A pioneer in linear programming and former USAF mathematician, Alex Orden, died Feb. 9 in Chicago at age 91. After receiving a Ph.D. in Mathematics from MIT in 1950, Orden became a member of the Air Force’s Project SCOOP, for Scientific Computation of Optimum Programs, a task force that pioneered the development of linear programming models for logistical planning. Task force leader G.B. Dantzig cited Orden for providing a computation breakthrough in solving large logistics movement and operations scheduling problems of that time.
The head of the U.S. Air Force Academy on March 2 defended the school’s disciplinary program for students who violate the honor code, as House lawmakers questioned service academy superintendents on a recent spate of cheating scandals. “We have a very robust honor education system that starts from the day…