Greetings! It’s hard to believe that we have been adapting to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic for a full year now. We’ve gone to great lengths to serve our students from all over the world during this trying time, while continuing to pursue our research that creates and applies industrial engineering knowledge for the public good. Our work has kept us busy, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved.
Jeffrey Linderoth
Our students never cease to amaze and impress us. ISyE student groups have remained active throughout the pandemic, as evidenced by the numerous awards various chapters received at their fall conferences. Additionally, individuals have been recognized at the very highest levels for their work, like PhD student Renee Greene, who has received the 2021 International Ergonomics Association’s K.U. Smith Student Award.
Our students aren’t the only ones receiving recognition. Professor Laura Albert has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Assistant Professor Gabriel Zayas-Caban received the early career award from the Minority Issues Forum of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).
The pandemic hasn’t slowed down our world-class faculty in their research, either. With active grants across a wide range of research interest areas, our faculty members are busier than ever. In fact, our department’s faculty are currently ranked first in the nation in the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index (FSPI) produced by Academic Analytics. Our operations research and health systems engineering experts have been called on frequently over the past year to apply their research to pandemic-related challenges, and they have contributed significantly to identifying ways to battle the spread and collateral effects of COVID-19.
This spring also brings significant changes to the faces in our department. Long-time professor and former department chair Vicki Bier recently retired, and I will be stepping down as chair in a few short months. Professor Laura Albert will be taking the reins, and I assure you, the department will be in extremely good hands under her leadership.
We are grateful for your continued interest in, and support of, our department. I hope that, in the near future, we can be together on campus. Until then, please feel free to reach out to me by phone or email. I would love to connect with you personally.
On, Wisconsin!
Jeffrey Linderoth
Harvey D. Spangler Professor and David H. Gustafson Department Chair