INFORMS Advances in Decision Analysis Conference (ADA 2024) was held on July 10-12 at Aalto University, Espoo. It was chaired by Professor Ahti Salo, the Honorary President of FORS. The conference was the fifth in the series of INFORMS ADA conferences and it brought together 140 international scientists working and interested in decision analysis. ADA 2024 provided a platform for interdisciplinary discussions through talks by researchers in decision analysis, behavioral economics, judgment and decision-making, machine learning, statistics, and other related disciplines with a prescriptive focus.
FORS board members Jussi Leppinen and Topias Terho participated in the ADA Conference, which FORS member Leevi Olander was organizing. They will now share their experiences and thoughts about the event.
Jussi’s thoughts
I really liked this three-day conference. The program was a good balance between versatility and compactness. Keynotes were interesting. With only three parallel sessions, I could always pick the most interesting one without the feeling that I would miss too much. I learned new things. I also liked the size of the conference. When there were just 140 participants, I could always recognize familiar faces. Thus, it was easier to get to know new people. The conference also included evening activities that were relaxing and offered a good chance to speak with colleagues.
I also had the opportunity to practice my presentation skills by introducing my work of developing a framework that guides the development of AI solutions in prognostics and health management.
Topias’s thoughts
For me, ADA was a great experience. In larger conferences such as EURO, I tend to attend only sessions that are close to my field of research. However, since ADA only had three parallel sessions, I was forced to step outside of my habitat and get some exposure to other fields of operations research. My highlights included the Kahneman panel, where esteemed scholars like Don Kleinmuntz reflected on the importance of Daniel Kahneman’s work to their careers and society, and the keynote by Kari Renko, where he presented how decision analysis was used in the Finnish fighter aircraft procurement process.
The overall atmosphere of the conference was warm and exciting, and it was truly a pleasure to participate in the evening activities. It was especially nice to get to know many colleagues from Finland whom I had not previously encountered.
Leevi’s thoughts
ADA 2024 was awesome! Having been a member of the ADA 2024 organizing committee, I can definitively say that the secret behind the success of the practical arrangements of the conference was largely the efforts of Mary-Ann Alfthan (communication & event specialist at Aalto University) and a group of very proactive student volunteers.
I also appreciated the opportunity to listen to interesting presentations, to give my own presentation and especially the informal, yet thought-provoking, discussions with my companions during the conference dinner. All in all, ADA 2024 was such a great experience that I think I will remember it forever!