{"id":241,"date":"2018-07-16T17:02:51","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T16:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogarithms.maths.ed.ac.uk\/wp\/?p=241"},"modified":"2021-07-06T15:53:30","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T15:53:30","slug":"my-msc-research-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarithms.maths.ed.ac.uk\/wp\/2018\/07\/16\/my-msc-research-project\/","title":{"rendered":"My MSc Research Project…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"… by Lydia \/ from Birmingham \/ MSc Operational Research \/ PG (2017-18)<\/h3>\n

The sun is shining outside and here I am, sat in the library\u2026 the realities of dissertation period. Off to a negative start but don\u2019t worry it\u2018s not all doom and gloom. With the freedom of planning our own working lives, we\u2019ve managed to fit in a little sunbathing in the Meadows over this last week and lots of touristy activities to make the most of my last few months in Edinburgh (including a trip to see the sunset from Calton Hill).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This feels like the part in life when you have to adult and organise your own life. No longer being told when to go into Uni for lectures and when deadlines have to be reached; there is so much freedom in this final part of the taught MSc. However, it has surprised me how slow I have been in motivating myself. After burning out over the first 2 semesters, the urge to allow myself a looooooong break before beginning the dissertation has been strong. However, a month in and I\u2019m finally making progress yay!<\/p>\n

What I find helps the most is choosing an MSc project you\u2019ll definitely enjoy. I know it sounds stupid to say, but with a busy semester 2 you can easily make a rash decision, without fully researching your intended topic. Be proactive! If you know what area of your subject interests you, approach the lecturer you feel specialises in that area. Even if they don\u2019t have a project in that area they can offer, they\u2019ll likely be able to point you in the direction of another lecturer who can offer something you\u2019ll enjoy. This is so important when it comes to motivation to research the topic.<\/p>\n

So, now I\u2019ll try to summarise my project for those fellow maths geeks who may be reading\u2026<\/p>\n

My title is \u2018Planar Maximal Covering and Circle Intersect Point Sets\u2019. Essentially, let\u2019s say we have a city where everybody requires access to phone signal. Seems like a very realistic idea, right? Now for this to happen we need to decide where it\u2019s best to locate phone masts (otherwise known as telecommunications towers) so that every individual is \u2018covered\u2019 by a signal. I am looking into methodology to decide where it\u2019s optimal to locate the towers and one of these methodologies is CIPS (Circle Intersect Point Sets). There are many other real life examples where planar maximal covering techniques are used but I think one is enough for today.<\/p>\n

Thinking back to when I was learning maths during my time at school, I never considered its use in areas such as location problems. However, maths has its random uses that you don\u2019t necessarily think of, yet are still extremely important in today\u2019s world. This is why I love the field of OR, as you can really see mathematical knowledge coming to life. It\u2019s also why I would recommend studying OR to anyone who enjoys Maths and wants a career in business. It\u2019s a varied career path, solving real life problems and improving current working practise.<\/p>\n

In less than 3 months\u2019 time, I\u2019ll get to apply all of this knowledge to my new job as an OR Analyst at British Airways, and I can\u2019t wait! I never would\u2019ve imagined I\u2019d be the person advising BA on which aircraft to purchase, how to improve flight punctuality and how best to price flights. Yet these are just a few things that OR can help a business decide upon. I\u2019m excited for a new chapter of my life.<\/p>\n

Lydia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… by Lydia \/ from Birmingham \/ MSc Operational Research \/ PG (2017-18) The sun is shining outside and here I am, sat in the library\u2026 the realities of dissertation period. Off to a negative start but don\u2019t worry it\u2018s not all doom and gloom. With the freedom of planning our own working lives, we\u2019ve … <\/p>\n

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