2025 MIF Summer Webinar Competition

When:  Jul 9, 2025 from 10:00 to 11:30 (ET)

๐ŸŽ“ 2025 MIF Summer Webinar Competition

Hosted by the INFORMS Minority Issues Forum (MIF)

๐Ÿ“… Date: July 9, 2024
๐Ÿ•™ Time: 10:00 โ€“ 11:30 AM EST
๐Ÿ“ Location: Online (Zoom)
๐Ÿ”— Register Here
๐Ÿ•’ Duration: 90 minutes


๐Ÿ—’๏ธ Topic/Abstract

Join us for the 2025 INFORMS Minority Issues Forum (MIF) Summer Webinar Competition, where ten outstanding Ph.D. students will present innovative, high-impact research addressing todayโ€™s most pressing societal and operational challenges.

In this single 90-minute session, presentations will explore cutting-edge research at the intersection of operations research and social impact. Topics on algorithmic fairness include AI self-preferencing in hiring tools and privacy-preserving strategies for health data sharing. In healthcare access, students will present models for improving rural primary care in Colombia and equitable vaccine distribution during epidemics. Several talks address food system equity, including analyses of food distribution using Gini and Hoover indices, nutritional fairness in food banks, and spatial access metrics for underserved areas. The session also features innovations in modeling and optimization, from semiconductor reliability prediction using finite element analysis to scalable clustering algorithms and strategies for managing information in omnichannel service systems.

Join us to learn from these emerging scholars and engage in a showcase of research pushing the boundaries of operations research for social good. Register now to reserve your spot!


๐Ÿ† About the Competition

Open to Ph.D. student MIF members, this competition provides a platform to showcase impactful research beyond the INFORMS Annual Meeting.

  • Ten finalists selected by the Programs Committee

  • 5-minute presentation + 2-minute Q&A per speaker

  • Judged by academic and industry professionals

  • Scored on: content, organization, visual quality, and delivery

  • Winners announced at the INFORMS Annual Meeting and awarded an honorarium

  • All participants receive a certificate of participation


๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿซ Meet the Presenters

  • Jiannan Xu โ€“ University of Maryland
  • Valentina Castaรฑeda-Torres โ€“ Georgia Tech
  • Enoch Bonsu โ€“ North Carolina A&T State University
  • Yusi Wei โ€“ Drexel University
  • Guanling Yang โ€“ University of Rochester
  • Nowshin Sharmile โ€“ North Carolina A&T State University
  • Pedro Chumpitaz โ€“ University of South Florida
  • Rashik Intisar Siddiquee โ€“ North Carolina State University
  • Kimiya MohammadiJozani โ€“ Virginia Tech

๐Ÿ“ธ Speaker photos: Coming soon


๐Ÿ“Œ Donโ€™t miss this exciting eventโ€”support emerging scholars and learn how operations research is driving social impact!

Location

Online Instructions: