THE FUTURE OF ISE

Smarter cities,
INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AT WORK

JANUARY 2020 | Volume 52 | Number 1 | $22.58

fresh challenges
Are urban communities and
their residents ready for a
connected future?

Interns share their

summer experiences

How to test performance motivation

Job shop manufacturing realities

ISE class helps mothers’ milk bank

 “In the future AI will be diffused into every aspect of the economy.”
— Nils J. Nilsson, founding researcher, Artificial Intelligence & Computer Science, Stanford University

SAVE THE DATE

March 31, 2020 | Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport Hotel | Atlanta, Georgia

Artificial Intelligence + ISEs = ????

In the future, organizations will have to use Artificial Intelligence
Your Conference Chairs
… or get left behind.

IISE’s one-day symposium “AI: Impact on Industrial and Systems

Engineering” is the perfect vehicle to start gathering the tools
and knowledge needed to explore the impact Artificial
Intelligence will have on industrial and systems engineers and Ben Amaba, PE, CPIM, LEED AP
Global Chief Technology Officer (CTO),
the businesses/enterprises they manage. Data Science and AI Elite Team, IBM

One-day conferences are perfect for the busy engineer and

executive, allowing minimal time away from the office. And for
those within a day’s drive (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, South and North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, West
Virginia and Virginia), Atlanta is just a road trip away. Michael Testani, MS
Director of Industrial Outreach,
Binghamton University's Thomas J. Watson
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Don’t let Artificial Intelligence leave your enterprise behind!

www.iise.org/AI
 Table of Contents
January 2020 | Volume 52 | Number 1 | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
Cover Story
Features 26
26 | Building a smarter future
ISE begins a series 2020 and Beyond with a look at smart city technology
and how close it is to gaining widespread use. One Atlanta suburb offers a
way to test new technology in the real world.
By Keith Albertson

36 | A summer place
Three ISE students share their internship experiences at a theme park,
an aviation company and a space laboratory.
By Dina Perlic, Jennylynn Johnson and Adriane Tenequer

40 | Proven workplace motivators

the Front line
Past research shows that performance incentives 12 | 3D-built device can isolate cancer cells
that work go beyond ‘carrots and sticks’ to tap into 13 | Robots that zap like a chameleon’s tongue
employees’ dedication to a team. 14 | Giving air travelers a bit more elbow space
By Adam Cywar 36 14 | A cultural shift toward a shorter workweek
15 | Embracing a future that won’t wait
45 | A new look at lean 15 | It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a ... burger!
The accepted lean production system for most 16 | AI learns how to put music to words
manufacturing needs a few tweaks to work well 16 | Microsoft chief: AI both ‘tool’ and ‘weapon’
in a high-mix, make-to-order job shop.
By Shahrukh A. Irani 40 the institute
48 | Case study: Milk of kindness 56 | Annual keynotes to focus on data, logistics, supply
An ISE class project at N.C. State University helps
57 | HSPI workshops offer an informative jump-start
a mothers’ milk bank save expenses and serve more
57 | Save on early signups for AEC before Jan. 13
newborns with special needs.
58 | Regional conferences bring IISE students together
By Keith Albertson
60 | Find a mentor or be one on IISE Connect
45 60 | Video stars, submit your work for
perspectives IAB’s YouTube prize
18 | Performance 62 Kudos
|
Don’t blame failures on Six Sigma 62 | New role, fresh faces on IISE staff
20 | Management 63 | Revisit highlights from 2019 in Best of ISE
Avoiding change fatigue 63 | Chapter check-ins
22 | Supply Chain
48
Competing in an Amazon world in every issue
24 | Member Forum 6 | Editor’s Desk
Applying IE BoK to become more agile 13 | Dilbert
52 | Research
54 | Tools & Technologies
12 64 | Training Time
65 | Careers
66 | What’s Your Story?

4 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

Kaizen at the Mayo Clinic • Six Sigma/DMAIC at Mount Sinai Health
Systems & Patient Safety at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Better sleep studies at Cook Children’s Health

Find out … Only at the

Feb. 26-28, 2020 | Hyatt Regency Savannah | Savannah, Georgia

Join your colleagues on the historic

Savannah waterfront to hear how Keynote Speakers
leading healthcare organizations use
engineering tools to make things Victor M. Montori, M.D.
Mayo Clinic
better for clinicians, support staff and
patients.

Presentations from...
Northeastern University • Atrium Alex Knight, BSc, MBA,
Health • MedStar Health • SUNY at CEng
Binghamton • Wake Forest Baptist QFI
Health • Cleveland Clinic • Piedmont
Healthcare • Michigan Medicine •
Kettering Health • and more …

Register now!
https://link.iise.org/HSPI2020_Register

www.iise.org/HSPI | #HSPI2020
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 5
editor’s desk
To reach me,
email kalbertson@iise.org
or call (770) 449-0461, ext. 106.
6 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
2020 and Beyond: A future
arrives at our doorstep
Those of us who grew up in the late 20th century watched “The
Jetsons” zoom about in flying cars, gazed at futuristic gadgets at Walt
Disney World’s Epcot Center and were certain a new century would
bring unimaginable wonders.
Now, two decades in the 2000s, there still are no flying cars, no
shuttle trips to Mars, no wisecracking robot butlers and no idyllic
world where war and diseases have been vanquished. Yet on the plus
side, we’re connected by hand-held devices, robots can perform work
and even think, and machines talk to each other and solve problems
without humans involved. So we’re getting there. As drones get big-
ger, we may soon ride in flying space cars after all.
In each issue of ISE, we chronicle this future as it unfolds. Now as
the calendar turns to 2020, we are taking a fresh look at what’s on the
horizon in a series called 2020 and Beyond. In coming issues, expert
authors from various fields in industrial and systems engineering will
peer into their crystal balls and reveal expected innovations in health-
care, ergonomics, artificial intelligence and more.
We begin this month with a look at smart city technology starting
on Page 26. It was an idea we explored right around the corner.
IISE headquarters is in Peachtree Corners, an Atlanta suburb home
to many high-tech firms. Last fall, the city unveiled a test area for au-
tonomous vehicles and internet of things technology called Curiosity
Lab, which includes dedicated lanes, connected lighting and traffic
signals, video monitoring and a command center for testing devices in
a controlled environment. Its grand opening included demonstrations
of Olli the autonomous minibus (David Brandt and I later got our
own special ride), a drone delivery system, a remote-powered scooter
and an interactive robot that takes selfies (learn more in Episode No.
12 of Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast at podcast.iise.org).
That week at the Smart City Expo in Atlanta, I attended presenta-
tions on both the benefits and challenges of an interconnected world
and the hurdles that remain to achieve it. The event included displays
of electric and autonomous vehicles, a smart house model and other
products designed to make lives easier by making machines smarter.
We’re not there yet, but a digital future seems closer than ever – in
our case, right outside our front door. That’s the idea behind 2020 and
Beyond: Closing the gap between concept and reality, today and to-
morrow. We welcome your ideas; if you have a topic to suggest, email
me at kalbertson@iise.org.
 EARLY-BIRD DEADLINE IS JAN. 13!
SAVE UP TO $400!
Register at link.iise.org/AEC2020_Register
THINK ERGONOMICS ISN’T EVERYWHERE?!
#AppliedErgo2020 preconference workshops offer everything from an OSHA 10-Hour
Certificate to BCPE exam prep to getting buy-in from the C-suite …
OSHA 10-Hour Certificate 1910 General Industry
Presenter: Adam Pickens, Texas A&M University
Lighting to Improve Worker Visual Performance
Presenter: John Bullough, Lighting Research Center
Ergonomics Certification – Applying for the Exam –
Review of Requirements for Education, Experience,
and Work Products
Presenters: Robert J. Smillie, Foundation for
Professional Ergonomics and Bill Boyd, Director of
Membership Services, IISE
Facilitative Leadership Skills – A Key for High
Impact Ergonomics Teams
Presenter: Suzanne Nobrega, University of
Massachusetts Lowell
Highly Effective Change Influence and Leadership
Skills in Ergonomics
Presenter: Jack Slavinski, Organizational Change
Consultant
Using Fatigue Failure Based Exposure Assessment Tools
to Control Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
Presenters: Sean Gallagher and Richard Sesek,
Auburn University
www.iise.org/AEC
Lighting and Worker Health and Well-Being
Presenter: Daniel Frering, Lighting Research Center
Ergonomics Certification – Preparing to take
BCPE Exam
Presenters: Robert J. Smillie, Foundation for
Professional Ergonomics; and Carrie Bath-Scheel,
Concordia University Wisconsin and Synergistic
Solutions
Practical Anthropometry: Determining the
Percentage of Users Concurrently
Accommodated on Multiple Design Dimensions
Presenter: Thomas Albin, High Plains Engineering
Services LLC
How to Craft an Ergonomics Business Case in
Dollars and “Sense”
Presenter: Suzanne Nobrega, University of
Massachusetts Lowell and Blake McGowan,
VelocityEHS
AEC Student Leadership Workshop
Featured Speaker: Bobbie Watts, Michelin
Americas
 Executive Editor Art Director ISE serves the diverse audience of professionals and students whose common
Karen S. Barnett Tara Ott interest is industrial engineering. Our mission is to provide useful, interesting,
kbarnett@iise.org (770) 449-0461 timely and thought-provoking content that addresses the broad spectrum of
(770) 449-0461, ext. 127 industrial engineering practice in all industries.As the pre-eminent voice of the
Director of Advertising and profession, ISE strives to give readers information they can use to enhance their
Managing Editor Multimedia Sponsorship Sales professional capabilities, improve their organization’s performance and advance
Keith Albertson Trent Sexton the development of their profession.
kalbertson@iise.org www.iise.org/advertise;
(770) 449-0461, ext. 106 advertising@iise.org In furtherance of this mission, we adhere to the following objectives:
• To present accurate reporting and analysis of the most prevalent industrial
Web Managing Editor Directors of Multimedia engineering topics
David Brandt Exhibit Sales • To serve as a career development resource to students and professionals
dbrandt@iise.org Hutson Lambert • To maintain high editorial standards, journalistic integrity and credibility
(770) 449-0461, ext. 116 Anita Lambert • To support the mission of IISE in its service to members and the industrial
hlambert@iise.org engineering profession
alambert@iise.org

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
President Senior VP-at-Large, Industry Senior VP, Publications Secretary
Jamie Rogers, Ph.D., PE Carl Kirpes Candace Yano, Ph.D. Joseph Wilck, Ph.D., PE
University of Texas, Arlington Marathon Petroleum Corp. University of California, William & Mary
Berkeley
President-Elect and CFO Senior VP, North American IAB Representative
David Poirier Operations Senior VP, Bob Pudlo
The Poirier Group Kevin M. Taaffe, Ph.D. Technical Operations FedEx
Clemson University Amanda Mewborn
Immediate Past President Piedmont Healthcare Chief Executive Officer
Tim McGlothlin Senior VP, Don Greene, IISE
The Ergonomics Center Continuing Education VP of Student Development
J. Cole Smith, Ph.D. Dawn Strickland, Ph.D.
Senior VP-at-Large, Academic Syracuse University Georgia Tech
Janis Terpenny, Ph.D.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Senior VP, International
Operations
Gül Kremer. Ph.D.
Iowa State University

POINTS OF CONTACT
Institute of Industrial Annual Conference Continuing Education Member and Customer Service
and Systems Engineers Bill Gibbs, ext. 126 and Corporate Training Amy Straub, ext. 102
3577 Parkway Lane, Suite 200 bgibbs@iise.org Larry Aft, PE, ext. 130 cs@iise.org
Norcross, GA 30092 laft@iise.org
www.iise.org Chapters, Societies Operations
(770) 449-0461 and Divisions Corporate Partnerships Donna Calvert, ext. 108
Bill Boyd, ext. 122 and Strategic Alliances dcalvert@iise.org
bboyd@iise.org Douglas Long, ext. 109
dlong@iise.org

ISE (ISSN 1542-894X) is published monthly by the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) at its Known Office of Publication of 3577 Parkway Lane, Suite 200, Norcross, GA 30092 USA. Copyright
© 2020 Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. Established 1969. Subscriptions for members included in annual dues, not deductible. Single copy $22.58. USA subscriptions: per year $260; two years $456;
three years $585. Outside U.S.: one year $322; two years $550; three years $747. Airmail $110 additional. Institutions and agencies, call for rates: (770) 449-0460. Editor’s Note: We treat all communications
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that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Content: Publication
does not constitute endorsement of any product or material, nor does IISE necessarily agree with the statements or opinions advanced at its meetings or printed in its publications. This magazine acts as a
moderator, without approving, disapproving, or guaranteeing the validity or accuracy of any data, claim, or opinion appearing under a byline or obtained or quoted from an acknowledged source. All issues of ISE are
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Worldwide, 1415 Janette Ave.,Windsor, ON N8X 1Z1. Printed in USA. Periodicals postage paid at Norcross, Ga., and at additional mailing offices.

8 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

 CONNECTING@IISE
Elizabeth Almquist, IISE YP incoming president,
Milwaukee Chapter president Waukesha, Wiscon-
sin
How do you apply your ISE degree in a non-traditional
role?
Many of our ISEs are now applying their degrees in uncon-
ventional and non-traditional roles. How are you applying this
degree in a role that is not considered one typically held by
an ISE?
Michael Hughes, IISE
Re: How do you apply your ISE degree in a
non-traditional role?
See an interview with then IISE President-elect Kim Needy
from the July 2016 issue of ISE magazine, when she was dean
of the University of Arkansas Graduate School and Inter-
national Education (link.iise.org/ISEJuly2016_Institute). The
money quote: And her IE ties still help, even though these
days she often gets questioned about whether she likes her job
now that she’s not doing industrial engineering.
“I tell them, ‘Are you kidding me? I’m doing industrial
engineering every day,’” Needy said. “It’s just I’m applying
those skills to an academic process in the grad school and
international education. I’m dealing with processes all day
long.”
Brent Miller, West Monroe Partners, New York,
NY
Re: How do you apply your ISE degree in a
non-traditional role?
While yes, the fundamentals need to stay intact, I’d strongly
urge IEs to branch out away from the traditional manufactur-
ing and distribution roles we seem to get wedged into. Pro-
fessional, financial, healthcare and other service industries are
rife with opportunity for us to step in and make substantial
changes. ... So you see, the word “traditional” irks me a bit
when discussing what IEs should and shouldn’t do. We can
work in almost ANY environment and be successful!
10 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
Steven Kiester, Bell Flight, Fort Worth Texas
Re: How do you apply your ISE degree in a
non-traditional role?
I tend to stay away from the “traditional/nontraditional” ter-
minology and simply focus on how we can help solve existing
complex problems as well as help design systems solutions for
things that do not currently exist. The setting does not really
matter. ... IEs around the globe help solve the problems of both
today and tomorrow – that’s what makes this such a noble pro-
fession.
Michael L. Washington, PhUS CDC National Center for
Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Atlanta
Re: How do you apply your ISE degree in a non-tra-
ditional role?
I am probably one of the few industrial engineers that work
in public health full time. And the same issues other industrial
engineers face in all industries are the same in public health.
We have problems. We need to find the root cause(s) of the
problem. Find solutions. Determine the impact of the solutions,
usually with models (simulation, decision trees, compartmental
models, etc.). What is the budget and what is the economic im-
pact (mainly if it is cost effective)? Is it feasible (logistics, budget,
economics, political)? Communicate our results.
Twitter
WSU IISE @wsuiise
Had a wonderful inside
look at the Honda Plant
in Marysville, Ohio.
Big shout out to WSU
Student and Honda In-
tern Eric for helping us
set up the tour!
@NCStateISE
See how the @NCStateEngr team, which included N.C. State
ISE students Rachel Figard and Grant Jordan, did at the Global
Grand Challenges Summit in London (SPOILERS: pretty LinkedIn
good).
Mizelle Joy Hornilla
Congratulations to Dr. (Nina) Miville: UM IISE’s
advisor, my mentor, go-to person for academic
questions and personal advice, and professor, for being the re-
cipient of the Alexander Orr Jr. Excellence in Teaching award.
Your life experiences have made for great stories and help illus-
trate the concepts we learn in the classroom to the real world.
You are dedicated to your students’ well-being in and out of the
Laura Albert classroom. On behalf of your IE students, thank you for your
@lauraalbertphd dedication and congrats!!
Oh hey that’s me and @
jim_luedtke in @iisenet
magazine. Share and discuss

We’d love to hear from you. Send letters to the editor to Keith Albertson
at kalbertson@iise.org or be retro and mail them to his attention
Industrial Engineering
at 3577 Parkway Lane, Suite 200, Norcross, GA 30092. And join
at NMSU @ieaggies
the discussion on IISE’s social media sites. Go to connect.iise.org or
IE AGGIES at Centennial
www.iise.org/networking to get into the conversation.
High School during their
Senior Parent Night.

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 11

 The front line News from the field

3D-built device can isolate cancer cells

Cell traps reveal tumors by filtering out healthy blood in samples

A team of researchers at Georgia Tech has developed a 3D-

Photos by Allison Carter, courtesy of Georgia Tech

printed device that can help isolate cancer cells embedded
among billions of blood cells in a patient sample. The team’s
cell traps capture the white blood cells and filter out red
blood cells, leaving behind cancer cells that can lead to a
diagnosis.
“Isolating circulating tumor cells from whole blood
samples has been a challenge because we are looking for
a handful of cancer cells mixed with billions of normal
red and white blood cells,” said A. Fatih Sarioglu, an as-
sistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and
Computer Engineering. “With this device, we can process
a clinically relevant volume of blood by capturing nearly
all of the white blood cells and then filtering out the red
blood cells by size. That leaves us with undamaged tumor
cells that can be sequenced to determine the specific cancer
type and the unique characteristics of each patient’s tumor.”
Sarioglu, graduate student Chia-Heng Chu and collab-
orators built the 3D-printed traps lined with antigens to
capture white blood cells. The traps expanded the surface
area for capturing the white blood cells as they pass by in
blood samples.
“Using 3D printing liberates us from the single channel
and allows us to create many channels in three dimensions
that better utilize the space,” Sarioglu said.
After the white blood cells are removed, the smaller red
blood cells pass through a simple commercial filter that
traps the cancer cells and any remaining white blood cells. A device developed by Georgia Tech researchers can
Tumor cells can then be removed from the filter. isolate cancer cells by filtering out red blood cells in a
The procedure allows for minimal processing of blood sample.
samples, reducing the risk of damage to cancer cells. and
doesn’t require specialized technician skills. cancer. Sarioglu believes the device will capture circulating
Researchers tested the process by adding cancer cells to tumor cells from any type of cancer because the removal
blood taken from healthy people. By tracking how many mechanism targets blood cells rather than cancer cells.
cells were added, they could tell how many should be ex- “We expect that this will really be an enabling tool for
tracted. They found the trap could capture around 90% of clinicians,” Sarioglu said.
tumor cells. Later testing of blood samples from prostate The team’s research was reported in the journal Lab on
cancer patients isolated tumor cells from a 10-milliliter a Chip, supported by a grant from the Integrated Cancer
whole blood sample. Research Center at Georgia Tech. Read more at https://
Testing included cells from prostate, breast and ovarian link.iise.org/gatech3dcancer.

