Edward H. Kaplan was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made "important contributions to engineering theory and practice, including significant contributions to the literature of engineering theory and practice," and those who have demonstrated accomplishment in "the pioneering of new fields of engineering, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."

Kaplan, the William N. and Marie A. Beach Professor of Management Sciences and professor of public health, Yale School of Management, was recognized for his "assessment of needle-exchange programs and for generally bringing engineering perspectives to the design of public health policies."

Robert G. Sargent, professor emeritus of electrical engineering and computer science at Syracuse University, received the 2002 Lifetime Professional Achievement Award from the INFORMS College on Simulation (INFORMS — CS). The award was presented at the opening session of the 2002 Winter Simulation Conference. The full text of the award citation is available online at www.informs-cs.org.

The highest honor given by INFORMS — CS, this award recognizes major contributions to the field of simulation that are sustained over a professional career. For 2002 the award selection committee consisted of James R. Wilson (chair), Thomas J. Schriber and Julian Reitman.

Sargent first became involved with discrete-event simulation in the early 1960s as a graduate student at The University of Michigan, where he studied simulation methodology and developed simulation models. After completing his Ph.D. in 1966, Sargent joined the faculty of Syracuse University and taught there until he retired in the late 1990s. In the field of simulation, Sargent has made significant contributions to research, practice, dissemination of knowledge, development of software, service to the profession, and advancement of the status and visibility of the discipline.

An active disseminator of simulation knowledge to practitioners and researchers alike, Sargent has given numerous tutorials on wide-ranging simulation-related topics at conferences and universities around the world. He was a co-editor of the Proceedings of the Winter Simulation Conference in 1976 and 1977 and co-editor of a special issue of Operations Research on simulation (1983). For the special 50th-anniversary issue of Operations Research (2002), Sargent co-authored an invited article on the past, present and future of the field of simulation that was titled "Perspectives on the Evolution of Simulation."

Sargent has held all of the offices in INFORMS — CS, including president (1978 — 1980). He has served on most of the College's committees and was involved in establishing all of the awards given by the College. Sargent's service to the Winter Simulation Conference (WSC) spans four decades.

Terry Rockafellar of the University of Washington has accepted a part-time appointment, starting spring 2003, as adjunct research professor with the Center for Applied Optimization in the ISE Department at the University of Florida. Professor Rockafellar is a leading theoretician in the field of optimization and its applications. He holds major awards for his research from the Mathematical Programming Society, The Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics and INFORMS.

Richard Soland was recently honored for his many years of dedicated service to Omega Rho, the OR honor society, with a surprise celebration at George Washington University. With numerous colleagues and students looking on, Professor Soland received a plaque and desk clock from the Public Awareness Committee of INFORMS. Saul Gass hosted the event. INFORMS Executive Director Mark Doherty also attended the event.






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