Interdisciplinary PhD: Operations Research with Engineering
Colorado School of Mines announced the approval of an Interdisciplinary PhD Specialty in Operations Research with Engineering (ORwE) which began in Fall 2011.
Operations Research involves mathematically modeling physical systems (both naturally occurring and man-made) with a view to determining a course of action for the system to either improve or optimize its functionality. Examples of such systems include: manufacturing systems, chemical processes, socio-economic systems, mechanical systems (e.g., those that produce and utilize energy and materials), and mining systems.
The ORwE Program allows students to complete an interdisciplinary doctoral-level degree by taking courses and conducting research in the following departments/divisions: Applied Math & Statistics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Science Engineering, Economics & Business, Mining Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Metallurgical & Materials Engineering. Currently, eleven faculty in the departments listed above have agreed to serve as core faculty in this program.
Students whom attended INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) and the titles of their student presentations:
Name Title
Michael Rice Optimal Fuel Switching and Contract Decisions in Electricity Generation
Stephen Frank Optimization of Electrical Efficiency using Mixed AC/DC Distribution
Marvin King Optimizing Counterinsurgency Operations
Michael Teter United States Army Brigade Combat Team Model with
Demand Reduction Over Time
Andrea Brickey Optimized Underground Production Scheduling with
Ventilation Constraints
Timo Lohmann Inflow Forecasting Models for Hydrothermal Scheduling
D.Tony Tarvin Extending Benders Decomposition to Integer Programs