Operations Research (OR) is a field at the crossroads of computer science, applied mathematics, management, and industrial engineering. Its goal is to provide automated logic-based decision making systems, generally for control or optimization tasks such as improving efficiency or reducing costs in industry. OR can be used to:

• Manage healthcare in hospitals
• Organize police and ambulance services
• Plan energy use while managing its production
• Plan delivery and public transit systems
• Manage manufacturing production, inventory, and distribution
• Design communication and computer systems
• Schedule work, classes, and sporting events
• Drive economic and financial policies