Jonathon Leverenz will present "Operations Research - What's That?" on Friday, February 18, from 11:35 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. in HSS/Leonard Hall room 225.
Operations Research emerged during World War II from Allied efforts to hunt German U-Boats, move cargo safely across the Atlantic, and operate radar more effectively. It is a model-centric, scientific approach to studying systems and processes. Methods in O.R. focus on understanding how these systems operate and then apply ideas from math and science to find ways of improving them.
In his talk, Leverenz will discuss the role of O.R. in the decision sciences and some of its military and security applications. He will present an example that illustrates how operational knowledge and requirements are translated into a model of a system. Such a model can be used to determine the implications of different use cases and provide insight to decision makers.
Following the talk, Leverenz will meet with students from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. in Stright Hall, room 226, to discuss his career path and answer questions about career opportunities in operations research.
Jonathon Leverenz is an operations research analyst for Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc., a company that provides knowledge-based solutions integrating technical, operational, programmatic, policy, and business solutions in support of important national security objectives. Leverenz specializes in operations research and received his PhD from Clemson University in 2015.
Leverenz's visit is part of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics’ Science Inspires Series and is cosponsored by the S-COAM Program (NSF DUE 1742304).