Article Published in International Journal of Production Research
Article Published in International Journal of Production Research
| Author: | Brenna Losch |
|---|
Visiting Assistant Professor Mohamed Salama, Research Assistant Min K. Lee, and Tompkins Professor Yuehwern Yih have been published in the International Journal of Production Research (IJPR), a leading journal in manufacturing, industrial engineering, operations research, and management science.
Established in 1961, IJPR is recognized for disseminating research with strong real-world applications, particularly in decision-making for production systems and logistics.
Their article, Welfare-oriented and public health-aware disaster sheltering network design, addresses critical challenges in disaster response planning. Many disaster survivors hesitate to evacuate due to poor shelter conditions—concerns over noise, lighting, privacy, safety, and disease transmission often deter people from seeking refuge. The research proposes a four-echelon network design incorporating small-capacity shelters to enhance both welfare and public health outcomes.
Visiting Assistant Professor Mohamed Salama
The team developed a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer linear programming model to optimize shelter placement and logistical operations across different disaster scenarios. By balancing welfare-enhanced sheltering occupancy with cost considerations, the study presents a novel approach to disaster response. Additionally, a problem-specific scenario-based cutting-plane algorithm was designed to efficiently solve the model while maintaining practical feasibility.
The effectiveness of this approach was demonstrated through a case study in Texas, the most disaster-prone state in the U.S. The findings offer valuable insights for emergency planners and policymakers seeking to improve disaster sheltering infrastructure.
This publication in IJPR underscores the significance of optimizing sheltering strategies in disaster-prone regions and highlights Purdue researchers' contributions to advancing decision science in humanitarian logistics.