Seminars

Course description

This seminar is offered jointly with the Institute for Machine Tools and Production Technology (IWF) as well as the University of Rhode Island (URI) and addresses topics in the area of sustainability in management and engineering. Students will look deeper at quantitative sustainability assessment and its software implementation. In detail, the students deal with the following topics:

• Basics of holistic sustainability assessment
• Basics of the software implementation of sustainability assessments
• Conceptual design and implementation of sustainability studies
• Evaluation and interpretation of sustainability studies

Organization

• Language: English
• Cycle: annual, winter term
• Application: 1-2 pages letter of motivation letter in English (Deadline: June 30^th)
• Teaching assistant: Dr. Alexander Barke, Jan-Linus Popien

Course description

In this seminar, a deeper examination of the modeling of mathematical optimization models as well as the implementation and solution using relevant standard software and heuristics takes place. These methods are applied in a case study. In detail, the students deal with the following topics:

• Modeling of mathematical optimization models (4 CP and 8 CP)
• Implementation and solution-finding using Python and Gurobi (4 CP and 8 CP)
• Conception and implementation of heuristics for solving planning problems (only 8 CP)
• Working on a case study (4 CP and 8 CP)
• Evaluation and interpretation of optimization results (4 CP and 8 CP)
• Presentation and discussion (4 CP and 8 CP)

The contents differ for the seminars with 4 CP (Bachelor and Master) and 8 CP (Master only). Master's students can take the seminar with 4 CP or 8 CP.

For Bachelor's students (seminar with 4 CP), the seminar is limited to the conception, implementation, and exact solution of optimization models using Python and Gurobi. Students in the Master's program (seminars with 4 LP or 8 LP) are also required to develop suitable heuristics for solving planning problems and to implement them using Python in the 8 LP seminar. The contents of the 4 LP and 8 LP seminars are identical for Bachelor's and Master's students.

Organization

• Language: German
• Cycle: Winter/summer term (every semester)
• Registration: at the end of the lecture period of the previous summer term
• Teaching assistants: Tjard Bätge, Yannik Graupner, Patrick Schumacher

Course description

Discrete-event simulation allows to represent and evaluate stochastic influences on systems. Especially in the field of production and logistics it is used to estimate effects of parameter changes on production systems. For this purpose, expertise from production management and operations research must be combined with knowledge from mathematics/statistics as well as from computer science and software engineering.

For this purpose, the software Tecnomatix Plant Simulation is used, which allows the creation of a discrete-event simulation model and which has found a high distribution in the industry due to its specialization in the modeling of production and logistics systems.

In this seminar, a deeper examination of the modeling of systems with the help of discrete-event simulation takes place. In detail, the students deal with the following topics:

• Statistical basics of discrete simulation
• Overview of different software for modeling
• Relationship between simulation and optimization
• Structuring and project management of simulation studies
• Evaluation and analysis of results of simulation studies

Organization

• Language: German
• Cycle: annual, winter term
• Time/Room: see Stud.IP
• Start date: see Stud.IP
• Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Sven Spieckermann
• Teaching assistant: Judith Schulze

Course description

In this seminar, a deeper examination of the modeling and simulation approach System Dynamics takes place. Students will learn the theoretical basics and gain hands-on experience in creating System Dynamics models using Vensim software. In detail, the following topics are covered:

• Fundamentals and application areas of System Dynamics 
• Modeling process in System Dynamics
• Typical model structures and behavior patterns 
• Numerical methods for solving System Dynamics models
• Modeling building blocks (delays, inventory structures, decision rules)
• Validation of complex simulation models

Organization

• Language: German
• Cycle: annual, summer term
• Registration: at the end of the lecture period of the previous winter term
• Teaching assistant: Raphael Ginster, Karen Ohmstede, Moritz Proff

Course description

In the context of the seminar, current and challenging topics on sustainability in resource policy and management are addressed. Here, Professor Dr. Dr. Mario Tobias, honorary professor and executive manager of IHK Potsdam, gives the students exciting insights into the relevant practice and teaches relevant basics using current examples from practice. The students deepen their gained knowledge within the scope of a seminar work and interactive simulation games.

To conclude, students are expected to attend the following seminar content:

• Interactive work on topics of international environmental and resource policy
• Fundamentals of material flow management and innovation technologies in theory and up-to-date case studies
• Insight into lobby processes and the work of industry committees, associations and politics (including electronic waste, energy transition, geoengineering)
• Development and implementation of two short simulation games in a team
• Seminar closes with an excursion on the topic "Resource Personnel"

Organization

• Language: German
• Cycle: annual, summer term
• Time/Room: TBA
• Start date: TBA
• Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Dr. Mario Tobias
• Teaching assistant: Moritz Proff