
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DISTINGUISHED LECTURE I
James Cochran, Professor of Statistics, Department of Computer Science, University of Alabama, USA
The importance of Collective Science
Time and Place: Monday, 30 January 2017, 15h00 s.t.; Room E.112 (Campus Kirchberg)
Abstract
The scientific method, which is embodied by statistical inference, is the heart of who we are and what we do as an academic community (which is why some, including me, argue that statistics is the purest of the sciences). Unfortunately, although we may individually think and act scientifically, collectively we often fail to do so. This has led in numerous instances to nonscientific collective behavior. In addition to dramatically retarding the progress of science, this collective behavior has led to misunderstanding of science by the non-scientific community, co-opting of science by the business community, and poor decision making by policy makers those who have relied on the results of our research efforts. In this talk I will address the lack of collective scientific behavior in research on the relative age effect and the ramifications that have resulted. Specifically, I will discuss the i) lack of appreciation for results that are not statistically significant, ii) disregard for conditions that are necessary for establishing a relationship between an antecedent event and a consequent event, and iii) failure to consider, establish, and test appropriate null and alternative hypotheses. I will also present what I believe are appropriate corrective measures. |
Bio
James J. Cochran is Professor of Statistics, Rogers-Spivey Faculty Fellow, and Head of the Department of Information Systems, Statistics and Management Science at The University of Alabama. He earned a PhD in Statistics from the University of Cincinnati in 1997, and he has been a Visiting Scholar with Stanford University, the University of South Africa, the Universidad de Talca, and Pôle Universitaire Léonard De Vinci. Professor Cochran was a founding co-chair of Statistics Without Borders and a member of the founding committee for INFORMS Pro Bono Analytics initiative. He established INFORMS’ Teaching Effectiveness Colloquium series and annual case competition. In 2005 Professor Cochran established the International Education Workshop series; through this series colloquia have been held in Uruguay, South Africa, Colombia, Tanzania, Argentina, Kenya, India, Fiji, Croatia, Nepal, Cuba, and Mongolia (with plans for upcoming colloquia in Moldova, Madagascar, and Romania). In 2008 he organized the 2008 ORPA Conference on Using Operations Research to Address Urban Transport and Water Resource Management Issues in Africa. Professor Cochran is founding Editor-in-Chief of the Wiley Encyclopedia of Operations Research and the Management Sciences and the Wiley Series in Operations Research and Management Science as well as the forthcoming Guide to the Analytics Body of Knowledge. He has published over forty research articles and a dozen book chapters, and he is coauthor of seven textbooks in statistics, operations research, and analytics. He has served as a consultant to a wide variety of corporations, government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations around the world. He served as Editor-in-Chief of INFORMS Transactions on Education and serves on the boards of several journals. In 2006 Professor Cochran was elected to the International Statistics Institute, in 2008 he received the INFORMS Prize for the Teaching of OR/MS Practice, in 2010 he received the Mu Sigma Rho Statistical Education Award, and in 2011 he was named a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. In 2014 he became the 86th recipient of the American Statistical Association’s Founders Award, and in 2015 he received the Karl E. Peace Award for outstanding statistical contributions for the betterment of society. |