At the invitation of Management Engineering Branch, Walter Clark -- chair professor from Department of Industrial & System Engineering in North Carolina State University and Fang Shucheng -- a distinguished professor from alumni association came to deliver a speech in our school on December 17, 2015. Mudong, Fu Shaochuan, Lu Xiaochun, Zhou Jianqin, Huangdi, Songguang and Wei Wenchao from Management Engineering Branch and some students majored in management science and engineering studying for master and doctoral degree attended the symposium. Prof. Zhang Juliang -- dean of the Management Engineering Branch hosted the symposium.

Topic of the speech was of "Linear Conic Programming: A New Modeling Tool for Analytical Decision Making", under which Prof. Fang presented the latest approach for decision-making and analysis in current academic circles -- linear cone optimization. Prof. Fang talked about the theory proposed by Langner ? Frisch -- a Nobel laureate in economics from hammer theory proposed by Mario, discussed the approach at leading edge from frontline issues on management science, expounded the complexity and abstract of nonlinear programming and non-convexity issues from simpleness and ease-of-use features provided with linear programming. Then, Fang introduced a shortcut and simple method for optimization -- "linear cone optimization", with which linear programming can be regarded as the first-quadrant cone programming and almost all nonlinear programming can be converted into linear cone programming. Cone can be composed of vectors, matrices, functions and forms even more complex. Cone is ubiquitous. Cone programming is convenient and feasible.

Prof. Fang has obtained a series of important achievements in mathematical programming, fuzzy optimization, decision-making analysis, logistics and supply chain, design and optimization of telecommunications network and other research fields. He has published nearly 200 journal papers and several literary works and won a number of renowned awards. In 2002, he was elected as an academician of American Academy of Industry & Engineering. Besides, Prof. Fang acts as the chief editor of Fuzzy Optimization and Decision Making and editor of 24 academic journals such as Optimization, Journal of Global Optimization and etc.