UB - University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Justin Yates received a B.A. in business from Baldwin-Wallace College and went on to work in management before coming to UB to pursue graduate work. He holds an IGERT fellowship, funded by the National Science Foundation. His interest in OR has led him to research on transportation issues, including traffic congestion and commuter path selection; his dissertation focuses on the transportation of hazardous materials with consideration to terrorist threat. Next year he'll be spending three months in Japan as a visiting researcher.

"I came in very green," he admits. But because of the expertise and accessibility of the faculty, he's been able to find his niche. The faculty here, says Justin, will talk to you very readily about their work and how your interests might fit in. "It's an open door policy here….that's really how you find out what kind of work you want to do."

One of the strengths of the department, Justin feels, is its relatively small size: "Within the first few weeks everyone knows you. The feel here is of being at a small school, where you can have a rapport with everyone." Another strength is the faculty: "they're all so experienced, both academically and in industry…. it's a nice mix." Also exciting is the " mix of application and theory" in the faculty research. "You can customize what you want to get out of the program," comments Justin. The interdisciplinary aspect of the program, he continues, "can give a unique perspective when looking at problems."

"The thing that distinguishes this department from the other SUNY schools is that here the emphasis is on research." As far as holding its own compared to other schools, Yates says, "it's not a technical school. Here the strength is that it's a balance of technical and application; we get the training to go out and find any number of diverse opportunities when we graduate." UB ISE is great, he says, for placing graduates in a variety of jobs and preparing them for whatever awaits them—in academia, industry, or government work.