12 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

Robots that zap like a chameleon’s tongue
Fast-moving soft devices can catch live insects, plus perch, grab and hold

Photos taken from video courtesy of FlexiLab Purdue

In the blink of an eye, chameleons, salamanders and
toads can flick their sticky tongues and snag an insect
more than 1½ times their body length away.
Researchers at Purdue’s School of Industrial Engi-
neering and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engi-
neering in Purdue’s College of Engineering have du-
plicated that striking speed in a class of soft robots to
perform lightning speed tasks. The process uses stored
elastic energy and internal pneumatic channels that
expand upon pressurization and extend stretchable
polymers similar to rubber bands.
Similar to a chameleon’s tongue strike, a pre-
stressed pneumatic soft robot is capable of expanding
five times its own length, catching a live fly beetle and
retrieving it in just 120 milliseconds.
“We believed that if we could fabricate robots ca-
pable of performing such large-amplitude motions at
high speed like chameleons, then many automated
Soft robots developed by Purdue University researchers can coil
tasks could be completed more accurately and in a
and strike at an insect just as a chameleon can with its tongue
much faster way,” said Ramses Martinez, an assistant or can grab like a Venus flytrap plant.
professor and researcher with the project. “Conven-
tional robots are usually built using hard and heavy com- at gripping, holding and manipulating a large variety of ob-
ponents that slow down their motion due to inertia. We jects at high speed. They can use the elastic energy stored
wanted to overcome that challenge.” in their pre-stressed elastomeric layer to hold objects up to
The technology was published in the Oct. 25 edition of 100 times their weight without external power.
Advanced Functional Materials. A video showing the robot Their soft skin can be easily patterned with anti-slip mi-
in action is available at https://bit.ly/2MFGqsj. crospikes, which significantly increases their traction and
The same process of elastic energy storage was used to enables them to perch upside down over prolonged periods
enhance grasping, high-speed catching and zero-power of time and facilitates the capture of live prey.
holding, inspired by the anatomy of birds to remain on a “We envision that the design and fabrication strategies
perch (http://bit.ly/35UpN3K), and develop high-speed proposed here will pave the way toward a new generation
trap mechanisms like a Venus flytrap plant (http://bit. of entirely soft robots capable of harnessing elastic energy to
ly/2Bsuhkc). achieve speeds and motions currently inaccessible for exist-
Martinez said the technology helps the soft robots excel ing robots,” Martinez said.

Dilbert © 2018 Scott Adams. Used by permission of Andrews McMeel Syndication. All rights reserved.

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 13

 frontline
line

Giving air travelers a bit more elbow space

thefront

Company’s ergonomically designed middle seat to be rolled out in 2020

the

When you’re boarding an airplane with a seat prefer-

Photo Courtesy Molon Labe Seating

ence, it’s almost certain you’ll choose one of two op-
tions: A window seat to watch the view or an aisle
seat for quicker exiting. It’s hard to imagine anyone
choosing the middle seat, which offers neither advan-
tage and where passengers may feel like the meat in a
sandwich.
Help is on the way for middle-seat captives: A
company called Molon Labe Seating has engineered a
middle seat design that is more ergonomically friendly
to travelers.
Molon Labe’s middle seat is designed a few inches
lower and set back from those around it, allowing
more freedom of movement. It’s also 3 inches wider,
allowing for more arm room on either side. It includes
a two-level armrest, making it easier for passengers to
share elbow space.
“We have discovered that what looks like a small
stagger actually makes a huge difference,” Molon Labe
founder Hank Scott said. “The trick is to actually sit in
the seat. In fact, our main sales tool is to ship seats to
airlines so they can sit in them.”
The seat, dubbed the S1, has received FAA approval
for installment and an unidentified airline has plans to
put them aboard 50 planes by the end of 2020.
Another Molon Labe innovation being tested is a
“Side-Slip” aisle seat that can be moved up and over The S1 middle seat by Molon Labe is designed a few inches lower and
the middle seat during loading and unloading, creat- wider and is set farther back than those around it, allowing for more
ing wider aisles. freedom of movement and arm room.

Prime Number
A cultural shift toward a shorter workweek
Are you anxious to have a permanent three-day weekend? An experiment with a four-day workweek in August
2019 by Microsoft’s Japan office resulted in a 40% boost in productivity, and more than 90% of employees reported
they preferred the new schedule. In addition, Microsoft Japan reported it used
about 23% less electricity and printed around 59% fewer pages in that span.
That’s a big shift from the cultural norm: a CNBC survey in 2016 showed 25%
of Japanese companies required employees to work at least 80 hours. Previous
studies support the idea that that schedule flexibility increases productivity.
A New Zealand company permanently adopted the four-day workweek in
2018, after a trial resulted in a 24% productivity increase. The Harvard Business
Review reported that a Chinese travel agency experienced a 13% productivity
boost when it allowed call center employees to work from home. In the U.S.,
a 2017 Stanford University study found the average worker is willing to give
up 8% of their pay in exchange for the option to work from home.

14 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

 Embracing a future that won’t wait
Book
Former BP engineer, exec tells how to succeed in today’s climate of the
Month

Civilization’s journey from simple tools to a mechanized industrial world took many centuries, yet
the step from assembly lines to 3D printing and artificial intelligence seems to have come in the blink
of an eye. How do business and society accept this unending blur of change and manage to thrive?
In Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering the Future of Civilization, author John Browne, a former engineer
and CEO of BP, offers tips on embracing and harnessing technological and strategic advancements
in an age of automation. He explains how civilization is founded on engineering innovation and that
all progress stems from the human urge to make things and shape the world, leading to greater free-
dom, health and wealth. He draws on history, his own experiences and conversations with today’s
great innovators to reveal the basis for all progress and its consequences, both good and bad. He
argues that the same spark that triggers each innovation can be used to counter its negative effects
and provides a blueprint for moving toward a brighter future.
Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering the Future of Civilization by Pegasus Books, $29.95

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a ... burger!

Uber Eats plans drone delivery of food in test project this year

When the fridge is bare and

Photo courtesy of Uber

your grumbling tummy
can’t wait, food delivery
services are the way to go.
And soon there may be a
high-tech option to get your
yummies to you even faster:
Uber Eats is experimenting
with the next stage in drone
delivery by transporting or-
dered restaurant meals via
autonomous aircraft.
The drones in this test
project won’t be knocking
on your door with a sack of
burritos, exactly. The plan is
for the Uber Eats drone to
This artist’s rendition shows the Uber Eats food delivery drone in action. The company plans to
load food for up to two peo- test limited food delivery in San Diego later this year.
ple at the restaurant, then
carry it to an awaiting Uber Eats driver at a drop-off point test deliveries last fall at San Diego State University.
for fi nal delivery. Luke Fischer, Uber Elevate’s head of fl ight operations,
Uber unveiled its delivery drone at the Forbes 30 under told Forbes the goal is to determine how drone delivery can
30 Summit in October. It features six rotors on rotating work in dense urban environments.
wings and can travel up to eight minutes at a range of 18 “We don’t need to get drones direct to our customer, we
miles, with a round-trip delivery range of 12 miles. Uber’s just have to get it close,” he said.
Elevate control system will track and guide the drone and The test program is being monitored by the federal UAS
alert the driver when and where to pick up the food. Integration Pilot Program focused on how drones can oper-
The drone system is scheduled to be tested this summer ate in local airspaces. Uber is seeking FAA certification for
in San Diego, California. Uber conducted short-distance its project.

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 15

 frontline
line

AI learns how to put music to words

thefront

Machine learning framework can generate melodies from pattern of lyrics

the

Artificial intelligence has been de-
signed to drive a car, operate homes
and factories and diagnose diseases.
Now a new AI framework can even
write you a song.
In a paper published at Arxiv.org,
“Conditional LSTM-GAN for Melody
Generation from Lyrics,” researchers
from the National Institute of Infor-
matics in Tokyo describe a machine
learning system that can generate se-
quences of musical notes from lyrics.
The melodies are created from learned
relationships between syllables and
notes.
“Melody generation from lyrics has
been a challenging research issue in the
field of artificial intelligence and mu-
sic, which enables to learn and discover
latent relationship between interesting
lyrics and accompanying melody,” the
authors wrote. “With the development
of available lyrics and melody dataset
and (AI), musical knowledge mining
between lyrics and melody has gradu-
ally become possible.”
The researchers explained that notes
have two musical attributes, pitch and
duration. Pitches are properties or-
ganized by highness or lowness on a
frequency-related scale; duration is the
length of time a pitch continues. Syl-
lables align with melodies in the MIDI
fi les of music tracks, with each fi le rep-
resenting one syllable’s note, duration
and rest.
To train the AI system, the team
compiled a data set consisting of 12,197
MIDI fi les, each paired with lyrics
and melody, which they cut down to
20-note sequences. They took 20,934
unique syllables and 20,268 unique
words MIDI and extracted the beats-
per-minute value for each fi le, after
which they calculated note durations
and rest durations.
They report that their AI system not
only outperformed a baseline model
“in every respect,” but that it approxi-
mated well to the distribution of hu-
man-composed music. In a subjective
evaluation during which volunteers
were asked to rate the quality of 12
20-second melodies generated using
the baseline method, the AI model and
ground truth, scores given to melodies
generated by the proposed model were
closer to those composed by humans
than the baseline.
The researchers leave to future work
synthesizing melodies with sketches of
uncompleted lyrics and predicting lyr-
ics when given melodies as a condition.
“Melody generation from lyrics in
music and AI is still unexplored well,”
researchers wrote. “Making use of deep
learning techniques for melody genera-
tion is a very interesting research area,
with the aim of understanding music
creative activities of human.”
AI might soon become an invalu-
able tool in musicians’ compositional
arsenals, if recent developments are
any indication. In July, Montreal-
based startup Landr raised $26 million
for a product that analyzes musical
styles to create bespoke sets of audio
processors. OpenAI and Google ear-
lier this year debuted online creation
tools that tap music-generating algo-
rithms. More recently, researchers at
Sony investigated a machine learn-
ing model for conditional kick-drum
track generation.

Quote, unquote
Microsoft chief: AI both ‘tool’ and ‘weapon’
“When we look to the decade ahead, in many respects AI will be a tool
of the sort the world has seldom seen before, and hence it can become a
weapon as well. When you look back at the first half of the 20th century, it
was a time that was transformed by one invention above all else: the com-
bustion engine. (It) led to the car and the airplane; it led to the truck and
the tractor; it changed every part of every economy. I think it’s fair to say
that over the next three decades – from now to 2050 – AI is likely to play a
similar role in the global economy. In some ways, (this is) the fundamental
question of our times. We shouldn’t just ask what computers can do. We need to ask what they should do, and we need to
think hard, because we are the first generation in the history of humanity who will empower machines to make decisions
that were previously only made by people. If we get it wrong, every generation that follows us will pay a price.”

Microsoft president Brad Smith, speaking at the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal, where he discussed the intersection
between tech and society.

16 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

 AI and Business; Reversing Disappointment;
Enjoy the Big Easy!
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• Understand and apply key capabilities of AI and AI’s 6
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January 2020 | ISE Magazine 17

performance

Don’t blame failures on Six Sigma

T
By Kevin McManus

Twenty years ago, when Mikel Harry sourcing is at the root of process qual- capturing the hearts and minds of your
and his peers chose to take their pri- ity demise. Multiple generations have staff versus watching the revolving
vate sector Six Sigma methodologies adopted a “me fi rst” attitude. I think turnover door spin faster?
public, I think they expected to im- the root cause lies in how we have fall- The sustained results Malcolm Bal-
pact the process improvement world en in love with project-based, special drige award recipients exhibit across
differently than they have. Yes, there cause-focused improvement strategies business sectors validate this claim.
have been significant improvements, at the expense of daily, process-based The resurgence of union activity,
but some significant unintended con- improvement that engages a high per- coupled with increasing turnover rates
sequences have resulted. centage of the workforce. and lower levels of on-the-job daily
Most notably, I feel that the misap- GE, Allied Signal and Motorola commitment, validate my belief that
plication of Six Sigma strategies has had the right elements in their Six we are losing, not capturing, the hearts
led to a significant decline in product/ Sigma performance improvement for- and minds of our workforce.
service quality and workforce What is the case in your
engagement. Don’t just take my workplace? How much work
word; give the current level of What percentage of your workforce time do you see people spend-
service and product value you ing on personal things?
receive some thought. Are your is actively engaged in formal Like most process failures,
internal and external customers process improvement? this is a systems problem, not a
giving you better or worse ser- people problem. We can’t fi re
vice? Are the products you buy and discipline our way out of
providing more or less value? mulas. We made the mistake of play- this one. Instead, we have to engage
Maybe I just shop at the wrong ing with the recipe, hoping that the more people in daily process-based
places. Perhaps I come across people use of cheaper and fewer ingredients improvement and compensate them
who are much more disgruntled with would not make much difference. I appropriately when they succeed.
what’s going in their workplaces than don’t believe most leaders even knew Failing to do so will only spin us
the average person. I don’t believe this they were making mistakes. They deeper into a low value, poor per-
is the case, however. The “n” of my were simply trying to do more with formance hole we may not be able to
sample is fairly large, and the mix of less while focusing way too much on climb out of. 
organizations I encounter is relatively short-term results at the expense of
diverse. Defects seem to hit custom- long-term sustainable change. Kevin McManus is a performance improve-
ers at a greater rate, and our internal Think about your own workplace. ment coach based in Rainier, Oregon, chief
customers seem to be more dissatisfied What percentage of your workforce is excellence officer for Great Systems! and a
than ever. actively engaged in formal process im- 38-year member of IISE. He has served as
It would be convenient to blame this provement? What percentage of your an industrial engineer, training manager, pro-
on millennials, but that generation is processes benefit from the improve- duction manager, plant manager and director
more of a process outcome than a pro- ment efforts made? High performing of quality. McManus is an alumni examiner
cess input. I could attempt to blame organizations tend to peg these two and national judge for the Malcolm Baldrige
cheap overseas products for the failures percentages at values well above 50%, National Quality Award. Reach him at
I experience, but I don’t think product if not 75%. How effectively are you kevin@greatsystems.com.

18 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

PAY IT
FORWARD
WITH
MENTOR
MATCH
WAS THERE EVER SOMEONE WHO
BELIEVED IN YOU MORE THAN YOU
BELIEVED IN YOURSELF?
Become a mentor to a student or young professional
seeking career advice. IISE's new and improved
Mentor Match program through IISE Connect is
offered at no charge to members and allows for a
more customizable experience:
• Grow mentorship during convenient times
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• Target your partnership within specific societies,
divisions or chapters
• View your activities with summary reports
• Get a digital badge to share on social media,
emails and more
Visit connect.iise.org/participate/mentoring
to sign up today!
WHY IS MENTORING WORTH
AN ISE’S TIME AND ENERGY?
It is a focused way of helping
an individual, one-on-one. It
is a great way to pass on any
lessons learned, in a very
concise way, thus ultimately
helping the profession. Most
mentors were also mentored
during their career, so it is a
great way to pay it forward.
- Steve Snelling,
Retired Industrial Engineer,
Special Projects Manager
The Boeing Company
management
Avoiding change fatigue
M
Many companies face prolonged periods
of significant change during transforma-
tions. While necessary for survival, end-
less months of change result in fatigue for
staff members, shareholders, customers
and other stakeholders.
Symptoms of fatigue during transfor-
mation mirror those of the human body:
A lack of motivation or the ability to
begin an activity; tiring easily once the
activity has begun; and mental fatigue or
difficulty with concentration and mem-
ory to start or complete an activity.
In organizations, these symptoms
may exhibit themselves as a lack of
performance and low morale. Staff
reacts more slowly to change and be-
gins to push back. Outcomes suffer
and affect other stakeholders. Turn-
over increases as uncertainty rises. Judg-
ment and decision-making suffer.
Organizational transformation re-
quires a minimum of five years to be-
come fully effective. Larger organizations
may require 10 years. Staff members may
suffer fatigue and frustration during this
seemingly endless demand for change.
Management’s goal includes meeting ob-
jectives of the transformation while sup-
porting staff members.
One strategy for dealing with fatigue
is to avoid it. A veteran of dozens of mar-
athons remarked that the key to finishing
the race is to begin at a slower pace. At-
tempting to sprint out of the gates typi-
cally results in disappointment. Most ex-
perts agree that transformations resemble
marathons, not sprints. While agile tech-
niques refer to “sprints” during software
20 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
By Paul Engle
development, team members are encour-
aged to take care of themselves and their
team. Sixty- and 70-hour weeks may be
required under rare circumstances but
cannot be the rule. Team members must
have time to recover.
Organizations are the same. Continu-
ous, rapid change associated with trans-
formations cannot run for years without
providing recovery time. While the agile
methodology has proven valuable, con-
tinuous sprints may degrade team effec-
tiveness and lead to failure.
Transformations resemble
marathons, not sprints.
Communication may also provide
energy and reduce stress. Keeping teams
informed and prepared for changes helps
them absorb the shock associated with
rapid, sustained changes. Leadership’s
vision of the future may reinforce the
need for painful change and the resulting
stress, discomfort and fatigue.
Nearly all change management profes-
sionals recommend breaking large tasks
into smaller pieces, measuring progress
and celebrating results. Crisis manag-
ers break down plans into days and even
hours to keep staff from feeling over-
whelmed.
Another key includes recognizing
when plans go awry, communicating to
staff and making timely midcourse cor-
rections. Supporting failed projects may
damage morale and cripple their ability
to take on more responsibilities. Leader-
ship must accept failures and move on.
Finally, management must always ac-
knowledge the toll that rapid, constant
change places on staff. Prolonged periods
of transformation should be rewarded
during the process, not just at the end.
Certain team members absorb change
better than others. Not everyone runs
marathons; others prefer shorter dis-
tances or enjoy long walks. Expecting
all staff members to react and contribute
equally may defeat attempts to transform
the organization. Recognizing those
capable of long-term change and al-
lowing them to execute may reduce
the costs and maximize benefits.
Despite these strategies, expect
higher-than-normal turnover. Many
won’t accept change or the effort it re-
quires. Others may not have the skills to
add value or may choose better alterna-
tives. Despite the loss of institutional
knowledge, management may benefit by
bringing in individuals more comfort-
able to rapid change and its challenges.
Like most other enterprise challenges,
change fatigue cannot be remedied with
a single, silver bullet approach. Planning,
metrics, communication, vision and time
are all required to achieve the goal. 
Paul Engle is a management consultant
with an MBA in finance. He has more
than 30 years of experience in management,
operations, product development, sales and
marketing, strategic planning and business
process improvement. You may contact him at
paulfengle@outlook.com.
WHAT CAN IISE MEMBERSHIP
DO FOR YOU?
01 Direct access to ISE leaders and
professionals with IISE Connect 06 Award and scholarship opportunities
exclusive to IISE members

