Larson

Appointed Mitsui Professor

By Lois Slavin, ESD Communications Director – November 20, 2004

Richard C. Larson, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Systems, was appointed a Mitsui Professor on November 1, 2004.

In addition to recognizing faculty achievement, a fundamental objective of the Mitsui Chair is to encourage cultural and technological exchange between the United States and Japan.

Professor Larson was nominated as an exceptional and energetic faculty member with numerous awards and accomplishments. His awards include the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) President’s Award (2003); election to the National Academy of Engineering (1993); and the Lanchester Prize of the Operations Research Society of America for his book Urban Police Patrol Analysis (1972). He is founding director of INFORMS (1994) and is now its President-Elect. He was ORSA’s President from 1993-1994. Professor Larson also served as Co-Director of MIT’s Operations Research Center for 14 years and for eight years as Director of MIT’s Center for Advanced Educational Services.

The first Mitsui Chair was established in 1974 through the generosity of the Mistui Group, one of Japan’s oldest and largest industrial groups. The Mitsui Group was founded by MIT alumni Takuma Dan, who graduated from the Institute in 1878. After leaving MIT, Takuma Dan returned to Japan to become a leading financier, a world-renowned industry leader, eventually the head of Mitsui. He maintained a life-long relationship with MIT and one of his professors, Robert Richards.