Hayri Önal, Professor : Mathematically Correct Political Districting
Room:
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID), Room 3280b (3rd floor teaching lab). Anyone without WID access can use the special events elevator on the WID 1st floor (near Aldo Café) to access room 3280.
Speaker Name:
Hayri Önal, Professor
Speaker Institution:
Department of Ag & Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Political districting problem is one of the most difficult combinatorial optimization problems. It involves various spatial and social considerations, including population equality, spatial contiguity, compactness, and community integrity, which typically conflict with each other. In this talk a large scale linear integer programming model is presented where these four criteria are incorporated simultaneously to draw the boundaries of state legislative districts in Illinois using the 2000 and 2010 Census data. The results show that the model-generated districts are considerably more compact than the actual districts in the State’s districting plan implemented in the elections since 2001 while simultaneously dividing counties much less and improving minority representation.
Biography: Hayri Önal received his BS and MS in Mathematics and PhD in Operations Research, all from the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey. He served as a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Department of Industrial Engineering of METU before joining the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently he is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics. He teaches mathematics for economists, applied mathematical programming, and dynamic simulation courses. His recent research focuses on spatial optimization and environmental and resource economics with emphasis on conservation reserve design and renewable energy.
Event Date: