The Start of Something New!

So today is 16th May 2017 - the 136th day of the year and the very first day of the new O.R. in Schools blog!!

The idea is based on the wonderful blog by Felicity and Hope (http://probonoor.blogspot.co.uk/) who work opposite (ok technically across) from me. I figured if they are doing it so successfully, other areas should follow their great example – so here goes!

At this point, you’re probably thinking what have we got to say. Well generally in life, I’ve always got lots to say and could chat for England – although that’s not the point here, so let’s cut to the chase!

I'm based in the education part of The OR Society with another colleague. That means we’re here to help promote, encourage and raise awareness of what O.R. is, what it involves and why people do it as a career (fact #1 - Business Insider ranks Operations Research as the 3rd best job of 2017).

So this is probably a good time to tell you what it actually involves right?! In a nutshell, Operational Research (O.R.) is the discipline of applying advanced analytical methods to help make better decisions. By using techniques such as mathematical modelling to analyse complex situations, operational research gives executives the power to make more effective decisions and build more productive systems.

So it’s basically using information. Sounds good right? I mean, using data and numbers to make better decisions can only be a good thing. We’ll reach better decisions, make more informed choices and get improved outcomes for everyone involved. No brainer right? I’d like to think so (although considering I’m a numbers person that’s probably no surprise…!)

Companies, charities and organisations up and down the country use O.R. on a daily basis. The thing is, people don’t necessarily see it or hear about it so it gets forgotten (fact #2 some people even call it the unsung hero). Well the good news is we’re here to change that and shout about O.R. from the rooftops (or the ground floor office as is currently the case …. !!)

This blog is going to contain everything (okay maybe not everything but almost everything, given time) you could want to know about the outreach and education work we do! We go into schools, colleges and universities up and down the country to get the message out there. We visit schools, colleges and universities to run maths workshops based on O.R. (now they are lots of fun!), attend careers fairs and members talk about their jobs. We're going to document it all on here - so keep those eyes peeled and keep checking back!

Interested? Bored? Hopefully not the latter...

Tweet us @ORinSchools or @TheORSociety or drop us an email: schools@theorsociety.com

Those boring link things that are a good idea to contain...

**Fact #1 http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-best-jobs-of-2017-2017-4/#4-information-security-analyst-7

** Fact #2 https://faststream.blog.gov.uk/2016/02/02/operational-research-the-unsung-hero/