The departmental colloquia and seminar series bring distinguished researchers and practitioners from other universities and businesses to present their latest work. In addition, informal research seminars are organized in order to exchange information and to discuss ideas arising from the research work in progress. The students, research staff, visiting scholars, and faculty members participate in these seminars.

The department aims to support all graduate students requesting aid through a combination of fellowships and assistantships. The fellowships vary in amount and detailed provisions. The amounts of financial assistance through assistantships are fixed as indicated in the general section on awards and financial assistance at the beginning of this announcement.

Assistantships in research are available for students who are prepared to enter one of the research programs conducted by the department. The research problem usually becomes the basis for the thesis or dissertation. Assistantships in instruction are available to both entering and continuing graduate students. The amount of work required is consistent with a full-time graduate program.

Continuation of support is recommended on the basis of satisfactory academic performance.

The departmental faculty are affiliated with a number of interdisciplinary programs and centers: the Program in Statistics and Operations Research, the Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, the Bendheim Center for Finance, and the Program in Transportation. Students may combine their departmental work with courses and research opportunities offered by such programs and centers and also by the Departments of Mathematics, Economics, and Computer Science.

Research Facilities

Multimedia Engineering Computation Atelier. This is an Engineering School-wide laboratory for teaching and research in the methodology of problem solving using the combined power of interactive computer graphics workstations and large-scale digital computing as applied to virtual reality, visual simulation, computer-aided design, analysis, and manufacturing. Facilities expose students to a range of technology, including the state-of-the-art graphics workstations available 24 hours a day. Additional facilities for conducting research using computer graphics are also available.

Computational and Stochastic Transportation and Logistics Engineering (CASTLE) Laboratory. The CASTLE Laboratory works on problems in dynamic resource management with ongoing projects in chemical distribution, railroads, trucking, and the airlift mobility command. Through this lab, students gain access to data and specialized tools to aid them in their research into transportation and logistics.

Financial Engineering Laboratory. This laboratory holds the computers, software, and financial data feeds needed for teaching and research in financial engineering. It is a focal point for graduate students in the Ph.D. program in financial engineering and the Master of Finance. It also serves as a gateway to collaborative research projects with financial institutions.

Optimization Tools and Models (OPTOMO) Library. The OPTOMO Library is an internet-based library that provides students with access to a large collection of impor-tant real-world optimization models together with state-of-the-art tools for solving them.