Author: Jacob Holmes | Major: Industrial Engineering | 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.
Presenting Research Titled “Optimizing College Food Pantry Locker Systems through Simulation Techniques” at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Annual Conference and Expo
At the end of the spring semester, I traveled to Montreal, Canada, to present this research at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Annual Conference and Expo. I gave a 15-minute presentation on the story of my research and what future steps will be. Specifically, I was able to present problem definitions, discuss the novel applications of locker systems in food pantries for order accessibility, and what my research does in this space to address problems with the system and preventative measures. This experience was invaluable, as it allowed me to grow professionally through communication skills with oral presentations. It also allowed me to improve my research and fine tune definitions on how to communicate my research. For example, at the end of the presentation, I was approached with the idea of food pop-up stands used by some food banks and how I could consider them in my research. As this is something that I had not considered before, it allowed me to think about what other solutions for food pantries I could consider for my research and take back to the University of Arkansas community to improve the campus’s current offerings.
By traveling to this conference, I was also able to network with professionals in the humanitarian logistics field. In my presentation session, I was able to watch presentations on food pop-up stand logistics and research done to optimize their locations in a food bank’s service area. I was also able to meet with a professor from another and discuss food lockers and their implementation. We were able to discuss my research and ideas on what it could be used for and talked about how they plan to introduce lockers into their food pantry operations. This experience was extremely beneficial, as connecting with someone who is passionate about the same field was empowering future research and study steps.
My travel to the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Annual Conference and Expo was an especially beneficial event in my research. I was able to grow professionally, grow in communication skills, and practice presenting technical work while also getting to watch similar research presentations. Preparing for this event was paramount, and practicing presenting a cohesive research narrative so that the audience is poised to ask good questions was especially important. In the next few months, I will continue to work on my Honors College Research Grant funded research over the summer, finalizing simulation modeling, collecting data from a time study, and documenting my progress in preparation for thesis writing. This research and travel would have not been possible without the Honors College grants, so I am honored to have been able to travel and conduct research through them.