On Friday, January 31st, we had five great visiting PhD students from University of Michigan, Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering. We had the opportunity to learn much about their research and graduate school life.
Left to Right: Alejandro Vigo Camargo, Daniel Otero, Adam VanDeusen, Anna White, and Wesley Marrero Colon
In the morning, with a warm welcome by Professor Dave Morton, our Chair of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, we kicked off the event with research talks given by: Wesley Marrero Colon (UM IOE), Alejandra Ordieres (NU IEMS), Alejandro Vigo Camargo (UM IOE), and Eojin Han (NU IEMS).
Adam VanDeusen (UM IOE) and Professor Dave Morton (NU IEMS)
During lunch, we heard practical career advice and remarks from Professor Seyed Iravani, our Director of Graduate Studies in IEMS. We certainly had a glimpse of the long history to the many ties between the two departments!
After lunch, the two INFORMS chapters had a chance to dive deep into the challenges and open opportunities of event planning, cohort support, and outreach. That was then followed by small-group discussions in current research, tips and methods in teaching, and graduate student life. In the evening, a wonderful Giodano’s dinner is served to wrap up the day of events.
Eojin Han (NU IEMS)
Dinner at Giordano’s
“The chapter exchange was a very positive experience. The welcome from the department was very warm, I really appreciated Drs. Morton and Iravani speaking with us. I think Friday morning schedule was the most effective part of the exchange – both the research talks and the breakfast/lunch casually meeting others. I also really appreciated having the Thursday night/Saturday morning meals to bookend the more formal part of the visit. Looking forward to another exchange in the future!” said from Adam VanDeusen from University of Michigan.
“The INFORMS chapter exchange was a great opportunity to network with my peers and professors. It gave me the opportunity to meet face to face with professors that I would not have met otherwise. The presentations sessions gave me a good overview of the type of research currently performed at IEMS. It was great to hear the differences and similarities of the U of M and NU chapters in the chapter exchange session.” said from Wesley J. Marrero Colon from University of Michigan.
“I was inspired by some of the different events the Michigan INFORMS chapter conducts towards strengthening the department’s social ties. I would definitely like to see movie nights become a thing!” said from Eugene Wickett from Northwestern University.