ISyE NEWS 2017

ISyE N E W S

D E PA R T M E N T O F

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Vo l . 1 , I s s u e 2

FALL 2017

Future looks bright for Industrial and Systems Engineering

BY LISA MILLER, ASSOCIATE TEACHING PROFESSOR

T

his has been another exciting year for the growing Industrial and Systems Engineering undergraduate program. A few highlights include:

Career Placement: We had a total of 46 graduates in 2016. Of those 46, 44 responded to career placement survey, and all 44 of them are either employed or in graduate school. This is a fantastic demonstration of the high quality students we have in our program. The scope and breadth of companies that hire our graduates is representative of the diversity of interests of our students.

They include: manufacturing, healthcare, retail, finance, military, and consulting. While many graduates chose to stay in Minnesota, we also now have alumni in North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Georgia, California, and more!

Accreditation: Our program was evaluated for accreditation by the ABET engineering commission this year. We are thrilled to share that all graduates of the ISyE program, including our 2015-2017 alumni, now have accredited degrees! This important achievement is the work of department faculty and staff, as well as contributions from our industry advisory board, alumni, and current students. Thank you for your support!

Class of 2017: A record number of 70 students completed their B.I.Sy.E. degrees this year. These students completed 17 senior design projects under the mentorship of our great industry partners and ISyE faculty. Proposals for 2018 senior design projects will be accepted through October 15, 2017.

Connections with alumni: Current students and graduating seniors continue to praise the sense of community they feel in ISyE. We would love to continue including alumni in this community. Already, we have had recent alumni visit classes to talk about their experiences, their transition from college to work, as well as what they do on a daily basis as industrial engineers. Two 2016 graduates mentored senior design teams this year, and several others were instrumental in hiring 2017 graduates into their companies.

We are planning new ways to connect with alumni in the upcoming year, which includes hosting a new alumni homecoming event for 2017, and offering mentorship opportunities with current students.

Our students and alumni continually impress me with their energy, drive, and commitment toward making the world a better place. I can’t wait to see what the next year looks like.

Industrial and Systems Engineering Graduates—Spring 2017

ISyE News • Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering • College of Science and Engineering

From the Department Head

2017 has been an extraordinary year for us. I take great pride in sharing with you some of the exciting news that came out this year: ABET accreditation was upon us; a cohort of 70 students graduated with bachelor degrees in industrial and systems engineering (putting the picture in perspective, the first cohort of 12 students graduated in 2015); 100% employment rate for the students recorded; U.S. News & World Report ranked our department 27th among all similar programs in the country. In addition, we are launching a new M.S. track, which I will describe below. For a five-year old department, I believe these are enough reasons to celebrate!

I attribute the achievements to the energy that our faculty enthusiastically inject into our research and educational programs every day. Exciting research projects are often the source of inspiration for our educational programs.

ISyE is home to a team of young and energetic researchers.

In this issue, you will read about some of their findings.

ISyE Launches M.S. Analytics Track I am happy to announce the start of an exciting new Analytics Track in the ISyE master’s degree program.

The area of analytics focuses on using data to generate insights and make decisions. Analytics has much overlap with operations research, but places additional emphasis on taking an integrated approach that moves from data collection and data analysis to mathematical modeling to optimization and decision making. The possibility and importance of such an integrated approach arises because of the ubiquity of data in the modern world.

According to the professional organization INFORMS,

analytics is sometimes broken down into three areas/ stages: descriptive analytics (using data to understand what has happened), predictive analytics (using data to predict what will happen in the future), and prescriptive analytics (using quantitative models and optimization, fed by data, to make decisions). The Analytics Track curriculum will place a strong emphasis on the optimization and decision making aspects of analytics (that is, prescriptive analytics), while also ensuring students are strongly versed in the integrative aspects of the discipline, including descriptive and predictive analytics.

The core curriculum of the Analytics Track will include ISyE courses that cover optimization and stochastic modeling, as well as Statistics and Computer Science courses that cover topics such as regression, machine learning, and data mining. A new ISyE course, entitled “Analytics and Data-Driven Decision Making” will help students learn how to tie together methods from ISyE, Statistics, and Computer Science to solve problems. The curriculum also includes an industry-focused seminar course and a capstone project course. In the capstone project course, students will work in small groups on industry-based projects under the supervision of a faculty advisor and an industry advisor. In addition, students will have the flexibility to choose from a set of focused electives. The curriculum is designed to be completed in three semesters, with each cohort of students starting in a fall semester and finishing at the end of the subsequent fall semester.

We will begin taking applications in fall 2017 for fall 2018 admission to the Analytics Track of the ISyE master’s degree program.

