INFORMS Open Forum

The purpose of this award is to recognize creative efforts that showcase public sector operations research to a broad audience. Via this award, the Section aims to increase visibility about the impact of operations research in the public sector, grow the community through increased awareness and engagement, and distribute content that can be shared readily with students, prospective collaborators, and future beneficiaries.

Deadline: June 30, 2024

Eligibility:

• The submitter must be a member of the INFORMS PSOR Section at the time of submission
• No one presently serving as chair, co-chair, or committee member may be among creators of a video submission
• An individual may be an author on at most one submission per year

Selection / Judging Process: 

•  Videos will be reviewed according to several criteria:
• Relevance to public sector operations research
• Educational content
• Presentation quality
•  Up to 3 winners will be selected each year

Application Process:

• To apply, complete the submission form at this link in the Openwater system: https://informs-awards.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/236/home; this consists of:
• Authors, affiliation, and contact information
• Consent form for release on PSOR YouTube channel, distribution via INFORMS and PSOR websites and social media channels
• Video upload
• Remember to click on "save and finalize" to complete your submission
• The requirements for the video are:
• Format: mp4
• Length: maximum 5 minutes
• Content:
• Narration in English
• Related to public sector operations research, broadly speaking
• Self-contained so someone not familiar with the topic can understand and learn
• Credits (selected videos will be directly posted on PSOR YouTube channel)
• Closed captioning strongly encouraged to improve accessibility
• Ideas include, but are not limited to:
• Showcase a PSOR application domain and broad contributions from single group or many groups
• Showcase an innovative PSOR application and improvements brought about by OR/MS techniques
• Highlight tools central to conducting research in public sector operations research
• Provide a window into a research group focused on PSOR: e.g., problems worked on, research approach, collaboration with community partners and policy makers
• For any issues with the submission process, kindly contact Beth West at bwest@informs.org 

Award: Subject to receiving qualified submissions, the Best Video Award winner(s) will receive a plaque with a framed certificate. One or two Honorable Mentions may also be awarded depending on the number of qualified submissions. These awardees receive a paper certificate. Finalists will be invited to present their video at the INFORMS Annual Meeting. Results will be announced at the PSOR Business Meeting during the INFORMS Annual Meeting, where winners will also be recognized.

For more information and details on past winners, visit the PSOR website: 

https://connect.informs.org/public-sector-operations-research/awards

Any inquiries can be made to the co-chairs of the 2024 competition: Akshaya Suresh (akshaya.suresh@yale.edu) and Scott Rodilitz (scott.rodilitz@anderson.ucla.edu).