REU Site: Research on Prescriptive Analytics for AI-enabled Operations Engineering

这个REU网站的目标是填补学生在规范分析方面的知识空白，这是一种分析形式，它为如何利用未来的机会或减轻未来的风险提出了决策选择。 规范性分析对于服务业、制造业和农业等关键行业尤其重要，这些行业面临高支出、供需不匹配和运营不确定性。该REU计划不仅将为学生提供所需的知识，还将为他们提供技能，以进行研究，为涉及数据驱动的规划和决策的现实问题提供智能/可扩展的规范性分析解决方案。此外，通过REU项目，许多代表性不足的少数民族，妇女和第一代毕业生将接受独立研究的培训，这反过来又会激励他们攻读STEM的高级学位。暑期课程将培养学生的兴趣，开发一些创造性和新颖的研究工作，例如，(i)实时调度模型，以优化无人驾驶地面车辆（UGV）的规划和控制-传输机器人（又名）transbots），（ii）创建用于医疗保健流程改进的区块链系统，（iii）设计用于动态调度和路由无人机（UAV）的基于分解的迭代优化算法，即，无人机和空中出租车，以及（iv）使用深度学习理解基因型，环境和管理（G×E×M）相互作用。总之，让学生接触多学科研究项目，为人工智能操作工程进行规范分析，灌输对科学和工程的热情，和培养他们的演讲技能，以追求高级STEM学位是拟议的REU网站的主要目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力的支持审查标准。

The goal of this REU site to fill the gap in student knowledge in prescriptive analytics, a form of analytics which suggests decision options for how to take advantage future opportunities or mitigate future risks. Prescriptive analytics are particularly critical for key industries such as services, manufacturing and agriculture that experience high expenditure, supply-demand mismatch, and operational uncertainties. This REU program will not only equip students with the required knowledge but provide them the skillset to conduct research on delivering intelligent/scalable prescriptive analytics solutions to real-world problems involving data-driven planning and decision making. In addition, through the REU projects, numerous underrepresented minorities, women and first-generation graduates, will be trained in doing independent research, which will, in turn, motivate them to pursue advanced degrees in STEM. The summer program will cultivate student interest in developing several creative and novel research works, e.g., (i) real-time scheduling models to optimize the planning and control of unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) - transfer robots (a.k.a. transbots), (ii) creating a Blockchain system for healthcare process improvement, (iii) designing decomposition-based iterative optimization algorithms for dynamically dispatching and routing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), i.e., drones and air taxis, and (iv) understanding genotype, environment and management (G×E×M) interaction using deep learning. In summary, exposing students to multidisciplinary research projects in prescriptive analytics for AI-enabled operations engineering, inculcating a passion for science and engineering, and cultivating their presentation skillsets for pursuing advanced STEM degrees are the main goals of the proposed REU Site.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.