INFORMS Open Forum

  • 1.  Speakers Program Engages Chapters & Student Chapters

    Posted 11-12-2018 10:10

    Hi – I wanted to share the news in case you haven't heard it, that INFORMS has a Speakers Program with funding available to send an expert ORMS speaker to visit your student chapter or regional chapter. INFORMS has had this program for a long time, but we've found that some members still don't know about it. We've got a list of available speakers online, each with expertise in various topic areas within the ORMS and Analytics fields. You can request a speaker through a form on the website. We also recently added a couple of new speakers, and are always looking for more who are willing to travel and share their knowledge with a crowd. Next year, we plan to make some improvements to the site so that searching and requesting is even easier.

    In the meantime, consider our Speakers Program as you start to think about programming for your chapter in 2019! We are typically able to cover at least the speaker's travel to your chapter or student chapter, and sometimes the full expenses for their trip depending on distance and overall cost.

    Any questions, please feel free to post here. Also, if anyone who has used the program would like to comment about your experiences, that would be great.

    Gary Gaukler
    On behalf of the INFORMS Speakers Program Committee



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    Gary Gaukler
    Associate Professor
    Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University
    Upland CA
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  • 2.  RE: Speakers Program Engages Chapters & Student Chapters

    Posted 11-13-2018 08:23

    Many thanks to Gary for highlighting the terrific resource that is the INFORMS Speaker Program, which INFORMS provides to both student and regional chapters. At UMass Amherst, we have utilized the INFORMS Speaker Program to host multiple speakers on the list in our INFORMS Student Chapter Speaker Series, including James Benneyan, John Birge, Brenda Dietrich, Sheldon Jacobson, Radhika Kulkarni, and Richard Larson, and we will continue to reach out to invite other speakers. Visits and talks by such speakers enrich everyone professionally and provide great leadership and networking opportunities for students as well as faculty. Plus, the memories that are created are very special!

    I have also had the pleasure of being a speaker in the program and thoroughly enjoyed my visits to Texas A&M, Alabama, the University of Pittsburgh, and, last month, the University of Michigan, at the request of the Student Chapters there, as well as speaking at the Boston and Dallas Regional INFORMS Chapters. Thanks for this great resource, INFORMS, and also many thanks to the fabulous speakers and hosts!



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    Anna Nagurney
    John F. Smith Memorial Professor
    University of Massachusetts-Amherst
    Amherst MA
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  • 3.  RE: Speakers Program Engages Chapters & Student Chapters

    Posted 11-14-2018 08:07

    I have given several talks through the INFORMS Speakers Program. I really enjoy meeting the OR/MS students at different universities and exchanging ideas with them. This is a great way to engage young scholars in our field. 



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    Margaret Brandeau
    Professor
    Stanford University
    Stanford CA
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  • 4.  RE: Speakers Program Engages Chapters & Student Chapters

    Posted 11-14-2018 14:28

    The INFORMS speakers program is one of the most beneficial programs offered by INFORMS to student chapters. At the CMU INFORMS chapter, we were delighted to host two incredible speakers through this program; Dr. Radhika Kulkarni, and Dr. Brenda Dietrich. Using this program, we have been able to give our student members a unique opportunity to build a connection with great researchers in ORMS. I strongly recommend this program to all student chapters!

    The process is extremely easy. All you need to do is to go to their website, choose a speaker from the list, and fill out a form (takes less than 2 minutes) to request the speaker. Within a few days an INFORMS staff will reach out to you to confirm your request, and then they'll take care of the rest: contacting the speaker, scheduling their trip, and reimbursing their travel costs, etc. 



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    Neda Mirzaeian
    Research/Teaching Assistant
    Carnegie Mellon University
    Pittsburgh PA
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