Nonlinear Discrete Optimization (10frg140)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "Nonlinear Discrete Optimization" workshop from July 18 to 25, 2010.

Optimization is the study of finding the best or least-cost solution of a complex system.
Applications range mainly through the sciences and engineering. Most large complicated systems
involve a combination of continuous quantities (e.g., volumes of materials, money, pressure, voltage)
and discrete quantities (e.g., go/no-go decisions, indivisible goods like airplanes and tunnels,
and sequencing of activities). Furthermore, many phenomena that link variables are naturally
modeled by nonlinear functions (e.g., pressure loss due to friction of fluid in a pipe, risk and
chemical blending). The study of optimization involving some discrete variables, in the
presence of nonlinear functions, is of vital importance as we try to make the best use
of limited resources, especially in the context of operating more and more
complex technologies.

The Focused Research Group of Jesus De Loera (UC Davis), Raymond Hemmecke (Darmstadt), Matthias Koeppe (UC Davis), Jon Lee (IBM Research), Shmuel Onn (Technion), Robert Weismantel (Magdeburg) will study nonlinear discrete optimization, aiming to gain mathematical insights that will have significant impact on our understanding of such problems as well as our ability to solve practical instances.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnolog�a (CONACYT).