Were the Reviewers of Our Paper in the Audience?

As a rather "seasoned" academic I continue to be amazed and surprised when it comes to the serendipity of research.

I heard the good news that our paper, Securing the Sustainability of Global Medical Nuclear Supply Chains Through Economic Cost Recovery, Risk Management, and Optimization, Anna Nagurney, Ladimer S. Nagurney, and Dong Li, was accepted for publication in the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, while I was working in my office back in Gothenburg, Sweden.

I knew that my doctoral student, Dong "Michelle" Li, was also scheduled to present this paper at the 2012 INFORMS Phoenix conference. However, given the time difference and that I was very busy in Sweden, I was not certain exactly which day.

I was thinking that perhaps she could update the presentation with this good news.

I was wrong, Michelle had already given  the presentation on Sunday in the Managing Disruptions in Supply Chains session.

So, were the reviewers in the session, since the next day I heard that the paper had been accepted?!

This was Michelle's first INFORMS conference and she had a fabulous time and came back really inspired and energized. Some of the highlights for her (apples don't fall far from the tree) were the WORMS Award luncheon and the Student Chapter Awards ceremony. Michelle was the President of our UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter last year.

Plus, this is her first paper acceptance as a doctoral student, which is great!