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PhD Student Workshop on Transportation and Logistics Challenges and Opportunities application deadline extended to January 29

  • 1.  PhD Student Workshop on Transportation and Logistics Challenges and Opportunities application deadline extended to January 29

    Posted 01-14-2019 09:29
    Reposting  previous announcement. Application deadline has been extended to January 29, 2019. Will not be extended again.

    PhD Student Workshop on Transportation and Logistics Challenges and Opportunities @ Loyola University Chicago, May 20-22, 2019

    On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to invite PhD students interested in research topics related to transportation and logistics

    to attend a workshop that Loyola University Chicago will be hosting in May, 2019. The goal of this workshop is to expand the capabilities of

    the scientific community focused on transportation and logistics to solve real-world problems. As such, the workshop has been designed with three objectives

    in mind:

    1) Give PhD students the opportunity to listen to, and have in-depth discussions with, academic experts from different research areas. 

    2) Give PhD students the opportunity to learn the perspectives and interests of future "customers" of their work, including journal editors, funding agencies, and (potential) industry collaborators. 

    3) Build a community amongst PhD students that will carry through to their professional careers. 

    To achieve these goals (in part), the speaker list for the workshop includes individuals from various backgrounds. The tentative list of speakers is as follows:

    Industry speakers:

    Amazon

    Schneider

    Manhattan Associates

    Journal editors and funding agencies:

    Irina Dolinskaya (program director at the National Science Foundation)

    Gilbert Laporte (former editor of Transportation science)

    Martin Savelsbergh (current editor of Transportation Science)

    Academic researchers:

    Jean-Francois Cordeau - HEC Montreal

    Alan Erera - Georgia Institute of Technology

    Emma Frejinger - Universite de Montreal

    Mike Hewitt - Loyola University Chicago

    Hani Mahmassani - Northwestern University

    Dirk Mattfeld - TU Braunschweig

    Carolina Osorio - MIT

    Siqian Shen - University of Michigan

    Karen Smilowitz - Northwestern University

    Barry Thomas - University of Iowa

    In addition to talks, and in pursuit of objective three, the agenda will include multiple periods of time dedicated to networking amongst the workshop attendees.

    We are fortunate to have received funding from the National Science Foundation to provide scholarships for a limited number (estimated at 20-22) of students attending the workshop. 

    Specifically, those students who receive a scholarship will be able to attend with no registration fee, free lodging from Sunday night through Wednesday night, and coffees and lunch each day of the workshop. We note that lodging will involve two bedroom apartments  with two students in each apartment. To be considered for funding, a student should submit a single zip file containing their application to the link below:

    https://www.dropbox.com/request/JwpOmZEE5jB3fW4fExHW

    The deadline for applications has been extended to January 29, 2019 1 PM EST. Please give the zip file you upload a name that follows this format: FIRSTNAME-LASTNAME-UNIVERSITY-Workshop-Application.zip

    An application should include the following materials:

    1) A Curriculum Vitae

    2) A cover letter

    The intention is for these materials to mimic what a student would need to pursue a career either in academia or industry, and the cover letter should indicate what the student hopes to pursue. We expect that these application materials may differ based on the career the individual hopes to pursue. For example, a cover letter for an individual seeking an academic career should emphasize different points than a cover letter for an individual seeking an industry career. In keeping with its real-world focus, we hope the workshop will be

    attended by students interested in both types of careers. 

    Each application will be evaluated on the following metrics:

    1) Communications ability: For an applicant intending to pursue an academic career, this will be tantamount to teaching ability. For an applicant intending to pursue an industry career, this will be the same as the applicant's ability to communicate the value of his/her research in an industrial setting.

    2) Scholarly/research potential.

    3) Impact attending workshop will have on applicant's career.

    4) Impact receiving funding will have on applicant's career.

    We also note that the selection process will be aligned with the National Science Foundation's aim to broaden participation in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) disciplines. We anticipate notifying students whether or not they will be

    selected for a scholarship by February 15, 2019. Students not selected for a scholarship will be able to attend the workshop at an (estimated) registration fee of $150, with registration link to come. Registration will cover coffee and lunch each day of the workshop. 

    There will be one other opportunity for PhD students to jump-start their careers with this workshop. Specifically, there will be an opportunity for three students to present their research at the workshop as well as have it discussed in a constructive manner. Students interested in being considered for this opportunity should then indicate as such in their cover letter. These applications should also consist of a 2-3 page extended abstract, similar in nature to what one would submit to one of the leading conferences in transportation and logistics (e.g. Odysseus, Tristan, TSL Conference/Workshop). 

    These abstracts will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

    1) Research topic is within the scope of transportation and logistics

    2) Originality of research

    3) Strength/maturity of research

    4) Quality of writing 

    We encourage students to apply for a scholarship and look forward to seeing everyone in Chicago in May, 2019. Any questions regarding the workshop can be directed to Mike Hewitt @ mhewitt3@luc.edu.

    Best regards,

    Mike Hewitt - Loyola University Chicago

    Organizing committee

    Hani Mahmassani - Northwestern University

    Maciek Nowak - Loyola University Chicago

    Siqian Shen - University of Michigan

    Barrett Thomas - University of Iowa



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    Mike Hewitt
    Loyola University Chicago
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