Shuzhong Zhang

ISyE Department Head and Professor

A LU M N I

S P OT LI G H T DAN ZHANG (ISYE PH.D. ’05)

It has been twelve years since my Ph.D. study in Industrial Systems and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. I am very fortunate to be part of the Industrial and Systems Engineering family. I had the opportunity to work with some world-class faculty as a graduate student and their scholarship is still a source of inspiration today. The level of support I received as a graduate student was unparalleled—a realization I had many years after I graduated. I was given much freedom to explore interesting research ideas and work with faculty. I was offered help and advice whenever I needed it. I am also grateful to know many bright and friendly fellow graduate students. I had much joy studying with them and I still enjoy seeing them at conferences.

These days, I work as an associate professor of operations management at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder. I do research primarily in revenue management and large-scale optimization under uncertainty. I teach Operations Management to undergraduate students and Advanced Data Analytics to masters and MBA students.

Occasionally, I also offer a Ph.D. course called Stochastic Dynamic Programming with Applications. The training I received in Industrial and Systems Engineering, in both research and teaching, has been instrumental in everything I do.

Since embarking on an academic career, I have been working closely with Ph.D. students as a faculty mentor or research advisor. I often draw upon my experience from Industrial and Systems Engineering and start to appreciate the dedication and generosity of my professors. They raised the bar so high that I am still striving to match.

KATIE KRIEGER (ISYE ’15)

I stumbled upon the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department (ISyE) at the University of Minnesota through a few vague references from academic advisors and comments such as, “You like to optimize things? This major is for you!”

After determining the logistics of changing my major sophomore year, I proudly joined the ISyE department. Thus began the onslaught of statistical analysis, simulation, and optimization classes as promised. I chose to focus on supply chain and operations due to my interest in lean manufacturing. I expanded my education by enrolling in classes offered at the Carlson School of Management. As a capstone project, my senior design team collaborated with a local HVAC manufacturer to develop a linear regression model demonstrating the main variables causing late delivery. We took our documented findings to the company and presented the data to the stakeholders. In May 2015, the first 12 undergraduates walked at commencement ceremonies, receiving the first Bachelors of Industrial and Systems Engineering degrees from the University of Minnesota.

I joined Polaris Industries in June of 2015 as an associate engineer in the Operations Development Program. The program consisted of four 6-month rotations in varying locations and roles. I started my path in Roseau, Minn. as a material flow analyst working with parts shortages in the warehouse. I traveled to Shanghai, China as a manufacturing/ quality engineer for a recent acquisition; I improved standard work, implemented basic 5S principles, and collaborated with engineering to manufacture new vehicles. My third rotation landed me in Spirit Lake, Iowa as a lean engineer. I executed the rollout of new standard work software for the manufacturing of Indian and Victory motorcycles. To conclude the program, I became a production supervisor for the Indian Heavyweight Motorcycle assembly line. I supervised a team of 70 operators and managed metrics regarding the assembly line’s safety, quality, delivery, and cost. Recently, I transitioned into a full-time role as a plastics and rubber supplier quality engineer at our product development site in Wyoming, Minn. In this role, I will vet suppliers and manage improvement projects affecting purchased components.

Industrial and Systems Engineering has provided the foundation upon which I have begun building my career. With extensive coursework and a plethora of options, I was able to customize my education to align with my passions.

The resulting degree set up the equation for me to optimize my future.

ISyE News • Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering • College of Science and Engineering

FAC U LT Y

U P DAT E S

WILLIAM COOPER, PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF GRADUATE STUDIES

This past year, William Cooper continued his long-term research program that centers on revenue management and pricing. A particular focus was the NSF-funded project titled, “Revenue management with network effects,” with Zizhuo Wang. In addition to research, Cooper was active in editorial work and service. He continues to serve as an Associate Editor for the journal, Operations Research. He also accepted a new position as an Associate Editor for the journal, Stochastic Systems. He served as Chair of the 2016 INFORMS Revenue Management and Pricing Section Prize Committee. He also served on the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Committee as well as the Graduate Education Council Policy Review Committee. In the past year, he taught IE 3521 Statistics, Quality, and Reliability, IE 4011 Stochastic Models, and IE 5532 Stochastic Models.

As the Director of Graduate Studies for Industrial and Systems Engineering, Cooper oversees the department’s graduate program. The program offers a Ph.D. degree and two Master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering and Systems Engineering. Department graduate students are conducting research projects in the areas of health care, revenue management, transportation, supply chain management, and sustainability. Recent M.S. and Ph.D. graduates have accepted positions at Amazon, Cummins, Optum Health, Syngenta, and Target, among others.

Cooper reports the graduate program grew to 65 students (M.S. and Ph.D.) in spring 2017. An outstanding group of eight new Ph.D. students have accepted offers of admission and will join the program in fall 2017.

KEVIN LEDER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

In the past year, Kevin Leder has continued his research on stochastic modeling and optimization for cancer treatment. This work has been carried out with students, postdoctoral associates and collaborators.

