The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Student Chapter at Rice University was honored with a 2025 Student Chapter Annual Award at the Cum Laude level, marking the chapter’s second consecutive year receiving national recognition for its excellence in student leadership, professional development, and community engagement.
The award was presented during the INFORMS Annual Meeting this October, where student chapter leaders accepted the honor alongside faculty and national INFORMS representatives. The accomplishment is particularly notable as the Rice chapter competes primarily against graduate-led student groups, highlighting the chapter’s strong organizational culture and campus impact.
“Earning national recognition for the second year in a row speaks to the remarkable initiative, professionalism, and community the students in our INFORMS chapter have built,” said Illya Hicks, chair of the Department of Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research. “Their success—while competing largely against graduate-led chapters—reflects the strength of our program and the passion our students have for advancing operations research and analytics.”
Each year, INFORMS recognizes outstanding chapters whose programming, outreach, and chapter management further student engagement in operations research, analytics, and decision sciences. The Cum Laude tier reflects meaningful accomplishments in events programming, supporting student development, and strengthening connections between academia and industry. Rice appeared among a strong cohort of institutions receiving Cum Laude distinction, including MIT, North Carolina State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
INFORMS is the largest international association for professionals in analytics, operations research, and data science. The organization provides its members with education, networking opportunities, and platforms to advance research and solutions addressing complex real-world challenges across technology, healthcare, logistics, sustainability, and more. Student chapters play an important role in this mission by creating pathways for exploration, professional growth, and leadership development.