Operational research: IO2017, Valença, Portugal, June 28-30

Abstract

[Excerpt] The papers here give some idea of the variety and scale of work going on in the Portuguese O.R. community. But a good conference—and IO2017 was certainly a good conference—goes beyond the papers. The conference is an opportunity for early career professionals to begin to experience the excitement and benefits of sharing their work with knowledgeable, supportive peers outside their immediate circle; and for more experienced people to keep in touch with what is going on elsewhere, and influence the collective body of work. It is an opportunity for those informal conversations, whether peer-to-peer or senior-to-junior, that help build the social capital—the network of trust, confidence and exchange—of a profession. It is an opportunity for cross-fertilisation of ideas between people whose paths don’t normally cross, for serendipitous encounters that generate unexpected collaborations, for the inspiration that comes from stepping out of the daily routine into other environments.[...]