Franz Edelman Award for Management Science Achievement

I t was my pleasure to serve as chairman of the 26th annual competition for the Franz Edelman Award for Management Science Achievement. The competition is sponsored jointly by INFORMS and its practice section, the College for the Practice of the Management Sciences (CPMS). The primary purpose of the competition is to recognize outstanding accomplishments in the practice of our profession. The prizes recognize verifiable results that had a major impact on the client organization. The awards are given to both the client organization, which receives the award citation, and to the individuals who produced the work, who receive the cash awards. This year, the prize money totaled $15,000 with $10,000 going to the first-prize winner. More important, all prize winners have the honor of knowing their work has been recognized by their peers as the best in the business. This year's competition continues a tradition of spotlighting excellence in management science practice that goes back to the first award in 1972 when the winner received a grand total of $200. The finalists in this year's competition have all demonstrated their commitment to practice excellence. In addition to having their efforts described in this special issue of Interfaces, all six finalists will have their presentations added to the Edelman Prize videotape collection. The award is named in honor of Dr.sible for management sciences at RCA, one of the earliest industrial OR/MS activities in North America. He worked for 30 years at RCA and is counted among the fathers of innovation in management science. The prize competition began with a call for nominations in mid-1996. Approximately 25 entries were submitted. These were reviewed by an award committee which selected the most noteworthy for careful verification. After a comprehensive review, the committee chose six finalists to give presentations in an all-day session held in conjunction with the San Diego National meeting in May 1997. Each finalist had a coach to help with preparation. I would like to thank Norden for serving as coaches for the contestants. Immediately after the presentations, the judges began their deliberations, which went on until they determined the awards. I would like to recognize those who joined me as judges this year: A common theme among the finalists in this year's competition was the integration of management science techniques with information technology. As we move forward increasingly toward an information-based economy, it becomes obvious that INTRODUCTION INTERFACES 28:1 …