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supply chain
C
Competing in an Amazon world
Competing with Amazon is more chal-
lenging than ever, with the e-commerce
giant recently revealing that it shelled
out more than $800 million to make
one-day shipping standard for Prime
members. Amazon’s continued pursuit
into private labels forces many brands to
explore additional sales channels, with
consumer-packaged goods manufac-
turers like L’Oréal launching direct-to-
consumer (D2C) sites and digitally na-
tive D2C brands like Everlane opening
brick-and-mortar stores.
Amazon’s relentless offering of
quicker, better and more services
have propelled consumer demands
to an all-time high, offering access
to countless shopping opportunities
at their fingertips. Consumers are in-
undated by brands and retailers trying
to compete with Amazon’s vast product
selection, low prices and rapid shipping.
To succeed in today’s retail landscape,
brands must capture the attention of
consumers across multiple channels and
stages. They must adapt supply chains
and sales strategies to maximize prod-
uct visibility and provide a personalized,
seamless experience whenever, wherever
and however customers want it. We refer
to this as the “sell anywhere” approach,
which requires these five steps:
1. Utilize a wide variety of sales
channels. This includes mobile,
desktop, social media, retail e-com-
merce, marketplaces, brick-and-
mortar and any place customers shop.
With store closures in the first half of
22 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
By Jim Tompkins
2019 already surpassing the number ing relevant products based on the
closed in all of 2018, it is more im- customers’ preferences and history.
portant than ever to expand product 4. Integrate customer journey with
availability beyond traditional sales company supply chain strategy.
channels. Traditional supply chains were not
2. Expand your geographic reach. designed to handle the intricacies of
While the trade war with China pre- today’s shopping journey. As custom-
cludes many businesses from enter- ers’ shopping habits change and grow,
ing the world’s largest e-commerce they have a large impact on the supply
market, it is important to sell prod- chain. To deliver an amazing custom-
ucts worldwide (and have the proper er experience, supply chain solutions
shipping and distribution operations must adapt.
to support global delivery). If your 5. Employ cutting-edge technology
solutions. As customer demands
and sales channels evolve rapidly,
Brands must capture the attention retail technology has not advanced
of consumers across multiple at the same rate. To support a com-
prehensive sales strategy and end-
channels and stages. to-end (E2E) supply chain, it is im-
portant to select a technology stack
infrastructure or business model does capable of handling the retail land-
not support global sales, broaden your scape’s complexities and demands and
geographic availability as your op- providing a seamless customer expe-
eration allows or enlist the help of a rience across all channels and stages.
third-party provider with the right
expertise and distribution network. When executed properly, developing
3. Gain customers at every stage of a new E2E supply chain for digital com-
the purchase funnel. In addition to merce creates opportunities for increased
incorporating a wide variety of sales revenue, operational savings and service
channels, it is important to capture improvements. Following the “sell any-
customers’ attention wherever they where” approach will separate winning
happen to be in the sales journey. companies from the competition and
Discovery is an important part of ensure long-term profitable growth. 
the purchase funnel, which is where
Google and social media win by al- Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins Interna-
lowing customers to make one-click tional, has written or contributed to more than
purchases. It can also gather valuable 30 books. He is an IISE member and writes
search and social data to improve the the Creating Supply Chain Excellence blog.
customer experience by recommend- Contact him at jtompkins@tompkinsinc.com.
Podcast: Partnering with AI,
ISEs Can Rule the World
IBM’s Ben Amaba and Binghamton
University’s Michael Testani explain to
“Problem Solved” listeners how Artificial
Intelligence will be your future cognitive
partner, not robot overlord, in making the
world a better place. And ISEs – already
skilled in handling inventory and integrating
systems – can skyrocket their salaries by
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January 2020 | ISE Magazine 23

member forum
Applying IE BoK to become more agile
T
The IE Body of Knowledge (iise.org/
bodyofknowledge) highlights Operations
Engineering and Management in Chap-
ter 7 with project management as a key
area. Agile project management is a man-
date for our changing business world.
Henry Ford once said, “There are
no big problems; there are just a lot of
little problems.” This sums up how I feel
about manufacturers’ organizational cul-
ture today. “It has always been this way,”
is a statement I hear a lot. But just
because it has “always been” doesn’t
mean it is “what is right” for today’s
ever-changing environment. There
is a paradigm shift underway.
In 1910, Ford Motor Co. was one
of many small automobile manufactur-
ers. A decade later, Ford had a 60% mar-
ket share of the market worldwide. Ford
reduced assembly time per vehicle from
12 hours to 90 minutes and the price
from $850 to $300 while paying com-
petitive salaries. ( ford.com).
Ford and Frederick Taylor used the
scientific method to optimize labor
productivity, opening an era of unprec-
edented effectiveness and efficiency. For
decades, organizations embraced this
mass production or “machine model,”
dominated their markets, outperformed
competitors and drew the best talent.
But disruptive trends challenge old
paradigms. We are no stranger to disrup-
tion (e.g., Uber, Airbnb and Netflix). If
you are a taxi company, you are likely
feeling a little salty about the new kid on
the block, Uber. But if traditional players
had done a better job of meeting custom-
24 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
By Ashleigh Walters
ers’ changing needs, the new kids may
never have been invented.
So what do manufacturers need to
combat these disruptions? We must be-
come more agile, not a word we hear
much associated with manufacturing.
There are three “little problems” to be
solved that will result in mindset shifts,
allowing for transformational change
and creating agile organizations.
Shared vision: Your company’s vi-
Today’s organizational culture
must be people-centric.
sion allows stakeholders to feel person-
ally and emotionally invested. Note that
I said stakeholders and not shareholders.
Stakeholders are shareholders but more
importantly include personnel, clients,
vendors and the community. Agile or-
ganizations are intensely customer-fo-
cused, allowing for unprecedented vari-
ety and customization across the entire
customer life cycle. These organizations
listen to the voice of the customer and
create value based on their unique needs.
Empowered teams: Get rid of that
tired, old hierarchical chart filled with
bureaucracy that is a result of Ford’s
“management century.” Create clear, flat
structures clustered into focused perfor-
mance groups. Ensure that team mem-
bers’ roles are clear and accountable so
people can interact and get work done
with limited manager approval. Create
active partnerships with external net-
works accessing the best talent and ideas
available. Design an open environment
that fosters transparency, communica-
tion and collaboration; no silos allowed.
Rapid cycles of thinking and do-
ing: Lean is a great tool for creating
continual rapid iterations of identifying,
experimenting and fostering a creative,
innovative environment. Rather than
yearly planning cycles, you may have
shorter term (three-month) goals and
metrics to meet. Focus on rapidly
changing and adapting; be agile.
Today’s organizational culture
must be people-centric. In this mod-
el, team members are engaged and
empowered to quickly and collabora-
tively create value for clients. Leadership
teams mentor and develop their people.
Rather than planners, dictators and con-
trollers, leaders are visionaries, architects
and coaches focusing on strengths, not
trying to repair weaknesses.
What steps are you taking to become a
more agile organization? 
Ashleigh Walters is president of Onex Inc., a
woman-owned, second-generation family busi-
ness providing design, manufacturing, parts
and services for the industrial furnace market.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engi-
neering from Auburn University.
Share your stories
To submit a Member Forum column or other
item for ISE, email the text to Keith Albertson
at kalbertson@iise.org. To learn more, visit our
writer guidelines at link.iise.org/writerguidelines.
 2020 and BEYOND
THE FUTURE OF ISE
Are we ready for smarter cities?
A high-tech urban future requires engineering expertise, education and collaboration
By Keith Albertson
T
The idea of a futuristic city where people and ma-
chines interact seamlessly has long been a common
theme in science fiction and pop culture. It depicts
a utopia where devices in homes, transportation
and workplaces are guided by sensors and connect-
ed by computers, all sharing information to antici-
pate and adjust for human comfort, efficiency and safety.
As we head into the 2020s, such an environ-
ment inches closer to reality. But are people
26 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
fully prepared for smart city automation to move out of labo-
ratories and into the public square? Though various elements
of the technology already exist in many areas, the final hurdle
toward widespread connectivity depends not only on systems
engineers working out the final bugs but also on society
adapting to a new age of “smartness.”
Clearing that last-mile gap was a common theme in dis-
cussions at the Smart City Expo
Atlanta held Sept. 11-13,
2019. The Atlanta event is
the lone U.S. edition of
Smart City Expo
World Congress, a
global conference
held annually in
Barcelona

on smart cities and smart urban solutions.
Amid a display of smart city products and applications,
experts at various panels agreed that a coordinated effort is
needed from governments, businesses and academia to make
such technology available and embraced by the public.
“This is our 21st century public works,” said Grace Sim-
rall, chief of civic innovation and technology for Louisville,
Kentucky.
Internet of things (IoT) communication already is widely
used by industry. Its next generation offers the potential to
make everyday devices smart and interactive rather than pro-
grammed merely to follow a predictable set of functions.
Connected cities can enhance life in several areas:
Environmental. The use of smart devices in transporta-
tion and utilities can reduce carbon emissions while saving
money and resources. Many homes and buildings now use
IoT technology for security, lighting and temperature adjust-
ment to manage energy use. Incorporating that technology
across an urban area is seen as a way to improve convenience,
comfort and sustainability.
Such connected buildings and homes “can provide cost
savings without impacting comfort and provide solutions eas-
ily scaled to multiple sizes of buildings,”
said Erika Gupta, technology manager
with the Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy at the U.S. Depart-
ment of Energy.
Transportation. Moving people
through crowded streets is a chal-
lenge everywhere, though sur-
veys show about half of
all car trips are 3 miles
or less. Autonomous
vehicles and micromo-
Photo by Picture Plane Ltd., courtesy of Sidewalk Labs
bility conveyances like scooters and bikes can reduce the vol-
ume of carbon-spewing vehicles on clogged roadways. Yet
that often means creating dedicated lanes and altering traffic
laws for such vehicles, an issue many municipalities are facing.
“We need a mode for that last mile to transit systems,” said
Brandon Pollak, director for global engagement and strategy
for Bird scooters. “Micromobility infrastructure can improve
safety with bike lanes (and) get them off the sidewalks.”
One company, Tortoise, is developing scooters that include
training wheels and a camera and can be returned to a charg-
ing station or base by a remote operator.
Above the road, drones already are being tested for package
and food delivery in areas such as college campuses as another
way to beat street traffic. And larger air taxis that can carry
commuters are on the horizon.
Easing mobility in crowded cities can also impact public
safety. For instance, smart traffic lights can be timed to help
first responders reach the scene of an accident faster.
Convenience. Many city residents now can obtain li-
censes and other documents, pay bills and get information
either via smartphones or public devices such as kiosks. These
enhancements can save time, eliminate long lines, cut labor
An artist’s rendition of the planned
Sidewalk Labs development on
Quayside along the Lake Ontario
waterfront in Toronto. It’s an
example of the kind of public-private
partnership experts say is needed to
convert to a smart city future.
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 27
Are we ready for smarter cities?

Photo by Keith Albertson | IISE

The Smart City Expo Atlanta held Sept. 11-13, 2019, brought together leaders in government and industry to discuss the future
connectivity of communities. While internet of things technology makes such connections possible, most speakers agreed
challenges remain in taking the last step from the laboratory into the public square.

costs and improve the consumer experience. Future applica-
tions may include online voting, though only when security
and transparency issues have been addressed.
Though the benefits of smart technology are evident, there
still are challenges. Several speakers at the Atlanta expo dis-
cussed the remaining steps needed to create interconnected
communities. Each relies on cooperation among technology
experts, public leaders, businesses and residents.
“I don’t think the private sector can go it alone, nor can the
public sector,” Betsy Plattenburg, executive director of the
Curiosity Lab smart city test environment, said in an episode
of Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast. “And bringing the two
entities together with very different interests is a nice way to
advance innovation more quickly.”
“It’s not just the pursuit of technology itself but how to
harness technology to improve the quality of life,” Debra
Lam, managing director of smart cities and inclusive innova-
tion at Georgia Tech, told ISE. “I look at it as a continuous
improvement process.
“More collaboration is what’s necessary to move forward.
‘Smart cities’ isn’t always the right term. Sometimes that assumes
it’s only a city-led initiative, but it involves a lot more parties.”
Cities seek resources, expertise
The technology required to create a connected community
isn’t cheap; smaller cities, in particular, can struggle to fit such
costs into their budgets. At the Atlanta expo, leaders from
cities of various sizes told of their challenges and successes in
adopting such technology.
“As mayor, our goal is to make sure all basic needs are met,”
said Frank Brocato, mayor of Hoover, Alabama, a southern
suburb of Birmingham with a population of about 85,000.
“But smaller cities don’t always have the ability to do this due
to limitation of resources.”
Because machines speak to each other at a much greater
speed compared to humans, 5G wireless technology is the
pipeline needed to transfer data. But 5G is still being imple-
mented in some areas and not widely available outside of ma-
jor urban hubs. Once it is fully in place, “all communities,
regardless of size or political persuasion, can be smart,” Lam
told a panel at the expo.
“Wireless represents the new level of public works that
cities must invest in,” Simrall said. “We know 6G, 7G will
come, and we have to prepare.”
The answer, experts say, is creating public-private partner-

28 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

ships that allow municipalities to offer their greatest asset –
their infrastructure of roads, buildings and utilities – for busi-
nesses to introduce their products to the public in exchange
for the companies’ expertise and hardware. Such collabora-
tion can help even smaller cities integrate technology into
underserved areas. Private sponsors providing 5G capacity
and other technology allowed the suburban Atlanta city of
Peachtree Corners to set up the Curiosity Lab testing envi-
ronment within the city’s infrastructure (see related story on
Page 33).
“Cities as owners of the infrastructure can have a role as
a proving ground for technology to help it graduate into a
public environment,” said Brian Johnson, Peachtree Corners’
city manager.
“If we can bring together P3 (public-private partnership)
opportunities to engage public and private needs, P3 can
help attain equity and inclusion,” said Faye DiMassimo of
Deloitte.
Faris Oweis, chief instigator for Instigation Protocol,
cited examples of public-private partnerships in the use of
cryptocurrency technology for transportation and voting in
Seoul, Korea, and ways to improve traveler flow in airports
by speeding up security lines.
“It takes risk tolerance, political will and a data mindset,”
he told a crowd at the Atlanta expo. “Collaboration between
cities and businesses is needed. The system currently is ineq-
uitable but offers a great opportunity for entrepreneurship.”
Another case of such collaboration is The Ray (theray.org),
a sustainable 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 in west central
Georgia that includes embedded solar panels, charging and
tire pressure stations, roadside ecosystems and IoT connectiv-
ity for vehicle communication.
“Public entities recognize their roles,” The Ray executive
director Allie Kelly said. “Otherwise it takes a lot of differ-
ent companies to be involved. Cities can make infrastructure
available to experts in these fields.”
Still another example is in Toronto where Sidewalk Labs
– smart city subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent holding
company – plans to invest $1.3 billion to upgrade a mostly
vacant 12-acre section of industrial waterfront along Lake
Ontario into a connected community (quaysideto.ca). Those
plans include a mixed-use development of residential, retail
and office spaces; extension of a light-rail system; redesigned
streets to reduce car use and promote biking and walking;
and installation of public Wi-Fi and data-collecting sensors
to guide housing and traffic decisions. A third-party research
firm’s analysis determined the project could create 44,000
jobs and generate $4.3 billion in annual tax revenue.
Digital twin can simulate
smart city enhancements
Before committing resources to smart technology, commu-
nity leaders need to know how it might work in their public
space. One way to test this is through simulation models that
can demonstrate how smart devices interact with a city’s spe-
cific character.
A team of researchers at Georgia Tech discussed such mod-
els at the Smart City Digital Twin Convergence Workshop
held Sept. 16-17, 2019, in Atlanta, attended by representatives
from several U.S. cities. The virtual platforms are designed to
function like simulation in manufacturing by inputting data
to replicate IoT effects on a city’s infrastructure and analyze
the results.
“You take data on mobility, energy, water and build a sys-
tems approach,” Lam said. “It’s a real-time analysis so you
can see in real time the number of cars, pedestrians, traffic
volume happening at a particular intersection.”
John Taylor, a professor in Tech’s School of Civil and Envi-
ronmental Engineering, published the first research paper on
smart city digital twins in 2017 along with Neda Mohamma-
di, the city infrastructure analytics director of the Network
Dynamics Lab at Georgia Tech.
Because a digital twin uses data as it occurs, it can cre-
ate outcomes that vary due to changing conditions. A dig-
ital twin of Georgia Tech’s campus in Taylor’s lab showed
a building consuming more energy during a stretch of hot
weather.
“How do you integrate the data – mobility data and energy
data and water data – how do you combine those together to
create a more holistic view?” Lam said. “The next stage is
how can you utilize data to think more about predictive ana-
lytics – what can happen in the future depending on growth
and other trends, other variables.
“Then the third stage is to think about the prescriptive –
modeling what happens if a hurricane hits and how it will it
affect this site, affect mobility and systems scenarios that can
happen, not just future linear predictions. It provides more
flexible frameworks for decision-makers to adapt and really
try to think about a virtual environment that replicates the
physical, then use it for better decision-making.”
A quest for security, transparency
The more data that flows between machines, the greater the
risk such information could fall into the wrong hands. That’s
why efforts are needed both to keep information safe and
private and to manage the massive amount of data the IoT
creates.
Blockchain technology, originally created to track the use
of cryptocurrency, is seen as an option to secure public data
and enhance other services.
Elliott Chun of Chainhaus, a company specializing in
blockchain, artificial intelligence and data science, said ana-
lyzing data such as school attendance figures can help govern-
ments decide where to focus resources.
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 29
Are we ready for smarter cities?

