Courses

Transportation, primarily focused on the movement of people, and logistics, primarily focused on the movement of goods, are two of the most fundamental challenges to modern society. To address many problems in these areas, a wide array of mathematical models and analytics tools have been developed. This class will introduce many of the foundational tools used in transportation and logistics problems, relying on ideas from linear optimization, integer optimization, stochastic processes, statistics, and simulation. We will address problems such as optimizing the routes of cars and delivery trucks, positioning emergency vehicles, and controlling traffic behavior. Moreover, we will discuss modern issues such as bicycle sharing, on-demand car and delivery services, humanitarian logistics, and autonomous vehicles. Concepts will be reinforced with technical content as well as real-world data and examples.