Alfred Blumstein
Encyclopedia
Alfred Blumstein is an American scientist and the J. Erik Jonsson
University Professor of Urban Systems and Operations Research at the Heinz College and Department of Engineering and Public Policy
at Carnegie Mellon University
. He is known as one of the top researchers in criminology
and operations research
.
and worked at the Institute for Defense Analyses
before joining the Heinz College.
Blumstein directs the NSF
-funded National Consortium for Violence Research at Carnegie Mellon and was Dean of the Heinz College from 1986-1993
He is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Society of Criminology and serves as President of the latter.
Blumstein was president of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) in 1977-78, The Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS) in 1987-88 and in 1996 he was the president of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
(INFORMS).
He was awarded the Wolfgang Award for Distinguished Achievement in Criminology in 1998 and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
in 1998. He also shares the 2007 Stockholm Prize in Criminology
, the highest award in the field -- he and his co-recipient are the first two Americans to earn the prize. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice
of the City University of New York
.
He is married and has three daughters and four grandchildren. His granddaughter currently attends Denison University, while his three grandsons are all in high school.
J. Erik Jonsson
John Erik Jonsson was a co-founder and former president of Texas Instruments Incorporated. A skillful businessman, he became mayor of Dallas, a major factor in the creation of DFW airport and a philanthropist in later years....
University Professor of Urban Systems and Operations Research at the Heinz College and Department of Engineering and Public Policy
Engineering and Public Policy
Engineering and Public Policy, informally known as EPP, is an interdisciplinary academic department within the Carnegie Institute of Technology , Carnegie Mellon University's engineering college. EPP combines technical analysis with social science and policy analysis, in order to address problems...
at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
. He is known as one of the top researchers in criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
and operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
.
Biography
Blumstein graduated with his bachelors degree and PhD from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and worked at the Institute for Defense Analyses
Institute for Defense Analyses
The Institute for Defense Analyses is a non-profit corporation that administers three federally funded research and development centers to assist the United States government in addressing important national security issues, particularly those requiring scientific and technical expertise...
before joining the Heinz College.
Blumstein directs the NSF
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
-funded National Consortium for Violence Research at Carnegie Mellon and was Dean of the Heinz College from 1986-1993
He is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Society of Criminology and serves as President of the latter.
Blumstein was president of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) in 1977-78, The Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS) in 1987-88 and in 1996 he was the president of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences is an international society for practitioners in the fields of operations research and management science...
(INFORMS).
He was awarded the Wolfgang Award for Distinguished Achievement in Criminology in 1998 and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
in 1998. He also shares the 2007 Stockholm Prize in Criminology
Stockholm Prize in Criminology
The Stockholm Prize in Criminology is an international prize awarded annually for achievements in research in the field of criminology. The annual prize ceremonies, which began in June 2006, are held in conjunction with the Stockholm Criminology Symposium. Winners are selected by an independent...
, the highest award in the field -- he and his co-recipient are the first two Americans to earn the prize. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a senior college of the City University of New York in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and is the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the United States. The college offers programs in Forensic Science and Forensic...
of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
.
He is married and has three daughters and four grandchildren. His granddaughter currently attends Denison University, while his three grandsons are all in high school.
Work
Blumstein's research centers around modeling criminal careers, deterrence, prison population, transportation analysis, drug-enforcement policy, and he developed "lambda" in criminology as a measurement of an individual's offending frequency.Publications
- 1968. National program of research, development, test, and evaluation on law enforcement and criminal justice.
- 1970. Systems analysis for social problems. Edited with Murray Kamrass and Armand B. Weiss.
- 1978. Assembly of Behavioral and Social Sciences (U.S.). Panel on Research on Deterrent and Incapacitative Effects. Deterrence and incapacitation : estimating the effects of criminal sanctions on crime rates. Edited with Jacqueline Cohen and Daniel Nagin.
- 1983. Research on sentencing : the search for reform. Edited with others.
- 1986. Criminal careers and "career criminals". Edited with others.
- 2000. Crime drop in America. Edited with Joel Wallman.
- 2007. Key issues in criminal career research : new analyses of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development. With Alex R. Piquero and David P. Farrington.