Dr. Diane Elizabeth Vaughan

 

Post Doctorate Research Associate

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1206 West Green Street, MC-244

vaughand@vt.edu 

(540) 626 5741 (Home)

(540) 231-3838 (Office)

 

 

Formal Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

 

 

Research Activities (Want to know more?)

 

Projection Pursuit:  The objective of this project is to study the problem of finding an optimal projection of data contained in a high dimensional space to a lower dimensional space.  The Bayes Classifier is used to classify the data in the low dimensional space. 

Hybrid Local Search Algorithms:  This research creates hybrid algorithms that combine heuristic procedures that guarantee long term convergence (globally optimal solutions) with heuristic procedures that guarantee reasonable finite-time performance (locally optimal solutions). 

Formulating the Meta-Heuristic Tabu Search:  The goal of this project is to mathematically formulate probabilistic tabu search to be used in conjunction with other heuristics (i.e., simulated annealing), in such a way that the heuristic can be easily modeled as a nonstationary Markov Chain. 

Discrete Manufacturing Process Design Optimization:  This research is motivated by the Air Force’s interest in identifying optimal manufacturing process designs, where the finished unit (e.g., a titanium integrated blade rotor) meets certain geometric and microstructural specifications, and is produced at minimum cost. 

Simultaneous Generalized Hill Climbing Algorithms:  This research focuses on approaching sets of related discrete optimization problems (i.e., overlapping traveling salesman problems, machine shop scheduling problems with similar constraints). 

Optimal Search Strategy Problem:  This research models optimal strategies for conducting military searches using a set of platforms (i.e., helicopters, planes) as the well-known traveling salesman problem.

Optimal Earthmoving Vehicle Routes:  This research develops a mathematical model for minimizing the cost of operating large capacity vehicles to level project sites prior to a construction project. 

Analysis of the Urn Problem:  This research uses probability theory as well as computational techniques to approach variations of the well-known urn problem. 

Hybrid Neighborhood Functions:  This research develops hybrid neighborhood functions that combine aggressive neighborhood structures with myopic neighborhood structures. 

 

 

Education

2000 Ph.D.       (Industrial and Systems Engineering, Operations Research)

                        Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,    (coursework)

                         

1997 M.S.         (Mathematics) Oregon State University,    (coursework)

                          

1994 B.A.         (Mathematics) Central Washington University

 

 

 

Dissertation        Simultaneous Generalized Hill Climbing Algorithms for Addressing      

                         Sets of Discrete Optimization Problems (Summary)    (pdf)    (Talk)

                

 

Awards

2001    Paul E. Torgersen Graduate Student Research Excellence Award, Second place

2001    AAUW Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship (Runner-up)

1995    Nominated for and Attended Industrial Mathematics Modeling Workshop, N.C. State University

1993    Ronald E. McNair Scholar

1993    Ronald E. McNair Scholar Summer Research Grant Award, Surge Tank Analysis

 

 

Professional Affiliations

Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)

Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

 

 

Media coverage

The paper “A New Neighborhood Function for Discrete Manufacturing Process Design Optimization Using Generalized Hill Climbing Algorithms,” (co-authored with Derek E. Armstrong and Sheldon H. Jacobson) published in ASME Journal of Mechanical Design (Volume 122, Number 2, 164-171) was featured in an article on October 20, 2000 focusing on new directions in manufacturing research in Advanced Manufacturing Technology.

 

 

Collaborators

Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

LTC Darrall Henderson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York

John E. Kobza, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University

Ron R. Wakefield, Ph.D., William E. Jamerson Professor of Building Construction, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Derek Armstrong, Graduate Student, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

 

 

Papers  (Abstracts)

 

Vaughan, D.E., Jacobson, S.H., Armstrong, D., 2000, “A New Neighborhood Function for Discrete Manufacturing Process Design Optimization using Generalized Hill Climbing Algorithms,” ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 122 (2), 164-171. (pdf)

 

Henderson, D., Vaughan, D.E., Jacobson, S.H., Wakefield, R., Sewell, E.C., 2002, “Analyzing the Cut and Fill Problem Using Local Search Algorithms,” Accepted.  European Journal of Operations Research.  (pdf)

 

Henderson, D., Vaughan, D.E., Jacobson, S.H., Wakefield, R., 2002a, “Optimal Search Strategies Using Local Search Strategies,” Invited Paper, Nominated for Barchi Prize, Submitted to Military Operations Research. (pdf)

 

Henderson, D., Wakefield, R.R., Vaughan, D.E., Jacobson, S.H., 2002b, “Optimal Earthmoving Vehicle Routes Using Local Search Algorithms,” Invited Paper, Accepted by the First International Conference on Innovation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction.

 

Vaughan, D.E., Jacobson, S.H., 2002a, “Formulating the Meta-Heuristic Tabu Search in the Generalized Hill Climbing Algorithm Framework,” Submitted.  (pdf)

 

Vaughan, D.E., Jacobson, S.H., 2002b, “Simultaneous Generalized Hill Climbing Algorithms for Addressing Sets of Discrete Optimization Problems,” Submitted. (pdf)

 

Vaughan, D.E., Jacobson, S.H., 2002c, “Nonstationary Markov Chain Analysis of Simultaneous Generalized Hill Climbing Algorithms,” Submitted. (pdf)

 

 

Papers in preparation to be submitted

 

Vaughan, D.E., Kobza, J., Jacobson, S.H., 2002, “The Urn Problem with Random Sample Sizes,” Technical Paper, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

Vaughan, D.E., Henderson, D., Jacobson, S.H., 2002, “Investigating Neighborhood Functions for the Optimal Search Strategy Problem,” Technical Paper, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.