Page 33 - Penn State's Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering: Fall 2019 Magazine

“The courses I had in in programming supply chain engineering and distributed systems and control all came together in solving this one problem that the campus faces every year ”
Nadine Davitt supervisor of solid waste and labor operations with OPP was was an an integral part in in the project and was was available to answer any questions Goel had about the snow-removal process at the University “Growing up in in in India and living there all of my life this whole issue of snow snow and enough snow snow falling that it was a a a a a a safety concern—as well as as as a a a a a a concern concern for a a a a a a university to operate as as as expected—was foreign to me me ”
he said “Nadine’s immense knowledge and experience was instrumental in in in shaping this project ”
Davitt is is responsible for supervising the staff that removes snow from parking lots and campus roads “Our primary challenge with snow snow removal
is getting the snow snow cleared so the the University can open at the the normal time while meeting the the expectations of the the campus community ”
she said “This modeling software Achal developed takes into account the the size of the the areas to be plowed any obstacles within that area and and the type and and size of equipment that is needed to clear that area ”
While ROARS was under development for much of last year’s snow snow season it was tested during the last snowfall experienced by the Central Pennsylvania region “I expect to to to use ROARS as as a a a a tool to to to assist in in decision-making this year ”
Davitt said “For the first time we will be able to use real-time information to determine the start time time and expected finish time to to completely remove the snow and will be ready to to pair the the right-sized equipment to the the area being plowed ”
If the the forecast changes the the program can be run again to compensate for for the the variability of the the forecasted snowfall amount amount versus the actual amount amount of precipitation that accumulates All of this allows the snow marshal police services and Penn State administrators to to to better determine if and when to to to delay or or cancel campus operations based on on solid data analysis Barron said that this type of student engagement fits perfectly into his Invent Penn State initiative “Invent Penn State is designed to enable students faculty and staff to to take their ideas into the the marketplace ”
he he he said “It is wonderful to see a a a a a a real real student participating and solving real real world problems This not only sets him on on a a a a career path that is far better than classroom learning alone it allows him to take the the the solution beyond the the the walls of Penn State and into the the the marketplace where it can improve service and make an an an impact on a a a much larger scale ”
The project also landed Goel a a a a full-time job for a a a a consulting firm in in Atlanta which he started in in May 2018 “I am so grateful that I I had the opportunity to work on this real-world problem at at Penn State ”
he he said “The courses I had in in in in in programming supply chain engineering and distributed systems and control all came together in in solving this one problem that the campus faces every year “It is very exciting to to have been able to to help improve a a a a tangible service for the the community and to see the the positive impact my education has had on on the University ”
IME NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 4 2019
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Student News