An important issue in the treatment of solid tumors is the cancer field effect. The cancer field effect is the idea that the normal tissue surrounding solid tumors already contains some of the mutations necessary for cancer, and is therefore more prone to eventually evolve into a new cancer. This was first observed in oral cancers, but has since been found in a wide variety of solid tumors.

This phenomenon is an interesting example of intra-tumor heterogeneity. Within the tumor cell population there is a wide variety of cells, and, in fact, some of the tumor cells may even look normal to a cell pathologist. The cancer field effect is thought to be the cause for most cases of local recurrence of tumors. In particular, a surgeon may believe that a tumor was successfully removed based on pathology reports, but the surgery may have left behind a significant layer of cells that have a high likelihood of eventual progression to cancer. Given that the cells are histologically normal it is very difficult to resolve this issue in the clinic, and mathematical models have the potential to greatly aid in resolving this issue.

In recent work, Leder and his collaborators developed a mathematical model to study this phenomena [1]. While the mathematical model is relatively simple (only containing 6 parameters), in follow up work [2] they were able to successfully fit the model to oral cancer incidence data and make predictions on the relationship between patient age and extent of the cancer field surrounding the tumor. Specifically, in [2] they made the hypothesis that older patients would benefit from having wider excision margins due to the larger cancer field present. Verifying this hypothesis with clinical or experimental data is an ongoing project.

1) J. Foo, K. Leder, and M. Ryser, “Multifocality and recurrence risk: a quantitative model of field cancerization,” Journal of Theoretical Biology 2014.

2) M. Ryser, W. Lee, N. Ready, K. Leder, and J. Foo, “Quantifying the Dynamics of Field Cancerization in HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer: A Multiscale Modeling Approach,” Cancer Research 2016.

DARIN ENGLAND, TEACHING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Why Study Industrial and Systems Engineering?

There 18 majors within the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at the University of Minnesota. Each provides students with the flexibility of multiple career paths as well as a solid foundation for future graduate school. For an undergraduate to select a major within CSE, the most prominent question is, “Will I obtain a job that is both intellectually and financially rewarding?” In the Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) department, we believe the answer is, “yes”. So, what makes ISyE unique and why is it particularly relevant for the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century?

In today’s data-driven, globally-linked organizations, decision makers need help understanding the behavior of the complex systems for which they are responsible. In particular, they need to understand the robustness of their decisions in the face of uncertainty. The efficiencies of global supply chains, health care delivery systems and transportation networks depend on engineers who can think critically at the systems level. The University of Minnesota’s ISyE program provides students with the skills to mathematically model these complex systems and, critically, to employ those models to help managers make better decisions. This prescriptive approach, i.e. to answer the question “What should I do?” separates ISyE from other disciplines that emphasize using statistical models alone to describe uncertainty and to predict future trends.

In addition to analytical skills, a fulfilling and successful career requires the ability to communicate and to contribute in a team environment. ISyE undergraduates practice technical and informative writing in no less than four courses that are designated as part of the writing-enriched curriculum. Writing assignments in these courses prepare students for communication that bridges the engineering and business sides of an organization, a skill that is always in high demand. Students’ analytical, communication, and team skills are further sharpened in a senior capstone project that solves a real-world problem for one of our industry partners.

In summary, the ability to abstract data, mathematically analyze complex systems, and communicate recommended courses of action help organizations succeed. Students with these skills will have outstanding job prospects and career growth. Indeed, the ISyE curriculum matched with our enthusiastic students and engaged faculty is a winning combination.

ZIZHUO WANG, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

In the school year 2016-17, Zizhuo Wang, assistant professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has published several papers, primarily in the area of revenue management.

Specifically, he has studied the relationship between several known classes of choice models, and examined their properties.

He also proposed new choice models to capture practical selection patterns by customers. In the last year, his work has been accepted by the Journal of Operations Research, Management Science, Operations Research Letters, among others.

He has also made more than 10 presentations during the past year about his research.

Along with his colleagues, Wang was the co-chair of the 2016 INFORMS International Meeting held in Hawaii.

The conference was well attended and successful.

He is also the co-chair for the 2017 NSF-IMA Industrial Mathematic Clinic held at University of Minnesota this past summer, and serves on the technical committee for the 2017 INFORMS Revenue Management and Pricing Section Conference.

ISyE News • Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering • College of Science and Engineering

FAC U LT Y

U P DAT E S PROFESSORS SAIF BENJAAFAR, ANKUR MANI AND ZIZHUO WANG

NSF-IMA Industrial Mathematics Clinic: Tackling Collaboratively Emerging Problems in Industry Professors Saif Benjaafar, Ankur Mani and Zizhuo Wang were the organizers of the NSF-IMA Industrial Mathematics Clinic: Tackling Collaboratively Emerging Problems in Industry held on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities from July 24 to August 11, 2017. The event was supported by a generous grant from the National Science Foundation through the Institute of Mathematics and Applications (IMA). This was a unique event that brought together representatives from industry and academia to collaborate on challenging problems in industry with a focus on analytics in four application areas • • • •

Retail analytics and revenue management, Smart transportation and logistics, Sharing economy, and Healthcare operations and medical decision-making.

