INFORMS Open Forum

Great to hear about this effort on reaching out to middle and high schoolers! I would like to bring to everyone's attention another initiative (see below) to promote our profession to this audience through short videos that showcase the impact we are making in every sector. 

ISE Impact Short Video Contest

Have you been involved in any cool and impactful project that could highlight the impact of Industrial and Systems Engineering to a general audience? If so, share your story in a 30-60 second short video and win a $500 prize! 

This contest is open to all - students, alumni, practitioners, and even faculty. Submissions are due April 1, 2024. For more information, see here.

I love this! 

I think another part that can be included in this is to talk about the "fun" part of math. Math is helpful and the use of it can be very meaningful as well, but meanwhile for middle school and high school students, they also want to see the beauty and the fun side about Math. For example I found this on Google Arts & Culture  

THE HIDDEN BEAUTY OF MATHEMATICS - Google Arts & Culture

Or, what function can draw a heart curve? (This is something I always play with when I was in middle school)

Heart Curve -- from Wolfram MathWorld

Another thing is more about statistics than math: I always love the uncertainties in the real world and what we can do with limited resources and knowledge to get closer to the "true world". 

Shannon, thank you for sharing this. Both the Google link and the heart curve were new to me! @Xiaonan Shang. The beauty and wonder of math are great.

@Ana Muriel I love the IISE competition. Can't wait to see the winner. 

Elena

I love this! 

I think another part that can be included in this is to talk about the "fun" part of math. Math is helpful and the use of it can be very meaningful as well, but meanwhile for middle school and high school students, they also want to see the beauty and the fun side about Math. For example I found this on Google Arts & Culture  

THE HIDDEN BEAUTY OF MATHEMATICS - Google Arts & Culture

Or, what function can draw a heart curve? (This is something I always play with when I was in middle school)

Heart Curve -- from Wolfram MathWorld

Another thing is more about statistics than math: I always love the uncertainties in the real world and what we can do with limited resources and knowledge to get closer to the "true world". 

I love this! 

I think another part that can be included in this is to talk about the "fun" part of math. Math is helpful and the use of it can be very meaningful as well, but meanwhile for middle school and high school students, they also want to see the beauty and the fun side about Math. For example I found this on Google Arts & Culture  

THE HIDDEN BEAUTY OF MATHEMATICS - Google Arts & Culture

Or, what function can draw a heart curve? (This is something I always play with when I was in middle school)

Heart Curve -- from Wolfram MathWorld

Another thing is more about statistics than math: I always love the uncertainties in the real world and what we can do with limited resources and knowledge to get closer to the "true world". 

Yeah, I loved the open letter especially the comment on the NFL. The application you described was probably at play during the 49ers-Chiefs game. Go Team Swift! They should have assessed the probability of that blocked field goal!!! Argh. Sorry, still Team Swift.  

So how do you see this playing out? Write an open letter and send it to you? Then you mail it out to all high school principals and superintendents?

@Alberto Aparicio I love the reference to #TeamSwift :). 

Feel free to post your own open letter to INFORMS Connect so we can continue to crowdsource. Once we see if we have one great letter or a few great letters, we will determine next steps. A few ideas include 1) trying to get it published in a newsletter aimed at parents and/or teachers, 2) sending it to teacher and guidance counselors associations and asking them to share with their membership, 3) sending it to all our members and asking them to personalize it and then send it to their local middle and high schools, and 4) trying to get it published in a major newspaper. We are open to other ideas. @Ashley Smith

Yeah, I loved the open letter especially the comment on the NFL. The application you described was probably at play during the 49ers-Chiefs game. Go Team Swift! They should have assessed the probability of that blocked field goal!!! Argh. Sorry, still Team Swift.  

So how do you see this playing out? Write an open letter and send it to you? Then you mail it out to all high school principals and superintendents?

Great idea to highlight the need to improve STEM at the high school level.   However, my suggestion would be to supplement this letter approach by leveraging the size and talents of INFORMS members and engage with student more  directly.  Specifically,

1) Why not organize to have members visit one of their local high schools? 

2) Why not encourage members to try to get of the Board of local (private) high schools or on School committees?

3) For those not at universities, why not hire a high school student or two?

I offer these suggestions because I have done all of these myself, cf   https://www.mitre.org/news-insights/student-voice/teenage-work-study-programmer-rises-cyber-challenge-mitre

However, I am only one person.  What if 1,000 of  our members were to also do this?  

Les Servi

lservi@mitre.org

Great idea to highlight the need to improve STEM at the high school level.   However, my suggestion would be to supplement this letter approach by leveraging the size and talents of INFORMS members and engage with student more  directly.  Specifically,

1) Why not organize to have members visit one of their local high schools? 

