Amazon’s Supply Chain Optimization Technologies (SCOT) organization recently announced the 15 recipients of the SCOT/INFORMS Scholarships (formerly known as the INFORMS Fellows) for undergraduate and graduate students. The scholars represent 13 universities across three countries and are pursuing degrees or possible careers in, among other things, industrial and systems engineering, transportation engineering, civil engineering, and supply chain management.
The program was established in 2021 to help expand the pipeline of operations research, management science, and analytics talent from underrepresented backgrounds. In an effort to ensure inclusivity, these scholars include those who are either already actively engaged in operations research (OR) and management science (MS) studies as well as those who have had little to no training in traditional OR/MS courses, but are considering graduate studies or careers in these fields.
“Amazon is committed to accelerating the careers of young scientists and the SCOT/INFORMS Scholarship is a great example of that commitment," said Garrett van Ryzin, a SCOT distinguished scientist. "Recipients of the scholarship are high-potential undergraduates and graduate students who are invited to attend the INFORMS annual conference. By attending, they gain valuable exposure to exciting developments and the opportunity to network with leading academic and industry professionals. It’s a motivating experience that can really jump start their transition into the field.”
This year's class — comprising undergrad juniors and seniors as well as graduate students — attended the INFORMS 2022 Annual Meeting held Oct. 16-19 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The annual meeting connected more than 6,500 INFORMS members, students, prospective employers and employees, as well as academic and industry experts. Scholars received free conference registration, and stipends to cover hotel accommodations and transportation expenses for those who attended in-person.
“I am extremely thankful to Amazon for this amazing opportunity," said Vitor Farias Costa de Carvalho, one of this year's scholars. "The conference was amazing!"
Scholars were also provided an opportunity to connect with Amazon SCOT scientists to explore mentorship and networking opportunities; offered an opportunity to meet with members of the INFORMS Minority Issues Forum, ambassador graduate students, and INFORMS staff; and invited to attend INFORMS society meetings and university-sponsored receptions as well as plenaries, selected talks/posters, and tutorials.
Below is the list of the 2022 scholars, along with their university and major.
| Name | School | Major |
| Julia Bitencourt | Auburn University | Industrial and systems engineering |
| Oriana Calderon | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Transportation engineering |
| Brenda Cobena | Cirrelt | Statistics |
| Laya Dudi | University of Illinois | Business analytics |
| Vitor Farias Costa de Carvalho | Purdue University | Industrial engineering |
| Esneyder Rafael González Ponzón | University at Buffalo | Industrial engineering |
| Cristóbal Heredia | Universidad Adolfo Ibañez | Data science |
| Adrian Hernandez | Northwestern University | Civil engineering |
| Juan Pablo Morande | Auburn University | Industrial engineering |
| Anh Phuong (Roger) Ngo | North Carolina A&T State University | Electrical and computer engineering |
| Swati Padmanabhan | University of Washington Seattle | Electrical and computer engineering |
| Miguel Peinado-Guerrero | Arizona State University | Systems engineering |
| Natalie Randall | University of Iowa | Applied mathematical and computational sciences |
| Olabiyi Ridwan | Arizona State University | Industrial engineering |
| Mary Lizbeth Rojas | Saint Louis University | Supply chain management and logistics |
