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In the heartbeat of bustling cities, where school buses weave through routes and ride-sharing services adapt to fluctuating demands, industrial engineers like Arthur Delarue study how to improve our transportation systems. 

An assistant professor at Georgia Tech's H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE), Delarue’s work extends far beyond theory, focusing on crafting practical solutions that impact everyday life.  

Delarue’s research makes him a pivotal figure in the quest for smarter, more responsive urban environments. His work not only improves efficiency but also fosters more equitable communities. 

A Tale of Two Cities 

In 2016, Boston Public Schools (BPS) initiated a national competition to improve efficiency in bus route construction and realigning school start times.  

Delarue’s team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) won the competition by developing an algorithm to optimize bus routes, which led to a 7% reduction in the bus fleet over two years.  

This optimization also enabled BPS to assess the financial impacts of transportation-related policy changes more effectively. They further created a mathematical model to propose new school start times that could save $12 million annually and provide more suitable start times for students.  

"The change would have been a net benefit, but there would have been a group of people that would have been worse off. The school system decided it wasn’t worth that cost." Delarue recalled.  

Ultimately, BPS didn’t implement the proposed plan.  

Three years later, the landscape shifted, and a different city needed help. Amidst the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco public schools grappled with even more complex scheduling issues than those of BPS.  

They turned to Delarue and his collaborators, who, leveraging the hard-earned lessons from Boston, devised a more flexible, collaborative model. This time, the approach focused on quick iterations and empowering schools with decision-making capabilities.  

The result?  

Successful implementation of new start times. "You don’t get that many chances for do-overs, but that was a memorable opportunity," he reflected. 

Streamlining Learning Visualization 

In his teaching in ISyE, Delarue employes innovative methods to make complex concepts tangible.  

He uses hands-on activities like Lego simulations in workshops such as iExperience for high school students. These interactive sessions not only engage students but also illustrate practical applications of engineering principles in real-world scenarios. 

"Visual aids are crucial in my teaching approach. They help students grasp abstract concepts more effectively.” Delarue emphasized, highlighting his commitment to accessibility in education. 

Innovative Approaches to Urban Mobility 

Delarue's research focuses on addressing modern transportation challenges through experimental approaches.  

Drawing from his industry experience, including his role at Lyft, Delarue emphasizes the importance of testing changes in algorithms and user interfaces to understand their practical impacts.  

Here, decision-making hinges not only on theoretical models but also on real-world experimentation.  

By isolating and analyzing the impacts of specific changes using optimization techniques, Delarue's research informs policymakers and transportation planners, shaping more sustainable and user-centric transportation solutions.  

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Author: Nat M. Esparza