James Ostrowski was recently picked a bythe US Department of Energy’s Office of Science for its Early Career Research Program. He was selected for his research into complex algorithms.
In his work “Symmetric Convex Sets: Theory, Algorithms, and Application,” Ostrowski notes that the growth in use and improvement of algorithms has allowed computers to take on new roles in areas that require rapid decision making, such as transportation, but that some persistent quirks remain.
He theorizes that those problems all have something in common and should be approached with that in mind.
“By developing tools that exploit this symmetric structure, one will be able to easily solve optimization problems considered intractable and improve the computational speeds by orders of magnitude,” Ostrowski says in his abstract. “The challenge of solving optimization problems will thus be transformed by changing a large part of the work to one of seeking symmetry and then exploiting it.”
He was also awarded the 2018 Dr. Kenneth E. Kirby Endowed Faculty Award by the ISE Department. This award is presented annually to a faculty member who displays excellence in teaching, research, and contributions to the mission of the ISE Department.
The Dr. Kenneth E. Kirby Endowed Faculty Award recognizes faculty excellence in ms Engineering . The endowed award was established by Joe Fareed (BS/IE ’85), Mike Zill (BS/IE ‘85), Mike Ray (BS/IE ’81), Greg Carpenter (BS/IE ’88), Randy Carson (BS/IE ’84), and Mike Evans (BS/IE ’85) to honor Dr. Kirby, Associate Professor Emeritus, for his impact on the academic experiences and subsequent careers of hundreds of ISE alumni. Dr. Kirby is a three-time UT alumnus, having earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1962 and 1979, respectively, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Science in 1979.