BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Operations Research Graduate Program - ECPv6.16.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Operations Research Graduate Program X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://or.ncsu.edu X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Operations Research Graduate Program REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250113T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250113T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165628 CREATED:20260128T220544Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T212657Z UID:10000044-1736785800-1736790300@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Hangjie Ji DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Hangjie Ji\, assistant professor from NC State’s Department of Mathematics\, as she discusses the modeling\, analysis and control of droplet dynamics. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nDid you miss the Zoom Meeting?\nDon’t worry. You can watch it here: Watch Hangjie Ji’s seminar\nAccess Password: cyV+mz2d \nTitle and Abstract\nModeling\, analysis\, and control of droplet dynamics\nThin liquid films flowing down vertical fibers spontaneously exhibit complex interfacial dynamics\, leading to irregular wavy patterns and traveling liquid droplets. Such droplet dynamics are fundamental components in many engineering applications\, including mass and heat exchangers for thermal desalination\, as well as water vapor and particle capture. Recent experiments demonstrate that critical flow regime transitions can be triggered by varying inlet geometries and external fields. Similar interacting droplet dynamics have also been observed on hydrophobic substrates\, arising from interfacial instabilities in volatile liquid films. In this talk\, I will introduce lubrication theory\, weighted residual models\, and dynamical system models for droplet dynamics. I will also present our recent results on developing optimal boundary control and mean-field control for droplet dynamics. \nBiography\nHangjie Ji is an Assistant Professor in mathematics at North Carolina State University. Before coming to NC State\, she was an Assistant Adjunct Professor for the Program in Computing at UCLA Department of Mathematics. She completed her Ph.D. in Mathematics at Duke University in 2017. Her research interests lie in nonlinear partial differential equations\, scientific computing\, and data-driven mathematical modeling\, with a focus on their applications in physics\, engineering\, and medicine. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-hangjie-ji-01-13-2025/ LOCATION:2115 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way Fitts-Woolard Hall\, Room 2115\, Raleigh\, North Carolina\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-hangjie-ji-featured-image-12-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241202T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241202T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T140947Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T141232Z UID:10000045-1733157000-1733161500@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Jenny Wright DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Jenny Wright\, senior manager at MITRE\, as she discusses operations research topics. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-jenny-wright-12-02-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/or-seminar-series-default-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241118T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241118T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T141155Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T141814Z UID:10000046-1731947400-1731951900@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: David Cornejo DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming David Cornejo\, director of data science at Glaxo Smith Kline\, as he discusses operations research topics. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 \nTitle and Abstract\nThe value of stochastic modeling in pharmaceutical R&D decision-making \nPharmaceutical Research & Development is a risky\, capital-intensive enterprise. GSK’s Portfolio\, Decision Sciences\, and Analytics team helps senior R&D decision-makers shape GSK’s portfolio of pharmaceutical & vaccine development projects to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate risks. This presentation will provide an overview of two mechanisms in which the GSK team utilizes stochastic modeling to shape portfolio decisions: 1) Estimation of project Probability of Technical and Regulatory Success (PTRS) and 2) Simulation of pipeline fill-and-flow. Emphasis will be placed on discussion of the business value delivered by these capabilities. For PTRS estimation\, we will demonstrate that improved PTRS estimation has increased the value of GSK’s portfolio by >$1b. For fill-and-flow simulations\, we will discuss how results are used to evaluate the impact of strategic investments. \nBiography\nDavid Cornejo is the Director of Data Science within the Portfolio\, Decision Sciences and Analytics team at GSK. He is responsible for Data Science innovation\, analysis\, and data operations supporting portfolio decision-making and strategic planning. He has previously worked as a data scientist for several organizations\, including McKinsey & Company and Caterpillar. Cornejo received his Doctorate in Operations Research from NC State where his research focused on applications of simulation modeling and optimization in health policy design. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-david-cornejo-11-18-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-david-cornejo-featured-image-08-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241111T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241111T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T141421Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T141825Z UID:10000047-1731342600-1731347100@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Itai Gurvich DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Itai Gurvich\, James Allen Professor from Northwestern University\, as he discusses operations research topics. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 \nTitle and Abstract\nOnline Allocation of Reusable Resources: The value of information and the cost of randomness \nItai Gurvich will discuss the problem of dynamically allocating reusable resources to customers of n types. There are d pools of resources and a finite number of units from each resource. If a customer request is accepted\, the decision maker collects a type-dependent reward and the customer occupies\, for a random service time\, one unit from each resource in a set of these. Upon service completion\, these resource units become available for future allocation. This is a loss network: requests that are not accepted leave immediately. The decision maker’s objective is to maximize the long-run average reward subject to the resource-capacity constraint. This is the basic model for revenue management with reusable resources. \nThe goal is to develop a nearly optimal admission control algorithm. In the talk\, Gurvich will consider the online problem against benchmarks that capture the value of information and the cost of randomness. The benchmarks will expose an interesting contrast with the perishable-resource case which serves as the basic model for network revenue management. \nBiography\nItai Gurvich is a professor at the Kellogg School of Management\, Northwestern University. He earned a Ph.D. from the Decision\, Risk and Operations department at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business in 2008. After his PhD\, he spent 8 years at Kellogg and 4 years at Cornell University’s campus in New York City (Cornell Tech) before returning to Kellogg in 2021. \nHis research interests include performance analysis and optimization of processing networks and the theory of stochastic-process approximations. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-itai-gurvich-11-11-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-itai-gurvich-featured-image-08-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241104T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241104T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T141619Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T141833Z UID:10000048-1730737800-1730742300@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Hossein Tohidi DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Hossein Tohidi\, Senior OR Specialist from SAS\, as he discusses molecular structure with Graph Neural Networks. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 \nTitle and Abstract\nGraph-Based LogP Prediction: Leveraging Molecular Structure with Graph Neural Networks \nMolecular structures can be effectively represented as graphs\, with atoms as nodes and bonds as edges\, offering rich connectivity patterns crucial for property prediction tasks. LogP\, the logarithm of the partition coefficient\, serves as a pivotal descriptor reflecting a molecule’s hydrophobicity\, influencing its behavior in biological and chemical environments. In this study\, we propose a novel approach utilizing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to predict LogP values from molecular graphs directly. \nOur method exploits the inherent graph representation of molecules to learn informative nodes autonomously\, and graph features crucial for LogP prediction. Leveraging SAS Viya capabilities as well as the Torch Geometric Python package\, we train our model on diverse datasets\, ensuring robustness and generalization across various molecular structures. We conduct extensive experiments\, benchmarking our approach against state-of-the-art methods in LogP prediction. Our results underscore the efficacy of our graph-based model in accurately predicting LogP values. \nIn summary\, our work showcases the potential of Graph Neural Networks in elucidating graph properties for LogP prediction. By integrating graph representation learning with molecular property prediction\, we offer a promising framework to enhance drug discovery and molecular design processes. \nBiography\nHossein Tohidi is a Senior Operations Research Specialist at SAS\, working in the SAS R&D in the Network Analytics team. He earned his PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2020\, with a dissertation titled “Expert Systems for Decision Making in Multistage Healthcare Problems\,” supervised by Dr. Osman Ozaltin. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-hossein-tohidi-11-04-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-hossein-tohidi-featured-image-08-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241028T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241028T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T142039Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T142128Z UID:10000049-1730133000-1730137500@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Tyler Kroon DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Tyler Kroon from NC State’s Libraries as he discusses NC State library resources. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 \nTitle and Abstract\nIntro to the Library and AI-Powered Research Tools \nKroon\, a Research Librarian for Engineering at NC State\, will introduce attendees to library services and resources that they may find useful throughout their time here\, with a focus on recommended databases\, search strategies\, data management\, and citation management. He will also provide a brief overview of some AI-powered tools that he’s found most useful for the research and writing process. This session will incorporate open discussions and demonstrations throughout. \nBiography\nTyler Kroon is a Research Librarian for Engineering at NC State. He plans and teaches library instruction sessions and research workshops and provides research consultation services for engineering students and faculty. He serves as the library liaison to the Civil\, Construction\, and Environmental Engineering\, Industrial and Systems Engineering\, Materials Science and Engineering\, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering departments within the College of Engineering. \nKroon also serves on the NC State University Libraries’ Alt-Textbook Team\, working to reduce textbook costs for students\, and the Community\, Culture\, and Belonging Committee\, working to facilitate learning and collaboration in the Libraries that contributes to a more inclusive and equitable campus environment. He co-teaches the 1-credit HON 398 Critical Disinformation course and has a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Kent State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Keuka College. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-tyler-kroon-10-28-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-tyler-kroon-featured-image-08-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241007T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241007T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T142429Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T142429Z UID:10000050-1728318600-1728323100@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/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 \nStudents\nYamil Essus\nTitle: Estimating Access Risk During Blackouts Due to Vehicle Electrification in North Carolina \nAbstract: Vehicle electrification is a key component of sustainable development goals\, yet the mass adoption of electric vehicles can lead to unintended consequences for community mobility during natural hazards. Electric vehicles pose a challenge to owners during natural hazards that lead to power outages\, as a lack of home charging limits the mobility of EV owners. Due to the direct relation between driving distance to essential services and vehicle battery consumption\, changes in mobility will be impacted by geographic and technological factors. Geography determines the driving distance to essential services\, which will be translated to electricity consumption devoted to transportation\, and technology determines the size of electric vehicle batteries and vehicle efficiency. The linkage between mobility\, electric power availability and quality of life has broad implications for community resilience as equitable access to essential services has been identified as the most important aspect of community resilience. We present the results of a computational framework for estimating the risk of losing access to essential services during a prolonged blackout in North Carolina\, assuming complete adoption of electric vehicles. We leverage an open-source routing engine to compute driving distance to services\, census data to identify driving requirements (such as school enrollment and commuting by private car) and a database of previous blackouts to estimate county-level blackout risk. Additionally\, we incorporate a heuristic to approximate distance driven on commuting using isochrone curves. Finally\, we explore the sensitivity of our results to vehicle battery capacity\, which is tightly linked to vehicle affordability. \nBiography: Yamil Essus is a Ph.D. student in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department working in modeling community systems to understand and quantify the impacts of technological and social changes on the ability of communities to withstand natural hazards using statistical and data visualization tools. \nHyungkhee Eun\nTitle: Comparative Analysis of Distance Metrics in Distributionally Robust Optimization for Queuing Systems: Wasserstein vs. Kingman \nAbstract: This study examines the effectiveness of different metrics in constructing ambiguity sets for Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO). Two main approaches for building ambiguity sets are the moment- and the discrepancy-based approaches. The latter is more widely adopted because it incorporates a broader range of distributional information beyond moments. Among discrepancy-based metrics\, the Wasserstein distance is often preferred for its advantageous properties over ϕ-divergence. In this study\, we propose a moment-based Kingman distance\, an approximation of mean waiting time in G/G/1 queues\, to determine the ambiguity set. We demonstrate that the Kingman distance provides a straightforward and efficient method for identifying worst-case scenarios for simple queue settings. In contrast\, the Wasserstein distance requires exhaustive exploration of the entire ambiguity set to pinpoint the worst-case distributions. These findings suggest that the Kingman distance could offer a practical and effective alternative for DRO applications in some cases. \nBiography: Hyungkhee (HK) is a second-year Ph.D. student in the ISE department at North Carolina State University. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Handong Global University\, and M.S. degree in Development Policy from KDI School of Public Policy and Management\, Korea. HK’s research interests include stochastic simulation and optimization. His current research focuses on bias correction and novel techniques for rapid identification of worst-case performance in distributionally robust optimization. \nWill Kirschenman\nTitle: Automated Vessel Selection and Combat Load Planning \nAbstract: In large-scale combat operations\, the U.S. military must move and maneuver its forces through intratheater and intertheater modes of transportation. Threat forces exacerbate these demanding requirements through efforts to hinder the flow of friendly forces. Contested landing zones\, whether they be fixed ports or beaches\, are the starting point for a landing force’s ground combat operations. It is imperative that the landing force expeditiously off-loads in the prescribed order of priority to support the planned scheme of maneuver upon off-loading. We first discuss current and historical methods of load planning while emphasizing the need for more detailed and automated methods driven by the expected nature of future conflicts against near-peer threats. We then present a model that optimizes vessel selection\, sequencing\, and combat load configurations of a large military force by considering multiple levels of priority and group unity\, which enables efficient off-loading into desired tactical formations for follow-on objectives. \nBiography: Will Kirschenman has served 14 years in the U.S. Army\, first as an Engineer and now as an FA49 Officer or ORSA (Operations Research / Systems Analyst). He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2010 and his M.S. in Operations Research (OR) from George Mason University in 2020. He is in his second year of the OR Ph.D. program and will graduate in Spring 2026. His research involves combinatorial optimization in vessel selection and combat load planning in the military\, where multiple levels of priority and group unity must be incorporated. He has a wife and three kids and enjoys fitness\, the outdoors\, and spending time with his family. \nBehnam Jabbari\nTitle: Derivation and Generation of Path-Based Valid Inequalities for Transmission Expansion Planning with New Bus Integration \nAbstract: This research tackles the intricacies of DC OPF-based transmission expansion planning (DC-TEP)\, accommodating the integration of new buses into the power grid. To handle the general intractability of this problem\, the primary computational strategy involves deriving Valid Inequalities (VIs). The proposed approach utilizes problem structure and graph-based methodologies to generate highly effective VIs. More specifically\, these VIs are generated by identifying relevant power flow paths connecting buses within the existing and expanded network before solving the dispatch problem. While in the associated theorems identifying the longest paths is deemed essential to preserve integer solutions\, the proposed approach efficiently circumvents such an inefficient procedure. \nBiography: Behnam Jabbari is a Ph.D. student in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a Master’s student in Operations Research at NC State University. His research focuses on Systems Analytics and Optimization\, with a particular emphasis on developing theoretical methodologies for solving discrete optimization problems. Specifically\, Behnam is working to improve computational methods for Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) in power systems optimization\, aiming to design efficient algorithms with robust guarantees.