UPS Smith Prize Winner Reprise: Learning by Doing at the Eindhoven University of Technology

The tiered education system, collaboration with industry, mentorship, and, above all, freedom to design your study make the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Industrial and Applied Mathematics (IAM) department unique. During the keynote talk during the 2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting, Dr. Maria Vlasiou, an associate professor in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at the Eindhoven University of Technology, gave an interesting overview of the historical and current innovative activities undertaken by IAM, especially the master’s program, which culminated in receiving 2022 INFORMS UPS George D. Smith Prize.

According to Dr. Vlasiou, 33% of Dutch research and development (R&D) happens in Eindhoven. Two introductory videos gave a general overview of the university and the surrounding region. The videos underscored the university’s distinction in challenge-based learning, their position as a technological hotspot and their collaboration with local governments. In introducing the IAM department, which consists of computer science, data science and mathematics programs, Dr. Vlasiou mentioned Edsger Dijkstra (shortest path algorithm) and Jacques Benders (Bender’s decomposition), two legendary names showcasing Eindhoven and operations research history. Also, she noted that INFORMS and IAM have a long-standing history, with 104 papers, >200 presentations and a variety of services and awards.

While IAM offers multiple degrees: Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Professional Doctorate in Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy, the talk was focused on the master’s program. The master’s program provides broad knowledge and advanced expertise to design and implement mathematical models that are demanding for industry and society. The program places a lot of emphasis on soft skills such as leadership and communication to develop leaders of the future. Students have the flexibility to take courses based on their interest profiles, such as computation science and engineering, stochastics, discrete mathematics and application, and data science. The IAM department offers a variety of courses. Students can, however, choose to take courses offered by the data science and artificial intelligence master’s program to deepen their analytical skills. A variety of programs within TU/e can be combined with the master’s program. These include Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, Industrial Engineering Operations Management & Logistics, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems and Eindhoven School of Education.

In the first year, the students are guided through developing their professional portfolio, which includes modeling week, soft-skill workshops and guest lectures by alumni and professors. As part of the modeling week, the students receive a real-life scenario from an industry, work on it in teams throughout the week, and present their results at the end of the week. By completing this exercise, the students are able to develop their planning, communication and presentation skills. During the soft-skills workshop, participants focus on group work, negotiations, leadership, ethics and writing skills. Students gain an understanding of the challenges facing the industry through guest lectures. This year’s modeling workshop scheduled for later this year will also celebrate the 2022 INFORMS UPS George D. Smith Prize.

The master’s program emphasizes industry involvement at every level of the program, including modeling week, internships and the final thesis. With 60% of the students doing the graduation project in the company, the topics range from applied to theoretical, where students can do the project for six months (default) or nine months (if combined with an internship). Having part-time professors from industry and business provides additional benefits. Furthermore, students take part in competitions offered by industries. One such local competition, “Night of Eindhoven,” was won by TU/e four of eight times.

Internationalization is emphasized through the possibility of doing a semester, internship or final project abroad. In addition, the program offers dual degrees with Stuttgart, Germany, and Torino, Italy.