Mississippi State, University INFORMS student chapter, selected for annual award

Mississippi State’s student chapter of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS) has been selected for the national organization’s annual student chapter award.

Student group advisor and associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Mohammad Marufuzzaman explained that the INFORMS Annual Student Charter Award is a student-focused award designed to recognize the achievements of student chapters while motivating their continual performance and improvement.

“I am extremely proud of our chapter and its many accomplishments, as well as our officers and members who have volunteered their time to aid in our chapter’s success,” he said.

MSU’s student-led chapter of INFORMS connects the international INFORMS community with the Mississippi State student body. The chapter provides resources and professional development opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to help them succeed academically and professionally. This includes networking opportunities with peers and faculty, connecting with students from other universities, engaging with industry leaders, and learning valuable skills and concepts through interactive workshops.

The MSU chapter leads a variety of initiatives that are focused on engagement, development and service. These include engaging students with industry and academic leaders through an alum guest speaker series, developing skillsets through the student research and development club and data-science-focused workshops, and engaging students in the community through outreach initiatives, such as visiting local classrooms and participating in Engineering Discover Day on campus.

“Many of the initiatives we have developed are focused on improving the student experience and professional growth, and I believe our student chapter has had a resounding impact on our student community at Mississippi State University,” Marufuzzaman said.

Additionally, chapter president Durant Fullington, a graduate student in industrial and systems engineering, was selected as one of two awardees for the Judith Liebman Award for 2023. This award was established to recognize outstanding student volunteers who have been "moving spirits" in their universities, student chapters, and the institute.

INFORMS is the leading international professional society for Operations Research, Data Analytics, Management Science, Economics, and related fields, with over 12,500 members worldwide. The mission of this organization is to advance and improve science and technology decisions while simultaneously developing and providing a variety of resources to its members, including highly cited publications, conferences, networking communities, and professional development opportunities.