2015 Industrial Math/Stat Modeling Workshop for Graduate Students - July 12-22, 2015

Workshop Information

July 12, 2015 - 5:00pm - July 22, 2015 - 8:00pm
IMSM 2015 group photo

Application: Submit a CV, a transcript, and a statement of interest. A letter of recommendation must be submitted by your advisor. Notifications of acceptance will be sent at the beginning of May 2015.

Application deadline: April 15, 2015

Location: The 2015 IMSM workshop was held at North Carolina State University.

Objective: Graduate students in mathematics, engineering, and statistics were exposed to challenging and exciting real-world problems arising in industrial and government laboratory research. Students also experienced the team approach to problem solving.

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

Software Carpentry Bootcamp (13 July 2015)
Instructors:
Nichole Bennett (University of Texas at Austin)
Christian Gunning (North Carolina State University)
John Pearson (Duke Institute for Brain Sciences)
Ashwin Srinath (Clemson University)
Preparing for the SWC Bootcamp

2015 Projects:

EPA
Ana Rappold (EPA), Jim Crooks (EPA) and Howard Chang (Emory University):
Impact of Wildfires on Ambient Air Quality and Health Burden

MIT Lincoln Laboratory
John Peach (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), Cammey Cole Manning (Meredith College) and Christian Gunning (North Carolina State University)
Wine, Ebola and Terrorism

Rho, Inc.
Agustin Calatroni (Rho, Inc.), Herman Mitchell (Rho, Inc.) and Emily Lei Kang (University of Cincinnati)
Impacts of Household Characteristics on the Indoor Microbiome

Sandia National Laboratories
Jordan Massad (Sandia National Laboratory), Sean Webb (Sandia National Laboratory) and Ralph Smith (North Carolina State University)
Flexible Optimization and Uncertainty-Enabled Design of Helical Compression Springs in Nonlinear Spring-Mass-Damper Systems

US Army Corps of Engineers
Matthew Farthing (US Army Corps of Engineers ERDC) and Lea Jenkins (Clemson University)
Estimation of Bathymetry in Environmental Flows

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. In the IMSM workshop, students will 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 will also find a renewed sense of excitement about their field. Additionally, students will 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 student 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 IMSM workshop.

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.

Inquiries: Please send questions to [email protected]

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