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| Kara Combs | Chrysafis Vogiatzis, Ph.D. |
| Air Force Institute of Technology | 2024 Co-chair, INFORMS DEI Committee |
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The INFORMS diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee started in 2020 and has since been an advocate for advancing DEI-related initiatives within the Institute. This article discusses what the DEI committee is, student-relevant initiatives, and a 2024 DEI ambassador project on TechFest Dayton.
About the INFORMS DEI Committee
According to the INFORMS strategic plan, one of the Institute’s goals is to "advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in all we do" (INFORMS, 2021). One of the many ways, this goal is being accomplished through the efforts of the INFORMS DEI Committee. The committee was officially established in 2017 and received a 5-year Strategic Initiative Proposal grant to financially assist their endeavors (Khojandi et al., 2023; Combs, 2024).
Dr. Chrysafis Vogiatzis, Co-chair of the DEI Committee and Teaching Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urban-Champaign, said the all-volunteer committee consists of 20-25 members. As of August 2024, this includes representatives from three INFORMS forums: the Junior Faculty Interest Group (JFIG), the Minority Issues Forum (MIF), and Women in OR/MS (WORMS) (Khojandi et al., 2023; Combs, 2024). Dr. Vogiatzis emphasized that committee members are not necessarily DEI experts but rather act as a bridge between INFORMS members and the society. The committee is organized into four subcommittees with a specific focus on DEI initiatives or programs: Teaching Pathways, Community Building, Research Pathways, and the Ambassador Program. In addition to these efforts, the DEI Committee had a strong presence at the INFORMS Annual Meeting. At this year’s event, they sponsored or co-sponsored several sessions and workshops and participated in the combined colloquia.
Student-related Initiatives
The committee welcomes involvement from all INFORMS members regardless of where they are in their collegiate program or career. Starting in 2022, the committee began hosting the INFORMS DEI Best Student Paper Award to honor work completed by an undergraduate or graduate student concerning a topic at the intersection of DEI and OR/MS. Within one year of hosting the competition, the committee saw a 40% increase in entries for a total of 42 in 2023. Submissions are typically due in June and require the majority of the paper to be the work of a student. The committee recognizes up to six awardees with a cash prize and a certificate. Students are encouraged to submit papers they believe to be tangentially relevant as the committee does not assess whether a topic qualifies as DEI-relevant or not.
In 2020, the DEI comittee began its DEI Ambassadors Program, which annually selects eight to ten short-term (one year or less) projects concerning the intersection of OR/MS and DEI. The program is celebrating its fifth year and has awarded approximately $15,000 each year. Historically, projects fell in six different categories:
- Educational outreach (especially those targeting non-traditional students)
- DEI-informed research in OR/MS
- Quantifying DEI in academia and industry (where we stand and what success looks like or means)
- Community building and empowerment through safe platforms for minority populations
- Professional development and mentorship
- Organizational initiatives aimed at INFORMS policies and activities.
Although most projects fell in these six categories, they encourage new ideas and proposals. Their goals are to expand into new areas and topics related to DEI. This year their projects span a broad range from mentorship workshop for female PhD students, to engagements with DEI students in data mining competitions, and much more. Along with members of the Cincinnati-Dayton INFORMS chapter, I (Kara) had the opportunity to lead a 2024 DEI ambassador project focused on K-12 STEM outreach called "TechFest Dayton: Large-scale K-12 STEM outreach targeting DEI-focused organizations, presenters, & communities."
TechFest Dayton
The objective of my INFORMS DEI Ambassadors project was to foster a passion for STEM disciplines, particularly among students from underrepresented communities. This objective was met through several efforts by TechFest Dayton. TechFest is a free public event organized by an all-volunteer committee and operated through generous donations and grants awarded to its namesake 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation. This annual event aims to inspire and educate the next generation of STEM enthusiasts, providing a crucial platform for students to explore these fields in an interactive and engaging environment.
In 2023, TechFest received attendee feedback emphasizing the need for greater consideration for DEI-related goals. As a result, this became a priority for the 2024 TechFest committee, on which I served as the exhibitor coordinator since 2022. As an officer of the INFORMS Cincinnati-Dayton Chapter, I was able to align TechFest’s goals with the chapter to promote operations research (OR) and related STEM disciplines to a K-12 audience.
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| Figure 1: Combs speaking at the TechFest Opening Ceremony |
The 2024 event took place on February 17 and 18, with over 2,500 people attending. Over 1,100 kids participated, with more than half being first-time attendees. The DEI Ambassadors Program grant sponsored part of the $25,000 event, ensuring that attendees are never charged an entry fee. This financial model is crucial in making the event accessible to all, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Another committee goal was to create a diverse and inclusive event where all children could see themselves represented in the STEM fields. Consistent with previous years, female and minority-identifying children accounted for 43% of all kids in attendance. Initiatives in 2024 included the addition of a “sensory-friendly hour” with reduced noise levels and a smaller crowd, allowing attendees to enjoy the event in a comfortable environment. The 2024 planning committee was excited to have tripled the number of DEI-focused exhibitors and noted that 20% of presenters were female, compared to none in the previous year.
The Cincinnati-Dayton INFORMS chapter staffed the event at a joint booth with the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Dayton-Cincinnati Professional Chapter. The joint booth featured multiple activities, including a school readiness activity (management/planning) and two computerized games aimed at teaching kids about statistics and programming.
The impact of TechFest extends beyond the two-day event. By exposing children to STEM at a young age, the event aims to spark a lifelong interest in these fields. The event also fosters a sense of community among participants, creating a network
of support and encouragement for young STEM enthusiasts. Through the dedication of volunteers, the generosity of donors, and the enthusiastic participation of attendees, TechFest continues to make a significant impact on the lives of young people in Dayton. The INFORMS DEI Ambassador grant program provided crucial financial support for TechFest Dayton and played a pivotal role in diversifying and raising awareness about operations research within the Dayton community.
Call to Action
Being a part of the DEI ambassadors project was a great personal growth opportunity to work on a great cause. Dr. Vogiatzis invites more students and early career professionals’ participation, welcoming both academicians and practitioners.
DEI committee members are expected to volunteer at least two hours a month to attend the general committee meeting and their selected sub-committee meeting (though multiple sub-committees can be joined). These sub-committees are self-driven, focusing on determination of their own efforts and how to approach those efforts.
Those interested in joining can reach out to Dr. Vogiatzis ([email protected]) and Ms. Gina Lloyd ([email protected]).
References
Alfonseca, K., 2023. Dei: What does it mean and what is its purpose? URL: https://abcnews.go.com/US/dei-programs/story?id=97004455.
Combs, K., 2024. Interview with Dr. Chrysafis Vogiatzis.
Ellis, N.T., 2024. What is dei and why is it dividing america? URL: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/09/us/what-is-dei-and-why-its-dividing-america/index.html.
INFORMS, 2021. Informs strategic plan. URL: https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/Governance/INFORMS-Strategic-Plan. Khojandi, A., Vogiatzis, C., Johnson, M., Lloyd, G., 2023. Working together to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within informs. URL: https://3449182.fs1.hubspotusercontentna1.net/hubfs/3449182/DEIC_Information_Session_March_ 2023.pdf?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fconnect.informs.org%2F.
Acknowledgements: This article is an expanded version of the INFORMS Diversity Blog article TechFest Dayton: Inspiring future innovators and bridging opportunity gaps authored by Kara Combs, Nathan Gaw, & Trevor Bihl. This article was also contributed as the OR/MS Today Student Column for Vol. 51, No. 4 (2024). I would like to thank Haokun Du for reviewing this article.