And the Winner of the 2017 WORMS Award Is – Dr. Ruth Williams

One of my absolutely favorite events of the Annual INFORMS Conference is the WORMS (Women in Operations Research and the Management Sciences) Awards Luncheon that takes place on the Tuesday of the conference.

Not only do we reconnect with colleagues from around the globe at the event (I sat next to a colleague from Singapore who traveled 20 hours to Houston) and enjoy a delicious lunch with an exceptional dessert, but we also recognize an individual with the WORMS Award. The WORMS Award celebrates and recognizes someone who has contributed significantly to the advancement and recognition of women in OR/MS.

Now for the drumroll – this year’s winner is Dr. Ruth Williams, who is a chaired professor in the Math Department of UCSD. She is a native of Australia, and is a Fellow of multiple societies, including INFORMS, AMS, and AAAS and was also elected to the US National Academy of Sciences.

She has contributed to helping numerous individuals in their research and her mathematical contributions are awe-inspiring. She and I share a co-author so that was extra thrilling.

Her acceptance speech was moving and one we will not forget.

How lucky are we in INFORMS to have role models for the ages.