Operational Research Commons^™

Innovative Controls For Combustible Particulate Dust In Industrial Refineries, Sadie Dickman

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project entails an extensive analysis of the occupational combustible dust hazard that exists in industrial refineries, including food processing, manufacturing, and metalworking facilities. Based on prior accidents like the 2008 Imperial Sugar and 2017 Didion Milling explosions, combustible dust causes fire and explosion risks that can result in damages, injuries, and fatalities. Through comparison of OSHA regulations, NFPA standards, and accident data, a lack of effective standards regarding training, audits, ventilation, fire prevention, and adequate housekeeping measures were highlighted to be an existing safety gap. The purpose of this study is to propose administrative controls to mandate companies to …

Designing Under Pressure: A Comparative Study Of Ai And Manual Interface Development In A Naval Weapon System Scenario, Tsimur Babakhanau, Noah Clark, Colby Keller, Mary Grace Sorenson, Zoe Tiede

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study implements a detailed naval scenario in which participants acted as operators on a Navy destroyer equipped with a Laser Weapon System (LaWS). Their task was to create a dashboard capable of stopping incoming suicide drone swarms while managing critical laser functions such as thermal constraints, threat prioritization, and adapting to attack dynamics. Poor management could leave the ship vulnerable. AI is increasingly integrated into design methods, fundamentally transforming the process of building user interfaces by compressing hours of work into minutes. Although AI design tools are becoming more common, little is known about how well beginners can use …

Shipboard Fire & Flooding: Evaluating Ai-Assisted Interface Design For Novice Designers, Rachel Phillips, Abigail Threat, Parneet Makkar, Jasmine Cruz, Matthew Skowronek

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

In naval damage control scenarios, operators in Damage Control Central (DCC) must interpret information from numerous sensors at once to detect hazards such as fire, flooding, or smoke while also maintaining ship stability. Designing interfaces that effectively support these tasks typically requires significant experience in human factors and military design standards. This project investigates whether AI-based design tools can help novice users produce functional interface prototypes more efficiently. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group that used an assigned AI tool (Figma Make, Visily, or Claude) to generate and refine interface layouts, and a control group that …

High Tempo Air Operations, Joseph Lipson, Brennan Flanagan, Trevor Sterbens, Brandon Godfrey, Jeremiah Sepich

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Aircraft carrier flight decks are one of the most dangerous work environments in the world, where dozens of aircraft must be moved, fueled, and armed within strict time limits. Currently, Flight Deck Handling Officers track aircraft positions using a physical board with wooden pucks that can be knocked out of place or become outdated during fast-moving operations. This study looks at whether using AI tools helps people design a better digital version of this tracking system. Participants with little design experience were randomly selected and then randomly assigned to one of two groups — one that could use AI tools …

Humans Vs. Ai: Comparing Approaches To Disaster Response Interface Design, Kelly Nguyen, Olivia Hartmann, Kailey Hrbek, Madeline Nees, Gabrielle Roth, Emily Silliman

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Amphibious emergency support operations involve rapidly changing information, high stress, and significant cognitive demands, which can make decision-making and situation awareness more difficult for operators. When interfaces are poorly designed, they can contribute to issues such as alarm flooding, confusion from incomplete information, and delayed responses, all of which increase operational risk during time-critical disaster situations. This study explores whether using generative AI to assist with interface design will improve performance (output quality and effort) and usability compared to a manual sketch mock-up. Participants were asked to design a dashboard interface to support disaster relief operations following a Category 5 …

Modeling Psychological And Demographic Predictors Of Analog Astronaut Mission Participation, Christian Yeara Herrero, Frányerson R. López Ochoa, Mackenzie Thomas, Phoebe Fleshman

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

As plans accelerate to send humans into orbit and to other celestial bodies, whether to lunar outposts, Mars bases, or commercial space stations, it becomes increasingly important to understand how to maintain healthy, cohesive, and productive crews in confined, isolated environments. A practical way to study human adaptation to these conditions is through analog astronaut missions on Earth. Although imperfect, these facilities provide the closest Earth-based simulation of space mission conditions. Currently, over ten analog research centers are operating worldwide, including NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) and the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) habitats. Selecting and recruiting …

Bridging Mission And Execution: Integrating Participatory Design In Early-Phase Mission Engineering For Stakeholder Alignment And Mission Clarity, Rafi Soule

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

This research examines mission framing during the early phase of Mission Engineering. Stakeholder interpretations diverge under ambiguity. Interoperability constraints are often not surfaced early. These conditions reduce mission clarity and weaken mission-to-system mapping readiness. The study integrates a participatory design-inspired, artifact-first workflow with RAG-enabled retrieval from a closed corpus to support evidence-grounded reasoning and traceable citations.

