What's Your StORy? Susan Martonosi

Name: Susan Martonosi

Employer: Harvey Mudd College

Job Title: Professor of mathematics

INFORMS member for 15+ years

I was a freshman at Cornell University in the College of Arts and Sciences, trying to transfer into the College of Engineering. I needed to declare a major, so I met with an academic advisor to learn more about the different types of engineering. When he described operations research and industrial engineering as using math to make processes better, a lightbulb went off. I started taking courses, and I haven’t looked back since!

I have been privileged to serve on the Board of INFORMS as VP of Membership and Professional Recognition. In this role, I have gained a deep appreciation of the outstanding and dedicated staff of INFORMS and just how vast our organization is. I have had the opportunity to interact with and learn from many of our talented members and make some great friendships along the way. I also always enjoy reconnecting with old friends at the Annual Meeting.

Learning comes from discomfort. When we shy away from doing things we aren’t confident about, we miss out on a learning opportunity. The best operations researchers are those who maintain broad knowledge about the field, even in areas that aren’t their strong suits. So take the hard courses (even if it means you’ll get a B instead of an A), study the concepts that aren’t your favorites, and don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable.

We are fortunate that our profession is eminently relatable: “Saving Lives, Saving Money, Solving Problems.” Who wouldn’t want to do that? INFORMS member Ken Chelst launched a great K-12 initiative to integrate O.R. and analytics into high school math curricula. Additionally, leveraging our connections to industry and government via our practitioner members would be a great way to spread the stories about the power of OR/MS/analytics.

I’m excited to be collaborating with a former student (Dr. Alice Paul, now an assistant professor at Olin College) on a chapter for a book, Data Science for Mathematicians, edited by Nathan Carter. The book introduces mathematics researchers to the fundamentals of data science in a way that builds on their mathematical expertise. Alice and I are writing a chapter on the role of O.R. in data science. This is an exciting opportunity for us to position O.R. not only as the machinery “under the hood” of many statistical, machine learning, and AI methods but also as a problem-solving paradigm in its own right for making decisions from data. The book should be appearing next year.  Also, one year from now, I hope to be on sabbatical, and that’s always worth celebrating! 

I use R for everything data-related that I do (even for small tasks where another tool might be quicker). R facilitates reproducible research, which preserves the integrity of our profession and also helps my future-self remember what I did.

The further I advance in my career, the more aware I become of these barriers. One important barrier is that of not being considered: not being considered to serve on a committee; not being invited to serve on an editorial board; not being nominated for a prize. Often, the first names that come to mind for such roles belong to men. One step to remedy this is to go beyond the first names that come to mind, and actively brainstorm women (and people from other underrepresented groups) who have the necessary skills for the role.  

I have enjoyed my time on the Board tremendously. I feel my leadership skills have been sharpened. I also have a broader understanding of and appreciation for our profession.
 

I have two hopes for INFORMS in the near future. First, I hope we continue to foster deep engagement of our practitioner members within the organization. The majority of our members come from academia, yet the context provided from business, industry, and government serves as the rudder steering the direction of academic research. We need a strong interaction between both types of members to remain relevant. Second, I hope we can continue our progress to further inclusive practices for our awards committees. Careers are launched by many of our prestigious awards, so it is important that the excellence present in our diverse membership be recognized equitably.

Teaching at an undergraduate liberal arts college is a bit of a “road less traveled” in our profession. A lot of people assume I’m not an active researcher (I am) or that teaching at an undergraduate college was not my first choice (it was). I am privileged to work with some of the top talent coming out of U.S. undergraduate programs, and I enjoy helping them discover operations research.

I’ve got two young kids, so most of my reading is about parenting.

Maintaining my long-term health and wellness through exercise and adequate sleep. I try to leave the office at the same time every day to exercise before I pick up my kids from daycare, and I try not to stay up late at night getting caught up on emails or writing that next paper. Exercise and sleep are rarely as “urgent” as the emails flooding my inbox, but they are more important.

Grace Hopper.