Process Design, Modeling and Optimization in Electronics and Health Care Products This proposal structures two teams of graduate traineeships that integrate graduate research with practical contributions to industrial problems. The industrial partners use cutting edge technology to create new health care products (Becton Dickinson) and electronic devices (Nortel) and the need for statistical support to develop and control new processes is acute. This training plan leverages the close collaboration between the principal investigators and the partner companies and the projects have been chosen because of their importance to the companies and their statistical complexity and depth. Many of the statistical issues are nonstandard and provide a fertile ground for thesis research in design and estimation for nonparametric regression models, spatial and spatio-temporal models for batch processes and run-by-run process optimization. By weaving the trainee's research with their industrial experience they will learn to transfer the problem solving skills expected for thesis research to the development of innovative statistical approaches to meet a company's goals of product development and product quality. This project is jointly supported by the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA) and the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS).