Phase 1 uses an online survey to establish baseline patterns in practice (N = 86). Shared understanding is positively associated with mission clarity (r = 0.60, p < 0.001). Phase 2 uses a time-bounded comparative workshop with two conditions. Expert reviewers rate mission statement quality higher for the participatory design condition (mean 3.5) than the traditional condition (mean 2.8). Technical feasibility ratings are similar across conditions. Phase 3 demonstrates RAG-enabled, closed-corpus, retrieval-supported traceability using the Referencer tool. It is reported as a proof-of-concept for evidence-grounded rationale and auditability, and as a pathway …

Analyzing The Impact Of Socioeconomic Factors On Cancer Clinical Trials Accessibility In The U.S. Using Machine Learning, Krysta L. Ray, Hiromi Honda

ATU Scholars Symposium

While cancer impacts all segments of the United States population, specific groups experience a disproportionate burden of the disease due to social, environmental, and economic disadvantages. This research examines the correlation between socioeconomic factors and the accessibility of cancer clinical trials across U.S. counties, employing a comprehensive dataset, County-Level Socioeconomic and Cancer Clinical Trial Data from Noah Ripper, and advanced machine-learning techniques. Our findings, derived from regression analysis and machine learning models like gradient boosting, highlight significant disparities in trial availability linked to socioeconomic indicators, including poverty rates, population estimates, median income, incidence rates, and mortality rates. Many regression models …

A Comparison Of Nonverbal And Paraverbal Behaviors In Simulated And Virtual Patient Encounters, Sarah Powers, Mark W. Scerbo, Matthew Pacailler, Macy Kisiel, Baillie Hirst, Ginger S. Watson, Lauren Hamel, Fred Kron

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

The present study assessed whether trainees display similar nonverbal and paraverbal behaviors when interacting with a simulated (SP) and virtual patient (VP). Sixty second slices of time following four interactions were rated for the presence and frequency of three nonverbal and paraverbal behaviors. Results revealed that students exhibited fewer behaviors in the VP interaction, possibly due to differences social inhibition or fidelity between the two formats.

Factors Influencing Users’ Attitudes Towards Using Brain Computer Interface (Bci) For Non Medical Uses: An Application Of The Technology Acceptance Model (Tam), Yichin Wu, Leila Halawi

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

While brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are gaining popularity in assisting people with illnesses, there is also increased technical research on incorporating BCI into healthy people’s lives. So far, not much research has focused on user attitudes, although some research has pointed out privacy and trust issues. Understanding potential users’ attitudes, expectations, and concerns early in the technology development stage is crucial for the novelty's success. For this reason, this study aims to understand the general publics’ attitude towards BCI for nonmedical uses using the technology acceptance model (TAM). The study will offer insights into how external factors including technology optimism, familiarity, …

Agile And Lean Six Sigma Integration: A Leadership Framework, Alessandro Laureani

International Conference on Lean Six Sigma

Submitting final version of the paper attached.

Agile and Lean Six Sigma integration: a Leadership framework

Author: Alessandro Laureani, Independent Lean Six Sigma Scholar, Ireland

E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +353 87 914 4532

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how Agile methodologies and Lean Six Sigma can coexist and propose a Leadership framework to successfully merge Agile methodologies with Lean Six Sigma practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper builds on the author’s doctoral thesis on Leadership for Lean Six Sigma, and integrate Agile practices based on the author’s experience in the software development industry.

Findings

Agile methodologies, that came to …

Improve Outcomes In Lean Six Sigma With Servant Leadership, David W. Hoffa, Chad Laux, Manal Alduraibi

International Conference on Lean Six Sigma

1. Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore lean leadership within Lean Six Sigma (LSS). The objective of this paper was to explore how LSS program success might be improved by focusing Black Belt efforts on mentoring Green Belts with a servant leadership model. The importance of Green Belt projects is typically overlooked in the literature. The effects of prioritizing the development of Green Belts and building a culture of continuous improvement over the traditional Black Belt project focus is explored.