Photo by Keith Albertson | IISE

more are eyeing voters with disabilities.”
Yet learning the potential of such technology
and putting it to use effectively is a hurdle faced
by city leaders who may be unfamiliar with these
advancements.
“Making the ecosystem efficient needs to hap-
pen in the design phase,” said Jay Smith, COO
of Factom, a blockchain innovations company.
“Government is slow. You need to start with a
small piece, then roll out improvements from in-
novation laboratories to work into existing sys-
tems. You don’t need to blow everything up and
start from scratch. There is incremental value to
starting piece by piece.
“Many still think blockchain is bitcoin. It will
find its way because it’s an appropriate solution to
a lot of different things.”
“Smart cities require funding, which requires
political will,” said Samson Williams of Axes and
Eggs, a bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining com-
pany and blockchain consultant. “If your commu-
nity doesn’t trust you, innovation doesn’t happen.
You have to be transparent and accountable, and
blockchain can help.”
Securing personal privacy is another concern.
With cameras, sensors and other smart objects be-
coming more common, residents must adjust to
being watched by devices at all times.
“Cameras can be beautiful and they can be dan-
gerous,” said Ivo Rook, Sprint’s senior vice presi-
dent of the internet of things. “We need to design
Smart streetlamps from the Southern Company were among the devices on restrictions from the beginning. But in the end,
display at the Smart City Expo Atlanta. The event brought together experts we have to ask: Are we willing to give up a little
in smart city technology and featured panel discussions and exhibits of bit of privacy?”
numerous products and services. That includes automated personal assistants al-
ready used in homes.
“When you make this kind of information available, it “People are more concerned about privacy,” said James
starts to change the behavior and culture,” he said. “The Leverette, research engineer with the Southern Company.
challenge is how to build trust between the city and residents, “We have to tell our consumers, ‘You have control. If you
and blockchain can be a tool to do this.” don’t like a voice-controlled device, unplug it or throw it in a
In particular, voting is a public activity for which security drawer.’ They want to make sure they have control over their
and traceability are crucial. One company featured at the At- network and do not have to give that up.”
lanta expo, Voatz, has created a platform in which votes can
be cast from a smartphone using biometric identity verifica- Creating inclusion, educating the public
tion and secured by blockchain technology. Hilary Braseth, Even as 21st century 5G connectivity comes on line, many
director of product for Voatz, told ISE the system already city dwellers still lack broadband internet access. Experts in
has been used in more than 50 U.S. elections, including ex- Atlanta agreed communities must educate their populations
panded pilot programs in Denver and Utah in 2019. and ensure connectivity reaches all corners or risk creating
“Since these initial governmental pilots, we’ve expanded another level of socioeconomic division.
to ultimately be operational across 29 counties in five states,” “Smart cities are a conduit for social justice,” Lam said dur-
Braseth said. “Looking toward (2020), several states are plan- ing the expo panel. “It can empower communities and be
ning to use Voatz for military/overseas voting, and a few a tool to address inequality. It can allow city managers and

30 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

mayors access to better data to address inequality.” board, people feel left out.”
In particular, students without internet access may be un- To create trust and have residents buy into the advance-
able to log on for online learning, a practice now common- ments offered, public officials must use their financial re-
place in affluent areas. sources wisely.
“You need to provide connectivity beyond downtown to “Your budget is more than numbers – it represents your
underserved areas to help students,” said Charisse Stokes, ex- values,” said Michael Nutter, former mayor of Philadelphia,
ecutive director of TechMGM. who noted how many cities are “struggling with disrupt-
“People can’t fathom what infra- ers” such as electric bikes, scooters
structure you have to change, and and other technology that require
how you orchestrate that together ‘It’s not just the pursuit of technology thoughtful policies.
is crucial,” said Steve LeFrancois, itself but how to harness technology to “The reason why cities exist is to
CTO of Enterprise Solutions, Pub-
lic Sector, for Verizon. “The same
improve the quality of life. I look at it provide services. You need data to
do this properly.”
policies and procedures have been in as a continuous improvement process.’ “Your budget is your moral and
place for decades, so the training and social contract with your commu-
education of the public are crucial.” nity,” said Maurice Henderson, di-
Clayton Banks is CEO of Silicon – Debra Lam, Georgia Tech rector of government partnerships
Harlem, a social venture seeking managing director of smart cities and for Bird, manufacturer of electric
to bridge the tech gap in that New scooters. “Transportation equity is
inclusive innovation
York community where 40% of resi- needed and new mobility options
dents have no broadband access. Like that give access to people in diverse
many at the Atlanta event, he said such enhancements can’t be communities. It can be an equalizer, a democratizer.”
made available only to those who can afford them. Once those needs are met, connecting residents to services
“Cities are not 100% prepared to be smart,” Banks said. in a faster, better way could help level social playing fields.
“A technology-enabled city needs to take into consideration Lam said blending technology with the human element is the
who lives in the city and how the infrastructure creates eq- key to making cities smarter sooner.
uity rather than a divide. It’s a wonderful opportunity if it can “It’s a process,” she told ISE. “Cities have done a lot in the
be designed for equity. ... (But) you cannot be a smart city physical environment and infrastructure with sensors, street-
if someone is not connected. If connectivity isn’t across the lights, solar. We’ve made a lot of progress in virtual and digi-

2020 and BEYOND

THE FUTURE OF ISE

2020 and Beyond: A look toward the horizon

With the third decade of the 21st century looming ahead, ISE is launching a series of stories to peer toward the horizon and see what
wonders await in the world of industrial and systems engineering.
In coming months, you’ll see articles from experts in various ISE fields on what innovations, disruptions and changes they foresee
in the years ahead. This month, we feature smart cities and connectivity. In February, we’ll examine the future of healthcare systems
and the impact on patient care. In subsequent issues, we’ll delve into different topic areas with the same idea: What do the problem-
solvers of today see in their crystal balls for tomorrow?
We welcome your input and ideas. Share your views in a letter to the editor at kalbertson@iise.org or join the conversation in
Connect at connect.iise.org.

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 31

Are we ready for smarter cities?

tal infrastructure but what we haven’t done as much is think
about integration of it all into the social infrastructure. That is
the third level, how people relate with the physical infrastruc-
ture and move seamlessly between layers. It’s still very sepa-
rate but we have to connect it at the very end. That involves
the level of literacy and application of what we are trying to
accomplish or do rather than just trying to be fancy.”
Adapting to this new reality may take time. In a recent epi-
sode of Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast (podcast.iise.org), Plat-
tenburg likened today’s transition to autonomous devices to
the 20th century adjustment to self-operating elevators that
did not require an operator.
“Today, all of us would think that’s ridiculous if we got on
an elevator and somebody else pushed the buttons,” she said.
“We’re going to be slow to adapt to that and feel comfortable
with that.”
Plattenburg cited surveys that showed while a majority of
younger people are more comfortable riding in autonomous
vehicles, older generations are less trusting of the technology
and still need more convincing.
“I think it’s going to be a generational thing,” she said.
“It’s going to take us a while to be comfortable with the new
technology because we’re giving up control.”
Yet the plus side of people being able to depend on automa-
tion to get around and live better as they grow older could
help bridge that acceptance gap.
“I think as people see how it will change their lives for the
better and not just in terms of control, they’ll see they have
more control over their lives,” Plattenburg said. “I think it’s
baby steps.” 

Smart city gadgets connect with tomorrow

Here are a few of the high-tech devices displayed at the Smart City Expo in Atlanta in September that could be part of an urban setting
in the near future.
Photo by Keith Albertson | IISE

The Southern Company’s Smart Home on display at the

Smart City Expo Atlanta included centralized temperature
controls; smart light bulbs and outlets that save energy;
a kitchen featuring a combination smoke and carbon
monoxide alarm, indoor camera and programmable
Behmor coffee maker; smart locks and a doorbell
camera; solar panels; and an electric vehicle charging
station. “Younger buyers are showing greater interest
in connectivity, it’s very important to them with 5G. And
a lot of those 55 and older also are tech savvy,” said
James Leverette, research engineer with the Southern
Company.
Photo courtesy of Valqari

Photo by Keith Albertson | IISE

IKE is a maker of
interactive kiosks
that can be placed in
high-traffic areas. They
provide visitors with a
touchscreen offering
information on dining,
shopping, lodging, arts
and culture, attractions,
government services,
Valqari offered a demonstration of its smart drone delivery parks, employment and
mailbox system at the Curiosity Lab opening Sept. 11 in transit information. They
Peachtree Corners, Georgia. The system includes delivery of also offer emergency
items dropped into a smart mailbox that opens on delivery communications, are
and locks afterward. The two-way communication technology ADA-compliant and
allows for delivery of packages, traditional mail and parcel designed to fit within the
products and eliminates the risk of damage and theft. aesthetics of a city.

32 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

 A ‘sandbox’ for IoT testing, integration
Curiosity Lab near Atlanta offers a test environment for connectivity
By Keith Albertson
O
On first glance, a small city in the Atlanta sub-
urbs only seven years old hardly seems the site of
a high-tech revolution. Yet Peachtree Corners, an
upscale town of 45,000 residents about 20 miles
northeast of Atlanta, has staked its claim as a Deep
South version of Silicon Valley.
The city recently invested money and infrastructure to
create Curiosity Lab, a high-tech environment for testing
driverless vehicles and other smart city technology. It in-
cludes a 1.5-mile autonomous vehicle test track of dedi-
cated lanes, plus short-range communications units such
as video cameras, smart traffic lights and lighting able to
transmit data to a control center. It is all powered by 5G
wireless and 1G of fiber optic connections.
“We’re trying to create a technology sandbox where any-
body can come and play,” Betsy Plattenburg, executive di-
rector of Curiosity Lab, told ISE. “We’re providing certain
toys, or anyone is welcome to bring their own to try them
out.”
The area incorporates some 500 acres with 7,500 em-
ployees and about 1,000 residents. The roadway through
a technology park offers natural obstacles such as curves,
trees and a 13% grade aimed at giving autonomous vehicles
a taste of real-world traffic conditions.
“There are a lot of mobility closed courses that are popu-
lar, where you can go in and do all kinds of testing, but
they’re closed, they’re not a real world environment,” City
Manager Brian Johnson said. “When technology graduates
The city of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, created the Curiosity Lab smart city test environment as an economic development
attraction.
from a controlled laboratory environment, like a closed
driving course, where does it go to get integrated into the
real world but not in an environment that is so complicated
that it isn’t safe?
“We created a crawl-walk-run place where it can gradu-
ate from the closed course. ... You can keep it secure and
graduate from there, and now you are ready for midtown.”
One such vehicle began making daily rounds last fall:
Olli, an autonomous electric minibus that holds up to eight
passengers on weekday runs that includes stops at offices,
hotels, city hall and a local brewpub (see accompanying ar-
ticle).
The city debuted its facilities on Sept. 11, 2019, to coin-
cide with the Smart City Expo Atlanta. After local and state
officials greeted a couple hundred invitees, students at the
nearby Paul Duke STEM High School piloted two drones
carrying a ceremonial ribbon to be cut.
At the demo, visitors rode Olli around the city hall park-
ing lot, watched a Valqari delivery drone drop a “smart
package” into a connected parcel box and saw a demonstra-
tion of a Tortoise scooter monitored by remote control.
The lab includes a 25,000-square-foot technology incu-
bator that includes a coding boot camp and classroom space
for students, including researchers from Georgia Tech, a
project partner.
“We realized this isn’t just mobility, there are a lot of
smart city components here, too,” Johnson said. “The street
of the future is what we have here. It’s where the light poles
Photo by David Brandt | IISE
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 33
A ‘sandbox’ for IoT testing, integration

Olli the driverless shuttle learns on the road

Its name is Olli. It’s smart, but like any youngster with a lot to learn, Olli expands its

Photo by David Brandt | IISE

knowledge and experience in a real-world classroom setting.
Olli is an autonomous electric vehicle created by Local Motors and is being tested
in various cities. It recently was on exhibit at the Smart City Expo Atlanta and at the
debut of the Curiosity Lab test environment in suburban Peachtree Corners.
A few weeks later, the minibus began regular daily runs along the lab’s 1.5-mile
dedicated track along a technology office park, interacting daily with motorists and
pedestrians.
Though a safety steward remains at the ready to pilot the shuttle by joystick through
any snags, the goal is to help Olli “learn” the habits of human drivers while navigating
inclines and curves on its journey, the goal being to work out any bugs before it
enters into busier traffic. It is seen as a viable transit option in locales such as college Olli, an autonomous electric shuttle, began
campuses, business parks, airports and military bases. running a daily route along the Curiosity Lab
“We have some great opportunities to see how Olli is going to operate in these test track in Peachtree Corners, Georgia,
in October 2019. The 3D-printed minibus
conditions,” said Marcilyn “Marci” Patterson, fleet project manager for Local Motors.
can carry up to eight passengers and reach
“But we do have those safety stewards on board, so if there are issues to see whether speeds up to 25 mph.
Olli can adjust or not, it will still be a safe ride for our riders.”
From October through January, Olli began its daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. workday, moving along at 5-7 mph, though it is capable of speeds up
to 25 mph. It completes a circuit of the 3-mile route in about 15 to 20 minutes while making regular stops at offices, hotels and a brewpub.
“We like to think of Olli as a toddler, and Olli is learning just like a toddler would learn, by experience,” said Betsy Plattenburg, Curiosity
Lab’s executive director. “Olli is learning every day, different things on different days.”
Jeremiah Trnka, a Local Motors safety steward and trainer, credits the Curiosity Lab course with helping the shuttle build its “muscle
memory” by learning on the road.
“This is a really amazing space that has been created here,” he said. “This is really a great way for us to get Olli out there in the real world
and do some real-world testing by dealing with traffic, pedestrians and all these sorts of things.”
Safety steward Thomas Clifford explained how Olli operates in both “human mode” with the steward in charge and autonomous “robot
mode.” The shuttle includes two GPS antennas, six cameras, five radar (sensing sound) and six lidar (sensing light) mounted on the
front and back. They are able to “see” road conditions, obstacles, pedestrians and approaching vehicles in a 360-degree panorama. That
information is fed into Olli’s “brain” and applied to the algorithms that guide its decision-making.
Inside, Olli features a monitor showing the programmed route, brake and controls that the steward can use to switch between modes and
pilot the vehicle when needed. The boxy 13-foot shuttle can carry up to eight passengers who can see out on all sides in a glass-enclosed
cabin.
During a ride around the course, Patterson pointed out that the steward takes control only when Olli enters regular traffic lanes either due
to road construction or intersection crossovers. Though the vehicle can mostly control its own behavior, the unpredictability of human drivers
is the X factor for which autonomous devices must learn to react. And while Olli learns how to cope with traffic, flesh-and-blood motorists
must adjust to driverless cars as well.
“We can gain a familiarity with how Olli handles various traffic situations,” Trnka said. “Olli is programmed to wait for a clear path in order
to go across (an intersection.) Well, people frequently get impatient and don’t want to stop and let us go through, so sometimes we have to
play a little bit of a dance with the other drivers.
“One of the huge benefits to Olli being out here is that it gives us that real-world experience and it only makes the software better in the
long run.”
Local Motors builds Olli via 3D-printing technology in local microfactories rather than large plants. That provides jobs in those communities
and makes it easier to adapt to new vehicles as they change.
For more, visit the company’s website, localmotors.com. You can watch a video of Olli’s ride through the Peachtree Corners Curiosity Lab
course at www.iise.org.

34 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine


An image from a promotional video for Curiosity Lab shows a Valqari delivery drone and the autonomous electric vehicle Olli, at
left, in front of Peachtree Corners City Hall.
Photo by Keith Albertson | IISE
Peachtree Corners featured a scale model of its Curiosity Lab
test environment in the exhibit hall of the Smart City Expo in
Atlanta held Sept. 11-13, 2019.
can talk to each other, can talk to the cars, can talk to all the
traffic signals, can talk to the phones of the people walking
on the sidewalk – it can talk to all of them.”
As a result, several companies already have expressed in-
terest in using the facilities to test their technology.
“We realize what we have here is the ability to create
this innovation around smart cities, IoT and mobility and
bring all these players together who might not meet each
other otherwise,” Plattenburg said. “We have interest from
Photo courtesy of Curiosity Lab
all over the world from people who want to be part of the
system.”
The project is the kind of public-private partnership
experts say is crucial to deploying such technology on a
wide scale. The lab’s 5G wireless connectivity is provided
by sponsor partner Sprint, which offered its engineering
expertise to Peachtree Corners.
“I believe (this kind of project) has a lot of merits and de-
serves thought and encouragement,” said Ivo Rook, senior
vice president for the internet of things with Sprint. “It puts
everything under a single policy and allows the operation
of technology on public roads. It’s that type of project we
need to create, not just the technology infrastructure itself.”
Peachtree Corners developed Curiosity Lab as an eco-
nomic development tool to attract high-tech firms. In do-
ing so, the city hopes to gain from the exposure as visitors
come to test devices and spend money on food, lodging and
office space.
Despite that investment, the city is not charging compa-
nies to use its facilities. It also does not require intellectual
property rights for any technology created, respects propri-
etary information and has liability insurance to cover any
accidents.
“We facilitate innovation; we’re not the innovators,”
Plattenburg said on Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast. “We
provide a tech playground for people to bring their tech
toys to, then learn something and go off into the world.”
“When you combine all those things in a living labora-
tory environment in a major technology park, with people
living and working here, we don’t think it exists anywhere
in the world,” Johnson said.
To learn more, visit curiositylabptc.com. 
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 35
 What ISE students did last summer
Interns share stories of their on-the-job experiences

Photo courtesy of Dina Perlic

Disney World position offers
a magical learning opportunity
By Dina Perlic
University of Pittsburgh, IISE Member

S
Searching for an internship can be an intimidat-
ing process for a college student. Being a part of
IISE provided me with the resources to fi nd an
internship that matched both my skill set and my
interests.
As an industrial engineering student at the Uni-
versity of Pittsburgh, I had the opportunity to attend the
2018 IISE Annual Conference in Orlando. At the student
networking mixer, I was able to connect with an industrial
engineer from Disneyland. I am a huge fan of the Disney
parks and was eager to learn her role in creating a magical
experience for guests.
I attended a variety of presentations on industry topics
at the conference, which included two presentations from
Disney industrial engineers. This inspired me to apply on-
line for their professional internship program. After apply-
ing and going through the interview process, I was ecstatic
to receive an offer to intern as an industrial engineer at Walt
Disney World in summer 2019.
Industrial engineers at Disney create magic through ef-
ficiency. They use analytics to provide internal consulting
support to various lines of business, including attractions, Dina Perlic, an industrial engineering student at the University
merchandise and entertainment. During my internship, I of Pittsburgh, spent her summer working as an intern at Walt
was the line of business intern for merchandise and enter- Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
tainment. My fi rst project consisted of analyzing transac-
tion times at a Magic Kingdom merchandise location to My internship with Disney challenged me to grow both
validate labor standards. I also had the opportunity to work personally and professionally. Prior to my internship, I did
on a project looking at the distribution of annual passholder not have much experience in taking charge of my own proj-
magnets and its impact on conversion, the ratio of transac- ects. However, at Disney you are encouraged to take ini-
tions to foot traffic. tiative to ensure your projects are moving forward toward
For the entertainment line of business, I analyzed histori- completion. The projects that interns lead are those that
cal character performer data to determine trends for some would be done by an industrial engineering department re-
of my favorite Disney characters. Additionally, I created an gardless of interns, making it rewarding to take ownership
app in Microsoft PowerApps that is now used daily in the over projects and know they will make a real difference.
performer feedback process. Each intern is paired with a coach or a full-time IE to

36 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

 Photo courtesy of Jennylynn Johnson
provide project guidance and give performance feedback
in addition to the department providing other resources to
help you succeed. Training courses on Excel, FileMaker and
PowerApps helped build my technical skills, while classes
on project scoping and professionalism helped build my soft
skills. I was able to directly implement what I learned from
these intern trainings into my project work.
Being a part of the Disney internship program includes
some awesome perks, including free admission to all the
Disney parks, discounts on restaurants and hotel stays and
complimentary tickets for family and friends. The other
summer interns and I were able to take part in cast preview
days for the Gran Destino Tower, the NBA Experience and
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.
When I wasn’t exploring Disney property, I was visiting
places around the Orlando area such as beaches, farmers
markets and local restaurants. The memories and friend-
ships created last summer will stay with me forever. After
being a part of the Disney stories last summer, I’m excited
to see where my story takes me next! 

