Hoover Resident Recognized During UA Research Conference

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Jonathan Prell of Hoover was recently recognized during the University of Alabama Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Conference.

Prell received 2nd place work in progress for a presentation entitled Illicit Wildlife Trade: Network Interdiction in the Business category.

Prell's presentation outlines the following:

• The illicit trade of wildlife is a dreadful and global reality that threatens lives of on several species around the world. The criminal economy through wildlife trafficking is estimated to be over twenty billion USD. This complex system is comparable to other illicit crimes such as drug, weapon, and human trafficking; and furthermore, it often has linkages with these other illicit trades, as least as a precursor.
• There has been much research and media awareness published about the conservation and moral wrongs of wildlife trade, but little is known about the supply chains operations of this illegal activity, especially from a quantitative, operations research perspective. This research reviews illicit wildlife trafficking through an operations and supply chain lens.
• By understanding these challenges faced in wildlife trafficking, we present opportunities to resolve them using OR/MS techniques. There will be a groundwork to future developments in detection, interdiction, and elimination of illicit wildlife trade, and ultimately, conserving the nature.

For additional details about this years URCA, visit http://ovpred.ua.edu/urca/.