Bringing our Community Together through INFORMS Connect

I remember being a first-year Ph.D. student and my advisor explaining to me – for the first time – what “INFORMS” is and how to participate. I followed my advisor’s lead, prepared my presentation for an invited session, and registered with INFORMS to attend my first Annual Meeting. The very next day, I started receiving multiple emails with INFORMS-related messages, threads and posts from what looked like a forum. The messages kept coming daily in multitude while I figured out what these messages meant and how to get involved with this exciting and vocal community. The majority of these messages actually came from the INFORMS Connect page, which includes a variety of discussion posts, communities and similar threads. As a newcomer, these posts all looked the same to me, but as I started to understand the structure of INFORMS, the different chapters, fora and communities all began to make sense to me. I started to participate and post in the discussion boards. It may seem daunting initially, but the community is very supportive and inviting.

INFORMS Connect has become the staple of communication for INFORMS members and communities over the past few years. I’ve personally used it for multiple purposes. I began by following tips and advice that senior INFORMS members would post. As I became more involved and found my place within INFORMS, I observed more directed communities that appealed to my professional interests. Through the discussions, I learned about new journals to publish in, similar conferences to attend, professionals with akin interests and opportunities for professional development. Additionally, I learned about scholarships, fellowships, prizes, and funding and attending INFORMS meetings. Eventually, I went from session presenter to session chair, and Connect helped me find speakers for my sessions, as well as acquire new connections and collaborators.

When I was ready to go into the job market, Connect was incredibly useful because you can find posts from both academic and industry positions, and even have the chance to interview at INFORMS conferences. In 2022, I was on the other side of this situation and used INFORMS Connect to post about the faculty search I was chairing. It was incredible to see the number of email responses and interviews I could schedule just by announcing the position on this member forum.

Throughout the years, I’ve become more involved with communities, fora and chapters, such as Public Sector O.R. (PSOR), CTL (Committee on Teaching and Learning), Women in OR/MS (WORMS), Minority Issues Forum (MIF), among many others. Connect has aided me in following up with these groups and networks to which I belong, and kept me informed of their activities, meetings, collaborations and developments. I’ve personally grown closer to these communities and their members, even joining their boards and contributing to their growth. For smaller committees, such as CTL, finding participants for the Early Career Teachers’ Network (ECTN) preconference workshop would be harder if we didn’t have Connect to recruit participants. Another community that would not be the same without Connect is the Mentor Match Program. This mentorship program aids members in networking to find and request mentors and mentees. The program is open to all members, and the logistics happen through Connect. Therefore, Connect is not only for member communication, but it also facilitates networking and growth at different levels. You can list yourself as a mentor or mentee through Connect, and other members can reach out to you. I would not have known about this program – and the benefits it reaps – if it were not for Connect.

This past year, I’ve had the pleasure of serving as a junior VP of Communications for WORMS, and I’ve learned even more about leveraging the power of Connect. I’ve posted about our virtual events, from digital socials to professional webinars, and our in-person events during the Analytics Conference and Annual Meeting, as well as all our exciting activities in between, such as Mentor Match and the new podcast/book club. I’m always surprised about the reach of INFORMS Connect. There have been times when I would post a WORMS announcement on Connect, and minutes later, would get follow-up emails asking for more details, deadline information, or even people looking for guidance on communities and how to join WORMS. There have even been times when other members would respond on the same Connect thread or ask related questions.

From an outside perspective, it might seem like there is not as much interaction through Connect, but members do read the posts, and they follow up through a variety of means. The most impactful aspect of Connect, for me, was receiving an email from a WORMS member after the 2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting thanking me for always keeping them informed and making them feel welcomed to WORMS. It was a pleasant way of saying, “I read you on Connect, I follow you, and I appreciate what you do for this forum.” In a world where it's hard to get anyone’s undivided attention, it is great to read that Connect is helping us build and strengthen those relationships and communities within INFORMS.

I hope anyone reading this article gets curious about Connect and ventures into the open forum and discussion boards. I am sure you will find helpful information, exciting job offers, career development advice, community-specific events, possible future collaborators, and a plethora of professional opinions from academia, government and industry. Within these, you can find your chapters and fora to follow more closely. Over the years, you will acquire collaborators, colleagues and friends through Connect. At the end of 2022, INFORMS Connect was slightly revamped to make navigation and communication easier among members. So go check it out! I hope to Connect with all of you someday!