Professor Ian Frommer received an A.B. degree with high honors in Astronomy and Physics from Harvard College, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computation from the University of Maryland. In between degrees, he worked as a computer programmer in the New Technologies Department of Sony Music in New York City. Professor Frommer joined the Coast Guard Academy Mathematics Department faculty in 2005. At the Academy, Dr. Frommer teaches a wide range of courses in computing, operations research, and mathematics, and has developed several courses. He is an active advisor in the senior capstone course, most recently advising an NSA-sponsored project on computer vision to aid in vessel detection & recognition. He serves as inaugural chair of the undergraduate Operations Research & Data Analytics (ORDA) major and coordinated the Department of Mathematics 10-year program review. His current research interests include project-based learning and inquiry-based learning in operations research and computing, quantitative analysis in the context of crowdsourcing voting platforms, and the application of mathematics and operations research to music. Previously he published research in areas such as network analysis using nonlinear dynamics and chaos, operations research applied to energy/environment, and network optimization using Steiner trees. He wrote a blog about operations research and energy/environment for ten years, which can be found at https://greenor.wordpress.com/. Dr. Frommer is CAP®-certified and outside of his USCGA position, he works as a consultant applying OR & Analytics methods to problems in industry. He 3D-prints math shapes and other objects, plays the drums and occasionally writes songs, sings, and plays keyboards.

Education

• Ph.D., Applied Mathematics, University of Maryland
• A.B., Astronomy and Astrophysics and Physics, Harvard College

Courses Taught

(Selected courses, contact me for full list)

• Calculus I and II
• Multi-variable Calculus
• Differential Equations
• Probability & Statistics
• Discrete Mathematics
• Linear Optimization
• Network & Nonlinear Optimization
• Probability Theory
• Computer Modeling Languages
• Information Systems
• Algorithms with Applications
• Intermediate Deterministic Models
• Advanced Calculus
• Problem Solving with Analytics
• Several directed studies such as Introduction to Computer Vision and Analytics in Sports
• Senior Operations Analysis Capstone course

Research Adviser for Senior Capstone Projects

(recent projects, contact me for full list)

• Fusion of Vessel AIS and Computer Vision Data for Maritime Domain Awareness (2025)
• Optimizing Coast Guard Recruiting Command’s Recruiting Footprint (2024, Management Department)
• Vessel Detection and Classification through Computer Vision to Aid Maritime Domain Awareness (2023)
• Analysis of Automatic Identification System (AIS) (2021)
• International Ice Patrol Aerial and Satellite Reconnaissance Optimization (2020)
• Workforce Skills Management (2019)
• Optimizing Coast Guard Personnel Recruiting Locations (2017)
• Coast Guard Selective Reenlistment Bonus Analysis (2016)
• Coast Guard Enlisted Career Tracker (2015)

Recent Professional Development

• Containerization and Virtualization Concepts, DataCamp course, July 16, 2024
• Developing Python Packages, DataCamp course, July 16, 2024
• Software Engineering Principles in Python, DataCamp course, June 23, 2024
• Certificate for multiple half-day trainings on topics such as pandas, large-language models (LLMs), unit testing, and more, Open Data Science Conference, Boston, MA, May 8-9, 2023
• Data Science with Pandas tutorial, PyCon 2019, Cleveland, OH, May 2, 2019
• IPython and Jupyter in Depth tutorial, PyCon 2019, Cleveland, OH, May 2, 2019
• Certified Analytics Professional (CAP ®), INFORMS global analytics certification, August, 2018

Selected Publications and Presentations

• I. Frommer and S. Dorton, Optimization of Crowdsourcing Resources using Goal Programming, in progress.
• I. Frommer, S. Dorton, and D. Zack, What is Fair? Preferences on Equity of Voting Power in Crowdsourced Argumentation, submitted to the INFORMS journal Group Decision Making and Negotiation.
• S. Dorton, I. Frommer, and T. Garrison, A Theoretical Model for Assessing Information Validity from Multiple Observers, 2019 IEEE Conference on Cognitive and Computational Aspects of Situation Management (CogSIMA), Las Vegas, NV, 2019, 52-58.
• S. Dorton, I. Frommer, M. Bailey and T. Sotomayor, Prioritizing Design Goals for a Medical Simulator Using Pairwise Comparisons, Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, 2018, 62 (1): 1648-1652.
• I. Frommer and R. Day, A Carbon Emissions Game: Teaching Quantitative Decision Making … with Metrics for Learning Assessment, INFORMS Transactions on Education; 18(1): 56-70 (2017).
• I. Frommer and P. Crilly, Lasting Laboratory Lessons, 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, LA, 2016, 10.18260/p.25516.
• P. Verhagen, S. Polla, and I. Frommer, Finding Byzantine Junctions with Steiner Trees, In: Computational Approaches to Movement in Archaeology; S. Polla and P. Verhagen (eds.), De Gruyter, Berlin, 73-97, 2014.
• J. Macdonald, I. Frommer and I. Karaesmen, Decision Making in the Beer Game and Supply Chain Performance, Operations Management Research; 6(3): 119-126 (2013).
• I. Frommer, E. Harder, B. Hunt, R. Lance, E. Ott and J. Yorke, Bifurcation and Chaos in a Periodically Probed Computer Network, International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos; 19 (9): 3129–3141 (2009).
• I. Frommer, Summer Math Instructor Assignment at the US Coast Guard Academy Using Integer Programming, Mathematica Militaris; 17(1): 20-25 (2009).
• I. Frommer, greenOR, Internet blog, http://greenor.wordpress.com , July 2007 – 2017.
• W.J. Hibbard, R.J. Greenwalt, Jr., T. Edmunds, and I. Frommer, Between Ports of Entry: Interdicting Radiological and Nuclear Smugglers, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Technical Report, UCRL-TR-230907, March 2007.
• I. Frommer and B. Golden, A Genetic Algorithm for Solving the Euclidean Non-Uniform Steiner Tree Problem, In: Extending the Horizons: Advances in Computing, Optimization, and Decision Technologies, E.K. Baker, A. Joseph, A. Mehrotra, and M.A. Trick (eds.), Springer, New York, 31-48, 2007.

Honors and Awards

• David Meister Best Paper Award, Systems Development Technical Group (SDTG), 2018 International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) for “Prioritizing Design Goals for a Medical Simulator Using Pairwise Comparisons“ (co-written by Dorton, Bailey, and Sotomayor).
• U.S. Coast Guard Academy Center for Advanced Studies Fellowship to conduct research on mathematically guided musical rhythm composition (2011)
• SAIC Systems/U.S. Coast Guard Academy Leadership Grant (2011). Received funding to support interdisciplinary “Developing Leaders in …” course.
• Block Grant Fellowship, Mathematics Department, University of Maryland (1999–2000)
• Invention Disclosure Award, Sony Corporation of America (1997) for “ConnecteD: Traditional Audio CD Activated by New Multimedia Content.”

Professional Affiliations

• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)