Robinson Wins Prize in Math Programming

Stephen Robinson, professor of industrial engineering and computer sciences, has won a top international award for mathematical programmers.

Robinson received the George B. Dantzig Prize during a ceremony July 18 at Stanford University. He is one of two 1997 recipients, along with Roger Fletcher of the University of Dundee, Scotland.

The leading professional associations in the field, the Mathematical Programming Society and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, award the Dantzig Prize only once every three years.

The prize, which includes a $2,000 cash award, goes to original work that makes an outstanding new contribution to the field. Mathematical programming is the development of mathematical methods for making the best use of limited resources. It is frequently used to improve operations in real-world applications such as manufacturing or transportation.

Robinson conducts both theoretical and applied research to develop better methods for quantitative economic planning. Robinson has been on the UW–Madison faculty since 1972.