A lecture entitled “Understanding Aviation Security Issues Using Operations Research Models and Analysis” will be given by Sheldon Jacobson Tuesday Feb. 25 from 4:30 to 5:30 in Jacobs Auditorium. The lecture is being held in conjunction with Vanderbilt’s Reliability and Risk Engineering and Management Program, which is sponsored by the NSF Integrative Graduate Education, Research and Training Program.

Aviation security has become a topic of intense national interest, as the risk of terrorism and of other hazardous threats to the nation's air system increase. Recent events have hastened changes to improve the security of the air traffic industry. This includes multi-million dollar investments in new security technologies and equipment. This presentation discusses a number of issues that impact the way security is currently being maintained at airports around the United States. Probability models that capture the interdependencies between several security information sources are presented. A cost benefit model for baggage screening devices is also presented. Directions for future research in aviation security are also discussed.

Sheldon H. Jacobson is a Professor, Willett Faculty Scholar, and Director of the Simulation and Optimization Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has also served on the faculty at Case Western Reserve University and Virginia Tech. He has a B.Sc. and M.Sc. (both in Mathematics) from McGill University, and a M.S. and Ph.D. (both in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering) from Cornell University. His theoretical research interests include the analysis and design of heuristics and algorithms for intractable discrete optimization problems. His applied research interests address problems in the manufacturing, aviation security, and health-care industries. He received the 1998 Application Award from Institute of Industrial Engineers Operations Research Division for his research contributions in the application of operations research to address aviation security problems. Most recently, we was awarded the 2002 Aviation Security Research Award by Aviation Security International for his contributions to aviation security theory and practice, and the Best Paper Award in the 2001-2002 IIE Transactions Focused Issue on Operations Engineering for his paper on enhancing aviation security systems using discrete optimization models. His research has been published in a wide spectrum of journals, including Operations Research, INFORMS Journal on Computing, Operations Research Letters, IIE Transactions, and the Journal of the Operational Research Society. He has received research funding from several government agencies and industrial partners, including the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

This research is supported in part by the National Science Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Posted 2/24/03 at 10 a.m.