Martha Bushong

Strong Showing for SEOR at the 41st Annual Marine Corps Marathon

Martha Bushong — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 15:25:21 +0000

Strong Showing for SEOR at the 41st Annual Marine Corps Marathon Martha Bushong Wed, 11/02/2016 - 11:25

Ricky Neary’s not a serious runner, but on the weekend of October 29th he and classmate Mumtahina Muahmud joined tens of thousands of runners, guests, and vendors at the Gaylord Hotel, National Harbor for the Marine Corps Marathon Expo.

The grad students weren’t at the Expo to pick up racing bibs or purchase energy drinks. Neary and Muahmud battled the crowds to gather data for a capstone project in Systems Engineering and Operations Research. The project aims to generate a mathematical model for the Marathon organizers to use with future planning while they use the Gaylord to host the Expo for the next several years.

The idea to study the logistics of the Expo was an option that professor Karla Hoffman suggested to the group.

“I asked one of our PhD candidates, Paul Nicholas, if he had any military problems that would challenge our students. He suggested that I contact Matt Aylward, of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, who had been working on the logistics for this year’s Marathon.

“When I asked the question to Paul, I thought I might get a more traditional military problem, but when he mentioned the Marathon, I thought, what a great idea. It is a logistical problem that everyone can understand.”

In the past there has always been a Metro stop within walking distance of the Expo, but National Harbor’s closest Metro stop is in Oxon Hill, which is 55 minutes away on foot. How this new location might affect the expected number and time of arrivals to the event is not well specified. The data that the team’s model needs can only be estimated from data that differs from the current situation.

“So far, the biggest challenge has been data collection,” said Neary. “While legacy data exists, the National Harbor is a new location for the packet pickup/Expo.”

Attempting to get better information based on other events at the National Harbor has been challenging. Most of the team’s email requests to others who have sponsored events at the venue have been ignored. The students hope first-hand observations during this year’s Expo might provide some of the needed inputs to the model.

While Hoffman’s students prepared to study the logistics of the Expo, two other members of the Systems Engineering and Operations Research, family (faculty members John Shortle, and Rochelle Jones) trained to run the 26.2-mile race. Each has an individualized strategy/system for race preparation.

Shortle, who has been running races since 1997, describes himself as the opposite of ritualistic. He said he downloads a schedule and follows it for training, but he understands that life can get in the way.

“I try to run at a steady pace that I can maintain to the finish,” he said. “I tell people, with training you can go farther than you think.”

He says the hardest part is the last 10k. He said the first half of the race is mile 1-16 and the second “half” is mile 17-26. In other words the last part of the race feels longer than the first.

Associate Professor Rochelle Jones said for her, “The hardest part of a marathon is signing up. I was filling out the form for a half marathon, and thought, why am I signing up for another half marathon? That was when I took the plunge.”

Jones says, “I am a Systems Engineer in my work and I am systems engineer in my race preparation.”

She says, “Running and racing is the ultimate interdisciplinary experience, a lot goes into it. Diet, biomechanics, hydration, pacing. To have a successful race, I stick to the plan. I advise others to do the same. Don’t decide to change it up on race day.”

GMU Team Wins Award at the Prestigious General Donald R. Keith Memorial Capstone Conference at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point N.Y.

ggoodma2 — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 16:34:58 +0000

GMU Team Wins Award at the Prestigious General Donald R. Keith Memorial Capstone Conference at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point N.Y. ggoodma2 Tue, 06/21/2016 - 12:34

Each year System Engineering students from around the country gather at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point NY, to test their wits against the best system engineers in the nation. Thirteen teams from the George Mason University's systems engineering department competed this year.

The Mason teams competed in Tracks for Decision Analysis, Process Modeling & Analysis and System Design.

The team of system engineering students Maribeth Burns, Andrew Tesnow, Amr Attyah, Sam Miller won First Place in the Systems Design Track for their project: Design of A System for Identifying Risk and Mitigating ACL Flexion/Extension Injuries.

In the U.S. there are over 300,000 surgeries performed each year to repair torn Anterior Cruciate Ligaments (ACLs). Female NCAA athletes are the hardest hit, with a 1 in 13 chance of an ACL tear. The students developed a mathematical model of the forces on the knee and used this model to isolate the leg and foot angles as well as the landing dynamics that lead to excessive force on the ACL (known as the Tibial Shear Force). Using this information, the students designed a micro device with sensors worn in a sleeve on the knee, to estimate forces on the knee and provide an audio warning when a motion leads to high forces. In addition to the real-time feedback in a game, the athlete and trainer can review the data after game.

"We are very proud of our students and their accomplishments," said Dr. Ariela Sofer, Chair of the System Engineering & Operations Research Departments. "Their creativity in solving hard engineering problems to make the world a safer and better place is inspiring."

Volgenau–Northrop Grumman Scholarship Supports Deserving Veteran

dallen21 — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:13:32 +0000

Volgenau–Northrop Grumman Scholarship Supports Deserving Veteran dallen21 Tue, 11/18/2014 - 10:13

Today's military veterans attending college face many of the same problems typical students do—financial obligations, family pressures and difficult course work—as well as the additional challenge of transitioning from military to college life. But that hasn't prevented Danny Munoz from achieving academic success as a computer science major in George Mason University's Volgenau School of Engineering.

Before coming to George Mason, Munoz served as a Marine rifleman and was a machine gunner and intelligence analyst during the course of two deployments in Afghanistan. "I traveled to several countries and experienced many different cultures. Those experiences gave me a greater appreciation of my own childhood and for my life here in the United States," he says.

Growing up in Johnson City, a small town in upstate New York, in a single parent household with limited resources, Munoz says he had a difficult time figuring out where life was taking him. After high school, he attended Broome Community College, but it wasn't a good fit.

"I quickly stagnated," Munoz said. "I lacked direction, discipline and a support system to guide my decisions. I came close to accepting a life of mediocrity, but I wanted to set a good example for my younger sister and give her the role model that I never had, so I enlisted in the Marine Corps. The Marines gave me the discipline and self-confidence I needed to reach my potential."

Munoz met his girlfriend, Rachel, just prior to his last deployment to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. "She became my support system and gave me the encouragement I needed to survive Afghanistan and college admissions essays," says Munoz.

After Munoz separated from the Marine Corps, Rachel wanted to move close to her family, so they established roots in Arlington, Va. He surveyed many schools in the area, and finally settled on Mason.

"At first, the decision was mostly financially based, but I quickly came to appreciate the ‘veteran-friendly' nature here at Mason," he says. "My transition from the battlefield to the classroom was difficult, but the support provided by Rachel, the Office of Military Services and scholarships have eased my transition and allowed me to flourish."

One such veteran-friendly organization is the Volgenau School of Engineering group Veteran Engineering and Technology Students, or VETS. In 2012, school administrators and corporate partner Northrup Grumman established this student group to help students help each other. Since the group's inception, Northrop Grumman has provided financial support as well as mentorship to the organization. This year, VETS and Northrop Grumman decided to use a portion of that support to assist Munoz.

Since the difference between achieving a "B" and an "A" is often a matter of a couple more hours of studying every week, Munoz says, the VETS scholarship will allow him to hit the books that much harder.

"This scholarship will provide enough financial stability so that I can focus more hours toward studying and maintaining my GPA," he says.

A verson of this story by Martha Bushong appeared in Mason News on Nov. 11, 2014.