2013 Industrial Math/Stat Modeling Workshop for Graduate Students - July 15-23, 2013

Location: The 2013 workshop will be held at North Carolina State University. We can therefore offer, to both students and problem presenters, the support of an experienced group of faculty and staff.

Objective is to expose graduate students in mathematics, engineering, and statistics to challenging and exciting real-world problems arising in industrial and government laboratory research. Students get experience in the team approach to problem solving.

Setup: The students are divided into six-member teams to collaborate on industrial projects presented by experienced scientists and engineers. The corresponding problems are not the kind of academic exercises often considered in classrooms. The challenges they raise typically require fresh new insight for both formulation and solution. During the workshop, each group is mentored by both the problem presenter and a faculty adviser.

Projects:
Lea Jenkins (Clemson University) and Matthew Farthing (US Army Corps of Engineers ERDC):
Numerical Modeling and Simulation of Fluid Flow with Application to Current Environmental Challenges

Howard Chang (Emory University) and Simone Gray (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):
Burden of Sexual Transmitted Diseases in the US: Trend Analysis of Incidence Rates

Jordan Massad (Sandia National Laboratories), William S. Oates (Florida State University), and Ralph Smith (North Carolina State University):
Photoresponsive Polymer Beam Design for Solar Concentrator Self-steering Heliostats

Agustin Calatroni, Henry Lynn, and Herman Mitchell (Rho) and Emily Lei Kang (University of Cincinnati):
Microbes and Molecules: A Microscopic Analysis of Asthma

Mark Wolff (SAS Institute Inc.) and Kenneth Lopiano (SAMSI):
Network Analytics and Visualization in Healthcare

John Peach (MIT Lincoln Laboratory) and Cammey Cole Manning (Meredith College):
Urban Route Planning from Aerial Imagery

Benefits to students

Do you think your class work reflects how you will be using mathematics and statistics on the job? Sometimes the biggest challenge is figuring out what the real problem is. Students learn how to do this, and also how to get a usable result on a tight deadline. By providing a unique experience of how mathematics and statistics are applied outside Academia, the workshop has helped many students in deciding what kind of career they aspire to. In some cases, this help has been in the form of direct hiring by the participating companies. By broadening the horizon beyond what is usually presented in graduate education, students interested in academic careers also find a renewed sense of excitement about their field. Additionally, students gain experience working together toward producing an oral presentation and written report of their results (see related publications) which occasionally has led to later journal publications.

Benefits to companies

Often the teams come up with useful solutions to a company's problem. Some companies also take advantage of the recruitment opportunity provided through direct contact with some of the most talented graduate students in the mathematical sciences. Moreover, several projects initially presented at the workshop have resulted in long term collaboration between applied mathematicians (students and faculty) and the companies involved. Many companies, large and small, have shown continued interest and enthusiasm about the Workshop.

IMSM Background:
History and Past Workshops
Reports, Presentations, and Computing
Related Publications

Cost: Local and travel expenses are covered.

Support: The workshop is supported by SAMSI and the Center for Research in Scientific Computation in collaboration with the NCSU Department of Mathematics.

Applications are due April 15, 2013. No previous experience on any specific project is necessary. The selected students are required to stay for the entire workshop, and should be strongly committed to work on the project to which they are assigned.

The following documents are required for your application:
1) Send an informative transcript of the graduate courses you have taken to grad@samsi.info
2) Have your faculty adviser send a letter of recommendation to grad@samsi.info
3) In your web application, please give a precise justification for why you want to participate in this workshop, and also list your expertise with programming languages.

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out in the beginning of May 2013.

Inquiries: Please send questions to grad@samsi.info