Developing Public Interest in the Natural Sciences at the ZHAW, Wädenswil, Switzerland

This project investigated methods for the conservation and presentation of artifacts from the ZHAW Chemistry department. The artifacts were inventoried and analyzed based on condition and historical value. Through extensive research, museums visits, and interviews conducted internationally, we gathered paramount information to best generate interest in the natural sciences. - With the material collected, we were able to prepare a recommendation for an exhibition design, which incorporates all areas of the ZHAW collection. We developed implementation plans in an effort to conserve and convey the collection of samples and experiments. This plan is presented in multiple phases, so as to keep the project executable for the ZHAW

Improving the Scheduling of Operating Rooms at UMass Memorial Medical Center

The goal of this project was to improve the scheduling of surgical cases at UMass Memorial Medical Center (UMMMC). Interviews, past surgical data, and observations were analyzed to evaluate the current state of surgical scheduling procedures. An optimization tool was developed in Excel that uses integer programming to increase the operating room utilization to be more competitive with industry standard. Recommendations were provided to more efficiently schedule surgical cases in the future to reduce overtime costs and maximize value-added time