The Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering’s (ISyE) undergraduate program has been ranked the #1 program of its kind in the nation since 1991 according to the U.S. News & World Reports. While many of our students seek out our program because of our top rankings, they are equally attracted to the number of concentrations and academic interests offered. Yet one of the most alluring qualities of this program is the flexibility of career options that our Bachelor of Science (BSIE) degree allows.
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering
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At ISyE, we work on ways to improve a variety of complex systems by formulating and analyzing abstract models in search of making systems more efficient and optimizing performance. We address how people and the decisions they make contribute to the complexity of systems and how people benefit when those systems are analyzed. We immerse ourselves in the depth and breadth of decision-based technical problem solving by focusing on the disciplines of industrial engineering, operations research, and systems engineering. So, what does that all mean?
Problems Industrial Engineer's Solve
Logistics
Surplus grain is presently being stockpiled in various warehouses throughout the country (i.e. 100,000 tons are available in St. Paul; 150,000 tons in Kansas City; 95,000 tons in Denver; etc.) A substantial demand for this grain exists all over Eastern Europe (i.e. at least 75,000 tons in Sarajevo; at least 150,000 tons in the Ukraine; 120,000 tons in Poland and so forth). The government has estimated the shipping cost per ton, from each warehouse to each possible demand location.
Assuming that we have enough grain to satisfy the total demand, what is the cheapest way to handle the shipping? For example, maybe the amount shipped to Ukraine is satisfied by all of the surplus in St. Paul, plus 50,000 tons from Kansas City, while from the remaining tonnage in Kansas City (75,000) is shipped to Sarajevo while 25,000 tons are sent to Poland, etc. Certainly, there are many possibilities. What is the best?
Suppose on the other hand that (sadly) we have less grain available than is demanded. That is, some of the locations will have to go without as much grain as they need (at least from that available in the United States). How would you approach the problem now?