Faculty Profile
Dick Forrester
Professor of Mathematics and Data Analytics (2002)
Contact Information
Data Analytics Chair
Tome Scientific Building Room 235
717-245-1668
http://www.dickinson.edu/dickforrester
Bio
His scholarship is at the interface of operations research, computer science, and data analytics. Operations research applies mathematical and computational methods to decision-making, often in scenarios that require optimizing scarce resources. The majority of his research has centered around the development of techniques for solving discrete nonlinear programs. He is also interested in applying mathematical modeling and data-driven approaches to real-world challenges. Recent projects include balancing faculty and student preferences in assigning students to first-year seminars and creating machine learning-based heuristics for solving combinatorial optimization problems. As an applied mathematician, his teaching interests primarily center around data analytics, statistics, operations research, computational mathematics, and computer science.
Education
- B.A., Alfred University, 1995
- M.S., Clemson University, 1997
- Ph.D., 2002
2025-2026 Academic Year
Fall 2025
DATA 300 Statistical & Machine Learning
An introduction to the fundamental concepts and methods for statistical and machine learning. Focus is given on providing both a theoretical foundation and the practical skills needed to apply machine learning to a variety of applications in various disciplines. Topics include supervised methods such as regression and classification, and unsupervised methods such as clustering and dimensionality reduction.Prerequisite: COMP/DATA 200 and MATH 225. Offered every semester.
COMP 331 Operations Research
Cross-listed with MATH 331-01.
MATH 331 Operations Research
Cross-listed with COMP 331-01.