GE Aviation provides
heavy dose of lean education
By Jennylynn Johnson
Virginia Tech IE student Jennylynn Johnson spent her summer
Virginia Tech, IISE member
internship immersed in lean processes and sustainable

L
Last summer, I worked for GE Aviation in Green-
ville, South Carolina, with the plant’s Lean Team.
I had many projects, but the overall goal was to
support the manufacturing of the high-pressure
turbine blades for various engines by increasing
all of the line’s efficiency through 5S, point-of-use
tooling, value stream mapping, determining standard work
and much more.
This was a large task due to the constant high demand for
these parts. I worked closely with my team, specifically the
lean manufacturing specialist at the site.
Going into the summer, I had only heard of lean through
one of my classes and my previous internship with GE
Aviation. I had not completed any work directly within it,
aside from updating a value stream map, the elimination
of a manufacturing process and automating weekly Excel
tasks. I quickly learned that “being lean” involves many
steps, changes and support. Furthermore, since the “why”
matters most in any field of work, I soon learned the pur-
pose of being lean – to make abnormalities apparent so they
are fixed quickly and production can continue.
The first week of my internship consisted of a lot of ob-
serving and soaking in information. Since I was in a manu-
facturing role last summer, I was able to quickly pick up the
processes the turbine blades went through, which was help-
manufacturing with GE Aviation in Greenville, South Carolina.
ful when understanding how the shop flowed. Through
discussing kaizen and other lean terms with my team,
manufacturers and other resources, I was able to identify
areas where the lines and shop had room to improve. Thus,
I began initiating projects and starting SMART (specific,
measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals to-
ward proactive action that contributed to the shop’s needs
and my personal passions.
There were many projects I supported over the summer,
but I learned the most within lean from 5S initiatives and
action work-outs. I primarily focused on 5S improvements
throughout the entirety of the summer to attain the lean
management goal score for the shop. I began looking into
point-of-use tooling so the manufacturers would have the
tools they need when and where they need them. Although
this seems small, the lines suffered greatly due to confu-
sion, frustration and, most importantly, two primary TIM-
WOOD wastes: motion and waiting. During this process,
I worked closely with the manufacturers of primarily three
lines to work toward a solution.
I discovered that most of the lines in the shop had waste
of many kinds, primarily in two manufacturing process
locations. Thus, I worked with many manufacturers and
the tool room/moonshine leader on the Lean Team and

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 37

What ISE students did last summer
to standardize different tool holders for these processes.
This standardization was only a step toward becoming a
lean shop, but also encouraged 5S techniques among all the
lines.
During this time of communication, organization and
implementation, I supported three action work-outs
(AWO) focusing on the new layout of the extension of
new manufacturing line; the update of a value stream map
(VSM); and standard work attainment for two production
lines. Through my support and initiative in various actions,
I learned so much from each action-packed week. All of
these AWOs had one goal in mind: stay lean to go fast. I
learned about how to best optimize floor space for an ex-
tension of a manufacturing line from the manufacturers
and production control leaders’ point of view. I completed
a time study and learned how to reduce cycle time and lead
time by going in depth for a new VSM.
I combined this knowledge and learned more through
engaging with the manufacturers to ideate new standard
work procedure options and to correctly level out the
amount of work at each operation while trying to reduce
the number of manufacturers needed.
Through these projects, I will be able to apply my new
learned concepts of lean manufacturing in a workplace fa-
cility and as an undergraduate student. Communication is
vital for an efficient production flow, and the entire shop
must be driven to solve any issue that is faced with a pro-
active mindset. Furthermore, the terms and processes I
learned can be applied in the classroom and various organi-
zations when attacking a large problem at hand or develop-
ing a new system. It is necessary to have lean concepts in
mind through all actions to aim for the best outcomes but
prepare for the worst.
Over the summer, I also started to research environmen-
tal efforts the plant could take to create a more sustainable
and eco-friendly facility. I primarily sought out recycling
partners and new material and facility conservation oppor-
tunities. I specifically spent time researching eco-friendly
material in which to ship the turbine blades. When parts
were shipped from any of the production lines, they were
packaged in a Styrofoam and plastic material with specific
cutouts to hold each part. Since Styrofoam is very detri-
mental to the environment due to its extensive decomposi-
tion time, I researched an alternative mushroom-packaging
material to replace the old holders after they had worn
down to an unusable state and as an option to invest for
future purchases of part holders.
This was one of my favorite projects because I was able
to bring awareness to and connect with many people about
eco-friendly alternatives. I gained more knowledge in the
lifecycle of the turbine blades, but more importantly, what
it takes to properly manufacture them. These projects in
38 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
this field allowed me to dabble in a huge passion of mine:
sustainable manufacturing.
To tie my internship experience and personal interests
together, I planned many events geared toward professional
development for myself and the interns. I facilitated a GE
Aviation plant tour for 42 GE Power and GE Renewable
Energy interns in the area, coordinated six external tours
and three internal lunch-and-learns for the GE Aviation
interns. Through these tours and connections, we were
exposed to lean in an automotive industry, design and as-
sembly in another GE business, and were able to connect
with people in different areas of work. Through expanding
our knowledge, experiences and connections through these
opportunities, we discovered personal interests and differ-
ent career paths.
GE Aviation provided me another engaging and exciting
summer. I was given goals for the summer but allowed the
freedom to explore my own interests. My team was always
extremely supportive and proactive, which created a wel-
coming and encouraging atmosphere where I was able to
grow as an engineer. This coming summer, I will be back
at GE with GE Renewable Energy. I am beyond excited to
see where the summer and my passions will lead me in my
career and personal goals. 
An out-of-this-world experience
at Space Flight Center test lab
By Adriane Tenequer
Navaho Technical University, Crownpoint, New Mexico
L
Last summer, I was given the opportunity to in-
tern with Jacobs Engineering Group at the Mar-
shall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
I joined the Jacobs team to get a better under-
standing of how a material testing lab functioned
on a day-to-day basis. With our new metrology
building being constructed soon at Navajo Technical Uni-
versity, the understanding of a material testing lab was key.
I remember the sense of pride I felt when I entered the
Redstone Arsenal gates. My excitement built as I drove past
the George C. Marshall SFC building and the Rocket park,
a view that welcomed me every morning. Right off the
bat, I was introduced to many of the Jacobs staff members.
Everyone was so friendly, like one big family – Southern
hospitality at its finest.
“How do we keep everyone safe around the equipment?”
was a question we continuously asked, so I had to do com-
plete safety training before I was allowed in the lab. Be-
coming familiar with the Jacobs Safety Plan of Action was
very important. It was a plan I would take home and imple-
ment in our facility.

Intern Adriane Tenequer of Navaho Technical University, left,
poses with her mentor, Summer Roden, from the Jacobs
Engineering Group’s material testing team at Marshall Space
Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Understanding the setup, tuning and testing also plays
a vital role in material and structural testing. During the
setup process, we research the ASTM standards, test param-
eters and size of equipment that would be used. Once our
parameters were determined, we input that information
into the Bluehill software and selected an external calibra-
tor to be calibrated by the NASA Calibration Labs (NIST
certified).
Before testing, we tuned our equipment; the goal is to
make sure the command we send out is proportional to the
feedback we receive. Once the equipment has been proper-
ly tuned, measurements can be taken with confidence. Ver-
ify, verify, verify is the most important thing to remember.
After the tuning is complete, we set up our sample for
testing. During testing, the data produced can provide a
better understanding of the properties of a material and
how its performance will respond when a load is applied.
This data can influence how systems are designed and how
equipment can be operated. Testing not only provides the
technician with important information but it also provides
the customer with data that can be helpful in designing and
structuring the products they produce.
Not only did I work hard, I enjoyed the benefits of work-
Photos courtesy of Adriane Tenequer
Adriane Tenequer works in the material testing lab at Marshall
Space Flight Center.
ing in the Marshall Space Flight Center. The Jacobs intern
coordinator set up multiple tours, presentations and activi-
ties for the interns. My most memorable tour was visiting
the test site to see the liquid hydrogen tank for the Space
Launch System. The size of the tank itself was amazing.
Another great experience was celebrating the 50th an-
niversary of the Apollo 11 mission and the first moonwalk.
The community came together to enjoy music, food and
good company. It was an amazing experience to be in a
place that helped make Apollo 11 happen.
The summer was a great experience, not only working
with Jacobs but also the opportunity to live in Huntsville. I
learned new skills working with the material testing team;
they made me feel at home and showed me how the mate-
rial testing lab functioned. Huntsville not only lived up to
that Southern hospitality but there were so many beautiful
sights to see and places to explore. My overall experience
was amazing.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this summer
possible: my boss at NTU, Harold Halliday, my mentors
Brian Keith Hastings and Summer Roden, and my Material
Testing Team in EM-22. 
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 39
Photo courtesy of Western Electric Company Hawthorne Studies Collection, Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

Women work in in the Relay

Assembly Test Room, circa
1930, at Western Electric Co.’s
Hawthorne Works plant in Illinois.
Harvard Business School professor
Elton Mayo conducted studies in
productivity and work conditions
with six female employees at the
plant, leading to what has since
been known as the Hawthorne
Effect.

Work
performance
incentive beyond
‘carrots and sticks’
Experiments, examples show employees are motivated
by team, not self-interest
By Adam Cywar

40 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

T
This is the second of three articles that addresses the
age-old question of what drives the performance
levels manifest in completing work. The first article,
“Factors that affect the performance of work” (ISE
October 2019, Page 40, https://link.iise.org/iseocto-
ber2019_cywar), concluded with some of the most
obvious items that can drive performance levels up and down.
This article discusses the inputs that led up to what I consider
to be the most significant factor affecting performance levels,
shaped by several elements that are reviewed here.
The Hawthorne experiments
One of the most revealing insights to performance factors came
out of the Western Electric studies from 1927 to 1932 at its
Hawthorne plant in Chicago. Western Electric Co. was an
American electrical engineering and manufacturing company
and supplier to AT&T from 1881 to 1995. It was the scene of
a number of technological innovations and also some seminal
developments in industrial management.
Harvard Business School professor Elton Mayo was hired
to examine productivity and work conditions in studies con-
ducted from 1927 to 1932. The studies grew out of preliminary
experiments at the plant from 1924 to 1927 on the effect of
light on productivity. Those experiments showed no clear con-
nection between productivity and the amount of illumination
but researchers began to wonder what kind of changes would
influence output.
Specifically, Mayo wanted to find out what effect fatigue and
monotony had on job productivity and how to control them
through variables such as rest breaks, work hours, temperature
and humidity. In the process, he stumbled upon a principle of
human motivation that would help revolutionize the theory
and practice of management.
Mayo took six women from the assembly line, segregated
them from the rest of the factory and put them under the eye
of a supervisor, who was more a friendly observer than discipli-
narian. Mayo made frequent changes in their working condi-
An airplane view of Western Electric Co.’s Hawthorne Works plant in Illinois, circa 1925.
tions, always discussing and explaining the changes in advance.
He changed their hours in the workweek and in the work-
day, the number of rest breaks and time of their lunch hour.
Occasionally, he would return the women to their original,
harder working conditions.
The investigators selected two women for their second series
of experiments and asked them to choose another four, making
a small group of six. The group was employed in assembling
telephone relays, a small but intricate mechanism composed of
about 40 separate parts that had to be assembled by the women
seated at a lone bench and dropped into a chute when com-
pleted.
The relays were counted mechanically as they slipped down
the chute. It was intended that the basic rate of production
should be noted at the start, and that subsequently changes
would be introduced, the effectiveness of which would be
measured by increased or decreased production of the relays.
Throughout the series of experiments, an observer sat with
the women in the workshop noting all that went on, keeping
them informed about the experiment, asking for advice or in-
formation and listening to their complaints.
The experiment began by introducing various changes, each
of which was continued for a test period of four to 12 weeks.
The results of these changes are as follows:
• Under normal conditions with a 48-hour week, including
Saturdays and no rest pauses, the women produced 2,400
relays a week each.
• They were then put on piece-work for eight weeks and out-
put went up.
• Two five-minute rest pauses, morning and afternoon, were
introduced for a period of five weeks; output went up once
more.
• The rest pauses were lengthened to 10 minutes each; output
went up sharply.
• Six five-minute pauses were introduced, and the women
complained that their work rhythm was broken by the fre- Baker Library, Harvard Business School.
Photo courtesy of Western Electric Company Hawthorne Studies Collection,
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 41
Work performance incentive beyond ‘carrots and sticks’
Employees work in the cord finishing department, circa 1925, at Western Electric Co.’s Hawthorne Works plant in Illinois.
quent pauses; output fell slightly.
• They returned to the two rest pauses, the first with a hot
meal supplied by the company free of charge; output went
up.
• The women were dismissed at 4.30 p.m. instead of 5 p.m.;
output went up. They were dismissed at 4 p.m.; output re-
mained the same.
• Finally, all the improvements were taken away, and the
women went back to the physical conditions of the begin-
ning of the experiment: working Saturday, a 48-hour work-
week, no rest pauses, no piece work and no free meal. This
state of affairs lasted for a period of 12 weeks. Output was the
highest ever recorded, averaging 3,000 relays a week.
Findings from the Hawthorne experiments
What happened was that six individuals became a team and
the team gave itself wholeheartedly and spontaneously to co-
operation in the experiment. They felt themselves to be partici-
pating freely and without afterthought and were happy in the
knowledge they were working without coercion from above or
limitation from below.
They were themselves satisfied at the consequence for they
felt that they were working under less pressure than ever before.
In fact, regular medical checks showed no signs of cumulative
42 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
Photo courtesy of Western Electric Company Hawthorne Studies Collection, Baker Library, Harvard Business School.
fatigue and absences from work declined by 80%.
It was noted, too, that each woman had her own technique
of putting the component parts of the relay together. Some-
times one varied this technique in order to avoid monotony and
it was found that the more intelligent the worker, the greater
was the number of variations, similar to McClelland’s research
findings into achievement of motivated people.
The experimental group had considerable freedom of move-
ment. They were not pushed around or bossed by anyone.
Under these conditions, they developed an increased sense of
responsibility and instead of discipline from higher authority
being imposed, it came from within the group itself.
To his amazement, Mayo discovered a general upward trend
in production, completely independent of any of the changes
he made. His findings didn’t mesh with the prevalent theory of
the worker as being motivated solely by self-interest. It didn’t
make sense that productivity would continue to rise gradually
when he cut out breaks and returned the women to longer
working hours.
Mayo began to look around and realized that the women, in
exercising freedom they didn’t have on the factory floor, had
formed a social atmosphere that also included the observer who
tracked their productivity. They talked, they joked. They be-
gan to meet socially outside of work.

Harvard Business
School professor
Elton Mayo
conducted studies in
productivity and work
conditions at Western
Electric Co.’s
Hawthorne Works
plant in Illinois from
1927 to 1932.
Mayo had discovered a fundamental concept that seems ob-
vious today: Workplaces are social environments and, within
them, people are motivated by much more than economic
self-interest. He concluded that all aspects of that industrial
environment carried social value.
When the women were singled out from the rest of the
factory workers, it raised their self-esteem. When they were
allowed to have a friendly relationship with their supervisor,
they felt happier at work. When he discussed changes in ad-
vance with them, they felt they were part of the team.
He had secured their cooperation and loyalty, which ex-
plained why productivity rose even when he took away their
rest breaks.
The power of the social setting and peer group dynamics
became even more obvious to Mayo in a later part of the Haw-
thorne studies, when he saw the flip side of his original experi-
ments. A group of 14 men who participated in a similar study
restricted production because they were distrustful of the goals
of the project.
The portion of the Hawthorne studies that dwelt on the
positive effects of benign supervision and concern for workers
that made them feel like part of a team became known as the
Hawthorne Effect. The studies themselves spawned the hu-
man relations school of management that is constantly being
recycled in new forms today; witness quality circles, participa-
tory management, team building, et al.
Incidentally, the Hawthorne Works, the place where his-
tory was made, is history now itself. Western Electric closed
it in 1983.
Courtesy of www.danpink.com
Pink’s examples
in behavioral science
A TED Talk presentation by Daniel
Pink in 2009 ties very closely to the
findings described in the Hawthorne
experiments. He uses several ex-
Speaker and author amples of problem-solving to discuss
Daniel Pink discussed motivation and behavioral science.
work motivational Pink began with a problem to
factors in a 2009 TED
solve, one created in 1945 by psy-
Talk presentation.
chologist Karl Duncker as an ex-
periment in behavioral science. It
places the subject in a room with
a candle, a box of thumbtacks and
some matches. The task is to attach
the candle to the wall so the wax
doesn’t drip onto the table.
Tacking the candle to the wall
doesn’t work, nor does melting the Psychologist and
candle to attach it to the wall. The behavioral scientist
solution: Attach the box filled with Sam Glucksberg
tacks to the wall as a platform for the took Karl Duncker’s
candle to catch the dripping wax. candle experiment and
“Eventually, after five or 10 min- added a twist, offering
utes, most people figure out the subjects rewards
solution,” Pink said. “The key is to for how quickly they
solved the puzzle.
overcome what’s called functional
fixedness.”
He cited another experiment by a scientist named Sam
Glucksberg that shows the power of incentives. Glucksberg
gathered participants and offered rewards based on how
quickly they solved the candle problem. Those in the top 25%
would receive $5; the fastest overall would get $20.
Yet despite the incentive, it took the group 3½ minutes lon-
ger on average.
“Now this makes no sense, right?” Pink said. “I mean, I’m
an American. I believe in free markets. That’s not how it’s sup-
posed to work, right? If you want people to perform better,
you reward them, right? Bonuses, commissions, their own re-
ality show. Incentivize them. That’s how business works. But
that’s not happening here. You’ve got an incentive designed to
sharpen thinking and accelerate creativity, and it does just the
opposite. It dulls thinking and blocks creativity.
“What’s alarming here is that our business operating sys-
tem – the set of assumptions and protocols beneath our busi-
nesses, how we motivate people, how we apply our human
resources – is built entirely around these extrinsic motivators,
around carrots and sticks. That’s actually fine for many kinds
of 20th century tasks. But for 21st century tasks, the mecha-
nistic, reward-and-punishment approach often doesn’t work,
and often does harm.”
Glucksberg then altered the experiment by offering the
same incentives but taking the tacks out of the box. In that
instance, the incentivized group was able to perform faster.
“Rewards, by their very nature, narrow our focus; con-
centrate the mind; that’s why they work in so many cases,”
Pink said. “And so, for tasks like this, a narrow focus, where
you just see the goal right there, zoom straight ahead to it,
they work really well. But for the real candle problem, you
don’t want to be looking like this. The solution is not over
here. The solution is on the periphery. You want to be looking
around. That reward actually narrows our focus and restricts
our possibility.”
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 43
Work performance incentive beyond ‘carrots and sticks’
“Think about your own work. Are the problems that you
face ... do they have a clear set of rules and a single solution?
No. The rules are mystifying. The solution, if it exists at all, is
surprising and not obvious. Everybody in this room is dealing
with their own version of the candle problem.”
The effect of rewards
on performance
In another case cited by Pink, econo-
mist Dan Ariely and three colleagues
conducted a study with some MIT
students who were given games that
involved creativity, motor skills and
concentration. They were offered
Economist Dan Ariely three rewards levels for performance:
conducted motivational small, medium and large. For tasks
experiments with a
that required only mechanical skills,
group of MIT students
the rewards led to better perfor-
determining the effect
mance. But in those that called for
of rewards on the
completion of tasks.
cognitive skills, a larger reward led to
poorer performance.
The same test was conducted in Madurai, India, to measure
cultural bias, but with the same results: Those offered low and
medium levels of rewards performed about the same, but those
offered the highest rewards did worse in eight of nine tasks.
Pink cited similar results from a London School of Econom-
ics study that showed financial incentives can have a negative
effect on performance.
“The solution is not to do more of the wrong things, to
entice people with a sweeter carrot, or threaten them with a
sharper stick,” he said. “We need a whole new approach.”
“To my mind, that new operating system for our businesses
revolves around three elements: autonomy, mastery and pur-
pose. ... These are the building blocks of an entirely new operat-
ing system for our businesses. Management is great. Traditional
notions of management are great, if you want compliance. But
if you want engagement, self-direction works better.”
To demonstrate such autonomy, Pink cited an example of
the Australian software company Atlassian that would give its
engineers 24 hours to work on any project they chose outside
of their regular jobs, then present it to their teammates. That
concept, which it called “20 Percent Time,” was adopted by
Google.
And perhaps the most radical example was Results Only
Work Environment, or ROWE, created by two U.S. consul-
tants and adopted by several North American companies. In
ROWE, workers don’t have set schedules or have to be in the
office for a certain period; they just have work that must be
completed in any way they choose.
“What happens? Almost across the board, productivity goes
up, worker engagement goes up, worker satisfaction goes up,
turnover goes down.” Pink said. “Autonomy, mastery and
44 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
Explore examples on motivation
• To learn more about the Hawthorne Experiments, see a
video at https://link.iise.org/CywarHawthorne.
• To view Daniel Pink’s TED Talk, visit https://link.iise.org/
CywarPinkTEDTalk.
• For more on Daniel Ariely’s experiments, visit https://link.
iise.org/CywarAriely.
• For more on Atlassian’s “20 Percent Time” concept,
visit https://www.atlassian.com/blog/archives/20_time_
experiment.
purpose, these are the building blocks of a new way of doing
things. Now some of you might look at this and say, ‘Hmm,
that sounds nice, but it’s Utopian.’ And I say, ‘Nope. I have
proof.’”
He also cited the Wikipedia model of creating an encyclope-
dia in which contributors are not paid, just “do it because you
like to do it.”
“This is the titanic battle between these two approaches,” he
said. “Intrinsic motivators versus extrinsic motivators. ... There
is a mismatch between what science knows and what business
does. ... The science confirms what we know in our hearts. So
if we repair this mismatch between what science knows and
what business does, if we bring our motivation, notions of mo-
tivation into the 21st century, if we get past this lazy, dangerous
ideology of carrots and sticks, we can strengthen our businesses,
we can solve a lot of those candle problems, and maybe, maybe,
maybe we can change the world.”
The final article in this three-part series will take the think-
ing of Pink and the Hawthorne experiments forward to the
formation of the IRA Index and its potential uses to measure
and track performance factors, plus some additional helpful
hints. 
Adam Cywar is a consultant, lecturer and author and a longtime IISE
member who has consulted with many organizations. Before his retire-
ment, he held middle-management positions in software development
and industrial engineering organizations at IBM, where he pioneered
the establishment of Activity Based Management concepts and was the
Founder of the IBM Worldwide ABM Competency Center. He was
a contributor to the first edition of the John Wiley Handbook of Indus-
trial Engineering and introduced Total Quality Management concepts
within IBM plants in the late 1960s. Cywar holds a master’s degree
in management engineering and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engi-
neering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. This is the second
of three articles that addresses what drives performance levels manifest
in completing work; the third will appear in a future issue. All are ex-
cerpts from his book, “Factors That Affect The Performance Of Work,”
available at no cost at cywar.org.
 Production system design for high-mix,
low-volume manufacturing
Not all lean tools are suited to work in a make-to-order job shop
By Shahrukh A. Irani
A
An assembly line, as defined by www.dictionary.com,
is “an arrangement of machines, tools and work-
ers in which a product is assembled by having each
(stage) perform a specific, successive operation on
an incomplete unit as it passes by in a series of stages
organized in a direct line.”
In contrast, a job shop is defined by www.inc.com/encyclopedia
as “a manufacturing business in which small batches of a vari-
ety of custom products are made. In the job shop process flow,
most of the products produced require a unique setup and se-
quencing of process steps. Job shops are usually businesses that
perform custom parts manufacturing for other businesses.”
An assembly line is a low-mix, high-volume (LMHV)
manufacturing system. In contrast, a job shop is a high-mix,
low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing system.
An assembly line is designed for single-piece flow. In con-
trast, a job shop is designed to produce an order with a lot size
of one (single-piece order flow) or orders with lot sizes that
could be in the hundreds or even thousands.
An assembly line is inflexible but efficient because it does
not have to produce a large variety of products. In contrast,
a job shop is flexible but inefficient because it must produce a
large variety of products.
Make-to-stock vs. make-to-order
A Toyota assembly plant operates in a make-to-stock (MTS)
production mode. If it were not for the 1,500 Toyota dealership
lots spread across the U.S., every Toyota assembly plant would
have millions of dollars of finished goods inventory (FGI) at
the end of every model year. Instead, the carrying cost of the
hundreds of thousands of automobiles produced every year by
each Toyota assembly plant is paid for by the dealerships that
get rid of their end-of-year inventory with discounted sales.
In contrast, a job shop operates in a make-to-order (MTO)
production mode. Taiichi Ohno, the creator of the Toyota
Production System (TPS), said, “The more inventory a com-
pany has, the less likely they will have what they need.” An
MTO manufacturer will not produce a larger quantity of
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 45
 FIGURE 1
Production system design for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing

a product than the

quantity the customer Choose the right tools
ordered. Nor will an Lean tools that should and should not be used by job shops.
MTO manufacturer
fill a customer’s order
from FGI stored for
months in their ware-
house.
Having FGI indi-
cates that the MTO
manufacturer need-
lessly wasted capacity
(machine hours, labor
hours and overtime),
inventory (materi-
als, consumables and
tools), overhead (ware-
house staff, electricity,
gas and security) and supplier capacity (steel service centers, Adapting a system for HMLV manufacturing
outside vendors and logistics providers) to produce unsold A job shop simply does not operate like an assembly line. Here
products. In turn, that wasted capacity probably prevented ca- are some of the operational characteristics of a job shop:
pacity being used to process other jobs that missed their deliv-
ery dates and had to be expedited. • It fulfills orders for a diverse mix of hundreds of different
products.
Waste elimination vs. lead-time and delivery • Manufacturing routings differ significantly in their equip-
by due date ment requirements, setup times, cycle times, lot sizes, etc.
Ohno also said, “All we are doing is looking at the timeline, • The shop layout is usually comprised of functional depart-
from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point ment (aka, “process villages”) that each have equipment
when we collect the cash. And we are reducing the timeline by with identical/similar process capabilities.
reducing the non-value adding wastes.” According to Ohno, • It is a challenge to identify the part families in the product
order flow time = order shipment date – order start date; or- mix in order to implement manufacturing cells, standardize
der flow time can be reduced by eliminating the waste in the tooling, etc.
order’s timeline. • Demand variability is high.
But unlike Toyota, a customer of any MTO manufacturer • Order quantities can range from one to hundreds and may-
does not ask it to report how much waste was eliminated to be thousands.
deliver the product(s) that were ordered. Instead, the customer • Production schedules are driven by due dates, which are
assesses the manufacturer on age-old, time-tested metrics for subject to change and are often non-negotiable.
customer service such as price, quality, lead-time and on-time • Production bottlenecks can shift over time.
delivery (OTD) against a due date. • Finite capacity constraints limit how many orders can be
Management bestsellers like The Machine That Changed The completed on any given machine on any day.
World by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones and Daniel Roos • Production control and scheduling is more complex. Lead-
(1990) and Lean Thinking by Womack and Jones (2003) have times quoted to customers must be adjusted based on
misled make-to-order manufacturers to believe the Toyota knowledge of the production schedule.
Production System is a good fit for their manufacturing envi- • The diverse mix of equipment from different manufacturers
ronments. In reality, machine shops, custom fabricators, ship- makes operator training, maintenance, etc., more challeng-
yards, construction companies and maintenance, repair and ing.
operations service companies that claim to have implemented • Customer loyalty is not guaranteed. In fact, customers may
lean have only succeeded at implementing the lean tools that “threaten” to pursue other suppliers in order to negotiate
are listed in the left-hand column of Figure 1. The lean tools unrealistic due dates.
listed in the right-hand column will not work in the dynamic • A job shop must serve different markets. In fact, a job shop
high-mix, low-volume make-to-order environment of any expects its product mix to alter as its customer base changes
job shop. or it hires new sales and marketing staff who bring with

46 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

 Authors give tips on job shop reform
In their 1989 Harvard Business Review article on job shop manufacturing
reform (https://link.iise.org/irani_hbrjobshop), authors James E. Ashton and
Frank X. Cook Jr. detailed one manufacturer’s case as an example.
The HDS Division of Schlumberger made electromechanical sensors
(logging tools) that collect and process geological data for oil and gas
exploration. Its Houston factory was turning out 200 different products with
30,000 line items in inventory, as logging tools must be customized for the
type of drilling being done, which led to myriad engineering changes. HDS
was struggling to cope with operational costs, schedules and quality in 1985,
with 15% of its completed tools failing in final tests and on-time delivery
topping out at 70%. Management knew changes had to be made.
Ashton and Cook detailed several steps recommended to help HDS turn
around:
Make quality mandatory. The organization set a goal that no product
should leave the factory that does not meet customer requirements. The goal
is to prevent defects from recurring to avoid having any to correct.
Get on schedule. Aim for 100% on-time delivery without sacrificing
quality or increasing lead-times. To do this, get on schedule, whatever it takes.
Don’t sacrifice capacity for cost. Without adequate capacity, the
schedule cannot be met. Thus, it is critical that planned and actual staffing
levels meet the master schedule’s requirements. Management must be able to
vary staffing levels in different areas of the factory to meet the schedule.
Improve feeder shop responsiveness. To shorten the total lead-
time for products and allow for adherence to the master schedule, functions
that feed the assembly process with materials and parts must be responsive.
One way is an immediate and aggressive reduction in planned lead-times for
purchased parts.
Make performance visible. Making actual performance versus planned
performance highly visible is a powerful motivator when used as a reward, not
punishment. That includes a visible master schedule depicting planned versus
actual start and completion dates for each job; staffing reports documenting
actual versus required personnel needs in each operations area; and reports
on how quickly defects and deviation are detected and corrected.

them their past business contacts from other sectors of in-
dustry.
• It is a challenge to recruit and retain talented employees
with a strong work ethic, a desire to learn on the job and
become cross-trained to operate different machines.
• There are limited resources for workforce training.
• It is hard to control the delivery schedule and quality of sup-
pliers.
A 1989 Harvard Business Review article, “Time to Reform
Job Shop Manufacturing: Organize Your Factory for Quality
and On-Time Delivery,” by James E. Ashton and Frank X.
Cook Jr., could serve as a foundation for developing a pro-
duction system for any high-mix, low-volume make-to-order
environment (see article above).
Members of the ISE community may be able to identify a
viable set of practices and tools similar to those in Figure 1 that
could be used to design, operate and manage a flexible and
lean production system. 
Shahrukh A. Irani, Ph.D., is president of Lean and Flexible LLC,
a consulting company that delivers advisory, training and implementa-
tion services focused on lean for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing
(aka, job shop lean). From 2012-2014, he worked as the director of IE
Research at Hoerbiger Corp. of America Inc. in Houston, Texas. Prior
to his industry career, from 1996-2012 he was an associate professor in
the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering at The Ohio State
University. He is an IISE member.

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 47

 case study Solutions in practice

Students help mothers’ milk bank

expand its reach, save expenses
By Keith Albertson

One hungry newborn helped inspire a project aimed at helping a non-

profit better serve the needs of other vulnerable babies.
Natalia Summerville, an operations research specialist at SAS in Cary,
North Carolina, gave birth to a daughter in 2018 who needed donated
breast milk due to health complications. It came from the WakeMed
Mothers’ Milk Bank, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based nonprofit that
provides donated mothers’ milk to premature newborns and those with
special needs throughout North Carolina and the southeastern U.S. It
handled 240,000 ounces of donated milk last year, serving about half a
million babies.
Summerville also serves as an adjunct professor of industrial engineer-
ing at North Carolina State University and often assigns her students to
work with nonprofits in a class project. For her Data Analytics for Engi-
neering classes in the spring 2019 semester, she reached out to the milk
bank to see how they could help.
“Thinking of all these moms pumping milk to help with babies was
heartwarming so I decided to see ways I can help,” Summerville said. “I
know, particularly for some nonprofits, they don’t have enough help, so I
assumed something was there. ... That’s usually what I do, find nonprofits
to work with so they (students) can feel good about what they’re doing.”
Milk bank director Montana Wagner-Gillespie, herself an N.C. State
graduate, was grateful for the offer.
“I loved that because so many moms will receive milk and some moms
are able to donate milk on the back end, so it kind of comes full circle
when they needed milk in the beginning and then they are able to do-
nate,” she said. “It was such an awesome way for her to use her expertise
and use the research of her students to help us and really give back in a
different way that can be so impactful, as impactful as ounces donated.
“This is a great relationship that we’ve built. You never know who your
milk is helping, so to be able to put a face with it and for her to be able to
return the favor in that way is just so awesome.”
After meeting with Wagner-Gillespie, the class settled upon two areas
of improvement: Creating more sites for mothers to drop off breast milk
and revising the testing process to reduce the loss of tainted milk.
“The students offered a lot of avenues for research I hadn’t even thought
about,” Wagner-Gillespie said. “I started thinking about problems and
growth initiatives we were having, and we started talking to see if pulling
some numbers would be helpful. The milk bank runs with a very small
staff and for us to be able to do a really deep dive in our data, to really
look at it and draw conclusions from it, is something we don’t necessarily

48 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

 Photos by Brian Strickland | Courtesy of WakeMed Mothers’ Milk Bank
have the luxury of time to do because
we have to feed those half million babies
every year. Being able to look back at
the data that we do have was really eye-
opening for us.”
The team tackling the first challenge
concentrated on finding better ways for
mothers to donate milk. Though the
milk bank offered a few drop-off loca-
tions, much of the milk was shipped,
and the process was complicated and
expensive.
That student team, including IISE
members Conner Walker and Jennifer
Breese along with Diego Hernandez,
Sean Murray and Drew Schell, used
SAS Operations Research software to
determine that opening more locations
for drop-offs would reduce shipping
costs.
Walker, a senior studying industrial
and systems engineering with a minor
in business administration, said the team
gathered data on donations and ZIP
codes to create heat maps of donor loca-
tions and volume.
“It was important to see both sides
of the picture so that we could under-
stand the distribution of donors across
the state and overlay the areas where the
bulk of the volume was received,” he
said. “We structured our model in a way
Donated breast milk is gathered at the WakeMed Mothers’ Milk Bank, where it is
to minimize shipping costs and capture
tested, pasteurized and provided to feed newborns with special needs. The Raleigh,
the most volume with the least number North Carolina-based nonprofit serves hospitals throughout the state and the
of locations. We used the donor data to southeastern U.S.
structure our constraints and focus the
model on areas that had multiple donors students were recommending.” wanted to validate to see if the initial
to really leverage the drop-off locations. The suggested changes can provide cost was worth it and to see what loca-
“Our project was able to provide the considerable savings to the milk bank, tions might be good. ... Their findings
milk bank with graphics that helped which covers donors’ shipping expenses. suggested we can absolutely justify the
them better understand the distribution Wagner-Gillespie said six new drop- up-front costs. Having depots can save
of their donors and where the majority off depots have been opened at other us thousands and thousands of dollars
of their volume came from. The milk WakeMed health system sites and more each year in costs and we’re in the pro-
bank could use this information to ex- are planned statewide, saving shipping cess of executing that plan now.
pand their reach across the state, recruit costs and also increasing the milk bank’s “Having it quantified in such a well-
more donors and serve more babies.” community presence to drive dona- thought out and well-researched way,
“It’s a classic facility location problem tions, “a win-win for sure.” any hospital administrator could eas-
from a research standpoint,” Summer- “It seems like a more economical way ily see that was a justifiable cost for the
ville said. “They were able to provide of doing things,” Wagner-Gillespie said. year to be able to save ourselves so much
Montana with a cost comparison on “While there’s some initial startup costs money on the back end in shipping.”
how much they would be saving if they for a chest freezer for the location and A second team from the class – Jacob
could open a few more stations that the any training that needs to be done, we Green, Brycen Moser, Liesl Miranda

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 49

case study
The WakeMed Mothers’ Milk Bank has opened new satellite drop-off areas around
North Carolina where mothers can bring donated milk, saving costly shipping
expenses and increasing the nonprofit’s community presence.
and Abhimanyu Shah – addressed the
amount of milk discarded during the
testing process. Donors are screened ini-
tially for several factors, including alco-
hol and prescription medicine use. After
milk donations are received, the milk
bank pasteurizes them, then tests for
bacillus bacteria, which can cause food-
borne illness and is particularly harmful
to infants with weak immune systems.
However, because the milk is pooled
into batches at different phases, a posi-
tive test can result in a large amount of
it being tossed out when it is found to
be contaminated. The student team rec-
ommended preculture testing be con-
ducted before the milk is pooled and
to track sources to target which donors
were providing milk more likely to test
positive for bacteria, all aimed at reduc-
ing the amount of discarded milk.
“Some of the things students looked
at are the factors influencing the actual
pooling, are there three or 10 donors in-
fluencing it and determining whether to
get rid of it or not,” Summerville said.
“Looking at a way for us to take pre-
culture samples and see if we can pin-
point which donors are positive and
which ones aren’t, that’s what their
group helped us do,” Wagner-Gillespie
said. “We want to make sure we’re not
50 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
wasting any more milk than we have
to.”
Both groups’ findings have given
Wagner-Gillespie information she needs
to help pitch improvement investments.
“When I’m making presentations to
hospital administrators, those numbers
speak volumes,” she said. “That’s really
helpful for them to be able to quantify
that for us and validate what we were
already doing. We wondered if the time
and effort and supplies, were they re-
ally worth it, and it certainly is based on
their findings.”
In addition to applying formulas
learned in class, the students were able to
use their skills to help others. Summer-
ville said she hopes they will be inclined
to continue volunteer efforts with other
nonprofits.
“The students are looking to develop
the skills to solve problems, then based
on the applications, have to deal with
data,” Summerville said. “It helps them
in a real-life scenario. I hope they see
that and understand that the operations
are applicable anywhere.”
“I was able to enhance my skills in
project management and client/stake-
holder interaction,” Walker said. “Being
able to take the skills we have learned in
a classroom setting and apply them to an
Photos by Brian Strickland | Courtesy of WakeMed Mothers’ Milk Bank
A staff member at the WakeMed
Mothers’ Milk Bank packs samples of
donated milk. The milk is tested for
bacillus bacteria that can be harmful to
vulnerable immune systems.
actual business problem is a great way to
continue learning and see how our IE
degree is useful in the real world.”
For the milk bank, the project offered
data-based solutions and more ways to
increase its outreach.
“I love working with students,” Wag-
ner-Gillespie said. “It’s mutually benefi-
cial. We benefit so much from students
who have the time and skill set to help
us with problems that we would not be
able to think about solving on our own.
“Any opportunity to work with stu-
dents, I will take, especially N.C. State
students. But I’m completely biased.” 
Keith Albertson is managing editor of ISE
magazine.
How to donate
To learn more about the WakeMed Mothers’
Milk Bank and how to donate or help, visit www.
wakemed.org/mothers-milk-bank.
WHAT’S GOOD FOR UPS’ ‘BIG, BROWN TRUCK’ CAN HELP YOUR ENTERPRISE …

IISE, SHS OR AES CORPORATE

OR UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP
• IISE volunteers add soft skills to technical acumen to become your future leaders.
• Multiple networking opportunities/platforms connect you with top talent to fill
your faculty and engineering pipeline.
• 40% conference and training discounts to force multiply your staff’s effectiveness
and efficiency.
• Tailor your partnership with IISE’s Doug Long (dlong@iise.org) to boost
collaboration and benchmarking with your peers.

“UPS partners with IISE to empower its engineers to collaborate on ISE industry innovation and expertise. UPS employees have
full access to IISE’s member benefits and are encouraged to actively serve with the IISE Young Professionals, the Industry Advisory
Board, the Council of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and to be officers or speakers for local student chapters. Industrial
Engineering has been an integral part of UPS almost from its inception. We have a deep understanding and appreciation of the
IISE mission, which is dedicated to continuous improvement and education in the areas of quality and productivity through the
application of data analytics, process design and optimization, and innovation. UPS and IISE share in the belief that IEs create
tremendous value for an organization’s bottom line.”
— Tandy Bailey, Vice President, U.S. Enterprise Transformation Office Department Manager, UPS

Welcome new and renewing Contact Doug Long, Global Director of

Corporate and University Partners Strategic Alliances, at dlong@iise.org
Cintas • WL Gore • University of Tennessee or (770) 349-1109 to develop a
Universidad Militar Nueva Granada
tailored plan for your organization.

