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MIT Course on Humanitarian Logistics (ESD.283)

Humanitarian Logistics course open to students from various programs

The MIT graduate course on Humanitarian Logistics (ESD.283) explores how logistics management principles apply when responding to humanitarian crises. After an overview of humanitarian operations, class sessions dive into the strategies, technologies, and management approaches organizations use for effective logistics performance. Class sessions combine interactive presentations, case discussions, practical exercises, and guest speakers. All students participate in a team project that utilizes data and information directly from UN, government, NGO and private sector sources. The course is designed to accommodate students from various backgrounds, including those with limited supply chain experience.

Credit: 6 units (2-0-4)
Time: Wednesday 4:00-6:00pm (8 Feb–9 May) in E51-395
Instructor: Jarrod Goentzel, goentzel@mit.edu

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE FOR SPRING 2012
Note that the case mentioned is part of a class that integrates other exercises and content, i.e. discussion will not be limited to that case alone.
2/8/12 1 Humanitarian Context, Supply Chain Fundamentals
2/15/12 2 Forecasting (Guest Speaker: Red Cross Climate Center)
2/22/12 3 Needs Assessment, Distribution Tracking (Case: Haiti Earthquake)
2/29/12 4 Procurement, Mobilization (Case: Haiti Earthquake)
3/7/12 5 Inventory Management (Guest Speaker: Partners In Health)
3/14/12 6a [MIT, Tufts students] Integrated Supply Chain (Case: Plumpy'Nut in East Africa)
3/28/12 6b [Harvard students] Integrated Supply Chain (Case: Plumpy'Nut in East Africa)
4/4/12 7 International Transportation (Case: Djibouti Port, Port au Prince airport)
4/11/12 8 Inland Transportation (Case: WFP Ethiopia)
4/18/12 9 Warehousing (Case: WFP Ethiopia)
4/25/12 10 Coordination & Prioritization (Case: UN Logistics Cluster)
5/2/12 11 Performance Measurement (Guest Speaker: International Rescue Committee)
5/9/12 12 Technology and Information Management
TBD 13 Project Presentations

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
PARTICIPATION (20%) – quality (not the quantity) of the contributions to class discussions.
EXERCISES (20%) – a mix of take-home and in-class exercises that give students practice applying concepts.
ASSIGNMENTS (20%) – two individual written assignments.
GROUP PROJECT (40%) – group projects utilize data and information directly from sources such as the UN, national government agencies, NGOs, and the private sector. 2012 options will be outlined during the first class session. 

REGISTRATION FROM OTHER UNIVERSITIES
Note: Grades will be submitted in time for all students, including 2012 graduates, to participate. 

  • Harvard students from four different schools have successfully cross-registered for this course. For more info: Harvard site, MIT site.
  • Tufts students have previously arranged for independent study credit for this course with the following professors:


TEAM PROJECTS FROM PREVIOUS COURSE (DATA FROM 2010 HAITI EARTHQUAKE)

  • Needs Assessment: analyzed survey data collected over 4 months in Port au Prince.
  • Shelter Distribution: mapped specific distribution of shelter and critical commodities by dozens of organizations.
  • Port au Prince Airport: examined this bottleneck resource using distinct datasets from tarmac operations & traffic control.
  • Crowdsourcing: scanned thousands of text messages from Haitians to identify actionable information.
  • Capacity Building: designed a logistics response center for Partners In Health.