2024

INFORMS Chicago Chapter Impactful O.R./Analytics Prize 2024

INFORMS Chicago Chapter is sponsoring an award competition to encourage students and scholars from academia and industry to impact their community with work infused with AI/Analytics/OR/MS methods. The work should yield tangible and beneficial outcomes for individuals, communities, and organizations in the Chicago area and could appeal to multiple disciplinary and application-area interests.

There are three categories for the INFORMS Chicago Chapter annual awards:

- Professional of the year

- Academic/Researcher of the year

- Student of the year (Entrants must be a full-time student(s), undergraduate or graduate, in a degree-granting program during the period in which the work was performed)

Please submit a 600-character abstract, using the link below, describing the achievement of the project for the first round of review.

https://forms.gle/UEpLPjBEaZX6CttV6

The deadline to submit the abstract is August 15th, 2024. 

Finalists will be asked to submit a full application (including a nomination letter by the Academic Advisor, Chair of the Department, or Direct Manager at the organization and a 3-page summary of achievements (double-spaced, 12-point font)  focusing on the societal impact and the centrality of O.R./Analytics tools used in the work) via the online link provided to them later.

The winner (s) will also be expected to present their work at our annual INFORMS Regional Analytics Conference (IRAC), Chicago 2024, which will be held on November 21st, 2024 at DePaul University.

Submission and Eligibility Requirements:

General Qualifications of Entrants

• Should be a current member of the INFORMS Chicago Chapter.

  • Nominations can be made for non-members, but they must become members to be eligible if selected for the award.

• Project work evaluated for impact in the previous 5 years (Jan to December, including the award year), i.e., January 2020-December 2024. 

• Should not be a winner of the award for the previous 5 years. 

• The entrant has to be one of the main contributors if the project is part of a group work. 

• One submission per person is allowed.

Submission Process

Submit a 600-character abstract describing the achievement of the research for the first round of review. Finalists are then asked to submit an application (including a nomination letter by the Academic Advisor, Chair of the Department or Direct Manager at the organization and a 3-page summary of achievements (double-spaced, 12-point font) focusing on the societal impact and the centrality of operations research tools used in the work) via the online link provided.

Timelines

Notes:

• The nomination letter must describe the impact of the work and the portion of the work (including the project duration) solely completed by the entrant(s) during the time of the project.

• Up to a three-page summary document (excludes references/citations) that describes what the entrants accomplished (focusing on the societal impact and the centrality of the operations research and management science tools used).

• Submissions should be uploaded online. 

• Winners will be expected to present their work at IRAC 2024.

• Any work with a positive societal impact completed within 5 years of the award year (including the award year) is eligible unless it has already received a Chicago Chapter INFORMS award.

Winners:

• There will be a cash award for the winner. For 2024, this will be $500. 

• The winner(s) will be recognized at the IRAC and receive an award. The winners are asked to give a 10-minute presentation of their work at the IRAC.

If the selection committee judges all submissions to be of insufficient quality to select winners, it may declare the competition deserted for the current round.

Judging Criteria:

Entrants will be expected to report on a completed, practical application and describe results with significant, verifiable, and preferably quantifiable societal impact. Societal impact should mean impacting individuals, communities, and organizations beyond what is associated with a private-sector for-profit initiative. The criteria used in judging the entries include the following:

1. Implementation. Is the work implemented and in use?

2. Impact/Value. How important was the work to the partner organization and/or society?

3. Technical Solution. Is there a technical innovation in the project? 

4. Difficulty. If there were any political, technical, or social challenges, how were they overcome in completing the project?

5. Transportability. Is this work portable to other applications?

Meeting criteria 1 and 2 above is essential; the work must have been implemented and resulted in significant benefit. Criteria 3 to 5 are important, but finalists do not necessarily need to be strong in all categories.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Eleftheria Kontou <kontou@illinois.edu>. 

Thank you!
INFORMS Chicago Chapter Award Committee