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Wein Honored for Homeland Security Work
November 2007
STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS—Lawrence M. Wein, the Paul E. Holden Professor of Management Science at the Stanford Business School received the President’s Award, presented by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, also known as INFORMS. Wein was chosen for “pioneering research that characterizes and improves homeland security operations, and for communicating his results to government officials and the public at large.”
After homeland security became a major issue in the United States following the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and a deliberate mail-borne dissemination of anthrax, Wein undertook a series of research projects that quantified homeland security threats such as smallpox, anthrax, and botulinum toxin attacks; shipping container tampering, including the potential import of nuclear devices; and the likelihood of terrorist infiltration across national borders.
His work, with recommendations on how to improve security in a number of areas, was published in leading scientific journals. He also testified before state and federal legislative bodies, wrote newspaper op-ed pieces, and participated in television and radio interviews to educate the public. He recommended, among other things, vaccination or antibiotic distribution policies for smallpox or anthrax attacks; fingerprint identification protocols at borders; and radiation screening procedures at major shipping ports.
INFORMS President Brenda Dietrich presented the award in Seattle on November 4. The award, recognizes important contributions to the welfare of society by members of the operations research profession.