In April, 10 graduate students from Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business traveled to Indianapolis for the INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences) Analytics+ Conference. The annual event attracts more than 700 attendees and provides a platform to discuss mathematically driven strategies to address problems that arise in business and beyond.
Gorricho-Rengifo and Duong won first place and $3,000 at this year’s TAG Data Challenge.
MBA student Alejandro Gorricho-Rengifo and M.S. in Information Systems student Samuel Duong were invited to speak at the conference after winning first place and $3,000 in this year’s TAG (Technology Association of Georgia) Data Challenge, hosted in partnership with Pathways2Life, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing underage substance abuse. The competition tasked teams with developing AI-backed solutions to reduce early-onset addiction.
Gorricho-Rengifo and Duong built a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) agentic chatbot that gathers evidence of minors acquiring alcohol, drugs, and e-cigarettes on third-party apps. Their approach to the project aligned with three goals: 1. to support Pathways2Life's mission, specifically making the case for stricter delivery app regulations; 2. to provide the chatbot with highly reliable information, a common concern in the AI space; and 3. to create a tool that Pathways2Life and its partners can use effectively and affordably for years.
"It was an enriching experience for Samuel and me. We were able to leverage an emerging technology for a good cause,” Gorricho-Rengifo said. “Samuel stuck by my side and remained loyal to the end. Our perseverance and determination helped us achieve victory."
Eight students from Robinson’s M.S.A. in Data Science & Analytics program delivered poster presentations at the conference. Jehoshaphat "JT" Abaya, who is dually enrolled in the M.S. in Quantitative Risk Analysis & Management program, and Pavithra Kannan jointly presented a poster on reducing household waste through community engagement.
Kannan and Abaya jointly presented a poster on reducing household waste through community engagement. Kannan also presented a second poster on optimizing the e-commerce shopping experience.
"We looked at how to leverage a digital platform to boost sustainability efforts on a hyperlocal basis, rather than focusing solely on county or state initiatives," Abaya said.
To gather data for their research, Abaya and Kannan conducted a survey of 117 households across the U.S., collecting information including respondents’ age, approximate waste generation, and willingness to trade everyday items (like appliances, books, and children’s toys) amongst themselves. The platform would allow residents to track the amount of waste they prevented from going to landfills, and could be segmented within a geographic location, apartment building, or single household.
"Our aim is to spread awareness of what individuals can do to contribute to broader sustainability efforts, like composting and better plastic waste management,” Abaya said. “That information could inform policy changes, even at the city level."
Separately, Kannan presented a second poster on optimizing the e-commerce experience. To qualify for free shipping, shoppers often fall short of the minimum requirement by a small margin. Kannan’s solution would help the customer meet the threshold by recommending items to add to their cart. The suggestions would align with the shopper’s purchase history, fall within a category the seller wants to move from inventory, and be close to the price gap (plus or minus 50 cents).
"I use the Walmart app frequently, and figuring out what to add to my cart to get free shipping often involves a lot of manual calculation," Kannan said.
Both Abaya and Kannan plan to continue refining their ideas after graduation. Kannan believes the e-commerce optimization tool could have profit potential, and views the sustainability platform as a contribution to the greater good. That’s the purpose of the conference: to inspire innovation and impact.
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The other M.S.A. students who attended the conference were Mahitha Borra, Pancham Desai, Ramani Desai, Martius Nguyen, Phan Anh Nguyen, and Ruudra Patel.