\nVeronica Diaz Pacheco\nTitle:Assessing the Vulnerability of Power Systems in Decarbonized Power Grids: A Network Interdiction Study \nAbstract: Decarbonizing electric power systems will likely involve greater reliance on variable renewable energy\, especially wind\, and solar\, which provide lower electricity output per land area than fossil fuel and nuclear-based power. As a result\, a distinct feature of future bulk power systems may be more numerous\, lower-capacity generators spread more evenly throughout the network. The impacts of this new configuration on the vulnerability of system operations are still unclear. Motivated by recent physical attacks on grid infrastructure\, this study examines how decarbonization through variable renewables could alter the vulnerability of the power system to intentional attacks. We explore this question as a network interdiction problem\, a two-player sequential game model where an adversary aims to maximally damage a cost-minimizing system operator by destroying grid components (generators\, transmission lines\, substations\, etc.). While network interdiction has previously been used to assess the vulnerability of power systems\, its application in the context of system-wide decarbonization is novel. We use a clustering procedure on annual load and renewable generation data from a real-world 662-bus regional transmission system to generate representative operating scenarios. We then evaluate how an attacker’s optimal strategies change throughout a typical operating year\, contrasting the vulnerabilities of the current and future (decarbonized) grid configuration\, including the capacity mix and its distribution throughout the regional transmission network. \nBiography: Veronica is a fourth-year doctoral student and researcher in the Operations Research program at North Carolina State University. After experiencing the devastating impacts of Hurricane Maria in her homeland Puerto Rico during September 2017\, Veronica became deeply interested in the field of decision-making under disruptions and emergency management. Under the supervision of her advisor\, Dr. Jordan Kern\, Veronica is exploring the use of bi-level programming to assess and enhance the resilience of bulk power system operations\, particularly with the integration of renewable energy sources. Veronica’s research interests include mathematical modeling and programming\, emergency management\, simulation\, networks\, and energy systems. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-informs-practice-talks-10-07-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-phd-students-informs-featured-image-08-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240930T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240930T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T142608Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T142835Z UID:10000051-1727713800-1727718300@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Chao Chen DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Chao Chen\, an assistant professor from NC State’s Mathematics Department\, as he discusses efficient matrix computations. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 \nTitle and Abstract\nEfficient matrix computation for scientific computing and data analytics \nMatrix computations are ubiquitous in scientific computing and data science. However\, many existing methods consume enormous computational resources for solving increasingly large and complex problems. In this talk\, I will describe my work on exploiting mathematical structures and hardware capabilities to accelerate matrix computations. I will focus on a randomized algorithm\, namely RChol\, for computing an incomplete Cholesky factorization of a graph Laplacian\, which arises from data clustering\, semi-supervised learning\, and the solution of partial differential equations. RChol employs a randomized sampling scheme developed by Spielman and Kyng to prevent excessive fill-in introduced by Gaussian elimination. Compared to its deterministic counterparts\, RChol delivers faster convergence\, less running time\, and better parallel scalability. \nBiography\nChao Chen has been an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics since 2023. Before that\, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Oden Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. He received his PhD from the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering (ICME) at Stanford in 2018.\nHis research generally focuses on developing efficient algorithms for matrix computations with applications to computational tasks ranging from solving partial differential equations to analyzing large high-dimensional datasets. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-chao-chen-09-30-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-chao-chen-featured-image-08-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240923T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240923T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T142804Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T142804Z UID:10000052-1727109000-1727113500@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Edgar Lobaton DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Edgar Lobaton\, a professor from NC State’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department\, as he discusses AI-powered wearables. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 \nTitle and Abstract\nRobust Cough and Speech Detection with AI-Powered Wearables \nCoughs are used for the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases\, and patterns in speech\, including pause distributions\, are used for the diagnosis of speech pathologies\, including mild cognitive impairment. These use cases motivate our development of a wearable system that meets clinical monitoring requirements for detecting cough and speech patterns by fusing multimodal sensor data and ensuring users’ privacy. Our methodology enhances standard deep learning approaches by incorporating Out-Of-Distribution detection for robustness and incorporating Knowledge Distillation techniques to develop embedded deployments. \nBiography\nEdgar J. Lobaton\, professor\, joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State University in 2011. He earned his B.S. in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering from Seattle University in 2004. He completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California\, Berkeley in 2009. Lobaton was engaged in research at Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs in 2005 and 2009. He was awarded the NSF CAREER Award in 2016. He was also awarded the 2009 Computer Innovation Fellows post-doctoral fellowship and conducted research in the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill from 2009 until 2011. In 2023\, he received the William F. Lane Outstanding Teaching and the Winser Alexander Diversity Faculty Awards from the ECE Department. In 2024\, he received the University Faculty Scholars and the Outstanding Teacher Awards from NC State. His research focuses on the integration of AI and physical and probabilistic modeling applied to cyber-physical systems in areas such as wearable health monitoring\, rehabilitation robotics\, agriculture and biological imaging. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-edgar-lobaton-09-23-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-edgar-lobaton-featured-image-08-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240916T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240916T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T143129Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T143217Z UID:10000053-1726504200-1726508700@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: ORGSA DESCRIPTION:Come out and meet the officers of the Operations Research Grad Student Association (ORGSA) and find out how to navigate research and well being as a Ph.D. student in Operations Research. OR Alums and friends are welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/93445582296?pwd=FykTWtJLHlZkhaVn6aV4AZrwVmMrF7.1 \nMeeting ID: 934 4558 2296\nPasscode: 051656 \nTitle\nNavigating Research and Well Being as a Ph.D. Student in Operations Research \nPanelists\nJoshua Grassel earned his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from California Polytechnic State University in 2021. During his undergraduate studies\, he completed three internships—two in manufacturing engineering and one in logistics engineering. Josh began his PhD in Industrial Engineering at Arizona State University in Fall 2021 and transferred to the Operations Research PhD program at NC State in Fall 2023. His research under Dr. Escobedo has spanned topics such as the wisdom of crowds and sustainable solid waste management. Currently\, he is focusing on optimization algorithms with an interest in numerical precision. Outside of academia\, Josh enjoys cooking\, playing board games\, running\, cycling\, and exploring the outdoors with his wife and dog. \nWarren Kay graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) in 2016 with a BS in Chemical Engineering. He has served for 8 years in the U.S. Army as an Engineer Officer. He is in his second year of the MS in OR program. After he graduates in Spring 2025\, he will move to West Point\, New York\, where he will teach in the Math Department at USMA. His research involves school bus route assignments and studying the impact of adjusting high school start times in Wake County. He hopes to use his graduate experience to transition into a career as an Operations Research / Systems Analyst for the Army. Warren enjoys coaching and parenting his three kids alongside his wife\, Madison. \nWill Kirschenman has served 14 years in the U.S. Army\, first as an Engineer and now as an FA49 Officer or ORSA (Operations Research / Systems Analyst). He is in his second year of the OR Ph.D. program and will graduate in Spring 2026. His research involves combinatorial optimization in vessel selection and combat load planning in the military\, where multiple levels of priority and group unity must be incorporated. He has a wife and three kids and enjoys fitness\, the outdoors\, and spending time with his family. \nLaura Mora received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She is currently in her third year of the Operations Research PhD program. Laura’s area of research is in causal inference. Specifically\, she seeks to investigate potential negative effects of law enforcement drug seizures on public health and safety. Her advisors are Dr. Maria Mayorga and Dr. Osman Ozaltin. Outside of academia\, Laura enjoys watching TV with her cat and dog\, reading romance novels\, and going to the theatre. \nAbout ORGSA\nThe ORGSA at NC State serves operations research graduate students by fostering communication between students and faculty\, establishing and maintaining a sense of identity and community within the OR program\, and promoting events\, interactions\, and programs that enhance the quality of education for students and their outcomes after graduation. