Comment Classes for Fall 2011 - 08/30/11
Comment ISE 530: Summer 2011 - 07/11/11
Comment ISE 530 Spring 2011 - 01/3/11
Comment ISE 530 Class Projects - 12/3/10
In the ISE 530: Introduction to Operations Research course that I teach at USC, the students recently completed class projects. They all did a fantastic job! Take a look at their presentations:
Team Masters of Blackjack discovered a method for playing blackjack that would dramatically improve winnings when playing blackjack. The method consists of following existing guidelines or cheat sheets, always starting with a minimum required bet, and doubling the next bet after a loss. Click here to view their presentation.
Team Innovative Slackers developed an application to help with making the decision of buying verses leasing a car. Their approach incorporates not only financial considerations, but also vehicle and lifestyle preferences. Click here to view their presentation.
Team Four Constraints did a case study of a local Coffee Bean to determine whether the number of staff members employed was optimal. They discovered that Coffee Bean was over staffing and they could, in certain shifts, reduce their workforce in half! Click here to view their presentation.
Team Crime Alert studied the archives of crime reports for USC and the surrounding areas in order to predict the hot spots for future crime. They discovered three distinct areas with a high crime rate and determined which one of these areas is most likely to have a high rate of crime. Click here to view their presentation.
Team Lords of OR studied the movie recommendation algorithm used by Netflix and proposed a new, improved algorithm that incorporates collaborative filtering with a content-based approach. Click here to view their presentation.
Team Fantastic Four designed a new and improved shuttle bus system for the USC campus. They determined the optimal number and locations of shuttle stops, routes and schedule. Click here to view their presentation.
Team Workers Union optimized the process of worker wage determination. They clustered workers into groups and dynamically offered each group different wages based worker group desirability and on demand for work. Click here to view their presentation.
Comment ISE 530 Fall 2010 - 08/22/10
Comment Video Shoot - 07/16/10
On 06.24.2010 and 06.25.2010 we shot video footage for the music visualization application at the Zemeckis Center. We got some excellent footage (I will post some samples soon) and had fun working with all the wonderful dancers.
Comment Dance Dance … - 07/14/10
Music visualization can be successfully used to dramatically enhance the music listening experience by providing a visual pairing that presents aesthetically pleasing imagery, reinforces emotions and moods evoked by the music, and reveals information about the features and structure of the music. The most basic and instinctive visualization of music is dance. Dance is defined as: “moving rhythmically to music, using prescribed or improvised steps and gestures”. I am currently developing my vision of a dance based music visualization for Classical KUSC.
This visualization application will dynamically synchronize stylized dances (dancer silhouettes on a variety of backgrounds) to music to create the effect that a dancer is dancing to the user’s music selection. We have recorded video footage against a green screen of professional dancers in a variety of dance styles including hip hop, break dancing, classical Indian, Brazilian, salsa, African and bollywood. For each dancer, we have recorded a set of dance sequences of varying lengths. These sequences will be chained together in different combinations to create a variety of dances. These dances can potentially be paired with any piece of music. A dance will be synchronized to a piece of music by compressing and contracting portions of the video to align the underlying beats of the dance to that of the music.
I have the pleasure to be working with some brilliant and dedicated USC collaborators:
Michael Annetta (grad student – MFA in Interactive Media)
Ravi Nitin Balajee (grad student – MS in Electrical Engineering)
Elaine Chew (faculty member – Industrial and Systems Engineering)
Andreas Kratky (faculty member – School of Cinematic Arts)
James Taylor (grad student – MFA in Interactive Media)
Comment Fall 2010 Teaching - 07/12/10
I will be teaching ISE 530: Introduction to Operations Research in Fall 2010 at USC. This graduate course provides a comprehensive overview of the principles and practice of operations research. Part I is a brief introduction to the field, its history, and the role of models in the study operations. Part II focuses on deterministic models with an emphasis on linear programming, network flows, goal programming and deterministic inventory models. Part III focuses on stochastic models with an emphasis on stochastic inventory models, decision analysis, game theory, Markov chains, queueing theory and computer simulation.
Comment Teaching - 03/13/10
I have been teaching courses in Operations Research (both undergraduate and graduate) at USC since 2007.
I am currently teaching a graduate level course, ISE 530: Introduction to Operations Research. Operations Research is the study of finding optimal solutions to complex problems through the application of mathematical modeling, algorithms, statistics, and simulation. This course is taught through the Distance Education Network.