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.
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.