Poster Presentation at the annual Universities Fighting World Hunger Summit
Author: Jacob Holmes | Major: Industrial Engineering, French, German | Semester: Spring 2024
Over the 2023-2024 academic year, I conducted research over analyzing the food pantry locker system at the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry on the University of Arkansas campus through discrete-event simulation methods under my advisor, Dr. Ashlea Bennett Milburn. This research will allow for decision-making in the pantry through management policies that can be adjusted as pantry lockers are upgraded or replaced, which can also be used for addressing client-growth related problems with the locker system. This process involves collecting system data as inputs for the simulation model, building the simulation model in a way that is both reflective of the actual system and robust to potential changes to the system, and statistically analyzing outputs to assess a variety of management policies and decisions that could be made to the system. By implementing this research, the pantry’s locker management policies will better reflect client needs while also ensuring accessibility of the locker system.
Early in the research process last fall, I worked with my research mentor to better define the research topic. I proposed ideas of the areas that I would like to conduct research, and she helped me set the specifications of the topic definitions. For example, I proposed topics of projects within the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry, like the express delivery system that could be improved, mini pantry locations that could be better located, or locker order systems that could implement better policies for management of these types of orders. From these, we worked on the definition of what tools could be used to solve the research problems, which resulted in selecting a simulation model technique to test different decisions in the pantry locker order system.
After this process, I applied to the Honors College Research Grant in the fall, which allowed me to solidify the problem statement definition and work with my mentor on goal setting for the project. This process included making a tentative research schedule for the spring semester and conducting a literature review of locker systems for food. During this same period, I also submitted an abstract to the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) for the IISE Annual Conference and Expo in May 2024.
In the spring, I was able to finalize an Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol for a time study to measure volunteer order fulfillment times. I also collected locker order input data, like the times that the orders were placed, time utilization of the lockers, and volunteer numbers for each of the shifts. Additionally, I modeled the flow of the system and began to reflect it in a simulation model. I was also able to submit abstracts and present research through posters at the Universities Fighting World Hunger summit and the Honors College Undergraduate Research Week Symposium, both hosted in Fayetteville, AR. Through these experiences, I was able to put together a narrative of my research that helps in communicating my process and future findings.
Over the summer, I will be presenting at the IISE Annual Conference and Expo in Montreal, Canada, so I am honored to be able to do so through Honors College Research Grant funding. Further, I will be conducting the IRB-approved time study over collecting order fulfillment information for locker orders, validating the simulation model, and working on data analysis of the input data.