Rules Governing the
LIFETIME PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Sponsored by the
INFORMS Simulation Society
Approved by the Membership on December 10, 1996
Updated January 7, 2016
1. Purpose and Requirements of the Award. To recognize major contributions to the field of simulation that are sustained over most of a professional career, with the critical consideration being the total impact of those contributions on computer simulation. An individual's contributions may fall in one or more of the following areas:
a. contributions to research,
b. contributions to practice,
c. dissemination of knowledge,
d. development of software or hardware,
e. service to the profession, and
f. advancement of the status or visibility of the field.
2. Name of the Award. The award shall be named the “Lifetime Professional Achievement Award” (hereafter simply called the award).
3. Presentation and Form of the Award. Given at most once a year, the award shall be presented at a major professional meeting sponsored by INFORMS Simulation Society and shall consist of the following items to be funded by the Society:
a. a plaque inscribed with the name of the award, the name of the recipient, the name of the sponsoring organization, and the year in which the award is presented;
b. a cash award to be determined by the membership of the INFORMS Simulation Society; and c. reasonable travel expenses incurred by the recipient in attending the presentation ceremony.
4. Procedures Governing the Award.
a. Publication of the Call for Nominations. In the first quarter of each calendar year, the chair of the award selection committee shall prepare a call for nominations for next year's award and place the call for nominations in the Society Newsletter, the Society home page on the World Wide Web, OR/MS Today, and any other media that are deemed to be appropriate for publicizing the call for nominations.
b. Submission of Nominations. Anyone is eligible to win the award, and the award may be received posthumously. Nominations may be submitted by anyone (including self nominations), but they may not be made anonymously. The burden of offering evidence of merit falls on the nominator. Each nomination should include:
i) the nominee's complete resumé;
ii) a clear-cut, comprehensive description of the nominee's major contributions to the profession, with complete supporting documentation; and
iii) at least three letters of endorsement providing evidence of the significance and magnitude of the nominee's professional achievements.
Nominations for the award must be received by the chair of the award selection committee no later than September 1 of the year in which the nominee is to be considered. Except for award winners, each nominee's dossier will remain active for three consecutive years.
c. Composition and Operation of the Award Selection Committee.
i) Members of the award selection committee should be distinguished professionals in the field of simulation. Past recipients of the award are prime candidates for membership on the award selection committee.
ii) The award selection committee shall consist of at least three members. Each year one new member shall be appointed by the president of the INFORMS Simulation Society to serve for three years. The chair of the award selection committee shall be in the second year of service on the committee. The composition of the initial award selection committee shall be decided by the president of the Society, including the designation of the chair as well as the term of service for each committee member.
iii) Each year the award selection committee shall select from that year's eligible nominees at most one individual who, in their collective judgment, has a sufficiently distinguished record of contributions to the field of simulation sustained over the course of a professional career.
iv) The award selection committee shall determine the winner by majority vote.
v) The award selection committee may choose to make no award.
vi) All oral and written communications regarding nominations or deliberations of the award selection committee shall remain strictly confidential, including the names of all nominators, endorsers, and nominees.
vii) In the event a winner is selected, the chair of the award selection committee shall have full responsibility for obtaining and presenting the award and for publicizing the presentation of the award.
viii) Timely articles on the presentation of the award to the winner shall be placed in the INFORMS Simulation Society Newsletter, the INFORMS Simulation Society home page on the World Wide Web, OR/MS Today, the Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference, and any other media that are deemed to be appropriate for announcing the winner of the award.
d. Nonperformance of the Award Selection Committee. The president of INFORMS Simulation Society may dissolve the award selection committee at any time for cause. Such action may be protested by the chair of the award selection committee, in which case the decision to dissolve the award selection committee shall be submitted to a vote of the INFORMS Simulation Society membership. If the award selection committee is dissolved, then the president of the Society shall appoint another award selection committee in accordance with item 4.c.ii) above. The new award selection committee shall have the full powers of the former award selection committee.
5. Options and Guidelines
a. At some point in the future, the INFORMS Simulation Society membership may vote to name the award in honor of a particular individual.
b. At some point in the future, sponsorship of the award may be extended to include other related professional societies. The addition of other sponsoring societies may affect the size of the award selection committee and the procedure for appointing committee members as specified in item 4.c.ii) above.
c. The period of professional accomplishment for recipients of the award should normally be at least 20 years.
d. Individuals selected for this award should normally be in or near their retirement.
Call for Nominations
Click here to view previous award recipients.