Association Briefs

Optimizing A New Journal A sure sign that a realm of science or mathematics is gaining recognition is an increase in the number of journals devoted to the field. And that kind of growth is what optimization - the study of the mathematical procedures involved in making something as functional and effective as possible - is getting now, thanks to the Philadelphia-based Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. John E. Dennis, Jr., chairman of the mathematical sciences department at Rice University and the journal's managing editor, originally opposed the idea of a new journal on optimization because he wasn't sure the field was large enough. To successfully compete with the several other journals on the subject, Dennis says, the SIAM Journal on Optimization will include papers on the physical applications to science and engineering, in addition to the management science articles other optimization journals offer. However, Dennis says he looks ...