A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELING APPROACH TO PETRI NETWORK DESIGN AND MODELING By LINDA KAYE DANCE A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ENGINEERING

I dedicate this work to my father, Gilbert Dance, and to my mother, Ruth Dance. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to my mentor and advisor, Dr. Paul A. Fishwick. He instilled within me an enthusiasm and appreciation for the field of modeling and simulation and provided me tremendous motivation, encouragement, and the opportunity for rewarding challenges. I am indebted to him for his time, effort, and patience in teaching and guiding me through the simulation courses, the research work in the simulation lab, and this thesis. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work and study under him and I value his knowledge, insight, and vision. I thank him for having confidence in me. I would also like to thank Dr. Douglas Dankel for showing confidence in me from the beginning of my efforts in this program. His support on my behalf is greatly appreciated. Also, I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the graduate program and I appreciate all of his efforts as the graduate coordinator. His diligence as both professor and graduate coordinator is to be commended. He has been most helpful and caring and has made my experience throughout the program positive. I would also like to thank Dr. Jörg Peters for his continuous interest in my work through our encounters in the lab. His commitment and enthusiasm to the field of engineering have been an inspiration to me. I am grateful to all three committee members for their time and effort in serving on my committee. Department for the education that I received through my studies and my research and the opportunity to earn this degree. I appreciate the opportunity for both teaching v assistantship and research assistantship. These positions provided financial support but, more importantly, they provided a valuable educational experience. Additionally, I appreciate the understanding and support with my personal family challenges as I completed this goal. for all of their help and support, the many inspiring intellectual conversations, and also for the working relationships and friendships developed. I would like to express appreciation to Renee Lucas and Faye Sheppard for their time and effort in helping me with the grammar in this thesis and I admire their abilities. I would like to express appreciation to my family for their love, support and encouragement through my graduate studies and for sharing in the …