8:29 a.m., March 9, 2009----The Newark Senior Center is now operating more efficiently due to the work of two former graduate students in the operations research program in the University of Delaware's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

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During the fall 2008 semester, Kirsten Andrews and Wenying Yu developed an automated routing system for the senior center's transport buses. The center operates daily bus routes through the Newark, Bear and Pike Creek areas to transport riders to and from the center on White Chapel Drive.

Under the old system, the center manually determined the daily sequence of pick-ups along each of the three bus routes. If a new driver was not familiar with the route area, excessive delays could occur.

The new automated system not only generates the shortest route but provides detailed route directions for drivers, approximate time of each pick-up and daily costs for each route.

The students provided manuals as well as training to staff members on how to use the automated system.

Carla Grygiel, executive director of the Newark Senior Center, said, “During these challenging economic times, this system developed by the University graduate students will help us optimize the center's resources.”

Both students indicated that the project gave them an experience that they could never have gained in the classroom. The students gained insight into the challenges of solution implementation.

Kirsten Andrews said she realized that “no matter how much preparation we did for the project, there was always something that could go wrong. Several problems came up that we could have never anticipated.”

Wenying Yu said she learned that effective communication was perhaps the most critical component of the project's success. “At each step, we had to ensure that staff at the Newark Senior Center were informed and in agreement with our recommendations as to how to proceed,” Yu said.

Both students completed their master's degrees in operations research in December. Andrews, a 2007 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is an ensign in the U.S. Navy, stationed aboard the USS Gunston Hall. Wenying Wu is a 2007 graduate of the University of Toledo and is a database marketing specialist with ING Direct.

The students were supervised by Rhonda Hyde, associate professor of operations research in the Department of Food and Resource Economics, which houses the program.

Hyde said, “The students' work will hopefully enable the center to operate a bit more efficiently; the Center enriches the lives of so many in our community.”

Article by Katy O'Connell