The Dantzig Prize

citations 2009
past winners

The Dantzig Prize was founded by a group of George B. Dantzig's former students (R. W. Cottle, E. L. Johnson, R. M. van Slyke, and R. J.-B. Wets) and was first awared in 1982.

Guidelines

The prize is awarded jointly by the Society and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). The prize is awarded for original research, which by its originality, breadth and depth, is having a major impact on the field of mathematical programming. The contribution(s) for which the award is made must be publicly available and may belong to any aspect of mathematical programming in its broadest sense. Strong preference will be given to candidates who have not reached their 50th birthday in the year of the award.

The Prize Committee

The chair of the MPS and the President of SIAM will jointly appoint a Prize Committee for each award. The committee will consist of four members, one designated chair of the Prize Committee by the chair of MPS, and it will represent a diverse range of topics in mathematical programming. Committee appointments should be made at least two years before the prize award date.

For continuity, committee members will normally serve on two successive prize committees with the committee chair being a second-term member. Thus, normally two new members will be appointed and two members reappointed every three years. Committee members will be members of the Society and/or SIAM. At least two members of the committee will be Society members and at least two will be SIAM members. The membership of the committee should also reflect the international character of the societies.

Committee Procedure

The committee is responsible for the solicitation and evaluation of nominations. A call for nominations should be placed in appropriate MPS, SIAM, and other publications. Nominations should be accompanied by a letter of recommendation. The full committee should meet at least once, early enough to permit extended discussions regarding the qualifications of the candidates.

The committee will deliver its final report with its nominee(s) at least six months prior to the prize award date. The committee will complete its duties with the awarding of the prize. If the committee reports that no prize can be awarded, then the prize money will be used to increase the endowment and the duties of the committee will be completed.

The nomination(s) for the award should be presented by the Prize Committee to the Executive Committees of the SIAM Council and of the MPS, via the President of SIAM and the chair of the MPS. The nomination(s) for the award must be accompanied by a written justification and a citation of about 100 words that can be read at the award date.

Both SIAM and the Society must accept the nomination(s). Rejection by either one of the two societies will nullify the nomination(s). If the nomination(s) of the Prize Committee is rejected by the Society and/or SIAM, the Prize Committee may propose a second nomination.

Prize Award Date

A prize award will be considered every three years. If no prize is awarded, the award date moves ahead three years.

The Prize Fund

The MPS is responsible for soliciting and providing the funds necessary for the prize award. These funds are to be sent directly to SIAM, which will deposit the funds in the George B. Dantzig Prize Fund. SIAM is responsible for managing and administering the Fund.

Description of the Award

The award is to include a certificate containing the citation and a cash prize, the amount of which is to be determined by the Executive Committees of the SIAM Board and of the MPS. Normally the amount of the prize will be approximately the income available from the endowment to the extent that this income exceeds the travel expenses of the award recipient(s) to attend the meeting. These travel expenses will normally be paid by the George B. Dantzig Prize Fund, but if the Fund is not sufficient or as necessary, out of the operating funds of the organization that hosts the award. The hosting organization may make the payment of travel expenses contingent on the delivery of a major lecture at the meeting.

The Award Presentation

The award will be presented at the International Symposium on Mathematical Programming, except every third award will be presented at a national meeting of SIAM, usually the annual meeting in the year of the award. Presentation will be made by the Chair of MPS (or his designate) when the MPS hosts the award, and by the President of SIAM (or his designate) when SIAM hosts the award. The recipient is expected to make a short acceptance speech.

Change to These Specifications

Any changes to the above provisions pertaining to the George B. Dantzig Prize must be approved by the MPS Council and the SIAM Council and Board of Trustees.

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Past Winners of the Dantzig Prize