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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Operations Research Graduate Program
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261026T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261026T173000
DTSTAMP:20261020T132656Z
CREATED:20260807T193111Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261020T132656Z
UID:10000125-1793032200-1793035800@or.ncsu.edu
SUMMARY:OR Seminar: INFORMS Practice Talks
DESCRIPTION:Come out and support OR Ph.D. Students as they practice their talks for the upcoming INFORMS Annual Conference. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/98145617839?pwd=ACJseKz0ZMW1iHEZfiyv3XYxA25iMV.1 \nMeeting ID: 981 4561 7839\nPasscode: 424214 \nTalk Title\, Abstract and Biographies\nJohn Kearby\nTitle\nWhere to Draw the Line: Authority Design and Span of Control in Human-Robot Teams\nAbstract\nHow many robots can one Soldier effectively supervise? This question\, determining whether the Army needs 10\,000 or 50\,000 personnel to operate 100\,000 robots\, reduces to a release authority design problem\, motivated by robotic obstacle breaching in combined arms operations. We formalize it as a finite-horizon stochastic MDP in which a robotic vehicle clears an N-segment obstacle belt\, each segment containing a threat with probability p_threat. State (x\, d\, b\, k) tracks position\, detection status\, query budget\, and failed engagements. Authority intensity α ∈ [0\,1] sets budget B_max = ⌊α · N · p_threat⌋; at each threat node the robot engages autonomously or queries its supervisor.\nBackward induction yields a threshold policy: query if and only if detection probability p_det  B_max)\, peaking near p_threat = 0.5. The derived query rate λ = μ · Pr(p_det < τ*) feeds into S = B/λ\, yielding a principled span-of-control estimate from mission parameters and authority design.\nExtending to n robots sharing bandwidth introduces query congestion\, inflating effective query cost and shifting the escalation threshold to a symmetric Nash equilibrium. Selecting α to place this equilibrium on the multi-robot efficiency frontier\, which is a mechanism design problem\, motivates Nash Q-learning and frames ongoing research.\nBiography\nLTC John Kearby is a U.S. Army Engineer officer and a Ph.D. candidate in Operations Research at NC State\, advised by Dr. Osman Ozaltin and Dr. Brandon McConnell. His research asks how many robots one Soldier can effectively supervise\, using Markov decision processes and reinforcement learning to model when an autonomous system should escalate a decision to its human commander and how that drives span of control in human-robot teams. He recently served as a Battalion and Brigade Operations Officer within the 36th Engineer Brigade at Fort Hood\, TX and taught in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at West Point. John holds an M.S. in Operations Research from NC State and is a licensed Professional Engineer. \nNoah Bridges\nTitle\nAssessing the role of patient heterogeneity in predicting CLTI outcomes with Bayesian survival models\nAbstract \nPeripheral artery disease (PAD) affects over 12 million U.S. adults\, and its most severe form\, chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI)\, carries high risks of amputation and death. PAD staging systems are largely qualitative and many risk models predict aggregated binary outcomes rather than event times\, limiting their utility for clinical decision-making. We fit Bayesian accelerated failure time models to 1\,672 CLTI patients from the BEST-CLI trial\, treating above-ankle amputation and death without amputation as competing risks. To test whether latent patient heterogeneity improves prediction\, we compare single-component\, covariate-gated mixture\, and frailty competing risks models using the widely applicable and deviance information criteria across 50 multiply imputed datasets. The discrimination and accuracy of the parametric models are compared to a random survival forest. Frailty improves amputation fit relative to the single-component model\, although this improvement is due to greater hazard function flexibility rather than identifiable heterogeneity. We do not find evidence for latent patient subgroups\, as the mixture model fails to recover consistent groupings. The competing risks framing identifies that age and comorbidities shape risk differently for amputation and death. The single-component model’s discrimination consistently matches the random survival forest. Although latent patient heterogeneity does not appear to be a significant driver of CLTI outcomes\, this work demonstrates the value of simple\, interpretable models in supporting the treatment of CLTI.