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WVU Grad Wins Best ETD Award
West Virginia University master's graduate Tomasz Kosalka has been declared one of the winners of the "Innovative ETD Award" in an international competition presented by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), a consortium of over 200 Universities worldwide.
According to NDLTD Board member and WVU ETD & Institutional Repository Program Coordinator John H. Hagen,
"Electronic theses and dissertations submitted for this award represent student efforts to transform the genre of the print dissertation through the use of ETDs. This award recognizes innovative use of software to create "cutting edge" ETDs. Use of renderings, photos and other multimedia objects that are included in the document were considered as part of the innovation of the work. The award includes an $800 cash prize (sponsored by Adobe, Inc.) and an honorable mention at the ETD 2007 Symposium, to be held this year at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, June 13th - 16th. We are very proud that a WVU Alum has again received this considerable recognition; during the past three years WVU graduates Hilary Attfield, Rachel Gurvitch and Tim Broadwater have received this award."
Kosalka, a graduate of the WVU College of College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Department of Industrial Engineering, developed a multimedia thesis which includes data sets and simulation models so other scholars may follow in his footsteps using the same software and methodology he developed.
His thesis entitled Decision Making Through the Simulation of Centralized and Decentralized Distribution Storage Systems explores various models for storage system efficiency. The design of a Supply Chain network has a great impact on a company’s performance. Simulation modeling and optimization techniques were selected to analyze and solve supply chain and distribution storage problems. The techniques were applied to a decision making process of reconfiguring an existing distribution storage system for a Warehouse Chain Company, and modifying it from centralized to a decentralized one. This research presented a methodology for identifying data needs, building an analytical database, creating simulation models with Arena software, optimizing the models with OptQuest software, and performing sensitivity analysis. As a result of applying this methodology, it was found that the centralized distribution storage system allows the company to operate at a lower cost (savings from 11.03% to 19.09%) while providing customers with better service. The sensitivity analysis proved that savings are affected by transportation cost, demand volume, and the time at which products need to be available for delivery. The centralized system provides customers with a higher service level in scenarios where orders have to be dispatched to customers in seven days or less. Simulation/optimization approach was found to be effective and allowed for the creation of a methodology that can be repeated for similar types of problems.
Access to Kosalka's electronic thesis is available online at:
https://eidr.wvu.edu/etd/documentdata.eTD?documentid=4527Other winners of the ETD 2007 Awards program are listed at http://www.ndltd.org/awards/awards2007.
WVU was the 2nd institution in the world to require ETD submission in 1998. WVU graduate research is now are accessed on the Web millions of times per year by academia, industry, government and the public from over 100 countries worldwide. ETDs are part of a growing trend of technological development that is transforming economies by providing access to research results to the world while bringing reciprocal investment back to the local level.
For more information contact John Hagen at (304) 293-4040, ext. 4025 or see www.wvu.edu/~thesis.
Picture of Thomasz Kosalka in his native homeland of Poland.
16 May 2007 / Morgantown, WV
