Department Head's Message: Fall 2019 Newsletter

Dear SIE friends,

The department has had an exceptional year, and in this annual SIE newsletter we are excited to share some of the many achievements and activities.

First-Rate Faculty and Students

SIE recruited an outstanding faculty member, Sol Lim, who adds more depth in a critical research area – human performance modeling and data analytics. That makes nine new faculty members in the last four years, with two more hires expected in 2020.

On the student front, the department awarded 108 bachelor’s, 57 master’s and five PhD degrees in 2019. Congratulations to Sara Masoud and Seunghan Lee – who joined Wayne State University and the State University of New York at Buffalo, respectively, as assistant professors – and all the new SIE alumni.

With enrollment at 398 undergraduates and 176 graduate students, we continue to attract and retain outstanding students.

Global SIE Degrees

SIE is part of UA Global’s dual degree programs at Sampoerna University in Indonesia, offering a BS in Industrial Engineering, and Princess Sumaya University for Technology in Jordan, with an MS in Engineering Management.

Next year, the department also will offer dual degrees – BS and Accelerated MS in Industrial Engineering – at the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences in Lima.

Nods at All Levels

Faculty and students alike are doing high-profile research and earning recognition for their contributions and professional achievements.

Congratulations to Neng Fan on his promotion to associate professor, Hongyue Jin for receiving the Rising Star Award at the Life Cycle Assessment XIX Conference, and now-assistant professor Sol Lim, who won the 2019 Best Student Paper Award from the Occupational Ergonomics Technical Group of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

SIE is grateful to its alumni for inspiring students and supporting the department’s success. Honeywell senior tech manager Marla Peterson, BS 1983, was named 2019 SIE Alumna of the Year during May’s pre-commencement ceremony. All three previous award winners – Herb Burton, Cindy Klingberg and Ted Landis – came out to honor her.

A big thank you as well to Jerry Hunter, BS 1988 and MS 1990, and Ryan Kanto, BS 2007, for their continued support.

Changing of the Guard

We salute Jeff Goldberg, former interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, and Larry Head, former interim UA Engineering dean. Welcome, David Hahn, Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering. Under your leadership, we look forward to establishing new ways to keep the college in the vanguard of engineering education and research.

A note of gratitude to graduate adviser Linda Cramer, who holds a special place in the hearts of countless SIE students. Linda retired this year after 24 years of service. Cindy Nguyen has stepped seamlessly into the role. Also, Mildred Curran replaces Danielle Embry as undergraduate adviser. Thank you to all who guide our students throughout their academic years.

Time-Honored Tradition

It was great seeing so many alumni at Homecoming. We appreciate the role you play in SIE’s success. Please keep sharing your insights on teaching, learning, research and partnership, and we’ll keep listening! No need to wait until next year to visit. Anytime you are on campus, let us know. Go Cats!

Warm regards,