Virginia Postrel has written a great little intro to operations research in the Boston Globe (which, incidentally, must be the world’s best “local” newspaper.) Brad Delong and Virginia seem to have started a discussion about the links between OR and productivity.
OR really is the hidden science, but with this and other articles it may be possible to reawaken interest for it. I am, for a number of complicated reasons, president of the Norwegian OR Society (as part of heading the IT group of the Norwegian Polytechnic Society.) This is an honorable title (previous presidents include Kristen Nygaard, Turing prize recipient) but NORS in itself does not have much activity at all. Anyone interested in reawakening it?