WMU chapter attends regional IIE Conference at Purdue

Last month, 23 members of the student chapter of WMU’s Institute of Industrial Engineers [IIE] traveled to the 2006 IIE Region 4 Conference at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

The WMU students were joined by IIE students from not only Purdue University, but also Kettering University, Ohio University, Ohio State University, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, University of Michigan – Dearborn, University of Louisville, Youngstown State University, and Wayne State University.

Renae Hoglen, president of the WMU IIE chapter, praised the quality of the conference “We had a great time, and we were impressed with the professionalism,” she said. “We went to everything to learn what others are doing so that we could come away with as much of the experience as possible.”

Conference speakers included Michael Eskew, CEO and Chairman of UPS; Charles Armstrong, president of the Seattle mariners; Andy Poosuthasee from Halliburton; Carrie Ehrlich from United Airlines; and Rick McNamee, CEO of Quadrus Consulting.

Hoglen said all the speakers offered valuable insights. She described Eskew, who provided the keynote address at the awards dinner, as “very personable and in touch with” the audience. “He told us what IEs do for UPS, and how he worked his way up in the company,” she said.

Hoglen also enjoyed a presentation on Purdue that was given by Dr. James Barany, a Purdue faculty advisor, who documented the 50^th anniversary of Purdue’s IE department. “He was hilarious,” she said.

The conference included breakout sessions covering career experiences, a technical paper contest, a leadership forum, and a job fair for those in the Purdue area. Also offered were tours of Purdue’s IE facilities, including the machine shop and two human factors facilities.

The WMU group won an award for having more students in attendance than any other chapter. On behalf of the national IIE, IME professor Dr. Steven Butt, one of WMU’s IIE advisors and current IIE Region IV vice president, presented an appreciation award to Purdue for hosting the event.

IME professors Dr. Tycho Fredericks, a co-advisor of WMU’s IIE chapter, and Dr. Kailash Bafna also attended the conference.

WMU hosted last year’s IIE conference at the Parkview Campus. Ohio State University will host next year’s 2007 IIE Region 4 Conference.

2005 graduate is number three Ph.D. in IE

In December 2005 Yaser Al-Alawi earned the IME Department’s third Ph.D. in industrial engineering (IE) in as many years. Earlier in the year, he also earned a MS in industrial engineering. “I would like to say ‘thank you’ to the IME department for everything,” he said

The native of Bahrain has now begun teaching at the University of Bahrain (UOB), which sponsored his education at WMU. It is also the same university where he earned BS and Associate degrees in mechanical engineering and a MS degree in engineering manage-ment. “I’ve spent all my life studying,” he said.

As an assistant professor in the UOB mechanical engineering department, Al-Alawi is presently teaching two courses. His department currently offers Associate, BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering, and a MS degree in engineering management. It will soon offer a BS degree in industrial engineering.

Al-Alawi is also putting his education to work as a member of many committees aiming to develop new programs and engage UOB with industry. “I am using the tools and knowledge I gained at WMU to improve the industrial and business sectors in Bahrain and the surrounding areas,” he said.

According to coordinator Dr. Bob White, IME’s IE Ph.D. program is designed to combine the traditional research experience associated with a Ph.D. program with course work and laboratory experiences needed to prepare graduates to pursue careers in both academic and industrial settings. “This is the only Ph.D. in IE in Michigan with a core area of engineering management,” he said.

White said the program, which requires about four to five years to complete, emphasizes breadth of knowledge and requires students to conduct a significant, focused field study and to complete a dissertation research project.

The program also includes an industrial internship and a teaching internship. “If someone comes without industrial experience, they have to do one [industrial internship], and every student has to do a teaching internship as well,” White said. “They have to take courses in how to be a college teacher.”

Sang Dae Choi earned IE’s first Ph.D. in 2003. “It was such an honor earning the first Ph.D. in the IME department,” he said. “It was absolutely my good fortune to know and work with the IME faculty.”

According to Choi, the program showed him “how to effectively teach and research” and “how to work well with other people.” He has fond memories of Kalamazoo. “I am so proud to be a WMU-IME alumni,” he said.

Now an assistant professor in the Occupational & Environmental Safety & Health Department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Choi teaches courses in ergonomics; construction, systems, and product safety; and analysis and design for safety in industrial operations.

Choi also coordinates the Occupational Ergonomics Emphasis and Certificate programs and serves as an approved OSHA Outreach Instructor for construction and industrial safety and as the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) faculty advisor.
Choi, his wife, and two small daughters enjoy the Wisconsin dairy country life.

The department’s second Ph.D. was earned in 2004 by David J. Meade, who came to WMU from industry and who remains at WMU serving as an assistant professor at CEAS’ Muskegon Center for Higher Education. “Between writing, generating data, and defending during the final months of my formal studies, I had the good fortune to land a position as a full-time, tenure-track faculty in the Manufacturing Engineering Department,” he said.

Meade “thoroughly enjoys” being a CEAS faculty member and working at a “terrific” campus. “I have grown very fond of the students and my co-workers here in Muskegon,” he said.

In his first year, Meade wrote several grant proposals, conducted applied research, wrote several journal publications and a book, developed courses, and interacted with students. “This past year has given me assurance that the switch from industry to academe was the right move,” he said.

The Meade family has settled in Grand Haven and is enjoying the lakeshore area.

About 11 or 12 students are currently enrolled in the Ph.D. IE program. White described the current students as a mix of full-time and part-time students. Some are employees at Haworth and Ford.