The disciplines of computer science and operations research (OR) have
been linked since their origins, each contributing to the dramatic
advances of the other. This work explores the connections between these
key technologies: how high-performance computing methods have led to
advances in OR de- ployment, and how OR has contributed to the design
and development of ad- vanced systems. The collected writings-from
researchers and practitioners in Computer Science, Operations Research,
Management Science, and Artificial Intelligence-were among those
delivered at the Fifth INFORMS Computer Science Technical Section
Conference in Dallas, Texas, January 8-10, 1996. The articles advance
both theory and practice. Presented are new approaches to complex
problems based on: metaheuristics (neural networks, genetic al-
gorithms, and Tabu Search), optimization and mathematical programming,
stochastic methods, constraint programming, and logical analysis. These
ad- vanced methodologies are applied to new applications in such areas
as: telecom- munications network design, financial engineering,
manufacturing, project man- agement, and forecasting, airline and
machine scheduling, vehicle routing, mod- eling and decision support
systems. Featured is a remarkable paper by keynote speaker Fred Glover,
creator of the Tabu Search family of metaheuristics. In it he develops
the principles of memory-based heuristic methods, contrasts them with
the popular genetic algorithms and simulated annealing, provides a
sweeping survey of application vignettes, and points to promising
avenues for future research.