Blog

Preparing for Take-Off with Trajectory Based Operations!

I think it’s safe to say that we’re all dreaming about the possibility of travelling to exotic locations, soaking up some sunshine and forgetting all about meetings on Microsoft Teams. I know I am! But when millions of tourists do return to the skies how are their flights ensured to get to their destination as safely and efficiently as possible? Enter Trajectory Based Operations, a concept developed as a response to rapid growth in the Read more…

By Robyn Goldsmith, ago

A Pandemic Paradox: Being Cautious with COVID-19 Statistics

TRIGGER WARNING! This blog posts refers to COVID-19 and fatality rate data – if that’s something you’d rather avoid then, not to worry, you can head back here where I have lots of other blog posts for you to read! We all know that Statistics is a powerful tool that has great significance in the real world. More recently, with coronavirus daily briefings and COVID-19 Statistics dominating the news, everyone one and their mother is Read more…

By Robyn Goldsmith, ago

On the Record: How to Use Gurobi to Solve Linear Programming Problems!

I have recently learnt how to solve some mathematical programming problems using Gurobi, an optimisation solver, in Python. Before joining the STOR-i programme, I was a complete novice at programming in Python so getting to grips with it is really exciting! One of the problems Gurobi is especially useful for is a standard linear programme. In this blog post, I’m going to introduce how we can use Gurobi in Python to solve linear programming problems. Read more…

By Robyn Goldsmith, ago

Clustering!

I don’t know about any of you but to me clustering feels like a foreign concept, at least in the physical sense. Just over a year into a global pandemic, the image of a group of people being in close proximity feels like an alternative reality you’d only see in a sci-fi movie. The only kind of clustering I can be apart of these days is the statistical kind. Not quite as exciting as a Read more…

By Robyn Goldsmith, ago

Tetris, Markov Decision Processes and Approximate Dynamic Programming

I recently learnt about Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). These are sequential decision processes, commonly found in the real world where decisions need to be made in an environment with uncertainty. Solving these problems, especially when they are large, is a big challenge. During my research of MDPs, I learnt these processes are pretty much everywhere, present in industries like finance, manufacturing and aviation to name just a few. Although, what I was most excited to Read more…

By Robyn Goldsmith, ago

Scheduling for Minimisation of Risk in Industrial Helicopter Transportation

Due to lockdown restrictions, that prevent me from coming back to Lancaster, I am currently working from home back in my hometown. Alike many of us, this leaves me short of like-minded people to excitedly discuss my ideas with. So, once I read a really interesting paper about the industrial use of helicopters to transport workers to offshore installations, I shared my enthusiasm with my Dad (who has perfected the art of nodding along). The Read more…

By Robyn Goldsmith, ago

Game Theory: “Hamlet was totally rational!”

Hello and welcome! This blog post is my second in a new series of regular posts as part of my journey as an MRes student at the STOR-i Centre for Doctoral Training. Strap in, because boy have I got a big scoop for you! We know mathematics has successfully elucidated many phenomena, from space travel to climate change, but what about one of the most famously posed questions in the history of literature? Can mathematics Read more…

By Robyn Goldsmith, ago

Lights, Camera, Mathematics! Hidden Figures – A Review

Hello! This blog post marks a new series of regular posts as part of my journey as an MRes student on the STOR-i programme at Lancaster University. I’m starting this series at the very top, with a trip to Hollywood! 2016 marked the release of the smash hit movie, Hidden Figures, directed by Theodore Melfi. Based on a true story, the film is set slap-bang in the middle of the space race with the USSR Read more…

By Robyn Goldsmith, ago