\nBiography\nNoah Bridges is a fourth year PhD student in Operations Research. He is a Science\, Mathematics\, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Fellow\, and his research is focused on applying Bayesian statistical methods to decision-making under uncertainty. His main application area is decision-making in healthcare\, with particular emphasis on the long-term treatment of chronic conditions. \nNicole Felice\nTitle\nStochastic Optimization with Deterministic Nonlinear Constraints using Adaptive Sampling Trust Region Methods\nAbstract\nTrust-region methods have demonstrated substantial versatility for unconstrained nonconvex optimization problems in which objective function and gradient information is available only through a noisy stochastic oracle. A subclass of these algorithms\, ASTRO\, employs adaptive sampling to construct quadratic local models while determining oracle calls on the fly to ensure that estimated quantities satisfy prescribed accuracy conditions. ASTRO achieves competitive complexity results by exploiting dependence among noisy observations and the sample-path structure of the underlying problem. In this work\, we introduce the first variant of this algorithm that accommodates deterministic equality and inequality constraints. The new algorithm with adjust the sampling rule as well as use of a composite-step in both derivative-free and derivative-based settings. Convergence and complexity of the new variant and finite-time comparison on a suite of problems will be presented.\nBiography\nNicole Felice is a third year Ph.D. student in the Operations Research Graduate Program at North Carolina State University. Her research interests are modeling and optimization of stochastic systems and combining those with advanced computational practices. Her email address is ndfelice@ncsu.edu. \nJoao Gabriel De Souza Vale\nTitle\nCapacity and Forecast Error in Energy Storage Operations\nAbstract\nAdditional storage capacity usually improves operational performance\, but in forecast-driven systems it can also increase exposure to prediction errors. We study how battery capacity interacts with imperfect forecasts of demand\, prices. Using stylized models and data-driven experiments\, we examine when added capacity provides useful flexibility\, when it amplifies mistakes\, and how simple uncertainty-aware dispatch rules can mitigate this risk.\nBiography\n Joao is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Operations Research at North Carolina State University. He earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Brasilia in Brazil. He has experience with Data Science and contributed to research in simulation and machine learning. His research interest lies in combining machine learning and optimization to improve decision making. \nElizabeth Harris\nTitle\nA vulnerability-based equity approach to transmission network restoration using mixed integer programming\nAbstract\nNatural hazards are becoming more frequent and intense leading to more power outages. Populations that are vulnerable to power outages may have exacerbated effects if power restoration is not completed in an equitable manner. Our aim is to investigate how power restoration is impacted when prioritizing vulnerable populations. Power restoration crew routing can be optimized using a vehicle routing formulation and power flow dynamics can be modeled by direct current optimal power flow (DCOPF) formulation. We formulate this problem as a mixed integer vehicle routing problem with DCOPF constraints in which we route crews to repair transmission power lines and update the power flow as repairs occur. We investigate the impacts different objective functions have on the optimal solution. Our first objective is to restore power to the most people as fast as possible. Next\, we restore power by maximizing fairness. And finally\, we restore power equitably\, taking into account population vulnerabilities. We compare the results of these different objectives to determine how equity impacts power restoration. We consider the Hawaii transmission network as a case study\, and experiment with different numbers of repair crews. Preliminary results indicate that the outage location is the primary driver of inequality and power outage duration.\nBiography\nElizabeth Harris is a fourth year Ph.D. student in Operations Research. She has a bachelors of science in Mathematics and Chemistry from Furman University. Elizabeth is working with Dr. Rachunok and she is currently looking at impacts of natural hazards on power networks. Outside of school Elizabeth enjoys singing and is even in an a capella group at NC State!
URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-informs-practice-talks-10-26-2026/
LOCATION:2331 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way Fitts-Woolard Hall\, Room 2331\, Raleigh\, North Carolina\, 27606\, United States
CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series
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ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261116T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261116T173000
DTSTAMP:20260807T202914Z
CREATED:20260807T202914Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260807T202914Z
UID:10000128-1794846600-1794850200@or.ncsu.edu
SUMMARY:OR Seminar: SAS Institute
DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming The engineers from SAS (Kedar Prabhudesai\, Ella Pavlechko\, Brett Vogelsang and Subramanian Pazhani)\, as they discusses current operations research topics. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/98145617839?pwd=ACJseKz0ZMW1iHEZfiyv3XYxA25iMV.1 \nMeeting ID: 981 4561 7839\nPasscode: 424214 \nTitle and Abstract\nComing Soon \nBiographies\nComing Soon
URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-sas-institute-11-16-2026/
LOCATION:2331 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way Fitts-Woolard Hall\, Room 2331\, Raleigh\, North Carolina\, 27606\, United States
CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series
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ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261123T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261123T173000
DTSTAMP:20260807T194435Z
CREATED:20260807T194435Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260807T194435Z
UID:10000126-1795451400-1795455000@or.ncsu.edu
SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Thanksgiving Celebration
DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming all OR students\, faculty\, staff and alumni to a warm Thanksgiving celebration of community\, gratitude and Wolfpack spirit. All alumni and friends of the OR Program are invited. \nThe Importance of Thanksgiving Celebration\nThanksgiving is more than a holiday. It is a time when you reflect\, show gratitude\, and build connections. You pause from busy routines and appreciate the people and opportunities around you. As a result\, you see how even small blessings can shape your life. \nFor students\, faculty\, staff\, and alumni\, Thanksgiving also strengthens community. When you gather\, you feel part of something larger. Therefore\, you remember that you share experiences\, values\, and purpose with others. Through a shared meal\, you connect across generations and backgrounds. \nIn addition\, Thanksgiving highlights generosity. You practice kindness\, offer support\, and give back in meaningful ways. For example\, you might volunteer\, share your time\, or encourage a friend. These actions extend the holiday’s spirit beyond one day. \nMost importantly\, Thanksgiving reminds you of togetherness. When you celebrate\, you grow stronger as a community. Moreover\, you recognize that gratitude can guide your actions all year. In this way\, Thanksgiving becomes more than a tradition. \nUltimately\, the holiday encourages you to reflect\, give thanks\, and act with kindness. By doing so\, you carry its meaning forward.
URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-thanksgiving-celebration-11-23-2026/
LOCATION:2331 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way Fitts-Woolard Hall\, Room 2331\, Raleigh\, North Carolina\, 27606\, United States
CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2025/08/or-seminar-series-thanksgiving-celebration-11-24-2025-featured-image-08-2025-01.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261130T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261130T173000
DTSTAMP:20260807T200140Z
CREATED:20260807T195951Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260807T200140Z
UID:10000127-1796056200-1796059800@or.ncsu.edu
SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Mehul Patel
DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Mehul Patel\, Instructor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Duke\, as he discusses current operations research topics. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/98145617839?pwd=ACJseKz0ZMW1iHEZfiyv3XYxA25iMV.1 \nMeeting ID: 981 4561 7839\nPasscode: 424214 \nTitle and Abstract\nComing Soon \nBiographies\nComing Soon
URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-mehul-patel-11-30-2026/
LOCATION:2331 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way Fitts-Woolard Hall\, Room 2331\, Raleigh\, North Carolina\, 27606\, United States
CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/08/seminar-series-mehul-patel-11-30-2026-featured-image-08-2026-01.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261210T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261210T150000
DTSTAMP:20260827T173549Z
CREATED:20260810T173046Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260827T173549Z
UID:10000131-1796907600-1796914800@or.ncsu.edu
SUMMARY:Fall 2026 Graduation Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:The Fall 2026 Graduation Ceremony begins at 1 pm with a reception right after the service. The ceremony will be live-streamed (http://go.ncsu.edu/isegraduation) starting at 12:45 pm for friends and families to enjoy. The event will be held at the McKimmon Center in Room 2 on NC State’s campus\, and parking is FREE.
URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/fall-2026-graduation-ceremony/
LOCATION:McKimmon Center\, 1101 Gorman Street\, Raleigh\, 27606\, United States
CATEGORIES:OR Program Events
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ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu
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