2. Design/Methodology/Approach

The methodology of this paper is inspired by the authors’ field experiences in managing LSS …

Lean Six Sigma As An Enabler For Healthcare Operational Excellence In Covid-19, Olivia Mcdermott Dr, Antony Jiju

International Conference on Lean Six Sigma

1. Purpose -This paper aims to present the results of a qualitative research interview study on the utilization and importance of Lean Six Sigma methods in the Healthcare sector in COVID-19 and in pandemics in general.
2. Design/methodology/approach -a qualitative interview approach was utilised by interviewing leading Lean Six Sigma academics and practitioners who are expert in and have experience in Lean Six Sigma.
3. Findings – Lean Six Sigma methods are proven and can be utilised in pandemic situations to improve efficiency and resilience in the healthcare system and readiness for pandemics.
4. Research limitations/implications - One limitation of this research was that …

A Statistical Approach For Commercial Space Vehicle Integration Into The National Airspace System, Christopher Hays, Daniel Chu, Pedro Llanos

Space Traffic Management Conference

This paper explores commercial space vehicle (CSV) suborbital flight trajectories in the temporal and spatial domains for CSV integration into the National Airspace System. The research data was collected via the Suborbital Space Flight Simulator (SSFS) housed in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach campus, and analyzed using an original MATLAB data analytics tool. This study primarily focuses on statistical trends observed in previously simulated flights supported by three Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) campaigns comprised of 34 flights and 19 control flights, and to identify relevant milestones in the CSV …

Enhancing Suborbital Science Through Better Understanding Of Wind Effects, Pedro Llanos, Diane Howard

Space Traffic Management Conference

This paper highlights the importance of understanding some key factors, such as winds effects, trajectory and vehicle parameters variations in order to streamline the space vehicle operations and enhance science in the upper mesosphere at about 85 km. Understanding these effects is crucial to refine current space operations and establish more robust procedures. These procedures will involve training new space operators to conduct and coordinate space operations in class E above FL600 airspace within the Air Traffic Organization (ATO).

Space vehicles such as Space Ship Two can spend up to 6 minutes in class E airspace above FL600 after launch. …

Digital Design Of Intralogistics Systems: Flexible And Agile Solutions To Short-Cyclic Fluctuations, Christoph Pott, Anike Murrenhoff, Moritz Wernecke, Philipp-Akira Burger

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 20

Urban Parcel Logistics Hub And Network Design: The Impact Of Modularity And Hyperconnectivity, Benoit Montreuil, Shannon Buckley, Louis Faugere, Reem Khir, Shahab Derhami

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 27

Integrated Intermodal Network Design With Nonlinear Inter-Hub Movement Costs, Mohammad Ghane-Ezabadi, Hector A. Vergara

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 11

On The Unique Features And Benefits Of On-Demand Distribution Models, Jennifer Pazour, Kaan Unnu

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 6

Minimizing The Variance Of Fulfillment Cycle Time In A Central Fill Pharmacy: Why And How, Mohamed El Tonbari, Leon Mcginnis

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 31

Dynamic Batching For Order Picking In Warehouses, Jelmer Pier Van Der Gaast, Bolor Jargalsaikhan, Kees Jan Roodbergen

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 26

Shuttle-Based Storage And Retrieval Systems With Robotic Order-Picking Shuttle Carrier, Tone Lerher

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 12

Transportation Service Provider Collaboration: Benefits And Insights, Steven Roesch, Kimberly Ellis

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 30

A Measurement Tool For Circular Economy Practices: A Case Study In Pallet Supply Chains, Maria Grazia Gnoni, Andres L. Carrano, Fabiana Tornese, Jennifer Pazour, Brian K. Thorn

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 7

An Integrated Network Modeling Framework For Analysis Of Multi-Line Order Pick Systems, Debjit Roy, Vishal Bansal

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 16

Batching And Sequencing In Bucket Brigade Systems With Heterogeneous Items, Yossi Bukchin, Eran Hanany, Eugene Khmelnitsky

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 9

A Performance Calculator For Shuttle-Based Storage And Retrieval System Design, Banu Yetkin Ekren, Anil Akpumar, Tone Lerher

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 28

A Framework For Modeling Material Handling With Decentralized Control, Kevin Gue, Kai Furmans

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 23

Contribution Of Physical Internet Containers To Mitigate The Risk Of Cargo Theft, Yanyan Yang, Eric Ballot, Miguel Gaston Cedillo-Campos

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Poster 24

Panel Session #2: Ecom Fulfillment And The Physical Internet: Some Motivation And A Persistent Challenge, Benoit Montreuil, Russell D. Meller, Eric Ballot

International Material Handling Research Colloquium

Panel Session 2

Panelists: Benoit Montreuil, Russell Meller, and Eric Ballot

Moderator: Kimberly Ellis