Photos from Dr. Benneyan's Talk Today and Our UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter Magna Cum Laude Award Celebration

I would like to, first, thank INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)  for its great Speakers Program (but, then again, I am a bit biased since I have been Chair of the Speakers Program for the past two years).

Today, we had the honor of hearing Dr. James Benneyan speak on Healthcare Systems Engineering and the talk focused on many of the problems with the healthcare system in the US and the associated costs and possible remedies, from the micro to the macro scale.

Dr. Benneyan is a speaker in the INFORMS Speaker Program.

He emphasized the importance of systems and systems engineering and in working on problems in the real world. He also spoke about what such well-known OR/MS methodologies as queuing, inventory theory, location theory, optimization and simulation as well as supply chain management can contribute to helping to solve the many problems.

Dr. Benneyan is a UMass Amherst PhD alum and is an award-winning researcher and faculty member at Northeastern University who runs major research programs in healthcare systems which combine research, applications, as well as education.

I took pages of notes.

Below are photos taken from the lunch through the discussion, which continued long after his presentation. The audience consisted of undergrad, MBA students, Master's students, PhD students from the Isenberg School of Management and from Engineering as well as faculty.

We also celebrated the UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter receipt of the magna cum laude award at the recent INFORMS Phoenix conference. This is the 6th national award that our chapter has received in the past 6 years. As the chapter's Faculty Advisor, I could not be happier! The students and the chapter officers do an outstanding job of planning activities, including Dr. Benneyan's talk today.

 

Our INFORMS Student Chapter Does it Again -- Magna Cum Laude Award

One of the best parts of being a Faculty Advisor of  our INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) Student  Chapter is seeing the students grow professionally, socially,  and personally.

This is my ninth year serving as the Faculty Advisor of the UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter and we have hosted not only amazing speakers from Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America, from academics to United Nations employees to top executives of major corporations, but have also had numerous social activities, including our famous end of the semester parties with international cuisine.

Our student chapter was also heavily involved in organizing the First Northeast Regional INFORMS Conference that was held at UMass Amherst in May 2011.

Each year, in early September the members elect a new slate of officers. These students thrive in their leadership roles as President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Webmaster and this year two new roles have been created, due to interest and need -- two events coordinators.

The students also support one another and serve as sounding boards for research and for preps before presentations at conferences, including, of course, the Annual INFORMS Conference.

It has been such a joy to see this community of students work together to build up the chapter and, once they graduate, through this chapter, they have made lifelong friends.

Some of our former members are now tenured Associate Professors and one, Dr. Tina Wakolbinger,  is already a Full Professor! Tina, who was then a doctoral student in Management Science at the Isenberg School of Management, and whom I had met while I was a Distinguished Fulbrighter at the University of Innsbruck in Austria,  was instrumental in reestablishing the chapter with me back in the Fall of 2004. Tina contributed to the INFORMS Best Practices Guide for Student Chapters  and was also recognized for her work with the Judith Liebman Award of INFORMS as was another doctoral student of mine and member, who is now an Assistant Professor, Dr. Patrick Qiang.

Yesterday, on a Sunday, no less, we heard that our UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter will be recognized for its activities with the Magna Cum Laude award at 2012 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

We heard the great news from Dr. Olga Raskina, who is the VP of Chapters/Fora.

This year, for the first time, there will be a special Student Awards Ceremony and it will take place prior to the Student Reception, on Monday, October 15, at 7:30PM in the Regency Ballroom at the Hyatt Hotel in Phoenix. Previously, the awards were given out at a breakfast.

Many of our present and past Chapter Officers will be in attendance. This is the sixth year in a row that the UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter has received either the Summa Cum Laude or the Magna Cum Laude Award, being recognized for its activities in each year that the award has been given. Both the students and I are thrilled by this great news. Above I have posted a photo of the recent election meeting of the student chapter.



More information on how to start a student chapter and tips on making it successful can be found on this INFORMS page.

Social Entrepreneur of the Year to Speak at Isenberg on Sweatshops and Slavery in the 21st Century: What Business Can Do

Today, the UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter will be hosting Mr. Viederman of Verite in our "Meet the Executive" Speaker Series.

His talk will take place in the Isenberg School of Management, Room 210, at 11AM today.

Immediately prior to his presentation on "Sweatshops and Slavery in the 21st Century: What Business Can Do," we will be holding a reception, beginning at 10:30AM.

At the reception we will be serving coffee and pastries and will have the magna cum laude award plaque displayed, which the chapter was awarded this past Tuesday morning at the 2011 INFORMS Charlotte conference.

Please join us, if you can.

The students (with help from Ms. Ellen Pekar) designed the event flyer above.

Isenberg Students and Faculty with the Magna Cum Laude Award

Last Tuesday morning the UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter received the magna cum laude award at the INFORMS conference in Austin, Texas.

Joining me at the awards breakfast: Min Yu, a doctoral student at the Isenberg School of Management, who served as last year's chapter president, and two former chapter presidents, Drs. Patrick Qiang and Zugang "Leo" Liu, who are now faculty members at Pennsylvania State University campuses.

The above photos were taken at the awards breakfast on November 9, 2010. We were presented with the award by Dr. Burcu Keskin of the University of Alabama and Dr. John Fowler of Arizona State University.

It was a terrific event.

Isenberg Graduate Students Excel in Award-Winning Student Chapter

The Isenberg School at UMass Amherst has issued a press release on the award that our INFORMS Student Chapter will receive on November 9, 2010 at the INFORMS Conference in Austin, Texas.

Our student chapter will be honored for the fourth year in a row with a national award from INFORMS for its activities. This year we will be receiving the magna cum laude award.

As Faculty Advisor to this terrific group of students, I could not be happier for them. They accomplish so much professionally and socially through teamwork, dedication, and innovation.

Last year's President of the student chapter, Min Yu, who is a doctoral student in Management Science, and also my student, will be joining me in Austin, Texas to receive the award on behalf of our chapter.

For the full press release click here.

The UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter website can be accessed here.

Even today, on a gorgeous Fall day, this group of students will be hosting a ping pong tournament, complete with pizza, refreshments, and prizes! A former member, Thomas Lenk, who happens to be visiting Amherst from Germany will take part!