Class Time: Monday and Wednesday, 4:10pm ~ 5:50pm, Russ 146

Instructor: Prof. X. Zhang

Office: 234 Russ Center

Phone Number: (937) 775-5151

Web Address: www.wright.edu/~xinhui.zhang/

Overview: This seminar class will expose students a vast set of successful applications of industrial engineering techniques such as optimization, simulation, inventory control, and multi-criteria decision making to help companies in reduce cost and increase revenue. These applications covers a variety of industries including, but not only limited to, the transportation industry such as airlines, the telecommunication industry such as AT&T and British Communications, the automobile industry such as Ford and General Motors, the semiconductor industry such as IBM and Samsung, the consumer production such as Proctor & Gamble, the television and media industry such as NBC, and government agencies such as US Department of Defense (Air Force and Army). This class is designed to help students develop a deep understanding of industrial engineering techniques and their applications. It will strengthen the students’ capability to identify and solve problems while bringing into light the various roles they can play in companies, and hence locating job opportunities and increasing their chance of success in their future career.

Course Materials: The materials for the seminar will be the presentations from finalist or awardees of the Edelman Prize competition. Each lecture contains a feature presentation as well as background materials on related techniques. (The feature presentations and background material can be accessed at http://www.scienceofbetter.org/) The Franz Edelman competition is the most prestigious award to outstanding application of management science and operations research practice in the world. Past awardees include Air New Zealand, AT&T, British Telecom, Continental Airline, Canadian Pacific Railway, FAA, Ford, IBM, John Deer, US Army, etc.

Grading:

· In-Class Students: Graded on the basis of their performance in class activities and term papers. 20% of the grade will be based on class participation.

· Distance Learning Students: Graded by term papers.

· Term Papers: Students can choose from the two presentations of each week and write a paper to summarize the presentation. The term paper should be turned in at the end of next week. The paper must be about 2~4 pages in length (for in-class students) and 3-5 pages in length (for distance learning students), 1.5 spaced (11 point, Palatino Linotype) and include a short description a description of the problem addressed, an analysis of the techniques and salient contributions.