Past Awards
After receiving his PhD at MIT in 1964 Stephen M. Pollock became a member of the technical staff at Arthur D. Little, Inc, and then, in 1965, joined the faculty of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. In 1969 he joined the University of Michigan, serving as chair of the IOE Department from 1981 through 1990. He is currently Herrick Professor of Manufacturing and Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering. Dr. Pollock has authored over 60 technical papers, co-edited two books, and has served as a consultant to more than 30 industrial, governmental and service organizations. He has served on various advisory boards for the National Science Foundation, was a member of the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics of the National Research Council and the Army Science Board. In 1992 he was the recipient of the Stephen S. Attwood Award, the highest faculty honor awarded by the Michigan College of Engineering. He has applied decision analysis and other operations research methods to understand and influence a variety of operational phenomena, including military search and detection, criminal recidivism and manufacturing process monitoring. His teaching is devoted to passing on to students the importance and beauty of creating and using mathematical models that parsimoniously represent controllable aspects of the world around us.
In his thirty-five years of involvement Professor Pollock has provided service leadership in virtually every aspect of ORSA and INFORMS. He has served on the Education Committee (Chair), Student Affairs Committee, Nominations Committee, Public Issues Committee, Long Range Planning Committee (Chair) and NSF Liaison Committee. He has served as IFORS Liaison, Representative to IIASA and ORSA/TIMS/INFORMS Visiting Lecturer. Steve‘s dedication in support of prizes and awards has been exemplary; he served on the Lanchester Prize Committee (Chair), ORSA Prize Committee (Chair), Morse Award and Lectureship Committee (Chair), Expository Writing Award Committee and Teaching of Practice Committee.
Professor Pollock served on the Publications Committees of ORSA and INFORMS (currently), Transportation Science Editor Search Committee and Operations Research Review Committee. He has been Associate Editor and Area Editor of Operations Research and Associate Editor of Management Science.
He served as Secretary of the Military Applications Section, Program Chairman of the 1982 ORSA/TIMS Detroit National Meeting, ORSA Council Member and President of the Operations Research Society of America in 1986.
Professor Pollock’s major society service accomplishments include having instituted the first ORSA student sections, “Careers” Booklet and Doctoral Colloquium. His complete record of service is indeed impressive and has had lasting effect on INFORMS!
For his distinguished and enthusiastic service to the profession and the Society, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences expresses its profound appreciation to Stephen M. Pollock, awarding him the 2001 George E. Kimball Medal.
Awards presented by Randy Robinson, Committee Member, and James Bean, President, November 6, 2001.