Case Study: Charles H. Dyson School achieves hands-on Monte Carlo risk simulation training for finance students with Palisade's @RISK

Students at Cornell University's Dyson School use @RISK to evaluate capital budgeting, investments, random walks, derivatives pricing and real options

The Charles H. Dyson School at Cornell University, through Dr. Calum Turvey’s Risk Simulation and Optimization course, faced the challenge of teaching finance students to analyze uncertainty beyond textbook “certainty” models. To give students hands-on exposure to probabilistic risk assessment in capital budgeting, investments, random walks, derivatives pricing and real options, the program uses Palisade’s @RISK software.

Palisade’s @RISK is used to convert chapter-by-chapter textbook problems into probability models and run Monte Carlo simulations, allowing students to investigate cash-flow risk, NPV variation and option pricing in practice. The approach has made the course a regular offering (in its second year) with roughly 45 students per semester, demonstrating tangible adoption and enhanced practical learning in financial management using Palisade’s tools.

Charles H. Dyson School

Calum Turvey

Myers Professor of Agricultural Finance