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-orgsa-09-16-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 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-orgsa-panel-11-03-2025-featured-image-08-2025-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240827T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240827T200000 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T143846Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T143846Z UID:10000055-1724781600-1724788800@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:Women's Retreat 2024 DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to announce our Women’s Retreat 2024 for all ISE-affiliated programs (ISE\, OR\, IMSE and MEM). Join us on August 27\, 2024\, from 6 pm to 8 pm. During this women’s retreat\, you will feel empowered and connected with other female graduate students. Moreover\, this event provides a safe and supportive space for women to discuss Title IX issues. You will also build a professional network and boost your career confidence. Expert speakers will lead workshops and give talks to help you grow. Don’t miss this chance to connect and learn! \nTo ensure a successful and enjoyable event\, we have planned the following agenda: \n\nWelcome and introduction\nKeynote address by the Women’s Center\nNetworking session\nWorkshop on professional confidence-building by the Career Center\n\nOR Seminar Series\nThe OR Program offers a unique opportunity every semester through the OR Seminar Series. These sessions let you interact with seasoned professionals from industries like technology\, medicine and education. You gain firsthand knowledge and insight and build long-lasting relationships through networking. This gives you an edge in the competitive job market. \nAs an added benefit\, you are welcome to attend all Industrial and Systems Engineering Departmental Seminars and MEM Program Seminars to expand your industry knowledge and professional network.\nAttend other OR seminars this semester >> \nSociety of Women Engineers\nThe Society of Women Engineers (SWE)\, founded in 1950\, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is a driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.\nDiscover what the Society for Women Engineers has for you >> URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/womens-retreat-2024-08-27-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Program Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-womens-retreat-08-27-2024-featured-image-07-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240826T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240826T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T144220Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T144220Z UID:10000056-1724689800-1724694300@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Maria Mayorga DESCRIPTION:Join OR director Maria Mayorga as she introduces you to the Operations Research Program. She will provide an overview of the program as well as discuss the program’s requirements. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-maria-mayorga-08-26-2024/ LOCATION:4134 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way Fitts-Woolard Hall\, Room 4134\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2023/07/mayorga-named-or-director-1024x512-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240819T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240819T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T144925Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T151207Z UID:10000058-1724085000-1724089500@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Fall 2024 Welcome Event DESCRIPTION:Join OR Director Maria Mayorga in welcoming the new operations research students to the program. This is an opportunity for students to meet each other and enjoy some delicious popsicles from Locopop. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nThe event will be held on Angel Plaza\, which is located outside of the second-floor entrance to Fitts-Woolard Hall. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/fasll-2024-welcome-event-08-19-2024/ LOCATION:Angel Plaza\, 915 Partners Way\, 2nd Floor Entrance\, Raleigh\, North Carolina\, 27606 CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-welcome-back-meet-and-greet-featured-image-08-2024-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240503T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240503T110000 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T152450Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T152450Z UID:10000059-1714726800-1714734000@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:Spring 2024 Graduation Ceremony DESCRIPTION:The ISE\, OR and MEM Spring 2024 Graduation Ceremony begins at 9 am with a reception right after the service. The ceremony will be live-streamed (http://go.ncsu.edu/isegraduation) starting at 8:45 am for friends and families to enjoy. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/spring-2024-graduation-ceremony/ LOCATION:McKimmon Center\, 1101 Gorman Street\, Raleigh\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Program Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2025/08/graduation-ceremony-default-feature-image-08-2025-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240422T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240422T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T152907Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T152907Z UID:10000060-1713803400-1713807900@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Jonathan Owen DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Jonathan Owen from General Motors as he discusses Leveraging OR/MS and Analytics in the automotive industry. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/97198402775?pwd=dGN3ZDdldm1obXNXMTEzUkJlcElLdz09 \nMeeting ID: 971 9840 2775\nPasscode: 557407 \nDownload Jonathan Owen’s abstract and biography \nTitle and Abstract\nLeveraging OR/MS and Analytics in Automotive \nIn the fiercely competitive and capital-intensive automotive sector\, effective decision-making is paramount for manufacturer success. Long product development cycles\, significant upfront investments\, and diverse customer preferences underscore the need for advanced analytics and operations research. This presentation delves into the automotive landscape through real-world examples and case studies from the speaker’s own experience\, providing attendees with a deeper understanding of how analytics can optimize efficiency\, mitigate risks\, and enhance both customer satisfaction and OEM profitability. Ultimately\, unlocking the full potential of OR/MS and analytics requires practitioners to embrace a holistic problem-solving approach. This entails moving beyond point solutions that merely optimize current practices and processes to a strategic framing that comprehends the interconnectedness of key decisions and system-level opportunities. \nBiography\nOwen recently retired from General Motors\, where he served as head of GM’s Advanced Analytics Center of Expertise\, Director of Global R&D’s Operations Research Lab\, and Chief Scientist for AI/ML and Operations Research. With a career spanning over two decades at GM\, he spearheaded strategic innovation in prescriptive analytics and applied data science\, collaborating internally to boost revenue\, profitability\, and operational efficiency through improved data-driven decision making. He led internal research activities as well as collaboration with university partners\, external labs\, and other organizations to tackle GM’s most significant technical challenges and advance the state-of-the-art knowledge in applied OR/MS and analytics. In 2023\, Owen launched GM’s internal AI Center\, the strategic hub for catalyzing GM’s AI transformation by fostering enterprise-wide collaboration\, coordination\, and thought leadership\, enabling GM to seize the highest impact opportunities at speed and scale\, while protecting its brands\, customers\, partners\, and employees. His contributions span diverse functional areas that include Finance\, Sales & Marketing\, Product Development\, Global Portfolio Planning\, Supply Chain & Logistics\, Manufacturing\, Customer Care & Aftersales\, and Customer Experience\, and yielded over $10B in bottom-line implementation impact at GM. Owen’s contributions have been recognized by GM’s highest internal awards\, as well as external awards from SME\, IISE\, and INFORMS. He is a Fellow of INFORMS and IISE\, and a recipient of Northwestern University’s IE/MS Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition to serving on several advisory boards\, Jon currently serves on the Board of Directors for MATHCOUNTS (www.mathcounts.org)\, a non-profit organization that provides engaging math programs to middle school students of all ability levels to build confidence and improve attitudes about math and problem solving. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-jonathan-owen/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-jonathan-owen-04-22-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240415T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240415T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T153214Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T153214Z UID:10000061-1713198600-1713203100@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Anderson de Queiroz DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming OR’s own Anderson de Queiroz from NC State’s Civil\, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department as he discusses current operations research topics. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nDid you Miss it?