George E. Kimball Medal
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2022 Winner(s)
- Michael Fu, University of Maryland, College Park
Michael Fu is an exemplary academic when it comes to professional service – a model for young academics to emulate. He has served in numerous distinct and significant roles both within INFORMS and across the broader operations research community. He has served on numerous journal editorial boards for INFORMS journals (including the Operations Research Simulation Area Editor and the Management Science Stochastic Models and Simulation Department Editor). He has undertaken leadership roles for numerous INFORMS conferences, including serving as the general co-chair of the 2020 INFORMS Annual Meeting, cluster chair for the 2018 INFORMS International Conference, and program chair for the 2011 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC). He also served on the INFORMS Board of Directors from 2017-2018 as treasurer. He has provided tireless service to the broader INFORMS and international communities, including serving as the NSF Program Director for Operations Research. Michael’s altruistic character traits that permeate his personal life are the very same ones that have made him a valuable and dedicated contributor to INFORMS.

2022 Winner(s)
Ranganath Nuggehalli is the Principal Scientist of UPS. Dr. Nuggehalli has provided high-impact service to the profession since joining ORSA more than 30 years ago. He stewarded the Franz Edelman Award winner, the UPS ORION Project, that has become a model for implementing O.R. methodologies, and is regarded as one of the most impactful O.R. projects in the world. During his tenure, UPS became the first company to win two INFORMS prizes. To promote and support the practice of the operations research profession, he conceived the INFORMS UPS George D. Smith Prize and spearheaded its creation. Awarded to an academic program for effective and innovative preparation of practitioners, the prize is regarded as the highest honor in O.R. education globally. The unique competition provides needed benchmarks and has positively impacted O.R. education and the discipline itself. Dr. Nuggehalli served as president of the INFORMS Practice Section, and an officer of the INFORMS Roundtable and Service Science Section. He was an inaugural recipient of the INFORMS Volunteer Service Award and a founding CAP. For his many contributions to the field of O.R. and his distinguished service to INFORMS, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences expresses its sincere appreciation to Ranganath Nuggehalli by awarding him the 2022 George E. Kimball Medal.
Purpose of the Award
2023 Committee Chair
Bruce Golden
University of Maryland
email: awards@informs.org
The George E. Kimball Medal is awarded for recognition of distinguished service to the Institute and to the profession of operations research and the management sciences. The award is a medallion and a certificate.
2023 Submission Deadline: May 31, 2023
Prior to the creation of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) by the merger of the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA) and The Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS), the Kimball Medal was an ORSA Prize. TIMS had a similar prize, the TIMS' Distinguished Service Medal. The winners of this prize are included in the list below.
Application Process
Nominations are provided within the INFORMS award submission software. Nomination materials needed during the submission process include Nomination Letter (outlining the scope of service to INFORMS), Nominee’s CV, and draft citation of merit. Self-nominations are welcome.
About the Award/Namesake
Born in Chicago in 1906, Kimball received his bachelor's degree in quantum chemistry from Princeton University in 1928. He returned there to do his graduate work under Hugh Taylor, and pursue more chemistry, physics and mathematics. He received a National Research Fellowship in chemistry and spent from 1933-1935 at MIT. In 1942, Philip Morse organized a Navy group to analyze antisubmarine tactics, and Kimball was one of the first persons recruited. Within the year he became Deputy Director of the group, called the Operations Research Group (ORG) during the war, later called the Operations Evaluation Group, U.S.N...