The event leveraged the experience of several leading academics in fields related to analytics (e.g., operations research, statistics, computer science, and economics) who have been involved in extended collaboration with industry or who have started companies of their own. Academic keynote speakers and panelists included Mark Daskin (University of Michigan), Karan Girotra (NSEAD), Steve Graves (MIT), Ramesh Johari (Stanford), Warren Powell (Princeton), Andrew Schaeffer (Rice University), David Shmoys (Cornell), and David Simchi-Levi (MIT).

The goal of the event was to build a bridge between industry, senior academics, and junior researchers to work together on important and technically challenging problems with potential high impact on practice. The event consisted of a three day workshop with keynote presentations from both distinguished academics and industry leaders, panel discussions, and breakout sessions along the above four themes. During these breakout sessions, selected representatives from industry described important problems (technical, operational, or business modelrelated) their companies are facing and solicited collaboration from participating academics.

The three-day workshop was followed by a three-week clinic (an intensive collaborative residency program) involving faculty and researchers (selected nationally and internationally) who coalesced around different problems sponsored by industry. During the clinic, participants worked in small groups and in close contact with industry. This work is continuing after the clinic with a follow up workshop to be held next summer where clinic participants will report on progress they have made and share their experience.

Organizations that have sponsored projects include Best Buy, C.H. Robinson, eBay, General Mills, Hourcar, IBM, Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, Koopid, and Transdev.

Additional information about the workshop and clinic, including videos of keynotes and panels can be found by following the link: https://www.ima.umn.edu/2017-2018.1/ W7.24-8.11.17.

Industrial Mathematics

2017 SENIOR DESIGN

Update

SAIF BENJAAFAR, PROFESSOR

LISA MILLER, DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

Initiative on the Sharing Economy Professor Saif Benjaafar is leading the University of Minnesota’s Initiative on the Sharing Economy, supported by the Office of Vice President for Research through the Center for Transportation Studies. The initiative, which includes faculty across the university, aims to study, disseminate, and engage with emerging businesses and technologies that support the shift away from the exclusive ownership and consumption of resources to one of shared use and consumption. Shared mobility and shared transportation are areas of particular focus.

The Initiative has four broad objectives: • To support the development of the University of Minnesota as a center for thought leadership on issues surrounding the sharing (and on-demand) economy and the study of its impact on the economy, society, and the environment.

• To cultivate a cross-disciplinary community that draws on faculty and researchers from schools and departments throughout the University.

• To encourage University-driven entrepreneurship and innovation for the sharing and on-demand economy.

• To promote engagement with industry, government, and the non-profit sector and to provide balanced analysis and guidance to policymakers.

An inaugural symposium was held in May 2016, which drew leading academics and representatives from industry, government, and non-profit organizations. A follow up workshop will be held on November, 2017. Among its activities, the initiative supports a program of discovery grants for multi-disciplinary work on the sharing economy and a student competition.

We enjoyed our largest cohort of senior design projects yet – 12 companies sponsored a total of 17 projects!

Groups of 4-5 students were mentored by talented engineers, human resource specialists, and even pharmacists to improve the performance of companies in areas such as medical device, healthcare, HVAC manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, and more.

•

Students brought improvements to companies around the Twin Cities. They implemented lean principles to improve several advanced materials manufacturing processes, provided inventory policy recommendations for organic packaged foods, improved efficiency of pharmacy operations in an area hospital, just to name a few.

•

Project mentors consistently praised the benefit of getting a fresh perspective from students on their company’s problems, as well as having an opportunity to provide students with a real-world experience right before the students graduate and begin their own careers.

•

Over the past 3 years, several students have gone on to work full-time for the company sponsoring their senior design project, and a few of these ISyE alumni have even served as mentors to new senior design teams.

We are always striving to provide a set of projects across diverse companies in a variety of industries to our students. If your company may be interested in sponsoring a senior design project in the future, please contact us at info@isye.umn.edu.

Additional information about the initiative and participating faculty can be found on the initiative’s website at http://sharingeconomy.umn.edu.

ISyE News • Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering • College of Science and Engineering

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BE A MENTOR: cse.umn.edu/mentor BE A GUEST SPEAKER: info@isye.umn.edu SPONSOR & MENTOR SENIOR DESIGN PROJECTS: info@isye.umn.edu INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER: info@isye.umn.edu SCHOLARSHIPS & GIVING: isye.umn.edu/giving If you would like more information, please contact info@isye.umn.edu

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