2) Why not encourage members to try to get of the Board of local (private) high schools or on School committees?

3) For those not at universities, why not hire a high school student or two?

I offer these suggestions because I have done all of these myself, cf   https://www.mitre.org/news-insights/student-voice/teenage-work-study-programmer-rises-cyber-challenge-mitre

However, I am only one person.  What if 1,000 of  our members were to also do this?  

Les Servi

lservi@mitre.org

From article, reads like MITRE uses an established program. Les, if you could share that would be helpful. 

Great idea to highlight the need to improve STEM at the high school level.   However, my suggestion would be to supplement this letter approach by leveraging the size and talents of INFORMS members and engage with student more  directly.  Specifically,

1) Why not organize to have members visit one of their local high schools? 

2) Why not encourage members to try to get of the Board of local (private) high schools or on School committees?

3) For those not at universities, why not hire a high school student or two?

I offer these suggestions because I have done all of these myself, cf   https://www.mitre.org/news-insights/student-voice/teenage-work-study-programmer-rises-cyber-challenge-mitre

However, I am only one person.  What if 1,000 of  our members were to also do this?  

Les Servi

lservi@mitre.org

MITRE works with a local high school: The high school handles all the legal issues.  Yes, dealing with underage students has to be done carefully.

This network is national so there is probably a local chapter near you.   I don't remember the details but this program costs around $6k and lets you hire a high school intern one day per week for the 'school year'.  btw, this is a Catholic school but many of the students, teachers and Board members are not Catholic (including me).

This short YouTube describes the program:  Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School - A Lawrence Success Story (youtube.com)

I bet if anyone calls a school principal and asks to visit to talk about STEM it would not be hard. I did a private school and had a friend who gave a 'number theory for high schoolers" at a public school.  It just takes a number of calls.

I don't know about a national match making program but maybe INFORMS could start one!

From article, reads like MITRE uses an established program. Les, if you could share that would be helpful. 

Great idea to highlight the need to improve STEM at the high school level.   However, my suggestion would be to supplement this letter approach by leveraging the size and talents of INFORMS members and engage with student more  directly.  Specifically,

1) Why not organize to have members visit one of their local high schools? 

2) Why not encourage members to try to get of the Board of local (private) high schools or on School committees?

3) For those not at universities, why not hire a high school student or two?

I offer these suggestions because I have done all of these myself, cf   https://www.mitre.org/news-insights/student-voice/teenage-work-study-programmer-rises-cyber-challenge-mitre

However, I am only one person.  What if 1,000 of  our members were to also do this?  

Les Servi

lservi@mitre.org

Great idea to highlight the need to improve STEM at the high school level.   However, my suggestion would be to supplement this letter approach by leveraging the size and talents of INFORMS members and engage with student more  directly.  Specifically,

1) Why not organize to have members visit one of their local high schools? 

2) Why not encourage members to try to get of the Board of local (private) high schools or on School committees?

3) For those not at universities, why not hire a high school student or two?

I offer these suggestions because I have done all of these myself, cf   https://www.mitre.org/news-insights/student-voice/teenage-work-study-programmer-rises-cyber-challenge-mitre

However, I am only one person.  What if 1,000 of  our members were to also do this?  

Les Servi

lservi@mitre.org

Elena - Thank you for starting this discussion! I take a somewhat unique view (for INFORMS) on this topic. I happen to serve (along with Zihan Zhang) as co-chair of the INFORMS K-12 Outreach Subcommittee on the Education Outreach Committee. Since December of 2017 I have also served as an elected School Director (school board member) in my local school district. It is drawing from this experience that I provide my thoughts below:

In my opinion, the open letter circulated in the Open Forum discussion post is missing an understanding of two areas that, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, have been having a significant negative impact on K-12 education - at least in the U.S. Those two areas, in my experience serving on the school board for my local school district, are bullying and threats. Both are significantly enabled by social media. My question is: Is it possible that OR/MS/Analytics can be brought to bear in these two areas to ameliorate the issues faced by countless secondary students and most school districts in the country? If yes, this should be mentioned in the open letter - thereby significantly increasing the likelihood that secondary students and administrators in secondary schools will be receptive to the letter's (letters') message(s).

As one example, using threats exacerbated by ubiquitous social media, is that (at least in my state of Pennsylvania), a case must be opened by school district administration to investigate every threat against any entity related to the school district (student, staff, facility, community, etc.) and investigated to conclusion. Virtually all threats, at this point, have a social media component. Such investigations, at this point, consume large amounts of administrators' time. If the open letter(s) could mention the possibility that OR/MS/Analytics tools could be or are being brought to bear on this issue, I believe that school district administrators would be more receptive to our message.

I look forward to continuing this discussion.