Operations and Supply Chain Pandemic Response Challenge winners

The Operations and Supply Chain program recently concluded its COVID-19 Pandemic Response Challenge. The challenge tasked students with analyzing the response of their chosen company to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In addition to analyzing the challenges presented as a result of the global pandemic, participants also proposed solutions to tackle these challenges from an operations and supply chain perspective.

Now, more than ever, companies need trained and experienced operations and supply chain professionals. Sue Sundar, Director of the Operations and Supply Chain program at the Eccles School, remarked on the growing need for such professionals.

“Companies that have a good supply chain in place are probably going to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout. Companies that don’t, unfortunately, won’t be around,” she said. “In order to have a stable supply chain, companies need professionals who have a good understanding of operations and supply chain principles.”

Students created professional video presentations that were analyzed by a panel of judges. The judges assessed the quality of the presentation, the quality of the proposed solution, the depth and quality of the research, the accuracy of the data, and the overall creativity of the project.

Many participated in the competition, but two teams stood out as joint first-place winners for their creative solutions. The winners were awarded a cash prize, as well as a certificate of achievement for the competition.

Congratulations to the winners: Team BioFire Diagnostics (Daren Thai) and Team Chile Tepin (Juan Galarraga and Leilani Gastelum).

Participants mentioned how they appreciated this resume-building opportunity to think creatively. Leilani Gastelum, an Operations and Supply Chain student, said this competition helped her grow even more in the operations and supply chain world.

“I have loved being in the OSC major!” she said. “It has taught me how to think strategically and push myself out of my comfort zone.”

If you want to learn more about the OSC major and hear from successful OSC alumni, join us Tuesday, July 21st for our OSC Alumni Career Panel.