Student MORS Recipients
Military Operations Research Society Stephen A. Tisdale Graduate Research Award

The Military Operations Research Society sponsors of the MORS/Tisdale award which is awarded quarterly to a student for outstanding thesis of high quality research which will have immediate or near-term value to the defense of the United States and its allies.

Originally named simply the MORS Award, it was renamed in honor of LCDR Stephen A. Tisdale, an outstanding officer-scholar after his tragic death in the collision of two P-3 Orions conducting a submarine tracking exercise at low altitude off the California coast on 21 March 1991. LCDR Stephen A Tisdale graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1989 with two masters degrees: an M.S. in operations research and an M.S. in space systems operations. His outstanding and influential thesis, "Assessing Optimal Utilization of Potential Anti-Satellite Architectures," won the MORS award. Additionally, he was awarded the prize for top all-around student in the space systems operations curriculum. Steve had unbounded intellectual curiosity, an unflagging desire to solve existing problems and to formulate new ones, and a complete lack of concern for grades.

2023 Awards

Sep 2023 – LCDR Dan Wright, USN, Rolling Horizon Implementation of the Replenishment at Sea Planner (RASP)
Jun 2023 – Capt Ryan Helm, USMC, Mission Planning Optimization For Infantry Operations
Mar 2023 – LT Felicia Goodell, USN, Emergency Fuel Distribution for Disaster Relief on Windward Oahu

2022 Awards

Dec 2022 – ENS Ethan Boone, USN, Using Supervised Machine Learning Methods to Identify Factors that Influence the Probability of Future Terrorist Activities
Sep 2022 – LT Spencer Kitten, USN, Revisiting Coordinated Submarine Tactics Using Modern Computational Methods
Jun 2022 – LtCol James Whitlow, USMC, Rapid Operational Design of Airlift Networks in Contested Environments
Mar 2022 – Capt Donggeon Lim, Republic of Korea Army, Analytical Models for Counterfire Warfare of Field Artillery

2021 Awards

Dec 2021 – ENS Carissa Baldwin, USN, Identifying Interdependencies within the Naval Aviation Engine Depot Readiness Assessment Model (EDRAM)
Sep 2021 – LT Jonathan Shepherd, USN, An Analysis of Critical Factors Influencing AN/SPY-6 Wideband Discrimination
Jun 2021 – Capt Ryan Martinez, USMC, A Modernized Recruit Distribution Model
Mar 2021 – LT Daniel Pulliam, USN, Developing a Framework for Analyzing the Resilience of Forward Expeditionary Port Refueling Infrastructure

2020 Awards

Dec 2020 – ENS Rachel Seeberger, USN, A New Simulation-Optimization Model for Resource Prepositioning in Wildland Fires
Sep 2020 – MAJ Diego Rincon, USA, The U.S. Army Medical Service Corps Area of Concentration Matching System
Jun 2020 – ENS Lauren O'Malley, USN, Level Loading Surface Ship Maintenance Availabilities
Mar 2020 – LT Jon Bermudez, USN, Student Success Factors at Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center

2019 Awards

Dec 2019 – ENS Malia Meditz, USN, Optimizing Training Event Schedules at Naval Air Station Kingsville
Sep 2019 – LCDR Jeff Good, USN, An Operational Model of Critical Supply Chain for the U.S. Virgin Islands
Jun 2019 – Capt Courtney Thompson, USMC, Paying for Weight in Blood: An Analysis of Weight and Protection Level of a Combat Load During Tactical Operations
Mar 2019 – LCDR Adam Hilliard, USN, A Drydock Loading Model for Surface Ship Maintenance Availabilities

2018 Awards

Mar 2018 – LT John Tanalega, USN, Analyzing Unmanned Surface Tactics with the Lightweight Toolbox for Mission Engineering Using Simulation
Jun 2018 – Maj Nicholas Freeman, USMC, Improving the Force Generation Process for Marine Corps Infantry Battalions: A Multi-Component Model to Maximize Readiness with Force Synchronization Decisions
Sep 2018 – LT Eric Fields, USN, Optimally Allocating Naval Surface Assets in Times of Crisis

