INFORMS Student Chapter Earns Accolade

Each year, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences recognizes its student chapters for their achievements at the INFORMS National Meeting. This year, the Tepper School of Business chapter earned a magna cum laude honor — its third year with this distinction and forth year to receive a chapter award.

The INFORMS student chapter at CMU was founded in 2014 by Ph.D. students in operations research and related fields. The chapter organizes academic seminars and social events, and recently hosted its third annual YinzOR student conference, a single-track academic conference highlighting the work of researchers in the fields of operations research, management science, and industrial engineering.

“It’s incredible that our student chapter has continued this award-winning streak,” said Musa Eren Celdir, Ph.D. candidate in operations management and the chapter’s current president. “I am extremely proud of our members and all their hard work. I’m excited to continue our streak next year.”

The awards are named using the Latin honors typically associated with levels of distinction for academic degrees. CMU is one of five student chapters this year to have earned magna cum laude honors — meaning “with great praise.” It received the same recognition in 2017 and 2018, and in 2016 was honored with a summa cum laude distinction — “with highest praise” — the top distinction bestowed to student chapters.

“Our chapter has been receiving this award almost since its inception,” said chapter adviser Fatma Kılınç-Karzan, Associate Professor of Operations Research. “It is truly exceptional that each and every year the chapter officers and the members are carrying out such extraordinary work.”