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Information About MPI 2001

MPI is a problem solving workshop that attracts leading applied mathematicians and scientists from universities, industry, and national laboratories. During the workshop, engineers and scientists from industry interact with the academic participants on problems of interest to their companies. In the past, these problems have included, but are not limited to

  • engineering and product design
  • process design and control
  • environmental remediation
  • scheduling and optimization
  • financial modeling

The challenge facing business and industry is to prosper in an era of rapid technological growth. Meeting the challenge requires continually improving productivity, resource management, and innovation, both to refine existing products and processes and to create new ones.

The MPI workshop is a resource that offers

  • clarification and formulation of a proposed or existing process
  • methods to solve problems of interest to industry
  • links with applied mathematicians and scientists from universities and national laboratories
  • access to advanced computing solutions and environments
  • fresh input of new ideas

Format of the MPI Workshop

The MPI Workshop is a lively, 5-day interaction on problems of interest to science and industry. On the first day, the industry representatives, present their problems to the whole group. These problems vary widely in nature from those requiring basic physical modeling to those requiring significant computation (a partial list of problems brought to previous workshops is included below). For the rest of the week, the workshop participants break up into small working groups consisting of senior faculty and attending scientists, graduate students, and the industrial representatives, to discuss and tackle the problems in an informal setting. On the last day of the workshop, an academic representative from each group presents the results obtained and discusses possible future directions. A written report detailing the progress made during the workshop is prepared subsequently and sent to the industry representatives.

The format of the workshop is not strict and some variation is possible. For example, while representatives from industry are strongly encouraged to stay and participate during the full week, a partial-week participation can be arranged. The Organizing Committee is committed to working with representatives from industry to meet their needs and we are especially interested in encouraging new contacts with industry while maintaining existing ones.

Problems from Previous MPI Workshops

The following problems were brought to previous workshops. These problems are discussed in detail in previous workshop preceedings. Copies of these reports are available upon request.
  • The Optimization of a Flexible Cable, IBM.
  • Bond Default Correlation, Merrill Lynch.
  • Vapor and Liquid Flow Analysis in Packed Columns, BOC Gases.
  • Modal Excitation of Optical Fibers, Corning.
  • The Dynamics of a Roll Press Nip, Albany International.
These problems represent but a small sample of problems discussed at our workshops. The mathematical techniques used to solve these, and other problems at the workshop, include mathematical modeling, nonlinear analysis, numerical analysis and computation, and optimization.

MPI 2001 Organizing Committee

Donald Schwendeman (518) 276-2647, schwed@rpi.edu (Rensselaer)
Ashwani Kapila (518) 276-6894, kapila@rpi.edu (Rensselaer)
Peter Kramer (518) 276-6896, kramep@rpi.edu (Rensselae)r
Richard Braun (302) 831-1869, braun@math.udel.edu (U. Delaware)
Thomas Witelski (919) 660-2841, witelski@math.duke.edu (Duke Univ.)
John Pelesko (404) 894-6547, john.pelesko@math.gatech,edu (Georgia Tech.)

MPI 2001 Location

All workshop meetings will take place in the Darrin Communications Center on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Registration Fees

There is a $75 registration fee for all participants attending the workshop. (The registration fee is waived for students.) There is a $1500 problem submission fee for each industry bringing a problem to the workshop. This fee is reduced to $1250 for a first-time industry problem submission. The problem submission fee covers all work done on the problem during the workshop and the subsequent written report.

Industry representatives who are interested in submitting a problem to the workshop should first contact a member of the MPI 2001 Organizing Committee to discuss the suitability of the problem. The best results are achieved when the proposed problem is discussed and refined prior to the workshop.

Travel Support

There are funds available to support travel and local accommodations for students attending the workshop. This support is limited and may be requested by the student on the online registration form. Students requesting support may be contacted for additional information and will be notified when a decision on funding is made.

General Information

Lunches will be provided Monday through Thursday during the week of the workshop. A workshop dinner will be held at a local restaurant on Monday evening, June 4.

Lodging is available on campus or at local hotels. Arrangements for on-campus lodging and parking can be made through our Workshop Coordinator, Melissa Reardon (518) 276-6382 or reardm@rpi.edu. Arrangements at local hotels can be made by contacting a hotel directly. Some nearby hotels are the Best Western Rensselaer Inn (518) 274-3210 and the Super 8 Motel (518) 274-8800.

MPI 2001 Brochure

The information above is included in the MPI 2001 brochure (pdf file). Feel free to download the brochure and pass it along to interested colleagues.