ISE professor joins team for international maritime project in Chile
Published: Aug 18, 2023 9:30 AM
By Victoria Martino
Alice Smith, the Joe W. Forehand/Accenture Distinguished Professor of the Auburn University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, is a foreign collaborator for a maritime research group called the Next Generation Digital Ports project funded by CONICYT, a Chilean government agency responsible for coordinating, promoting and aiding scientific research.
The project, an initiative proposed by The National Agency for Research and Development, ANID, aims to form a scientific research network with researchers and students from across Chile, as well as international researchers to find solutions for the challenges in maritime ports. The research will include infrastructure and capacity analysis, resilience and agility, as well as logistics interoperability based on digital transformation.
This project is working to advance port design and operation, which is crucial to the global supply chain. Smith will share her experiences working on container handling operations at empty container depots in Chile.
“This will be accomplished by international networks between North America, South America, and Europe with academics specializing in logistics and ports,” Smith said. “We are also working with the port personnel – the executives, managers, technical specialists, and government regulators.”
Smith, along with doctoral student Juan Pablo Morande, recently attended a workshop in Valparaiso in support of the project and plan to soon follow up with collaborations.
“The Chilean team is working to secure CONICYT funding for another workshop next year,” Smith added.
Rosa González Ramírez, the principal investigator of the project, said this type of initiative is very important to strengthen international collaboration and to promote applied research in the maritime and port industry.
“The pandemic has shown the need to continue the digital transformation road of the ports and the use of advanced technologies to foster more sustainable, resilient and efficient cargo handling operations,” Ramírez said.
Media Contact: , carla@auburn.edu, 13348441404
Alice Smith, along with doctoral student Juan Pablo Morande, recently attended a workshop in Valparaiso in support of the project and plan to soon follow up with collaborations.