2017 Awards

Mar 2017 – LT Allison Hogarth, USN, Improving Navy Recruiting with the New Planned Resource Optimization Model with Experimental Design (PROM-WED)
Jun 2017 – Squadron Leader Salman Aleem, Pakistani Air Force, Analysis of Shiphandlers' EYE-GAZE and Simulation Data for Improvements in COVE-ITS System
Jun 2017 – Maj Manuel Loewer, German Army, An Analysis of Factors that Influence Logistics, Operational Availability, and Flight Hour Supply of the German Attack Helicopter Fleet
Sep 2017 – LT William Beaumont, USN, Reachability Analysis of Bulk-Fuel to Intermediate Transportation-Nodes (RABIT) in USPACOM Using a Design of Experiments Approach

2016 Awards

Mar 2016 – LCDR Korban Blackburn, OTTER: An Optimized Transit Tool and Easy Reference
June 2016 – CAPT Gregory Zerr, USMC, Optimization of USMC Hornet Inventory
Sep 2016 – CPT Roey Ben-Yoash, Israeli Army, Anti-Submarine Warfare Search Models

2015 Awards

Mar 2015 – LT Timothy Shaffer, USN, Analysis of Hawaii's Resident Energy Conservation Program (RECP)
Jun 2015 – LTC Christoph Hof, German Army, Optimization of Source and Receiver Placement in Multistatic Sonar Environments
Sep 2015 - LCDR John Sprague, USN, Optimal Scheduling of Deferrable Electric Loads in Expeditionary Power Grids

2014 Awards

Mar 2014 – LT David Hebert, USN, Radar Resource Management in a Dense Target Environment
Jun 2014 – Capt Christopher Wood, USMC, What Friends Are For: Collaborative Intelligence Analysis and Search
Sep 2014 – LT Christian Seymour, USN, Capturing the Full Potential of the Synthetic Theater Operations Research Model
Dec 2014 – Maj Ryan D. Colton, USMC, Aerial Refueling Network Analysis

2013 Awards

Mar 2013 – LCDR Phillip Moilevsky, USN, Optimizing Transportation of Disaster Relief Material to Support U.S. Pacific Command Foreign Humanitarian Assistance Operations
Jun 2013 – 1st LT Begum Ozcan, Turkish Air Force, Effectiveness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Helping Secure a Border Characterized by Rough Terrain and Active Terrorists
Sep 2013 – LCDR Ryan McLaughlin, USN, Optimizing Adversary Training and the Structure of the Navy Adversary Fleet

2012 Awards

Mar 2012 – LCDR Walter Kulzy, USN, Modeling and Evaluating Indigenous Populations' Support for their Government and Life Satisfaction
Jun 2012 – Maj Michael Chankij, USMC, Assessing Resiliency of the JP-8 Distribution System on Guam
Sep 2012 – LT Matthew Yokeley, USN, Effects of Sleep Deprivation on U.S. Navy Surface Ship Watchstander Performance using Alternative Watch Schedules
Dec 2012 – MAJ Peter Nesbitt, USA, Optimal Interruption of Belligerent Project with Social-Functional Network Interdiction

2011 Awards

Mar 2011 – LT Leslie Slootmaker, USN, Countering Piracy with the Next Generation Piracy Performance Surface Model
Jun 2011 – Capt Maro Enoka, USMC, Optimizing Marine Security Guard Assignments
Jun 2011 – Capt Joseph Rix, USMC, Modeling and Visualizing Complex Survey Results: An Application to Counter Terrorism in the Sahel
Sep 2011 – Major Christian Klaus, German Army, Probabilistic Search on Optimized Graph Topologies

2010 Awards

Mar 2010 – LT Kenneth Byers, Jr., USN. Situational Awareness for Surveillance and Interdiction Operations (SASIO) : tactical installation protection
Jun 2010 – Capt Timothy Merkle, USMC
Sep 2010 – LCDR Connor McLemore, USN, Strike package-target pairing: real-time optimization for Airborne Battlespace Command and Control
Dec 2010 – LT Kevin Moeller, USN

2009 Awards

Mar 2009 – LT Stephen Valerio, USN, Probability of Kill for VLA ASROC Torpedo Launch
Jun 2009 – Capt Paul Nicholas, USMC, Optimal Transmitter Placement in Wireless Mesh Networks
Sep 2009 – CPT Marco Draeger, German Army, Use of Probabilistic Topic Models for Search
Dec 2009 – MAJ Charles Weko, USA

2008 Awards

Mar 2008 – LT Benjamin Abbott, USN, Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Packages: Determining the Best Mix
Jun 2008 – LT Ahmad Abdul-Ghaffar, Royal Bahraini Navy, Optimal Employment of Port Radar and Picket Ships to Detect Attacker Speedboats--A Defender-Attacker Optimization Model to Enhance Maritime Domain Awareness
Sep 2008 – LT Chad Kaiser, USN
Dec 2008 – CPT Cher Howe, Singapore Army, The effects of terrain on a system of systems

