From Stillwater to the National Stage: OSU INFORMS Chapter
Description
Every operations researcher learns to ask one question: with limited resources, where does each dollar do the most good?
Operations research is the science behind how airlines schedule crews, how hospitals route patients, and how supply chains survive disruption. Our members at the OSU INFORMS Student Chapter study it every day. For this campaign, we asked that question about ourselves.
Our answer: get students out of the classroom and onto the national stage.
The constraint
The experiences that turn a student into a professional happen outside the classroom: presenting to a room of experts, talking with an engineer from a company they hope to join, or learning a tool no course teaches.
Each fall, the INFORMS Annual Meeting brings together researchers and industry leaders from across operations research and analytics. For a student, presenting there can be the start of a career. For many, the cost of getting there is the binding constraint.
A student who presents once and meets people in the field graduates with a network. A student who can't afford the trip doesn't.
The evidence
"INFORMS has helped me grow not only as an operations research professional, but also as a leader and part of a broader academic community. Attending the INFORMS Annual Meeting was especially meaningful, as it gave me the opportunity to learn from researchers and practitioners, exchange ideas, and see how analytics and optimization are creating real-world impact. Combined with my involvement in the Oklahoma State University INFORMS Student Chapter, these experiences have strengthened my confidence, broadened my perspective, and deepened my connection to the field."
— Kazi Arman Ahmed, Dual MSc in Industrial Engineering & Management and Business Analytics & Data Science, Oklahoma State University
The objective: $5,000
We're raising $5,000 to lift that constraint and fund a full year of exciting programs for the OSU INFORMS Student Chapter.
The allocation
The largest share goes where it changes careers.
- $2,500: Five $500 conference travel grants. These cover registration, travel, and lodging for members presenting at the INFORMS Annual Meeting or a regional conference. First-time presenters get first priority.
- $1,200: Speaker series and workshops. Four to six events this year, free and open to every OSU student.
- $600: Competition prizes. Our fall INFORMS Competition and a spring Analytics Challenge, which are often a student's first introduction to operations research.
- $500: Community events. Monthly Coffee & Cookie Hours, tables at org fairs, and a first-year welcome event. These are how most of our members first walked in the door.
- $200: Chapter materials. T-shirts, handouts, and a banner for fairs and competitions.
If we beat our goal
Every extra dollar goes to more travel grants, because that's where the need is deepest. Each additional $500 sends one more student to the national stage.
Where you come in
Every gift counts. $25 welcomes a new member at Coffee & Cookie Hour. $500 sends a student to the national stage. Give at any level, then share this page so it reaches someone else who'd like to help.
About the OSU INFORMS Student Chapter
We are the OSU Student Chapter of INFORMS (the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences), the international professional society for operations research and analytics. Our mission is to spark interest in the field and to build a community where students and faculty grow together. We do that in three ways:
- Leadership: We develop leaders ready to tackle real-world challenges.
- Networking: We connect students with professionals in industry and academia.
- Professional development: We help students build the skills that industry and academia need today.
We, the OSU INFORMS Student Chapter, are a student organization open to all students. Undergraduate and graduate students of any major are welcome, and no background in operations research and/or management sciences is needed to join.