What does math have to do with cows?

Many real world problems can be solved effectively using mathematics. In this talk I will give an overview of the mathematical tools often used in industrial problem solving and explain how and at which stage of the problem solving process these tools can be helpful. As an example, I will describe an actual industrial problem solved by a group of Masters students at Cornell University on optimal scheduling of pregnancy check-ups for cows in dairy farms, an important problem of the dairy industry.

The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences is grateful for the support of Shell Canada Limited, Alberta Advanced Education and Technology, and the University of Calgary for their support of this series of lectures.