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 51

 research Inside IISE Journals

This month we highlight two articles from IISE Transactions. The first article studies how to integrate the car-sharing
and ride-hailing services by formulating an optimization model to determine the location, service types and operation of
the services. Their solutions significantly improve the affordability and viability of shared mobility services, especially
for underserved populations. The second paper studies the classification decisions in the newborn screening and
testing processes. Because different tests are involved in newborn screening, and each test has different levels of cost,
complexity and impact on newborn health, the paper proposed an optimal data-driven IRT classification policy and
further demonstrated substantial benefits in real applications. These articles will appear in the February 2020 issue of
IISE Transactions (Volume 52, No. 2).

A model to combine car-sharing, ride-sharing

to aid underserved areas
Facilitated by smartphone and GPS technologies, car-sharing
and ride-sharing can enhance transportation accessibility and
further generate environmental and social benefits. An integra-
tion of both services will further increase the affordability and
viability of shared mobility services, especially for underserved
populations.
Car-sharing provides short-term car rental service to users
while ride-hailing enables users to share rides with other pri-
vate car owners. Facing different user groups, they are operated
via different mathematical optimization models. Integrating
both services can potentially improve operational efficiency
and provide cost savings by monetizing underutilized resourc-
es. Finding the optimal strategy to manage vehicle operations
and to match drivers with passengers is the key to the success of
the integration. At the same time, uncertain travel and service
time also need to be considered to improve service reliability.
An optimization model of the integrated car-sharing and
ride-hailing services is investigated in the paper “An Integrated
Car-and-Ride Sharing System for Mobilizing Heterogeneous
Travelers with Applications in Underserved Communities” by
Miao Yu, a Ph.D. student, and Siqian Shen, Ph.D., an associ-
ate professor from the Department of Industrial and Operations
Engineering at the University of Michigan.
They classify shared mobility users into two types: Type 1
drivers who rent cars for their own use but can help drive Type
2 users who need car rides in their spare time. The key ques-
tions are 1. where to locate the rental cars; 2. which Type 1
and Type 2 requests to accept; and 3. how to match them and
route the vehicles. They propose a two-phase stochastic inte-
ger programming model considering uncertain travel time and
Researchers Miao Yu, left, and Siqian Shen developed an
optimization model for integrated car-sharing and ride-
sharing services.
developed efficient decomposition-based algorithms for solv-
ing it. Numerical studies show that the proposed model and
method can yield high demand fulfillment rates, self-sustained
financial operations and reliable routing with low risk of wait-
ing and overtime.
The authors worked with researchers in the School of In-
formation at the University of Michigan to investigate possible
application of the proposed system in underserved communi-
ties in the Detroit area, where residents face financial, technical
and social barriers to engage existing shared mobility services.
They found that the proposed work can potentially provide a
low-cost and effective transportation solution to support such
communities.
Another possible application to use the proposed idea is in
home care delivery, where we can encourage community-
based mobility sharing to allow neighbors to pick up and de-
liver medicines/groceries to each other.
CONTACT: Siqian Shen; siqian@umich.edu; 1205 Beal Ave., Department of
Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
48109

52 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

Data-driven optimization saves lives, improves
health outcomes via newborn screening
Newborn screening has been a major public health success in
the United States, saving lives and preventing disability and
death in thousands of newborns each year. Every year, around
4 million newborns in the U.S. are screened, via a dried blood
spot routinely collected after birth, for a number of genetic dis-
eases that are treatable but are not clinically evident in early
stages.
Cystic fibrosis (CF), a life-threatening disease, is one of the
most prevalent genetic diseases included in newborn screening
and affects 1 in every 3,700 newborns. CF newborn screening
allows for early diagnosis and treatment and can substantially
improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare expenditures.
A delayed diagnosis can lead to severe symptoms, including
chronic lung disease, pancreatic insufficiency, failure to thrive
and even death.
The diagnostic sweat chloride test for CF is expensive and
requires taking the newborn to a specialized testing facility,
leading to parental distress and anxiety. Further, states have
limited testing resources and large populations to screen. Con-
sequently, all states use sequential screening processes for CF,
starting with a low-cost biomarker test (the IRT test), followed
by a high-cost genetic test if the newborn’s biomarker level is
sufficiently high based on the state’s IRT classification policy.
These screening tests are performed on the dried blood spots,
and newborns classified as screen-positive are referred for the
diagnostic sweat chloride test.
The IRT test measures the level of immunoreactive tryp-
sinogen in the newborn’s dried blood spot. On average, CF-
positive newborns have higher IRT levels. However, certain
newborn-specific factors can alter IRT levels; these include
birth weight, gender and race/ethnicity, as well as external fac-
tors that are common to all newborns tested within the same
period, such as temperature, humidity and reagent kit calibra-
tion. Thus, test measurements are noisy, and the measured
IRT levels can deviate from the actual IRT levels, potentially
leading to misclassification. Current IRT classification poli-
cies, which vary among states, fail to take into account these
Professors Ebru Bish, left, and Douglas Bish from Virginia
Tech researched ways to improve methods for the screening
of diseases in newborns.
newborn-specific fac-
tors; while some states
consider external factors,
this is done in a heuristic
manner.
While a false nega-
tive screening outcome
(i.e., a missed CF case)
has severe health conse-
quences, a false positive Professor Saloumeh Sadeghzadeh
screening outcome leads from the State University of New
York (SUNY) at Binghamton.
to further expensive test-
ing. Thus, an optimal IRT classification policy should not only
revolve around this trade-off, but also needs to be data-driven,
to consider both newborn-specific and external factors, and
easily implementable.
This is the approach taken by professor Saloumeh Sadeghza-
deh, Ph.D., from the State University of New York (SUNY)
at Binghamton and professors Douglas Bish, Ph.D., and Ebru
Bish, Ph.D., from Virginia Tech, in collaboration with the
North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, in their
paper, “Optimal Data-driven Policies for Disease Screening
under Noisy Biomarker Measurement.” This work is part of a
broader research project funded by the National Science Foun-
dation.
Their case study, based on a five-year newborn screening
data set from North Carolina, shows the substantial benefits
of the proposed optimal data-driven IRT classification poli-
cy. These findings have important implications on newborn
screening in the U.S. and beyond.
CONTACT: Saloumeh Sadeghzadeh; ssadeghz@binghamton.edu; (607) 777-
2632; School of Management, State University of New York at Binghamton,
Vestal, NY 13902. Ebru Bish; ebru@vt.edu; (540) 231-7099; and Douglas
Bish; drb1@vt.edu; (540) 231-0462; Grado Department of Industrial and
Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061-0118.
Jianjun (Jan) Shi is the Carolyn J. Stewart Chair and Professor in the
H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the
Georgia Institute of Technology. He is editor-in-chief of IISE Trans-
actions, an academician of the International Academy for Quality, a
member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and a fellow
of IISE, ASME and INFORMS.
About the journals
IISE Transactions is IISE’s flagship research journal and is published
monthly. It aims to foster exchange among researchers and practitioners
in the industrial engineering community by publishing papers that are
grounded in science and mathematics and motivated by engineering
applications.
To subscribe, call (800) 494-0460 or (770) 449-0460.
January 2020 | ISE Magazine 53
 tools & techn logies
By Tanner Weaver
Tanner Weaver is a consultant in the Operations Excellence practice
at West Monroe Partners in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a
member of the IISE Young Professionals.
An engine
manifold
designed by
nTop platform
software.
Photos courtesy of nTopology

This rocket nozzle designed by nTop software and built

by Betatype includes field-driven isogrid stiffening with
dual-domain internal cooling channels.

A bicycle seat designed

by the nTop software.

A trailing edge bracket designed by nTop software and built by

Volunteer Aerospace integrates large-scale topology optimization
with instant shelling capability.

Software improves product design for 3D manufacturing

Additive manufacturing has made it easier to innovate
products and produce them at a faster rate. The design of
new products needs to be completed at a faster rate as well.
This requires low value tasks that have nothing to do with
innovating the product to be reduced as much as possible.
Today, engineers deal with this in problems such as cleanup
with STL fi le conversions, and translation issues between
computer-aided design software and simulations.
Many of the issues that arise with the problems above
are due to using multiple platforms when innovating a new
product. Now, engineers can complete the design, analy-
sis and manufacturing of a product all in a single platform
from nTopology. nTop Platform uses implicit modeling
and field-based design to induce rapid product development
on a single platform that allows design teams to collaborate
and simultaneously evaluate and modify product concepts.
The nTop Platform works by designing and represent-
ing models in 3D, whereas most other software products
extrapolate out to 3D only when going to manufacturing.
This platform utilizes and streamlines repeatable workflows
that allow the user to complete tasks that would take much
time and focus from an engineer. The platform also inte-
grates data from any CAD software, along with any simula-
tion software that is being used.
One of the key features of the product is its ability to
create a part ready for manufacturing without having to

54 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

 TOOLS TO TRY AFL introduces a new configuration for the Flex-Span
ADSS family of fiber optic cable designs optimized
for a broader combination of fiber counts and
span lengths, providing ADSS system designers
more flexibility in their product selection.
Flex-Span’s new core configuration contains
five buffer tubes with 24 fibers each for a



total of 120 fibers. This allows higher fiber
Midwestern Industries Inc. provides a variety of
counts in a very small diameter (less than 0.475 of an inch) while
screens and parts for most makes and models of round
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steel and synthetic inventory ranging in sizes from 18 to
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and model of separator with various mounting methods,
wire dead ends.
including strict food grade standards. Types of screens
available include perforated with round, slotted or
Adam Equipment’s new
square openings, bull’s-eye, sandwich, wagon wheel, 
BCT line of bench and floor
ultrasonic screens for fine material applications and
scales features a built-in label
custom woven.
printer that allows users to add
 Castolin Eutectic’s EuTronic barcodes, QR codes, pictures and
GAP machines are intended logos to the labels in English,
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export an STL fi le. With this functionality, there is no need
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“When you represent a part in CAD, you only represent
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Bradley Rothenberg told Forbes.
“The big customers are seeing success with the software
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neering software space is traditionally run by these big in-
cumbent companies with 40-year-old technologies.”
The nTop Platform is designed to be used in multiple
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gineers can explore more design alternatives in a repeat-
able way, as designs can only be changed through proper
revisioning.
To learn more about nTop Platform, visit ntopology.com.

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 55

 the institute
Annual keynotes to focus on data, logistics, supply
Discounts offered for early signups to May 30-June 2 conference in New Orleans
Three keynote speakers offering a
wide spectrum of innovative ideas will
share their insights at the IISE Annual
Conference & Expo 2020 May 30-
June 2 at the Hyatt Regency in New
Orleans.
The conference gathers profession-
als and students from all ISE disci-
plines and includes pre-conference
workshops, educational sessions and
panels, networking receptions and the
annual Honors & Awards Banquet.
Conference registration is underway,
with discounts for signups before April
12. For more, visit https://link.iise.org/
annual2020register.
The conference begins Sunday, May
30, with a keynote address by Pooja
Dewan, vice president and chief data
and analytics officer for Otis Elevator
Co. Her focus is on strategy and ex-
ecution, sustainable business growth
and profitability, internal efficiencies
through improved data structures,
data cleanliness and insight and effi-
cient data governance and process.
Dewan earlier spent 20 years at
BNSF Railway as chief data scientist.
Her team was awarded with interna-
tional recognition of best Advanced
Analytics team in 2019-INFORMS
prize. She earned her master’s and
doctorate degrees in industrial en-
gineering from Pennsylvania State
University and is the author of several
research publications in scientific jour-
nals.
Andres Medaglia, Ph.D., will deliv-
56 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
Keeping pace with IISE
Pooja Dewan Andres Medaglia
er the keynote address Monday, June
1. He is professor of industrial engi-
neering at the Universidad de los An-
des in Bogotá, Colombia, and director
of the research center Centro para la
Optimización y Probabilidad Aplicada
(COPA – Center for Applied Optimi-
zation and Probability). He earned his
doctorate in operations research from
North Carolina State University.
Prior to his academic career, Meda-
glia worked as an optimization special-
ist for SAS in Cary, North Carolina.
He joined the IE faculty at Universi-
dad de los Andes in 2002 and served as
department chair from 2014 to 2017.
His current research includes develop-
ing optimization techniques for trans-
portation and logistics, healthy and
sustainable cities, agricultural systems
and engineering design. He earned the
INFORMS/TSL President’s Service
Award in 2017 among his many prizes
and awards. An avid road cyclist, he
has won bronze, silver and gold medals
in the Colombian individual time trial
championships.
The Tuesday, June 2, speaker is Jim
Jim Tompkins
Tompkins, Ph.D., chairman, CEO
and founder of Tompkins Interna-
tional & MonarchFx. Tompkins is an
international authority on designing
and implementing end-to-end supply
chains. At Tompkins International, his
focus in recent years has been in digi-
tal commerce, unichannel and sup-
ply chain reinvention. He coined the
phrase “sell anywhere,” the strategy of
selling through a wide range of online
and offl ine channels.
Tompkins earned the IISE Frank
and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engi-
neering Award in 2015 recognizing
his contributions to the welfare of
humanity in industrial engineering.
He has served as president of IISE,
the Materials Management Society
and the College-Industry Council on
Material Handling Education and has
been named a Distinguished Engi-
neering Alum by Purdue University.
He has written or contributed to more
than 30 books.
Tompkins also writes a regular col-
umn for ISE magazine; see his January
offering on Page 22.
HSPI workshops offer an informative jump-start
Four sessions scheduled for Feb. 26 at healthcare conference in Savannah

If you plan to attend the Healthcare Systems Process Improve-

Photo courtesy of VisitSavannah.com

ment Conference 2020 on Feb. 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency
Savannah in Savannah, Georgia, you can get an early start
on the learning experience with a full day of pre-conference
workshops Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Registration is underway, with fee savings of $100 for pro-
fessional members and $60 for students before Feb. 18. Those
signing up for the pre-conference workshops can save $30 off
on-site costs. Visit https://link.iise.org/HSPI2020_Register for
details and to register.
Scenic River Street along the Savannah River features
Two workshops are scheduled for 8 a.m.-noon Feb. 26:
restaurants, bars and shops, one of the many attractions available
“How to Create an Effective Curriculum to Train Accultur-
to attendees of the Healthcare Systems Process Improvement
ated Staff within your Health Organization,” presented by Conference 2020 on Feb. 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency Savannah.
Grisselle Centeno of Florida Polytechnic University and Jana
Iezzi of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare; and “Achieving a VA Sunshine Healthcare Network (VISN 8), or “How to De-
Breakthrough in the Quality, Safety, Access and Affordability sign a Stress-Free Workplace” with Davana Pilczuk of Cintas.
of Care” with Alex Knight, Founding Partner of QFI. The conference offers presentations, speakers, exhibits and
From 1-5 p.m., workshop attendees can sit in on “Engaging tours for healthcare professionals from around the world gath-
and Teaching Improvement Concepts to Staff through Inter- ering to share ideas and make connections. For full program
active, Hands-On Simulations” with Ashley J. Benedict of the details, visit www.iise.org/HSPI.

Save on early signups for AEC before Jan. 13

Annual ergonomics conference set for March 16-19 in Louisville

The speaker and presenters are gathering at the starting gate for
the Applied Ergonomics Conference 2020 set for March 16-19
at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville,
Kentucky.
Early-bird registration is underway through Jan. 13, with sav-
ings of $200 for members and $100 for nonmembers on the stan-
dard fees from Jan. 14 to March 6. On-site signups after March
6 are an additional $200. Students registering early can save $20.
Early registrants can also save $100 on half-day pre-conference
workshops and $10 on facility tours.
The conference gathers ergonomic innovators from around
the world to share their ideas and best practices with their peers in
the healthcare, human factors, government, manufacturing and
safety and energy industries. It includes workshops, presentations,
speakers and roundtable discussions.
For full program details, visit www.iise.org/AEC.
Dates & deadlines to remember
• IISE/Rockwell Undergraduate Student Simulation
Competition, entry deadline Jan. 6; www.iise.org/
ArenaCompetition
• IISE Cup nominations, nominations due Jan. 10; https://
link.iise.org/IISECup
• IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2020, New Orleans,
find deadlines to submit papers at www.iise.org/Annual
• IISE elections through Jan. 22
• Society and Division awards; www.iise.org/SDAwards
• Artificial Intelligence: Impact on Industrial
and Systems Engineering, March 31, Atlanta,
www.iise.org/AI

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 57

The institute
Regional conferences bring IISE students together
Chapters around the world to gather for fellowship, sharing of ideas
Each year, students from IISE university chapters gather at regional conferences to share ideas and project goals and make impor-
tant connections for the next step in their careers.
The schedule for this year’s events is set and listed below, along with contact information for the organizers. You can find email
connections for each by visiting the conference page at https://link.iise.org/2020regionalconferences.
Canada – Jan. 23-26
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. CONTACTS:
Parastou Hadizadeh, Nayana Singh, Student Conference Co-
chairs; Daniel Frances, Faculty Conference Chair
Central & South America – March 10-13
Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador. CON-
TACTS: Sophia Nieto, Saskya Vega, Claudia Betancourt, Juan
Escalante, Alejandro Rodriguez, Esteban Burbano, Student
Conference Co-chairs; Danny Navarrete, Faculty Conference
Chair
Mexico – March 17-20
Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad Madero, Madero. CON-
TACTS: Ethelia Perez Aldana, Alejandro Henry Cruz, Stu-
dent Conference Co-chairs; Jesus Esquivel, Faculty Confer-
ence Chair
Middle East – Feb. 15
University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. CONTACT: Omar
Hamad, Shahed Albess, Leen Juha, Nicola Dier, Razan Dar-
wish, Student Conference Co-chairs; Belal Gharaibeh, Faculty
Conference Chair
U.S. Great Lakes – Feb. 21-22
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. CON-
TACTS: Morgan Kronner, Anna Ryan, Student Conference
Co-chairs; Dana Hammond, Lee Wells, Faculty Conference
Co-chairs
58 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
U.S. Mid-Atlantic – Feb. 7-9
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. CONTACTS: Elianna
Gerb, Student Conference Chair; Eileen Van Aken, Faculty
Conference Chair
U.S. North Central – April 2-3
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. CONTACTS: Anna
Tuecke, Kasey Sutton, Thomas Lechtenberg, Student Confer-
ence Co-chairs; Matt Frank, Faculty Conference Chair
U.S. Northeast – Feb. 28-March 1
Penn State Behrend, Erie, Pennsylvania. CONTACTS: Aaron
Slavin, Safinaz Elhadary, Student Conference Co-chairs; Faisal
Aqlan, Faculty Conference Chair
U.S. South Central – March 6-7
Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas. CONTACTS:
Thomas Wenzel, Student Conference Chair; Thu Mai, Stu-
dent Chapter President; Bayram Yildirim, Faculty Conference
Chair
U.S. Southeast – Feb. 13-16
Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. CONTACTS: Mitch-
ell Moore, Dalton McCardle, Student Conference Co-chairs
U.S. Western – Feb. 28-March 1
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
CONTACTS: Joe Lappin, Student Conference Chair; Cesar
Acosta-Mejia, Faculty Conference Chair
 Your Way to $1,000

Video contest promotes profession to savvy students

Sponsored by Tompkins International

Be this year’s winner of the $1,000 prize for the most inspiring Industry Advisory Board
(IAB) YouTube video that will encourage high school students to seek ISE as their
profession. The award will be given at the student mixer at the IISE Annual Conference &
Expo, May 30 – June 2, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Deadline: Submit your video by Feb. 15, 2020.

