A Mathematical optimization model for allocating student dormitories in corona-living conditions

Many of the world's top universities have already decided to hold the next semester with e-education. In our country, the forecasts show a red situation for some areas in terms of the prevalence of corona. Also, a number of university students are living in these areas. Therefore, in the planning of the next semester, more attention should be paid to e-education. It is recommended that the next semester be implemented in two parts, including e-education for 10 weeks and face-to-face training for 3 weeks. In face-to-face training with the needs of the educational and dormitory space, students are divided into two sub-categories (A) and (B) so that it is possible to implement health protocols in universities and dormitories. In this paper, to determine the number of male and female students accommodated in dormitories for both subcategories (A) and (B) in face-to-face training, a mathematical optimization model is proposed in the form of nonlinear programming with integer decision variables. In the objective function of the model, the distribution of students in the educational space and dormitories is done in such a way that it has the maximum possible dispersion (minimum difference), due to the prevention of the spread of corona disease. This model has been implemented for the allocation of student dormitories at Allameh Tabatabai University, and its use can bring positive results for decision makers.