Student Senior Design Team Highlighted in the Triangle Business Journal

ISE seniors Brandon Gaster, Kalli Hulse and Ivey Starr spent this spring semester conducting their senior design project with their industry sponsor Durham-based Parata Systems. The project’s objective was to develop and analyze a general simulation model of retail pharmacy operations in order to identify opportunities for efficiency gains. In turn, this model could be used by Parata to evaluate the benefits of their automated dispensing equipment in terms of resource utilization and capacity in the pharmacy.

Parata Senior Design Team
ISE seniors Ivey Starr, Brandon Gaster and Kalli Hulse join Parata’s Brian Cristobal and ISE professor Dr. Anita Vila-Parrish at the presentation.

Dr. Anita Vila-Parrish, the course instructor, said “this was a great opportunity for our students to use their engineering skills to impact how a real company does business.” The students presented their final results to many Parata employees including the CEO, Tom Rhoads.