Send the URL address to your “YouTube” video and a link for the AVI/MP4 file download
or two DVD copies in AVI or MP4 format to IISE Headquarters, ATTN: Donna Calvert,
COO, 3577 Parkway Lane, Suite 200, Norcross, GA 30092.

The email address is IAB_You-TubeVideo@iise.org.

Contest details at https://link.iise.org/YouTubeContest

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 59

The institute

Find a mentor or be one on IISE Connect

Mentor Match can link experienced pros with ISEs seeking advice

January is National Mentoring Month, a time to celebrate
those whose advice and instruction have made a difference as
we navigate our career journeys.
Those who might still be seeking such guidance or those
with experience to offer the next generation have a new way
to connect with IISE’s Mentor Match program on Connect. It
offers a simple online tool to bring together both parties for a
digital mentorship.
The signup tool is available at https://connect.iise.org/partici-
pate/mentoring. Participants should first update their Connect
profile, then enroll as a mentor or mentee. From there, select
the right match based on a variety of factors including business
classification, primary job function, community type or certi-
fications. Also available for selection: preferred demographics
such as topics, venue, specialties, career stage and start/end date.
Mentors and mentees will be provided links to profile pages
of possible matches and can request a connection. Once the
right match is found, participants will be able to use handy tools
to track their mentoring relationships, participate in discussion
forums on mentoring topics and search for helpful mentoring
resources. Note that Mentor Match is not meant as an employ-
ment platform, merely for building mentoring relationships.
You can read a “What’s Your Story?” profile of mentor Steve
Snelling on Page 66.

Video stars, submit your work for IAB’s YouTube prize

Deadline for entries is Feb. 15 in annual student competition

There’s still time to show off your video skills and enter
the annual IISE Industry Advisory Board (IAB) YouTube
Video Contest sponsored by Tompkins International.
The deadline for entries is Feb. 15. Winners will be an-
nounced at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2020 May
3577 Parkway Lane, Suite 200, Norcross, GA 30092; email,
IAB_You-TubeVideo@iienet.org.
You can learn more and view winning entries from past
years at https://link.iise.org/YouTubeContest.

Photo by David Brandt | IISE

30-June 2 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans.
The theme of the videos is to promote the industrial and
systems engineering profession to high school students,
teachers and counselors. Each streaming video should be
3-6 minutes long and published to YouTube in a manner
that complies with fair use of copyrighted materials guide-
lines, presented in English or with English subtitles. There
can be only one entry per university campus.
Producers of the winning video will earn $1,000, with
prizes to the top three overall. The awards will be presented
during the student mixer at Annual Conference. Entries
will be judged by an IISE-IAB panel and winners notified
by April 24. All rights for the winning entry will be owned
by IISE.
To enter, send the YouTube website address to view the University of Arkansas students Nathan Hemby (left) and Olivia
video and a link for the AVI/ MP4 fi le download or two Ohlstein accept their first-place award in the IISE Industry
DVD copies in AVI or MP3/4 format by mail to IISE head- Advisory Board YouTube Video Contest, sponsored by Tompkins
quarters and postmarked by the contest deadline. Entries International, at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2019 in
Orlando.
should be submitted to IISE, Attn: Donna Calvert, COO,

60 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

IISE SOCIETY AND DIVISION
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
25+ Awards Available
Be recognized for your outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the industrial and
systems engineering field. Apply for an IISE society or division award!

INDUSTRY AWARDS
 Energy Systems (ES) Outstanding Young Investigator Award
 Engineering Economy (EE) Industry Practitioner Award
 Engineering Economy (EE) Wellington Award
 Logistics & Supply Chain (LSC) Outstanding Industry Practitioner Award
 Manufacturing & Design (M&D) Outstanding Service Award
 Manufacturing & Design (M&D) Outstanding Young Investigator Award
 Operational Excellence (Opex) Best Practice Competition
 Quality Control & Reliability Engineering (QCRE) Golomski Award
 Sustainable Development (SD) Excellence in Sustainable Development Award

TEACHING AWARDS
 Engineering Economy (EE) Teaching Award
 Logistics & Supply Chain (LSC) Teaching Award
 Modeling & Simulation (M&S) Teaching Award
 Operational Excellence (Opex) Teaching Award
 Operations Research (OR) Teaching Award
 Sustainable Development (SD) Teaching Award

STUDENT COMPETITIONS
 Construction Best Student Paper Competition
 Data Analytics & Information Systems (DAIS) Best Student Paper Competition
 Data Analytics & Information Systems (DAIS) Mobile App Competition
 Energy Systems (ES) Best Student Paper Competition
 Engineering Economy (EE) Best Student Paper Competition
 Logistics & Supply Chain (LSC) Best Student Paper Competition
 Logistics & Supply Chain (LSC) Student Case Competition
 Manufacturing & Design (M&D) Best Student Paper Competition
 Modeling & Simulation (M&S) Best Student Paper Competition
 Operational Excellence (Opex) Best Student Paper Competition
 Operations Research (OR) Undergraduate Student Research Dissemination Competition
 Quality Control & Reliability Engineering (QCRE) Best Student Paper Competition
 Society for Engineering & Management Systems (SEMS) Best Student Paper Competition
 Sustainable Development (SD) Best Student Paper Competition

Learn more!
www.iise.org/SDAwards

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 61

The institute

kudos. Celebrate member achievements.

David B. Reid has been
promoted to senior princi-
pal team leader, restaurant
experience, at Chick-fil-A
Corporate in Atlanta. He
was a keynote speaker at the
Engineering Lean and Six
Sigma conference last fall in
Houston.
Daniel C. Rubenstein has
been named an associate
in the Global Food Contact
Materials Practice at Steptoe
& Johnson LLP, an interna-
tional law firm headquartered
in Washington. He will advise
clients regarding strategic
regulatory compliance and
internal auditing strategies
for food packaging materials
and food ingredients across
the globe.
Jane Snowdon, Ph.D.,
received the 2019 Achieve-
ment in Industry Award from
the American Public Health
Association’s Applied Public
Health Statistics Section for
outstanding contributions to
statistics and public health.
She is an associate chief
health officer in the Center
for Artificial Intelligence, Re-
search and Evaluation at IBM
Watson Health.
Louis Freund, Ph.D., was
chosen a Fellow by the Inter-
national Society of Service
Innovation Professionals. He
is a professor emeritus at San
Jose State University, an IISE
Fellow and a former regional
and technical vice president.
Pascal Van Hentenryck
has assumed the role of as-
sociate chair for innovation
and entrepreneurship at Geor-
gia Tech’s H. Milton Stewart
School of Industrial & Systems
Engineering. He will lead the
development of “blue sky”
initiatives, foster and nurture
a culture of innovation and
entrepreneurship, facilitate
translational research and build
strategic partnerships.

SHARE YOUR ACHIEVEMENT

Let your peers know about hirings, promotions, awards, appointments and other notable accomplishments.
Send Kudos items to Keith Albertson at kalbertson@iise.org.

New role, fresh faces on IISE staff

Changes involve membership, meetings, marketing and advertising

IISE has made a few staff

changes and additions aimed
at serving its members and
customers better.
Brian Charles has moved
from customer service rep-
resentative to a new role as
conference meeting plan-
ner. A native of Cumming, Brian Charles Amy Straub Frank Reddy Trent Sexton
Georgia, he recently re-
ceived his certificate in Event and Meeting Management inform members about learning opportunities and mem-
from the University of Georgia’s Center for Continuing bership benefits through promotional campaigns. He is a
Education. You can contact him at (770) 449-0461, ext. 101; Gainesville, Georgia, native, a journalist and published au-
bcharles@iise.org. thor. Contact him at (770) 449-0461, ext. 120; freddy@
Amy Straub steps into Charles’ role as new customer ser- iise.org.
vice manager. She is an Atlanta native who has worked in Also new on board is Trent Sexton as director of ad-
the for-profit and nonprofit sectors and is experienced in vertising and multimedia sponsorship sales. He previously
maintaining database records, customer service manage- worked in sales at The Times newspaper in Gainesville,
ment and event coordination. Contact her at (770) 449- Georgia, where he is a native. Contact him for advertising
0461, ext. 102; email at cs@iise.org. inquiries or an IISE media kit at (770) 449-0461, ext. 100;
Joining the staff in a new role is Frank Reddy as mar- tsexton@iise.org.
keting and communications coordinator working with For a full list of IISE staff contacts, visit www.iise.org/
marketing and sales manager Michael Hughes to serve and contact.

62 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine

Revisit highlights from 2019 in Best of ISE
Online edition features last year’s top stories on a wide array of topics

If you missed some of the best stories in ISE magazine last
year, our annual Best of ISE 2019 collection is a good way to
start 2020.
The online volume includes some of our favorite stories
from 2019 featuring a wide variety of topics, ideas and in-
novation: process improvement efforts at Chick-fil-A; engi-
neering lessons from the Apollo 11 moon mission 50 years
later; a Georgia port’s expansion ef-
forts with help from Georgia Tech
expertise; IE problem-solving at a
mission school in Haiti; a lean lay-
out to boost hospital efficiency; and
new supply chain options opening in Arctic Sea shipping.
Read the Best of ISE 2019, at http://link.iise.org/getbestof2019.

CHAPTER Faces and places of IISE

CHECK-INS Touching base with members, events and milestones

The Universidad Autónoma de

Bucaramanga chapter in Colombia,
chartered in June 2019, organized a
conference that featured Massachusetts
Institute of Technology research
scientist Josué C. Velázquez Martínez,
Ph.D., speaking on sustainable
logistics. In October, chapter members
held a workshop for local business
owners about the MIT Project Genesys,
led by Martínez, aimed at helping small
businesses improve their operations
and supply chain management.

IISE President Jamie Rogers recently visited third-graders on Career Day to

talk about engineering in a class taught by her niece, Katie Tedder McGrath in
Chesterfield County, Virginia. “I’m working on getting one IISE member at time, no
matter how young, ha, ha!” wrote Rogers, a professor of industrial engineering at
The American University of Sharjah
the University of Texas Arlington.
chapter in the United Arab Emirates
Any members who share the benefits of being an ISE at schools, community recently visited SAP Middle East FZ,
and civic groups can let us know by sending their photos and experiences to the world’s third largest independent
kalbertson@iise.org. software manufacturer.

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 63

The institute
TRAINING
TIME
Six Sigma Black Belt
Feb. 25-28, March 23-27, April
20-24, Los Angeles
Learn the advanced problem-
solving skills you need to
implement the principles,
practices and techniques of Six
Sigma to maximize performance
and cost reductions in your
organization. During this
three-week practitioner
course, you will learn how to
measure a process, analyze
the results, develop process
improvements and quantify the
resulting savings. You will be
required to complete a project
demonstrating mastery of
appropriate analytical methods
and pass an examination to
earn IISE’s Six Sigma Black Belt
Certificate.
Methods-Time
Measurement
Jan. 27-Feb. 7,
Norcross, Georgia
Six Sigma Green Belt
for Process Improvement
Feb 4-6, Los Angeles
Lean Scrum
Feb. 10-11, March 17-19,
Norcross, Georgia
Six Sigma Black Belt
and Six Sigma Black Belt
for Healthcare
March 2-6, March 30-April 3,
May 4-8, Norcross, Georgia
Lean Green Belt and Lean
Green Belt for Healthcare
March 16-18, Norcross, Georgia
Introduction to
Engineering Analytics
March 23-24, Norcross, Georgia
Complete training schedules
www.iise.org/TrainingCenter
www.iise.org/webinars
64 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
IISE Kansas chapters
attended the first
ever Kansas Pop-up
Conference at Flint
Hills Technical
College in Emporia,
Kansas. The
conference included
a tour of Hill’s
Pet Nutrition and
Simmons Pet Food
(pictured) for an
overview of their
operations.
The Louisville chapters of
IISE and ASQ held a joint
meeting in September
at the Cardinal Hall of
Fame Café in Louisville,
Kentucky. The speaker
was Kerry Wang,
Intelligent Automation
Center of Excellence
Leader for Humana, who
spoke on robotics process
automation, intelligent
automation, machine
learning and artificial
intelligence.
IISE member Ashley Chen (second from
left) teamed with fellow University of
Tennessee Student Frank Gao to earn
first place in the Fall 2019 Vol Court
Pitch Competition for their mobile food
ordering app. Chen, from Los Angeles,
California, is an industrial engineering
major and entrepreneurship minor
at the Tickle College of Engineering.
Their YouEat mobile application allows users to interface during the ordering process, adding
to open orders to combine delivery or order pickup. “We are reaching out to restaurants,
creating a marketing plan, and hope to gain support in the coding realm,” Chen said. Their
prize includes $1,500 from Red Stag Fulfillment, office space in the UT Research Foundation
Business Incubator, consulting services courtesy of PYA, legal advice from Morehous Legal
Group, design services from Innovative Design Inc., and web design services from Make Me
Modern. The semiannual competition was hosted by the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship
and Innovation in UT’s Haslam College of Business. Also pictured are second-place finisher
Andrew Swafford (far left) and third-place finisher Joshua Cook (at right).
 VIRGINIA TECH VIRGINIA TECH

Faculty Position in the Grado Department of
Industrial and Systems Engineering
COLLEGIATE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
The Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
(ISE) at Virginia Tech is seeking outstanding candidates
committed to undergraduate teaching. This position is for a
non-tenure track collegiate faculty at the assistant professor level,
effective August 2020. This position is an academic year (AY)
position, with opportunity for summer compensation.
Faculty Position in the Grado Department of
Industrial and Systems Engineering
ASSISTANT/ASSOCIATE/FULL PROFESSOR
OF PRACTICE, SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
The Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) at
Virginia Tech invites applications for a non-tenure-track Professor of
Practice position at any rank in Systems Engineering (SE), effective
August 2020. This is an academic year (AY) position, with opportunity
for summer compensation.

We are seeking candidates with a broad teaching interest and
strong pedagogical methods to support our growing student
population. Current areas of interest include data management
(databases), discrete-event simulation, probability theory,
engineering economy, and facility planning and design. The
position requires a Ph.D. degree, with at least one degree in
industrial and systems engineering or a closely related field. For
additional preferred qualifications, please view the full posting at
http://careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us/job/511802/
collegiate-assistant-professor-ay.
Applications must be submitted online at jobs.vt.edu (posting
number 511802). Review of applications will begin on January
15, 2020. For more information, please contact the Search
Committee Chair, Dr. Natalie Cherbaka, at cherbaka@vt.edu.
Individuals with a disability who desire accommodation please
contact the search chair.
Candidates are expected to provide leadership for SE graduate program
operations; create company partnerships for SE graduate education;
teach SE graduate (and possibly undergraduate) courses in traditional
and online modes as well as at sponsor locations; recruit adjunct faculty;
and represent Virginia Tech within INCOSE and SERC.
The position requires a Master’s degree in SE, industrial engineering,
or related field and requires expertise in one or more SE technical
areas. Successful candidates should demonstrate the ability to
engage and communicate with multiple stakeholders. For additional
preferred qualifications, please view the full posting at http://careers.
pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us/job/511803/assistantassociatefull-
professor-of-practice.
Interested individuals should apply online at jobs.vt.edu (posting number
511803). Review of applications will begin on January 15, 2020. For
more information, please contact the Search Committee Chair, Dr.
Alejandro Salado (asalado@vt.edu). Individuals with a disability who
desire accommodation should contact the Search Committee Chair.

Recruit the Industry’s Most Trent Sexton

Director of Advertising and

Dedicated Professionals with IISE Multimedia Sponsorship

tsexton@iise.org

Find the perfect fit!

770.449.0461, ext. 100

If you want to attract the world’s top professionals, why not partner with the global
association of productivity and efficiency professionals?

Partner with IISE to create awareness and boost your visibility among thousands of
industrial and systems engineering professionals.

IISE attracts professionals from various fields with a common interest in solving
complex systems challenges. Our network is committed to improving their industry
and advancing their career by seeking news, training and knowledge to improve skills
and stay current on important trends and developments.

Start reaching the right audience.

Contact Trent Sexton at tsexton@iise.org, 770.449.0461, ext. 100

January 2020 | ISE Magazine 65

 What’s
Your
Story?
with Steve Snelling
Steve Snelling is a retired industrial engineer-
special projects manager, formerly with the
Boeing Co. His 40 years of project management
experience includes 23 years of process
improvement projects and internal consulting
work at Boeing; 12 years of management
consulting work with Ernst & Young and A.T.
Kearney; and five years of area industrial
engineering work with Reynolds Aluminum Co.
He is an IISE Fellow, a member of the Industry
Advisory Board (IAB), and past president of
the Seattle IISE Chapter. He has a bachelor’s
degree in industrial engineering from Virginia
Tech, and will be inducted into the Academy of
Distinguished Alumni for the Grado Department
of Industrial and Systems Engineering in the fall.
There are about 100 members of the Academy,
representing about 1.3% of Grado’s living
alumni. He has been involved as a mentor to
students and young professionals for more
than 30 years and has volunteered to serve
as a mentor in IISE Connect’s new Mentor
Match program; learn more at connect.iise.org/
participate/mentoring.
66 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine
Why did you choose
industrial engineering
as a profession?
In high school, I enjoyed math
and science and I showed early
traits of engineering skills.
My father was a mechanical
engineer and knew several
industrial engineers at his
company. He encouraged me to
meet his co-workers and then
took me out to Virginia Tech
to an engineering orientation
that involved visiting several Steve Snelling recently received the inaugural
engineering departments. I felt Distinguished Friend Award from the University of
a real kinship with the people Washington’s Industrial & Systems Engineering
I met in the IE department department, presented by Chair Linda Boyle.
(including the department Snelling has been involved with the department
chair). and its IISE student chapter since 1989.
What does it take to be an effective, inspiring mentor?
Focus on the individual and their current needs and questions. Help them broaden
their vision of what they really want to do and help them prepare for their job
search and job interviews. Show some examples of the type of work you have done
during your career, so they can make the connection to real IE work.
Why is mentoring worth an ISE’s time and energy?
It is a focused way of helping an individual, one-on-one. It is a great way to pass on
any lessons learned, in a very concise way, thus ultimately helping the profession.
Most mentors were also mentored during their career, so it is a great way to “pay
it forward.”
Can you give an example of how your ‘coaching’
helped shape an ISE’s career path?
I have helped several ISE students do research and prepare for job interviews
with companies that matched their interests and skills. I’ve worked with some
former industrial engineers who had been away from work, raising families (and
home schooling their children) for up to 20 years. With some focused coaching
and mentoring, I was able to get them back into the workforce as an industrial
engineer.
Where do you see the profession headed in 2020 and beyond?
Probably much of the same initially, with continued growth in all areas including
manufacturing, healthcare, distribution and service industries. An increase in au-
tomation and robotics may present some real challenges to the types of industrial
engineering work several years from now, which may focus more on systems con-
sulting. I have been watching new interest in worldwide services in poor nations
(like with Red Cross International); also, sustainability for dealing with weather
disasters (like with FEMA). Additional collaboration with other engineering fields
may become more common, as small teams work on global problems with special
international groups, like Engineers Without Borders (EWB).
– Interview by Frank Reddy
 ISO 13053 ISO 1
Compliant Comp
All Six Sigma classes are IISE is an IACET
compliant with ISO 13053. Authorized Provider.

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IISE Director of Training

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January 2020 | ISE Magazine 67
68 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine