Operations
Wastewater Can Reveal How Many of Us Have Gotten COVID-19
New research based on data on COVID-19 RNA in sewage suggests that many more people had been infected with COVID-19 by May 2021 than official case counts indicated.
What Does Wastewater Reveal about COVID-19?
In the latest episode of the Health & Veritas podcast, Howard Forman and Harlan Krumholz are joined by Yale operations expert Edward Kaplan, who uses mathematical models to understand a variety of processes. They discuss Kaplan’s ongoing research tracking COVID-19 infections through sewage, which bypasses the biases inherent in data from testing and even hospitalization.
Study: An Abundance of Media Fuels Polarization
Yale SOM’s Vahideh Manshadi and her co-authors built a model showing that faced with a flood of information, an individual tends to take in material that reinforces their existing beliefs.
Does Scoring a Goal Right Before Halftime Increase a Soccer Team’s Chance of Winning?
Yale SOM’s Nils Rudi and crime novelist Jo Nesbø—a one-time professional soccer player—investigated the myth and found evidence that there is some truth to it. The results may offer lessons for team performance on and off the field.
The Missing Links in the Supply Chain
We asked Yale SOM’s Prof. Sang Kim, an operations expert who specializes in supply-chain management, to unpack the news about delayed shipments and backed-up ports.
How to Distribute Scarce Medical Supplies in a Pandemic—and Do It Fairly
Early in the pandemic, states waited in frustration for medical equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile. New research outlines a better way to efficiently and equitably allot emergency supplies.
Blockchain Technology Can Help Consumers Tip Farmers—But Should It?
Apps that track food supply chains could make it easier for customers to tip the farmer who produced their coffee or cocoa. But a new paper suggests that this well-intended feature might reduce farmers’ overall income.
Does the Location of a Hospital Room Affect Quality of Care?
Using data from infrared location tracking tags, Yale SOM’s Lesley Meng and her co-authors determined that nurses visit rooms that are farther from the nurses station less frequently, but for longer.
How Better Mobile Crowdsourcing Can Help Combat Food Waste and Feed the Hungry
Yale SOM’s Vahideh Manshadi and Scott Rodilitz worked with Food Rescue US to hone their strategy for connecting volunteers with food donations. Their findings can help other nonprofits harness the power of crowds for social good.
‘Snapshots’ of Migrants in Mexico Suggest U.S. Undocumented Population Is Much Larger than Previous Estimates
A new study from Yale SOM’s Edward Kaplan and Scott Rodilitz, making use of data on migrants who have returned to Mexico, suggests that there are an estimated 19.6 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
In Defense of (Mathematical) Models
Epidemiological models have played an influential role in governments’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yale SOM’s Edieal Pinker takes a look back at one of the most influential models and argues that such rigorous efforts at understanding the likely course of the disease, while imperfect, are critical to good decision making.