2007 Awards

Mar 2007 – LT Jamie Edens, USN
Jun20 07 – LT Matthew Foster, USN
Sep 2007 – Maj Daniel Reber, USMC, Optimized Routing of Unmanned Aerial Systems for the Interdiction of Improvised Explosive Devices
Dec 2007 – MAJ Ryan Squires, USA

2006 Awards

Mar 2006 – MAJ Axel Weber, German Army
Jun 2006 – MAJ Raymond Shetzline, USA
Sep 2006 – LCDR Jason Bridges, USN

2005 Awards

Jun 2005 – CPT Gary Kramlich, USA, The Effects of Posture, Body Armor and Other Equipment on Rifleman Lethality
Sep20 05 – Capt Koichi Takagi, USMC, Applied warfighter ergonomics: a research method for evaluating military individual equipment

2004 Awards

Mar 2004 – LT Douglas Diehl, USN, How to optimize joint theater ballistic missile defense
Jun 2004 – CPT Joseph Lindquist, USA, Unstructured high-order galerkin-temporal-boundary methods for the klein-gordon equation with non-reflecting boundary conditions
Sep 2004 – Capt Paul Schneider, USMC

2003 Awards

Jun 2003 – Maj Gregory Rouillard, USMC, An improved unsupervised modeling methodology for detecting fraud in vendor payment transactions
Sep 2003 – Maj John Bruggeman, USMC, A multi-year ammunition procurement model for Department of the Navy non-nuclear ordnance

2002 Awards

Mar 2002 – LT Cory L. Culver, USN, Optimally scheduling distribution of the MH-60s helicopter and pilots to combat support (HC) squadrons
Jun 2002 – 1st LT Arif Ipekci, Turkish Army, How agent based models can be utilized to explore and exploit non-linearity and intangibles inherent in guerrilla warfare
Sep 2002 – Maj Samuel Mowery, USMC, Enhancing the situational awareness of airfield local controllers
Sep 2002 – Maj Casey Travers, USMC

2001 Awards

Jun 2001 – LT Jonathan Haynes, USN
Sep 2001 – Maj William Vinyard, USMC, Reducing non-monotonicities in combat models

2000 Awards

Jun 2000 – LT Gregory Chapman, USN, Service level optimization for the Marine Corps Institute
Sep 2000 – Maj Peter Baumgarten, USMC. Optimization of United States Marine Corps Officer Career Path Selection
Dec 2000 – LT Julia Lopez, USN, Cost-attribute analysis of restructuring H-60R/S fleet replacement squadrons

1999 Awards

Mar 1999 – LCDR James R. Townsend, USN, Defense of Naval Task Forces from Anti-Ship Missile attack
Sep 1999 – LT Jack Thomas, USN
Dec 1999 – LCDR Thomas Evanoff, USN

1998 Awards

Mar 1998 – LT Scott Kuykendall, USN, Optimizing selection of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles
Sep 1998 – Maj Arent Arntzen, Royal Norwegian AF, Software Components for Air Defense Planning

1997 Awards

Mar 1997 – LT James Wimmer, USN, Analyzing and predicting underwater hull coating system wear
Sep 1997 – LT Curt Renshaw, USN

1996 Awards

Mar 1996 – LT Craig Schauppner, USN, Optimal aircraft carrier deployment scheduling
Sep 1996 – Capt Matthew Sampson, USMC, An assessment of the impact of fused monochrome and fused color night vision displays on reaction time and accuracy in target detection

1995 Awards

Mar 1995 – LT Daniel Widdis, USN, Using negative information to improve performance of forward scatter arrays
Sep 1995 – Maj Robert Syvertson, USMC, A computer simulation and analysis of the Forward Surgical Team

1994 Awards

Mar 1994 – LT Glenn Robillard, USN, A wholesale level consumable item inventory model for non-stationary demand patterns
Sep 1994 – Capt David van Kan, USMC, A probabilistic target classification and description model for seismic sensors

1993 Awards

Mar 1993 – LT Robert Swallow, USN
Sep 1993 – LT David Schiffman, USN

1992 Awards

Mar 1992 – LT Michael Viland, USN
Mar 1992 – LT Richard Bodziak, USN
Sep 1992 – LT Richard Brown, USN, A Naval Shipyard Optimal Drydock Loading and Capacity Utilization Model