\nWatch it Now\nPasscode: $*10!VYg \nDownload Anderson de Queiroz’s abstract and biography \nTitle and Abstract\nEnhanced Coordination of Renewable Energy Resources through Sampling-based Decomposition in Multi-stage Stochastic Programs \nThe dynamic intersection of economic growth and society well-being depends significantly on the effective management and strategic utilization of natural resources\, highlighted by the pursuit of sustainable methodologies. Within this context\, the critical role of integrating clean and dependable water and power infrastructures cannot be overstated\, particularly as we navigate towards an era\nmarked by substantial investments in renewable energy\, energy storage\, and smart technologies. In the current energy transition\, the interdependence between these infrastructures is even more important\, and requires sophisticated methodologies to handle challenges with temporal and spatial dynamics\, as well as variability. This presentation is focused on renewable energy coordination challenges\, framed within the context of Multi-stage Stochastic Programming. It highlights the application of a sampling-based decomposition technique\, specifically designed to address the complexities of such Multistage Stochastic Renewable Coordination problems effectively. This approach not only facilitates enhanced decision-making but also sets a precedent for optimizing renewable energy utilization in sustainable\nenergy futures. \nBiography\nAnderson de Queiroz is received his B.Sc. in 2005 and M.Sc. in 2007 in electrical engineering from Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI) in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. He has a Ph.D. in operations research from the University of Texas at Austin (2011). He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Civil\, Construction\, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University (NC State)\, where he is a member of the Computing & Systems group and the Operations Research graduate program. Prior to joining NC State\, he worked as a professor at UNIFEI and at North Carolina Central University. He served as consultant and researcher in many sponsored projects (including NSF\, CBTS/DHS\, NCROEP\, MSRDC\, ANEEL\, PETROBRAS\, VALE\, CPFL\, AES\, ENERGISA) in the United States and Brazil. He is interested in the synergy of data and computational innovation to inform strategic decision-making in energy\, water\, and power systems. He focuses on optimization under uncertainty\, data-driven methods and predictive analytics applied to planning\, operations\, and economics in clean and sustainable energy systems\, water-energy nexus\, coastal engineering\, and biosecurity. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-anderson-de-queiroz/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-anderson-de-queiroz-04-15-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240409T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240409T200000 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T153740Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T153814Z UID:10000062-1712685600-1712692800@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:47th Annual C.A. Anderson Awards DESCRIPTION:The best and brightest stars of the ISE Department come out to shine at the 2023 C.A. Anderson Awards. This year’s event will be held on April 11th\, 2023\, at 6 pm. Come see your favorite faculty\, staff and students receive the department’s top honors\, including the C.A. Anderson Outstanding Faculty Award. \nAwards include: \n\nShook Mentor Awards\nOutstanding Senior Award\nFaculty Senior Scholar Award\nOutstanding Teaching Assistant Award\nStaff Member of the Year Award\n\nand\, of course\, the C.A. Anderson Outstanding Faculty Award! URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/47th-annual-c-a-anderson-awards-2024/ LOCATION:NC State University Club\, 4200 Hillsborough St.\, Raleigh\, North Carolina\, 27606 CATEGORIES:OR Program Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/ca-anderson-awards-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240408T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240408T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T154334Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T154334Z UID:10000063-1712593800-1712598300@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Wells Fargo DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Yuefeng Han\, Shane Lee\, Shu Meng and Ryan Thurston as they discusses quantitative analytics and the Wells Fargo early career program. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/97198402775?pwd=dGN3ZDdldm1obXNXMTEzUkJlcElLdz09 \nMeeting ID: 971 9840 2775\nPasscode: 557407 \nDownload the Abstract and Biographies \nTitle and Abstract\nQuantitative Analytics at Wells Fargo \nSince 1852\, Wells Fargo & Company has dedicated itself to helping customers build businesses and manage money in a rapidly changing world. Wells Fargo is a leading financial services company with approximately $1.9 trillion in assets. In the U.S.\, it serves one in three households and more than 10% of small businesses and is a leading middle-market banking provider. \nCome\, learn\, and join in the discussion about Quantitative Analytics and our early career program. The Quantitative Analytics Program will provide you with an opportunity to work alongside quant professionals on statistical\, machine learning\, and mathematical models that drive Wells Fargo’s businesses. In addition to developing practical business acumen\, you will learn how to develop\, implement\, and validate quantitative models for analysis of unstructured data\, hedging\, pricing\, loss and revenue forecasting\, credit decisions\, and a variety of other applications. \nBiography\nYuefeng Han is the Securities Senior Manager Capital Markets – Quantitative Strategies at Wells Fargo. He earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the City College of New York. \nShane Leeis the Senior Lead Securities Trader Capital Markets – Credit ETF Trading at Wells Fargo. He earned his MS in Quantitative and Computational Finance from Georgia Tech. \nShu Meng is a Quantitative Analytics Specialist Risk Analytics and Decision Science at Wells Fargo. She earned her Ph.D. in Economics from NC State. \nRyan Thurston is a Quantitative Analytics Associate Risk Analytics and Decision Science at Wells Fargo. He earned his MS in Financial Math from NC State. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-wells-fargo-04-08-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-wells-fargo-04-08-2024-featured-image-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240401T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240401T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T162912Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T162912Z UID:10000065-1711989000-1711993500@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Zelda Zabinsky DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Zelda Zabinsky from the University of Washington as she shares insights into scalable black-box global optimization. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nDid you Miss it?\nDon’t worry\, we recorded it. Watch Zelda Zabinsky’s preseentation.\nPassword: #GMsXAG8) \nDownload Zelda Zabinsky’s abstract and biography \nTitle and Abstract\nInsights into Scalable Black-box Global Optimization \nOptimization is a fundamental tool that has been used for many purposes\, from strategic policy planning to last-mile distribution to optimal control of dynamical systems. Today\, optimization algorithms are addressing large-scale problems\, with millions of variables that have complex interactions. Machine learning is creating models from huge data sets and large numbers of model parameters and hyper-parameters. How is this possible? A key issue is how to dynamically allocate computational effort efficiently in the search for the global optimum. This talk will provide some insights into how to adapt sampling distributions to achieve desirable performance in high dimensions. It will summarize finite-time analyses of adaptive random search methods to shed some light on important features of scalable algorithms. New results on the use of partitioning the domain to address heterogeneity of the response with the use of surrogate modeling\, e.g.\, Gaussian processes\, will be presented. The finite-time analyses provide an interpretation of the balance between exploration and exploitation while maintaining scalable algorithms. \nBiography\nZelda B. Zabinsky is an Emeritus Professor in Industrial & Systems Engineering at the University of Washington. She has held adjunct appointments in the departments of Mechanical Engineering\, Electrical & Computer Engineering\, and Civil & Environmental Engineering. She is fellow of both the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). She has published numerous papers in theory and applications of global optimization. Her book\, Stochastic Adaptive Search in Global Optimization\, describes research on theory and practice of algorithms useful for solving problems with multimodal objective functions in high dimension. The National Science Foundation (NSF)\, NASA-Langley\, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)\, the Department of Homeland Security\, and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) have funded her research\, as well as local industries including Boeing Commercial Airplane Company\, Microsoft\, and the Port of Tacoma. Her research has been applied to engineering design\, supply chain\, healthcare\, power systems with renewable resources\, air traffic flow management\, and communication scheduling. Professor Zabinsky is on the editorial board of the Journal of Global Optimization\, and has been a board member of the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) and the Women in Engineering (WIE) Initiative. She has received the annual teaching award in Industrial Engineering at the University of Washington several times. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-zelda-zabinsky-04-01-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-zelda-zabinsky-04-01-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240325T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240325T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T163353Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T163353Z UID:10000066-1711384200-1711388700@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Casey Phillips DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Casey Phillips from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission as he discusses current operations research topics. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nDid You Miss It?\nDon’t worry we recorded it: https://ncsu.zoom.us/j/97198402775?pwd=dGN3ZDdldm1obXNXMTEzUkJlcElLdz09\nPasscode: Yq4.&=^O \nDownload Casey Phillips’ abstract and biography \nTitle and Abstract\nMaximizing Wildlife Habitat Objectives on North Carolina’s Game Lands \nIntegrating wildlife management goals into forest planning presents multiple complex challenges and requires future forest conditions to be linked quantitatively to the habitat requirements of specific wildlife species. We qualitatively related values within parameterized ranges of 11 vegetation metrics to the potential of a forest stand to potential to provide habitat for 16 focal wildlife species. We chose predictive metrics from traditional timber inventory data and simulated the volumes of growth and yields across a 50-year horizon. We quantitatively related predicted conditions in a given forest stand to its potential to provide habitat using an index derived from the metrics relevant to the focal wildlife species. We integrated the index values as accounting variables in a linear programming framework using the Woodstock Optimization Studio (the standard platform for planning analysis in the forest industry worldwide)\, which allows them to be tracked over the 50-year model horizon\, constrained\, or optimized directly as part of the model’s objective function. We applied the model to study area of 49\,453 hectare across 2\,836 timber stands on public land and reported the trends in the harvest scheduling\, habitat index values\, and revenue under 13 formulations of the objective function maximizing habitat and revenue objectives. By scheduling more thinning treatments\, index values under the habitat formulation increased faster and higher than those realized under the maximized revenue formulation\, which scheduled more final harvest treatments to maximize undiscounted cashflows across the modelled horizon. In the case study\, production possibilities analysis indicated worthwhile gains could be achieved for revenue objectives with minimal impacts to wildlife habitat objectives. \nBiography\nCasey Phillips is the Forestry Program Leader for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and has been a forester with the agency since 2012. He has bachelor’s degrees in wildlife science and forest management from NC State and the University of Minnesota\, and a master’s degree from the Ceasar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University – Kingsville\, where he studied the roosting ecology of wild turkeys on the King Ranch. His Ph.D. work in forest management and planning was completed at NC State under the direction of Joe Roise. Casey is a Certified Wildlife Biologist\, Certified and NC Registered Forester\, and a NC Certified Prescribed Burner. He lives in Wallace\, North Carolina with his wife and two boys. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-casey-phillips-03-25-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-casey-phillips-03-25-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240318T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240318T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T163954Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T163954Z UID:10000068-1710779400-1710783900@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: David Papp DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming OR’s own David Papp from the NC State Department of Mathematics as he discusses monostatic polyhedrons. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/97198402775?pwd=dGN3ZDdldm1obXNXMTEzUkJlcElLdz09 \nMeeting ID: 971 9840 2775\nPasscode: 557407 \nTitle and Abstract\nSearching for Monostatic Polyhedra: Computer-assisted Theorem Proving with Convex Optimization \nThe seminar concerns an unusual application of operations research: the stability of convex polyhedra\, a fundamental question in 3-dimensional geometry whose study goes back to the 1960s. A convex body is called mono-(un)stable if it has a unique (un)stable equilibrium. It is monostatic if it belongs to either of the two classes\, and mono-monostatic if it belongs to both. Such convex bodies are surprisingly difficult to construct: the Gömböc\, constructed by Domokos and Várkonyi in 2006\, is the first known mono-monostatic\, homogeneous convex body. Several monostable polyhedra have also been found\, but the minimal number of vertices (faces\, edges) such a polyhedron must have is unknown. Mono-instability is even less understood; mono-monostatic homogenous polyhedra have not been explicitly constructed. In this seminar we will show not only how we can use optimization to construct mono-unstable polyhedra (the less surprising application)\, but also how to rigorously prove the non-existence of such polyhedra with few vertices. The talk will not assume any prior familiarity with the subject\, only standard OR 505 material. \nBiography\nDávid Papp is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics at NC State. After studying at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary\, he obtained his Ph.D. in operations research at Rutgers University in 2011. Before joining NC State\, he worked at Northwestern University and at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His research focuses on the design\, analysis\, and implementation of algorithms for solving large-scale optimization problems and their applications in healthcare\, engineering\, and statistics. His radiotherapy optimization algorithms are built into two clinical treatment planning software used worldwide (Philips Pinnacle and RaySearch RayStation). He received an NSF CAREER Award in 2019 for his computational mathematics research and the Mehrotra Award from the INFORMS Health Applications Society in 2021 for his work on radiation therapy. \nDownload David Papp’s Abstract and Biography URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-david-papp-03-18-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-david-papp-03-18-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240304T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240304T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T164402Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T214149Z UID:10000069-1709569800-1709574300@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Fengbin "Frank" Sun DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Fengbin “Frank” Sun\, Technical Lead and Principal Engineer of Reliability Engineering\, as he discusses his exciting career at Tesla. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nDid you Miss It?\nDon’t worry. We recorded it \nAccess Password: X&Za6TR= \nTitle and Abstract\nReliability Engineering – An Exciting Career and Adventure in Tesla \nTesla was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers who wanted to prove that people didn’t need to compromise to drive electric – that electric vehicles can be better\, quicker and more fun to drive than gasoline cars. Today\, Tesla builds not only all-electric vehicles (Roadster\, Model S\, Model X\, Model 3\, Model Y\, Semi Truck\, and Cyber Truck)\, but also infinitely scalable clean energy generation (Solar Roof) and storage products (Power Wall\, Power Pack\, etc.). They are built by our Fremont Factory\, Gigafactory 1 in Nevada\, and Gigafactory Shanghai\, Gigafactory Berlin\, and Gigafactory Texas\, etc. Tesla believes the faster the world stops relying on fossil fuels and moves towards a zero-emission future\, the better. \nTesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. To accomplish this mission\, safety and reliability are extremely important and critical. This talk will give a brief introduction of Tesla culture\, major product lifecycle reliability activities and departments\, including data-driven and model-driven (failure physics driven) Design for Reliability\, Manufacturing Reliability\, Field Reliability\, etc. For those who are interested in joining Tesla Reliability family as fulltime engineer or intern\, this presentation will also touch upon skills and qualifications we are looking for. \nBiography\nFrank Sun is currently a Technical Lead and Principal Reliability Engineer at Tesla Inc. with over 30 years of industry and academia experience. He has published two books and more than 50 papers in various areas of reliability\, maintainability and quality engineering. Sun served in the editorial board as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Reliability from 1999 to 2003 and from 2016 to 2023\, Program Chair of ISSAT International Conference on Reliability and Quality in Design since 2014\, and a committee member and session moderator of numerous international conferences on reliability. He received his Ph.D. in Reliability from University of Arizona and is a senior member of ASQ and the President of Society of Reliability Engineers Silicon (SRE) Valley Chapter. Sun received the RAMS 2013 A.O. Plait Best Tutorial Award\, RAMS 2020 P.K. McElroy Best Paper Award\, and RAMS 2024 Doug Ogden Best Paper Award by an SRE Member. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-fengbin-frank-sun-03-04-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-fengbin-frank-sun-03-04-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240226T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240226T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T164742Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T164742Z UID:10000070-1708965000-1708969500@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Nicholas Clark DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Nicholas Clark from the United States Military Academy’s Department of Mathematical Sciences as he discusses how modeling can be used to prevent crime. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nDid you Miss It?\nDon’t worry\, we recorded it. \nAccess Password: 3QbX0g#g \nDownload Nicholas Clark’s abstract and biography \nTitle and Abstract\nAdvancements in Spatially Correlated Self-Exciting Spatio-Temporal Models \nIn criminology\, the pervasive theory of repeat victimization posits that locations previously affected by crime or violence are more susceptible to future incidents. Statistical modeling tackles this phenomenon through the application of Hawkes processes or self-exciting spatio-temporal models. However\, this talk will shed light on the limitations inherent in standard self-exciting models\, emphasizing that improperly structured spatio-temporal frameworks can yield inaccurate insights into the root causes of criminal activities or the spread of violence. \nBiography\nCOL Nicholas Clark is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at West Point. Nick received a BS in Mathematics from West Point in 2002\, a MS in Statistics from George Mason in 2010\, and a PhD in Statistics from Iowa State University in 2018. His dissertation was on Self-Exciting Spatio-Temporal Statistical Models and he has published in a variety of disciplines including spatio-temporal statistics\, best practices in statistical methodologies\, epidemiology\, and sports statistics. Nick is the former director of the Center for Data Analysis and Statistics\, where he conducted research for a variety of Department of Defense clients. COL Clark also was instrumental in standing up one of the first undergraduate degrees in the country in Applied Statistics and Data Science (ASDS) and currently serves as the Program Director for West Point’s ASDS program. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-nicholas-clark-02-26-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-nicholas-clark-02-26-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240219T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240219T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T165214Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T165242Z UID:10000071-1708360200-1708364700@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Canan Ulu DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Canan Ulu from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business as she discusses consideration sets and what we can learn from them. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/97198402775?pwd=dGN3ZDdldm1obXNXMTEzUkJlcElLdz09 \nMeeting ID: 971 9840 2775\nPasscode: 557407 \nTitle and Abstract\nLearning from Consideration Sets: Joint work with Bharadwaj Kadiyala and Dorothee Honhon \nPrior literature on consumer behavior suggests that consumers engage in a two-stage shopping behavior: in the first stage\, they consider only a subset of the products offered for purchase (known as the consideration set) and in the second stage\, they make a final purchase decision among the considered products based on their preferences. We model such purchase behavior using the Random Consideration Set (RCS) model (Manzini and Mariotti 2014). In this model\, consumers consider each product independently with a given consideration probability. Motivated by environments in which consumers’ consideration sets are observable (e.g.\, based on clickstream\, home try-on programs\, eye-tracking\, and heatmap data sources)\, we consider how a decision maker should design product assortments to maximize profit while also learning about consumers’ consideration probabilities over a finite time horizon. We show that the structure of the optimal assortment depends on two orders: the consumers’ preference order and the product informativeness order\, which we formalize using Blackwell sufficiency (Blackwell 1951). The optimal assortment has the well-known popular set characterization when the consumers’ preference order and the product informativeness order are identical. Otherwise\, the optimal assortment is popular within the set of products over which the two orders agree—a generalization of the popular set result. Based on our numerical experiments\, we find that the decision maker’s profit can increase by up to 2.62% by learning\, and more than 50% of that benefit can be realized by learning from the consumers’ consideration sets. The structural properties of the optimal assortment also reduce the search space for the optimal solution\, leading to a reduction of up to 97.52% in the computational time compared to a complete enumeration benchmark. \nBiography\nCanan Ulu is an associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Previously\, she was an assistant professor in McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her Ph.D. from Duke University and holds a B.S. and an M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Middle East Technical University\, Ankara\, Turkey. She teaches business analytics and decision modeling courses in Georgetown’s graduate and undergraduate programs. Ulu is an associate editor for the decision analysis area at Operations Research and Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. Dr. Ulu studies Bayesian learning in sequential decision problems\, multi-criteria decision-making problems and uses behavioral decision theory to improve decision analysis methods. Her work has been published in journals such as Operations Research\, Management Science and Psychological Science among others. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-canan-ulu-02-19-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-canan-ulu-02-19-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240212T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240212T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T165546Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T165744Z UID:10000072-1707753600-1707759900@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Sommer Gentry DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Sommer Gentry from NYU’s Department of Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine as she discusses optimizing the organ transplantation process. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nDid You Miss It?\nWatch it Now!\nPassword: SYw*.#U9 \nTitle and Abstract\nA Multiobjective Optimization Lens on Allocating Organs for Transplantation \nOrgan allocation is a complex system in which every factor prioritized affects how other factors are prioritized\, and this talk will examine several different perspectives on multiobjective optimization as they relate to transplantation policy. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network is eliminating a hierarchical category-based priority system in favor of a weighted combination of multiple objectives\, but designing the weights by committee vote might fail to converge on an acceptable system. We can use simulation optimization to maximize the survival benefit of transplantation while ensuring equity by making transplant rates similar among populations that differ by race\, gender\, et cetera. Using simulation optimization\, we explore alternative designs to choose an allocation score that\, for example\, could minimize waitlist deaths while assuring comparable transplant rates for relevant subgroups (e.g. by age\, race\, ABO blood type\, urban/rural). Our findings are directly applicable to liver allocation policymaking\, using an approach that optimizes outcomes and supports transparency\, an ethical cornerstone in transplantation. \nBiography\nSommer Gentry\, Ph.D.\, is a Professor of Surgery and a Professor of Population Health at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine\, and Co-Director of the Center for Surgical and Transplant Applied Research. She is a senior investigator with the Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients. She designed matching optimization methods used for nationwide kidney paired donation registries in both the United States and Canada\, and helped pass a law legalizing paired donation in the United States. Her redistricting work was also instrumental in pushing the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network to make major policy changes that reduced geographic disparities in transplantation. Her work has attracted the attention of major media outlets including Time Magazine\, Reader’s Digest\, Science\, the Discovery Channel\, and National Public Radio. She was formerly a Professor of Mathematics at the US Naval Academy\, and in that role received the MAA’s Henry L. Alder award for distinguished teaching by a beginning mathematics faculty member\, was a finalist for the INFORMS Daniel H. Wagner prize for excellence in operations research practice\, and received the US Naval Academy’s 2021 Civilian Faculty Excellence in Research award. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-sommer-gentry-02-12-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-sommer-gentry-02-12-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240205T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240205T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T165925Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T214529Z UID:10000073-1707150600-1707155100@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Operations Research GSA DESCRIPTION:Come out and meet the officers of the Operations Research Grad Student Association (ORGSA) and find out how to navigate research and well being as a Ph.D. student in Operations Research. OR Alums and friends are welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/97198402775?pwd=dGN3ZDdldm1obXNXMTEzUkJlcElLdz09 \nMeeting ID: 971 9840 2775\nPasscode: 557407 \nTitle\nNavigating Research and Well Being as a Ph.D. Student in Operations Research \nPanelists\nAnnisa Marlin Masbar Rus\nMy name is Annisa Marlin Masbar Rus\, and I am in my fifth year of the Ph.D. program at ISE. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Universitas Indonesia in Indonesia and my Master’s degree in Service Management and Design from Warwick University in Coventry\, U.K.\, in 2014 and 2016\, respectively. My research mainly focuses on natural language processing applications\, particularly topic models\, in health systems text data that is not clinical note. I have worked on a project aimed at extracting topics from emergency communication during COVID-19 in two health systems and predicting call outcomes from call transcripts of a care management company. My advisor is Dr. Maria Mayorga. \n\n\nMat Fukuzawa\nMy name is Mat Fukuzawa\, and I am in my 3rd and final year of my PhD in Operations Research. My research area is the application of blockchain smart contracts. I received a Bachelors in Mathematics from Michigan State University in 2005 and a Masters in Applied Mathematics from the Navel Postgraduate School in 2014. I have been an active-duty Army officer since 2005 and am currently an OR/Systems Analyst I have teaching experience at United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point (’14-’17) and will return their after completion of my PhD. My advisors are Dr. Brandon McConnell\, Dr. Michael Kay\, Dr. Kristin Thoney-Barletta. \n\n\nKuangying Li\nMy name is Kuangying Li\, and I am currently a fourth-year Ph.D. student in operations research. I got my bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and petroleum engineering and my master’s degree in software engineering. My research interests lie in optimization under uncertainty and humanitarian logistics. More specifically\, focusing on formulating the optimization model for a reality logistics problem as a location\, allocation\, or routing problem and developing a solution algorithm for the optimization model while considering the combinatorial complexity due to the large-scale data input and mixed integer decision variables. I am co-advised by Dr. Leila Hajibabai and Dr. Ali Hajbabaie. \n\n\nVeronica Diaz Pacheco\nMy name is Veronica Diaz Pacheco. I am a third-year Ph.D. student in Operations Research. I have a bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics and a master’s in industrial engineering. My research focuses on emergency management\, energy systems\, simulation\, and optimization. I’m particularly interested in developing optimization models that inform public policy decisions and aim to promote social welfare. My advisor is Dr. Jordan Kern. \n\nAbout ORGSA\nThe ORGSA at NC State serves operations research graduate students by fostering communication between students and faculty\, establishing and maintaining a sense of identity and community within the OR program\, and promoting events\, interactions\, and programs that enhance the quality of education for students and their outcomes after graduation. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-operations-research-gsa-02-05-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/or-seminar-series-default-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240129T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240129T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T170204Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T180627Z UID:10000074-1706545800-1706550300@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Zhishan Guo DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming OR faculty member Zhishan Guo from NC State’s Department of Computer Science as he discusses cyber-physical systems. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nDid You Miss It?\nDon’t worry. We recorded it.\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/rec/share/oAIt7fAiIFWv5fK9vTKAZ7seHYBfYRmhgF2i4JSvWWw-nwTUw2AX6n6KMoU7InY0.AaYR0FsyTe913OQM\nAccess Password: Q3?+z5#y \nTitle and Abstract\nResilient and Efficient Real Time Systems via Mixed Criticality — Towards Certifiable and Intelligent Real-Time CPS\nIn the era of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS)\, sensing\, communication\, and computing are becoming more affordable and integrated. Many CPS have strict temporal constraints and often of massive scale. This talk discusses our recent and ongoing efforts to incorporate reliable\, interpretable\, and transferable machine learning and real-time scheduling techniques for CPS’s modeling\, design\, and analysis. With various engineering applications\, those solutions shed light on handling challenges in energy efficiency\, security isolation\, system coordination\, reliable prediction & control\, etc.\, of modern CPS. \nBiography\nZhishan Guo is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University\, where he is also the founding director of the Cyber-Physical Systems focused group/center\, and the director of the Real-Time Intelligent Systems lab. He received the Bachelor’s degree (with honor) in Computer Science and Technology from Tsinghua University\, China\, the M. Phil. degree in Mechanical Automation and Engineering from the Chinese University of Hong Kong\, Hong Kong\, and the Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His current research interests lie in real-time scheduling theory\, machine learning theory\, and their applications to Cyber-Physical Systems. He is a recipient of the ACM SIGBED CAREER award\, NSF CRII award\, and has received best paper\, best student paper\, and outstanding paper awards from prestigious conferences such as RTSS and EMSOFT. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-zhishan-guo-01-29-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2023/09/meet-zhishan-guo-the-new-face-in-cyber-physical-systems-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240122T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240122T170000 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T180944Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T214705Z UID:10000075-1705910400-1705942800@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Stephanie Earnshaw and Kyle Paret DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Stephanie Earnshaw and Kyle Paret from RTI Health Solutions. They will discuss the role of operations research in pharmaceuticals. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://ncsu.zoom.us/j/97198402775?pwd=dGN3ZDdldm1obXNXMTEzUkJlcElLdz09 \nMeeting ID: 971 9840 2775\nPasscode: 557407 \nTitle and Abstract\nThe Role of Operations Research in Access to Pharmaceuticals\nHave you ever wondered what goes into getting pharmaceuticals and medical devices and diagnostics to market? Patient access to these products is not as simple as going to your doctor and demonstrating a need. Even after demonstrating safety and efficacy in clinical trials\, access may be limited by the primary payer (typically insurance in the US) for a variety of reasons. Decision-analytic models provide a framework for compiling clinical and economic evidence in a systematic fashion which enables the demonstration and communication of a product’s value which can be assess by healthcare decision makers. In this presentation\, we will review the market access hurdles for these types of products and present examples of real-world case studies using decision analytic modeling methods to solve problems in the pharmaceutical industry. \nBiography\nStephanie Earnshaw\nStephanie Earnshaw is Senior Vice President of Health Economics at RTI Health Solutions. Dr. Earnshaw’s research focus is in applying decision-analysis techniques to support access to pharmaceutical\, biotechnology\, and diagnostic and medical device products through performing health economics and outcomes research. Her areas of specialization include mathematical programming (constrained optimization) and Markov\, simulation\, and other state transition modeling. She has developed innovative mathematical models using these methods to determine the cost effectiveness\, pricing strategy\, predict clinical outcomes\, allocate resources\, and cost care pathways particularly in support of medical diagnostics. She also has experience in budget impact modeling where she has published extensively on this topic as one of the lead authors of “Budget-Impact Analysis of Health Care Interventions: A Practical Guide” and is a key instructor for the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) budget impact courses. She has published her work in several peer-reviewed journals and her therapeutic area focus includes cardiovascular disease\, gastrointestinal disorders\, respiratory disease\, acute care\, infectious disease\, osteoporosis\, and vaccines. \nShe is a member of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences and of ISPOR. Dr. Earnshaw has served on the ISPOR Board of Directors and as Chair of the Audit Committee and is the current Educational Council Chair and member of ISPOR’s the Health Science Policy Committee\, Short Course Committee\, and Finance Committee. She has also held an Adjunct Faculty appointment at the University of North Carolina’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy\, Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy\, is honored as a Distinguished Alumni in Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University. \nKyle Paret\nKyle Paret is an Associate Director of Health Economics at RTI Health Solutions (RTI-HS). He is experienced in developing decision analytic models to evaluate health and economic implications of health technologies. He has developed models and analyses in the areas of oncology\, cardiovascular diseases (e.g.\, heart failure\, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy)\, rare neurogenerative diseases (e.g.\, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS]\, Huntington’s Disease)\, and COVID-19 vaccination. Paret also has experience developing strategies to prepare for and respond to Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) evaluations. Prior to joining RTI-HS\, he worked for nine years as a civilian in the Department of Defense as an Operations Researcher and Cost Engineer. His research has been presented at various professional conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-stephanie-earnshaw-and-kyle-paret-01-22-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-earnshaw-paret-01-22-2024-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240108T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240108T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T181204Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T181236Z UID:10000076-1704731400-1704735900@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Spring 2024 Welcome Event DESCRIPTION:Join OR Director Maria Mayorga in welcoming the new operations research students to the program. This is an opportunity for students to meet each other and learn about OR policies and practices. Alums and friends of the program are always welcome. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-spring-2024-welcome-event-01-08-2024/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2023/07/mayorga-named-or-director-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231113T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231113T174500 DTSTAMP:20260626T165629 CREATED:20260129T181639Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T181639Z UID:10000077-1699893000-1699897500@or.ncsu.edu SUMMARY:OR Seminar: Rob Pratt DESCRIPTION:Join us in welcoming Rob Pratt\, Senior Manager of Analytics R&D\, Operations Research & IML at SAS\, as he shares his research. \nDid You Miss It?\nDon’t worry. Watch it now!\nPassword: 1#rbVd=& \nTitle\nMy Favorite Optimization Modeling Tricks \nAbstract\nI will describe several optimization modeling tricks that I have used in consulting projects for SAS customers. Many of these tricks have yielded quick solutions for problems where a straightforward approach would instead take “forever” to solve. \nBiography\nRob Pratt has worked at SAS since 2000 and is a Senior Manager in the Scientific Computing department in the Analytics R&D division. He manages a team of developers responsible for the optimization modeling language and solvers for linear\, mixed integer linear\, quadratic\, and conic optimization. He earned a B.S. in Mathematics (with a second major in English) from the University of Dayton and both an M.S. in Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Operations Research from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. URL:https://or.ncsu.edu/event/or-seminar-rob-prastt-11-13-2023/ LOCATION:4290 Fitts-Woolard Hall\, 915 Partners Way\, Raleigh\, NC\, 27606\, United States CATEGORIES:OR Seminar Series ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://or.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2026/01/seminar-series-rob-pratt-11-13-2023-featured-image-01-2026-01.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="OR Program":MAILTO:operationsresearch@ncsu.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR