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Fall 2020
BuckISE
News from The Department of Integrated Systems Engineering at The Ohio State University
ise.osu.edu
ISE Committed to Making
Black Lives Matter
May 25, 2020 will ultimately go down in history as one
of the transformational moments in the Civil Rights
movement in the U.S. That was the day George Floyd
was killed in Minneapolis, reigniting the Black Lives
Matter movement. Amid protests across the country and
in Columbus, including on The Ohio State University
campus, ISE Department Chair Farhang Pourboghrat
knew he needed to address the students, faculty, staff
and alumni.
In a letter to the ISE community, posted on the
Department’s website, Dr. Pourboghrat wrote, “It is our
responsibility to not remain silent about the experiences
of people of color regarding racial profiling, police
brutality, discrimination in the workplace, continued
segregation in schools, lack of access to housing
and so on. Black Lives Matter, and yet we continue
to witness these injustices and atrocities committed continue to seek collaboration from Ohio State’s Office
against the Black community. For our nation to continue of Diversity and Inclusion [see “EmPOWERment story on
to be prosperous, all its citizens, regardless of race, page 7].
creed and gender must be treated with fairness and Associate Professor Yannis Korkolis has had great
equality. And for that to happen, we all need to be a part success in recruiting underrepresented minorities for
of the solution. his research, including his 10 years at the University
“In the coming weeks, I will be empowering ISE faculty, of New Hampshire prior to his arrival at Ohio State in
staff and students to participate in a conversation to January 2019. He said he has found many advantages.
identify and carry out improvements that will make a For National Science Foundation grants, there have
tangible change to the culture of ISE and make the been policies that allow utilizing two undergraduate
Department a better learning environment and resource students, rather than one, to help with research if they
for all students.” are underrepresented minorities. That’s not to say he
doesn’t select those that are best suited for the job.
He noted that the Department is committed to
pursuing Capstones supporting Black Lives Matter “Underrepresented minorities, in many cases, they also
initiatives, “especially if they involve data analytics, tend to be better performers because – to get here –
support of Black-owned businesses and the Columbus they had to overcome challenges unique to their status,
African American Chamber of Commerce.” An or are trying to show to themselves or others around
Inequitable Systems module also is being added to the them what they are capable of.”
Department’s Human Systems course. Associate Professor Ted Allen expects to have three
Work has already begun on efforts for a more equitable articles published related to improving poll access in
system within the Department and many ISE programs Continued on page 4
ADDRESSING THE COVID CRISIS - PAGES 2-3
ADDRESSING COVID-19
ISE Steps up to Meet Demand for PPE
COVIDCommons is One-Stop When crises hit, everyone turns to engineers for
solutions. That was certainly the case this summer
Source for Pandemic Data
when the coronavirus pandemic created a shortage of
personal protective equipment (PPE). Medical facilities
around the world were impacted and in Columbus, the
ISE Assistant Professor Michael Rayo Ohio State Wexner Medical Center
is lending his expertise to a data contacted the Ohio State Departments
collection project in conjunction with of Integrated Systems Engineering
Governor Mike DeWine’s Office, the and Mechanical and Aerospace
Ohio State College of Public Health Engineering (MAE) for help. ISE
and the Ohio Department of Health Professor Jose Castro and MAE
to better advise public agencies Professor Vish Subramaniam, who
regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Rayo were leading a College of Engineering Castro
Franklin County Public Health; Columbus Public Health team providing support to the medical
COVIDCommons is a data-sharing and the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. center, began collaborating when presented with the
resource seeking to compile information on the global Environmental Health Sciences Assistant Professor challenge.
pandemic in one location. The information will be Ayaz Hyder is serving as the principal investigator
publicly available to aid decision-makers in determining Initially, a molded visor was produced using MAE’s Above: Injection Molding Lab in
for the project, which includes additional faculty 3D printers, but it was quickly discovered that the Baker Systems.
the best courses of action. and consultants from the College of Engineering, production rate would need to be ramped up beyond
Housed at Ohio State’s Translational Data Analytics Department of Geography, College of Medicine, the 3D printers’ capabilities. MAE Shop Supervisor Left: Ohio State graduate
Institute, other participating partners include the Ohio John Glenn College of Public Affairs, Department of student Dan Zhang models the
Chad Bivens designed and machined an aluminum protective gear produced by
Department of Education; Ohio Department of Jobs and Statistics, Mathematical Biosciences Institute and Ohio mold to produce the visors in the Injection Molding Lab ISE staff.
Family Services; Ohio Department of Transportation; Supercomputer Center. in Baker Systems. Professor Castro, ISE Instructional
Technology Specialist Matt Mulyana, ISE Machine/ new processes and
Manufacturing Lab Supervisor Joshua Hassenzahl, ISE materials. “However, we
Research Engineer William Tullos and ISE graduate can very easily step up
Department Responds to Instructional Needs
student Dan Zhang began mass producing the visors. to mass production,” said
“We started with preliminary studies and molding in Dr. Castro, who brought a
early April and finished the molding the first week of wealth of experience to the
June,” Dr. Mulyana said. “We made roughly 10,000 project, having worked in
As with other colleges and universities around the teach in whichever modality, I know that faculty all are molded headbands.” industry for more than 15 years. “Also, our Department
world, the COVID-19 global pandemic has affected trying to make the best decisions for their students and is well-equipped to step up as needed as we have
everyday life in the Integrated Systems Engineering themselves (and their families). The faculty are engaged Production stopped after the need was met, but Dr. capable people like Matt, Josh and Bill who have
Department, especially when it comes to teaching and in thinking a lot about how best to teach within the Castro said, “We agree to remain ready with mold experience in manufacturing.”
learning. Department leaders spent constraints of the day. materials and equipment to be able to go back to mass
production as needed. We can also mass produce Once produced, the headbands are attached to clear
the summer determining “I know that the faculty would much prefer to face shields manually. Volunteers from the ISE staff –
best practices for autumn other parts, if needed, but this is not our main purpose.
teach in person, just as students would much Our main purpose is to develop new technology. As PR Coordinator and Chair’s Assistant Jennifer Morris
semester based on prefer to learn in person. But that is not the and Fiscal Associate Ann Martyniak – stepped in to
continually evolving an example, Matt Mulyana – during his PhD thesis –
world we are living in right now. Regardless, developed a new process that can decrease the cycle help with the assembly.
information on the virus and we still want our students to have great
community spread. As a time for injection molding by 50 percent.” “In the past, we have done much smaller scale of mass
learning experiences in our course, and as production parts, usually a few days or a few weeks
result, a hybrid model of such, faculty have been busy planning for At peak production, the lab was able to produce 80 of
Sommerich online and in-person the visors in an hour. “So, starting in the middle of April of production, but never at this scale,” Dr. Mulyana
fall instruction.” noted. “We are very proud of this achievement as a
instruction is being to early June, we made about 550 to 600 parts per
conducted. Sommerich credits Ohio State’s day,” Dr. Mulyana said. Department. We were able to work together, contribute
Engineering Technology Services our expertise in different backgrounds, solve issues
“Some courses will be fully online, with being extremely responsive In addition to the Wexner Medical Center, the visors and offer solutions to this project within very short time
some will use a mixed-delivery and in providing essential computer were distributed to the Ohio State College of Dentistry constraints with a lot of unknowns, especially in the
a few will be fully in-person,” said support, including with online with the bulk of the batches going to the Columbus beginning. We realized this is just a small contribution
Carolyn Sommerich, ISE Associate meetings and software to better Public Health Department. to the overall fight against the virus, but we hope our
Professor. “In making the choice to facilitate instruction models. contribution can help people who are in high-risk
Mass production is not the typical function of the lab;
its main function is to educate students and develop environments to be a little safer.”
2 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 3
From the Chair: Heeding the Call in Unprecedented Times ALUMNI NEWS
Farhang Pourboghrat
Professor and Department Chair
its research and teaching in the areas of sustainability,
Lean Six Sigma, cybersecurity, energy sustainability,
ISE Alum Rahimian Recognized in
Pristker Awards, Joins Clemson Faculty
It would be an understatement networks, wireless systems, machine learning and
to say that 2020 has been truly artificial intelligence.
an unprecedented year for the Our graduate and undergraduate students have also
entire world due to the devastating been actively pursuing their research interests and Hamed Rahimian, ISE PhD ’18, joined the faculty
impacts of the COVID-19. Our winning national awards and recognition for their of the Department of Industrial Engineering at
nation was further impacted by work. Our PhD graduates have been historically Clemson University this fall. Dr. Rahimian was the
the death of Mr. George Floyd that recruited for their research capabilities by both U.S. recipient of the prestigious Presidential Fellowship
highlighted the ongoing racism and the inequality that and international universities. Most recently, Dr. Hamed in 2016 and the runner-up in the 2017 INFORMS
is pervasive in our institutions. The ISE Department Rahimian (ISE PhD ’18) has joined the Department Computing Society Best Student Paper Award while
was not spared from the impacts of the COVID-19 of Industrial Engineering at Clemson University. a graduate student at The Ohio State University.
pandemic, which caused a major change in the You can find in this newsletter the list of other ISE Additionally, his dissertation, “Risk-Averse and
delivery of our courses, the shut-down of our labs and PhD graduates who took an academic job in the Distributionally Robust Optimization: Methodology
a reduction in the budget, to name a few. However, past five years. Despite the pandemic isolation, the and Applications,” written under the supervision
despite the malaise, the resiliency and the cooperative undergraduate ISE’s professional organizations (IISE, of ISE Professor Güzin Bayraksan, received 2nd
nature of our faculty, staff and students have helped us NSBE, SHPE , SWE, IRIS and BDAA) continued their place in the 2019 Pristker Doctoral Dissertation
to not only survive the pandemic but also assist in the activities by organizing virtual meetings and providing Award, given by the Institute of Industrial and
fabrication of crucial personal protective equipment members with opportunities to hear great speakers, Systems Engineers. The award recognizes
(PPE) for the health care communities that most needed and to advance their industrial engineering knowledge outstanding doctoral dissertation research in
our help. You can read more about this story in this and connection to their peers. industrial engineering. Dr. Rahimian’s dissertation
newsletter. During this difficult time, the External Advisory Board makes significant contributions both to the theory
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and working remotely, (EAB) provided crucial leadership and support to the and practice of industrial and systems engineering,
the ISE faculty were very active in their research areas Department, students, faculty and staff. Without this identifying scenarios that are critical to a decision-
and their work has won them national recognition support, we would have had a difficult time responding making problem under risk and uncertainty. The
and awards. The faculty’s hard work also resulted in to many students’ calls for financial support due to dissertation applies its methodological results to
the establishment of new research labs such as the loss of jobs, internships, etc. The Board’s continuous solve real-world water resources management and
Artificially Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (AIMS) support and assistance to the Department is greatly healthcare problems, revealing managerial insights. Bayraksan Rahimian
Lab supported by industry and the Air Force Research appreciated. Finally, I would like to close by thanking Dr. Rahimian specializes in data-driven decision
Lab (AFRL) and the NSF-NRT EmPOWERment lab for the ISE alumni for your generosity in giving back to making under uncertainty, specifically developing new models, theory, tools
training future PhD students interested in energy- the Department. Your gifts make it possible for the ISE and algorithms for problems with broad societal impact. Methodologically, he
system modeling; data science; energy policy; Department to design and execute plans that provide develops stochastic programming, distributionally robust optimization and
business, legal and social-behavioral issues; and our students with the best educational program in the mixed-integer programming approaches to address large-scale problems
energy technologies. With the recent hiring of three nation. I look forward to hearing from you with any arising in the allocation of scarce resources in uncertain complex environments,
new faculty members, the department strengthened comments and suggestions. and usually subject to extreme events and disruptions.
Continued from cover
ISE By the Numbers...
the U.S. this year. In an article submitted to the Boston solution quality guarantees. “ Current students by program Graduate growth by decade
57 65
Globe, Dr. Allen presents an engineering perspective “In our expert witness work, 1500
to mail-in voting. “In our analyses of elections in Florida, we have found election results
Michigan and Ohio elections, we have found that lines that would likely have been 1200
often discriminate against Black people, making them changed to honor the intent
wait 30 minutes or more on average than others,” he PHD MASTER’S DEGREE
of voters if our program had STUDENTS 900
wrote. “A key part of this discrimination relates to long STUDENTS
been applied,” he said.
and variable ballot lengths and poor approaches for
302 166
allocating resources.” As Dr. Pourboghrat wrote, 600
“Industrial & Systems
Dr. Allen makes free software available, which “allows Engineering is all about 300
elections officials to predict waiting times (or line making things better. We can and will do that for our
lengths) and create optimal allocation strategies with ACCEPTED INTO PRE-MAJOR
Department.” THE MAJOR 0
1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
4 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 5
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Advisory Board Pivots to Address
Patrick Lynch is at ‘Home’ Challenges of 2020
Supporting Connections to ISE Fellow BuckISE:
This calendar year has been anything from ordinary and on behalf of
Director of Development Patrick Lynch may be a new face to the the entire ISE External Advisory Board please know we are thinking
ISE Department, but he is a familiar one to the Ohio State College of about all of you. My name is Bobby Smyth (BS ’12) and I have the
Engineering. Patrick’s role with ISE began earlier this year after having distinct pleasure of serving as the current chair of the advisory
joined the College of Engineering as Director of Strategic Engagement board. We have always tried to serve as a sounding board for
& Alumni Relations in 2015. Four years later, he took on the role of the Department to help guide and advise from our personal and
Senior Director of Strategic Engagement & Alumni Relations and professional perspectives.
will continue to oversee the annual fund program for the College of This year, our role has been more critical than ever to help ensure
Engineering while supporting major gift contributions to ISE. the Department, faculty, staff and students have the resources and
“I try to be the link and the connection back to the Department,” Patrick support needed to navigate these difficult and uncertain times. During
says. our spring board meeting we pivoted our agenda to focusing on
A Cleveland native, he received his undergraduate degree in the current needs of the Department as it navigated the coronavirus
Lynch
marketing from Miami (Ohio) University. While working at the Queens pandemic. We strategized on how to best support the students and
University of Charlotte (North Carolina) as Director of the McColl School help raise financial support for those in need.
Excellence Fund & Special Projects, he earned his master’s in business In the months since that meeting, our focus has continued to
administration. evolve. Through conversations with Department leadership, we
He also has experience in industry having worked are working to help ensure the Department is aligning its efforts to
as Operations Manager in the renewables and be an environment that is more safe, inclusive and supportive for
environment field for Cleveland-based Garick. students of color. We also are working hard to ensure our board
representation better reflects society and will continue to strive for
“It was an intentional transition for me to this the most diverse board possible.
role,” Patrick says of his new position with the ISE
Department. “This is the engineering discipline that As we look ahead to the end of 2020 and the start of 2021, we want
most mirrors my background. ISEs are all about the to ensure that the advisory board remains focused on supporting the
bigger picture and the complete process. I look Department not just now, but for the long term. We have set key priorities
forward to growing awareness about all the great for our board and organized five committees to
things we are doing in the Department.” ensure we help move the Department forward. Those
committees are: Benchmarking, Curriculum, Technical
Prior to travel restrictions being placed as a result Depth, Digital and Time Talent Treasure. These
of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick had been committees will overlay our key priorities and ensure
traveling the country to meet with alumni and he said consistency and continuity in our efforts to support
he looks forward to doing that again in the future. For the Department.
now, he is happy to host virtual visits with “anyone
and everyone to share ideas and thoughts.” I encourage any of you who would like to learn more
about the work of the board or our key focus areas to
After having lived in North Carolina at the start of his reach out to myself or Patrick Lynch. You can also learn
career, Patrick says he and his wife Kathleen are glad more about the board on our website: ise.osu.edu/
to be back home in Ohio and close to family. Kathleen about/external-advisory-board.
is a program director for Ohio State’s College of
Education & Human Ecology. The couple have two
children: 6-year-old son Pierson and 2-year-old Go BuckISE,
daughter Ada. To further his engineering experience, Bobby Smyth
Patrick says he is “getting really good at building ISE External Advisory Board Chair
Legos.”
If you would like to schedule a virtual visit with Patrick, his email If you would like more information on ISE, or would like to discuss other opportunities to assist
address is lynch.576@osu.edu and his phone number is 614-292-4081. the Department, please contact Patrick Lynch at lynch.576@osu.edu.
If you would like to make a gift to the ISE Department, follow this link: go.osu.edu/supportISE.
6 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 7
FACULTY NEWS
Multidisciplinary Research ‘EmPOWERs’
AIMS Lab Puts Artificial Intelligence to the Test NextGen Energy Leaders
ISE Associate Professor Michael Groeber is hoping Ohio State’s EmPOWERment research trainee program is Dr. Sioshansi emphasized the importance of finding a
to bridge the gap between academia and industry by opening new doors to harness the data revolution while diverse blend of trainees, including by gender, ethnicity
testing artificial intelligence in manufacturing systems. preparing graduate students for both academic and non- and disciplines. Co-Principal Investigator and CFAES
academic careers in sustainable energy systems. Professor Elena Irwin is working with the Ohio State
Last fall, Dr. Groeber opened the Artificially
Through a five-year, $3 million National Science Office of Diversity and Inclusion to encourage and
Intelligent Manufacturing (AIMS) Lab in Ohio
Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) grant, support participation of underrepresented minority
State’s Center for Design and Manufacturing
“Convergent Graduate Training and EmPOWERment for students enrolled in STEM graduate programs.
Excellence (CDME) in a ceremony, which
featured remarks by Lt. Governor Jon Husted, a Sustainable Energy Future” will provide PhD students “We want different ways of thinking and different
who heads the state’s InnovateOhio office. with the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary training educational backgrounds,” Dr. Sioshansi said. “The big
in energy-system modeling; data science; energy policy; difference with this program is that it’s very cross-cutting.
According to Dr. Groeber, “The AIMS Lab
business, legal and social-behavioral One stylized example is a mechanical or electrical
provides an industry-relevant venue to Groeber
Above, Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted speaks at the issues; and energy technologies. engineering student may know how to design a solution
develop and optimize novel, hybridized
opening of the AIMS Lab.
“We’re training students on how to but may be looking at it in isolation and not looking at
manufacturing processes; design and
Left, undergrad student Antonio Montanez develop policy and the regulatory the regulatory side of the problem.”
test custom sensors and controls; study
operating a robot in the AIMS Lab.
and advance human-robot interaction; framework for a more sustainable Through the interdisciplinary program, EmPOWERment
benchmark cognitive computing energy future,” said ISE Associate Chair will encourage students to examine a full spectrum
Dr. Groeber serves as the AIMS Lab
frameworks; and define security and ethics- and Professor Ramteen Sioshansi, of issues and not just their specialty. “They’ll have
Faculty Director, managing it along with
based protocols.” who serves as principal investigator. communications training and professional skills training,”
CDME Senior Lead Engineer for Student Sioshansi
“Basically, one of our goals is to Boghrat added. “It’s a skill-building opportunity and
With a number of industry sponsors Programs Walt Hansen. AIMS Lab
broaden and diversify a pool of a chance to build a professional
onboard, the center’s three floor-to-ceiling founding project sponsors include Atlas
Yaskawa robot arms will test industry needs Industrial Contractors, Crown Equipment,
students working in STEM fields.” Energy-system modeling network.”
in a university setting.
“The new lab fits into CDME’s core mission
Elite Manufacturing, Lincoln Electric,
Ohio Development Services Agency,
Dr. Sioshansi said the program
builds on what Ohio State’s DATA SCIENCE Currently, EmPOWERment is not a
stand-alone degree program, but
of working with industry partners in applied research
and supporting undergraduate student development
ProcessChamp, Proto Precision Additive, Schunk, U.S.
Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment
Discovery Themes and Institutes
are doing in the areas of energy policy Dr. Sioshansi said it may become an
interdisciplinary graduate program
BUSINESS
and Yaskawa. sustainability, material research at some point. It will be noted as a
during that research,” Dr. Groeber said. “The center
and translational data. He said graduate interdisciplinary specialization
helps industry partners work with university labs and Interested industry partners are encouraged to
the College of Engineering is on participants’ degrees.
equipment, in turn helping students become familiar contact Dr. Groeber at groeber.9@osu.edu for more
well-represented on the team Legal and social-behavioral issues In addition, Boghrat has been working
with their products.” information.
that also includes the College of
Arts & Sciences; Fisher College ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES with the Battelle Center to design
Sound of Alarm Lets Medical Personnel Identify Patients’ Need of Business; Education & Human
curricular and co-curricular components
as modular “packages,” some of which are available to
Ecology; Food, Agricultural & Environmental Sciences other interested graduate and undergraduate students
Patients and medical workers at The Ohio Dr. Rayo’s research looks at (CFAES); Moritz College of Law; and John Glenn College as standalone options.
State University Wexner Medical Center are distinguishing the sounds of the of Public Affairs.
Boghrat also has partnered with several external
seeing first-hand the benefits of ISE Assistant alarms enabling medical personnel Diane Boghrat is the administrative program coordinator organizations on energy, policy-making and regulatory
Professor Mike Rayo’s hospital alarm to identify the urgency and the for EmPOWERment. Before joining ISE, she served guidelines. “These partners helped identify skills
research. medical category as outlined in his as co-owner and CEO of Simuleer, an R&D company needed,” said Dr. Sioshansi.
Working under the Wexner Medical paper, “Using Timbre to Improve based in LA. She said EmPOWERment is designed for
Performance of Larger Auditory students’ own pace, with 19 credit hours of curriculum The program begins with a two-week onboarding
Center’s P30 Centers grant from the
Alarm Sets,” which was published in requirements needed for completion, as well as co- “boot camp” with help from EmPOWERment’s external
Agency for Healthcare Research and
Ergonomics. curricular requirements, such as participation in a partners. Dr. Sioshansi envisions internships and
Quality, Dr. Rayo contributed to University
of Plymouth Professor of Applied Dr. Rayo is a member of the Association student community of practice that is focused on energy, externships will emerge from the interaction with these
mentorship activities, annual research expositions and businesses and agencies, which include American
Psychology Judy Edworthy’s article, for the Advancement of Medical
“Getting Better Hospital Alarm Sounds Into a Global Instrumentation Committee, led by Dr. communication activities. Boghrat anticipates training 80 Electric Power, Cargill, ENGIE North America, First
PhD students during the first four years and 20 students Solar, Huntington, Siemens, Worthington Industries, Los
Standard” for Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Edworthy, to draft a new global safety standard for
each year after that. Alamos National Laboratories, Ohio Energy Project and
Human Factors Applications. medical alarm signals.
the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
8 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 9
Ohio State ‘Homecoming’ for Daniel Gingerich Tracy Owens Brings and has been an adjunct faculty member for the MBA
programs at Capital University and the University
Daniel Gingerich joins the faculty as an Assistant
Professor in ISE and Civil, Environmental and Geodetic
intellectual home in a single department. However, ISE
demonstrated that they value this interdisciplinary work
Union of Theory and of Dayton. He is a Fellow Member for the American
Society for Quality and has worked in industry for
LexisNexis, Smiths Medical and Penske Logistics. He
Engineering. Dr. Gingerich also is a Core Faculty
member with The Sustainability Institute.
by supporting a position like mine that is split between
two departments and an interdisciplinary institute.” Practice to ISE served as Senior Interrogator for the U.S. Army and
conducts Black Belt training and coaches candidates to
He did his post-doctoral He is looking forward to bringing the different skillsets project completion with his company, Solve4X Tactical
research at Stanford University together “to do research that will guide society’s Associate Professor of Practice
Consulting. Professor Owens is the Founder and
and Carnegie Mellon transition to more sustainable infrastructure and to Tracy Owens is bringing his 20
Principal Consultant for Ohio Six Sigma.
University, and was an Oak help train the next generation of engineers in these years of experience as a Lean
Ridge Institute for Science interdisciplinary perspectives.” and Six Sigma practitioner to He acknowledged the challenges of teaching students
and Education Postgraduate the ISE Department. Professor during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In the last several
“Sustainability challenges are wicked problems that Owens began teaching ISE years, I have been teaching the Lean and Six Sigma
Research Fellow at the will involve rethinking and redesigning systems where
National Energy Technology 5810-Lean Sigma Foundations curricula via web-based media, so I’m familiar with
society, the environment, and technology interact,” he and coaching the project remote delivery,” he said. “The material does not
Laboratory. Dr. Gingerich said. “As a systems engineer, I have a set of frameworks
earned his PhD in Engineering leaders for 5811/5812-Lean lose anything in a digital format as long as we get the
and tools for thinking about how to analyze and create Sigma Certification Project I & II student’s undivided attention when the teaching is
and Public Policy from new systems. But as a trained environmental engineer
Carnegie Mellon, his master’s autumn semester. underway. The pace of delivery may need
and policy analyst, I also bring to the table a deep to be accelerated, though,
in Civil and Environmental Gingerich understanding of the environment and the technologies “In addition to the great
Engineering from Auburn Owens especially if we are dealing
and policies we use to protect it.” satisfaction and learning that I
University and a bachelor of science degree in Civil with a shortened semester.”
gain from working in the field,
Engineering and bachelor of arts degree in Political Dr. Gingerich also brings with him deep family I have always enjoyed teaching others how these Professor Owens said he
Science from Mississippi State University. connections to Ohio State and Columbus. “My tool kits can really change the way we work,” he said, hopes to enhance the union
grandfather got his DDS from OSU and I live a few “and sometimes even the way we think. The industrial of theory and practice in
Dr. Gingerich said he was interested in Ohio State blocks from where he grew up in Columbus,” he said.
because of its appreciation for an interdisciplinary engineer has always been a role or person who I admire his new role with ISE. “Plus,
“When my grandmother passed away, I inherited her for the thoroughness of their process evaluation. We will this field is not stagnant. New
approach to learning. “All of the interesting questions cat called Scarlet (the Gray). My mom was born at Ohio
in how we build a society that is more sustainable learn from each other.” developments and approaches
State’s hospital and after she played the Michigan fight are emerging and we all need to
and resilient are interdisciplinary – even if you’re song on the piano (the first song she learned as a kid); Professor Owens earned his master’s degree in
only looking at one aspect of society – in my case stay sharp. Marrying the traditional
her parents abruptly ended her piano lessons. In many International Business from Seattle University and a
infrastructure.” He says. “Because you aren’t doing work with the innovative is a genuine
ways, coming to Ohio State feels like a homecoming!” bachelor of science degree from Excelsior College
that fits neatly into one field, it can be hard to find an pleasure.”
Dr. Yener Brings Passion to INSPIRE by Innovation and Research in Engineering’ – our her PhD and master’s in Electrical and Computer
acronym is INSPIRE. Our research areas include Engineering from Rutgers and earned bachelor’s
cybersecurity, energy sustainability, networks, degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and
Professor Aylin Yener hopes to inspire the next wireless systems, machine learning and AI, with core Physics from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey.
generation of engineers. She joined Ohio State’s competency in information theory, communication
College of Engineering in Spring 2020 and holds the She currently serves as the IEEE Information Theory
theory, signal processing, statistical learning and Society President. Her publications include five book
Roy and Lois Chope Chair in Engineering, as well as optimization. I will be teaching courses related to
being a professor of ISE, Electrical and Computer chapters, 92 journal papers and 228 conference
these areas. papers. She has been awarded research funding for
Engineering, and Computer Science and Engineering.
“Additionally, I am passionate about equity in 16 National Science Foundation grants, two Defense
“As a faculty member, my duties are advancing the academia and, in particular, supporting women at all Advanced Research Projects Agency programs, one
science in my disciplines by conducting world-class levels – from undergraduate students all the way to Army Research Laboratory Collaborative Technology
research, educating the future of scientists and senior faculty.” Alliance grant and nine other programs.
engineers, and serving the Ohio State academic
community,” she said. “My research is in foundations Dr. Yener previously was a University Distinguished Dr. Yener said she was drawn to “the broad expertise
of networked systems and my expertise areas relate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Penn State and excellent scholarship in the ISE Department. The
Yener University and has taught at Stanford University environment is collegial and collaborative, which I
to the three departments in the College of Engineering
in which I hold the professor position. My research and Lehigh University, and was a graduate research also really liked. I look forward to being part of this
group is called ‘Intelligent Networked Systems Powered assistant at Rutgers University. She was awarded outstanding Department.”
10 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 11
Faculty Awards, Honors & Recognition Once a Buckeye, Always a Buckeye
Güzin Bayraksan, Associate Professor of ISE and the management sciences. They
Multifaceted Mathematics for Rare, High-Impact Events have demonstrated exceptional Outstanding scholars
in Complex Energy and Environment Systems Principal accomplishments and made significant
Investigator, was elected Chair of the Stochastic contributions to the advancement
continue to walk the halls
Programming Society. The SPS is a worldwide group of OR/MS over a period of time. of Baker Systems. Here’s
of researchers and practitioners who are developing Professor Conejo was recognized a look at the roles recent
and applying models, methods, theory and software for his contributions to formulation
tools for decision-making under uncertainty. As chair, and implementation of optimization
Conejo graduates have taken on
Alizadeh Dominguez Duggan Ha Hwang
she will lead the SPS governing board, the Committee models for operations and planning of since completing their
on Stochastic Programming and serve a four-year electric energy systems and electricity markets, and for doctorates and post-
term. Under Dr. Bayraksan’s leadership, SPS began a outstanding service as an educator and leader in the
webinar series called “Decision Making in an Uncertain INFORMS community. doctorate work at The
World,” featuring prominent researchers from around Ohio State University
the world; initiated a newsletter highlighting real-world Mike Rayo, Assistant Professor of Health & Rehab Department of Integrated
impacts of stochastic programming; and launched SPS’ Sciences and ISE, was tapped to serve as a co-director
social media platforms, including Twitter, LinkedIn and of a Lab in Residence for Ohio State’s Translational Data Systems Engineering. Rahimian Roychowdhury Sheidaei Zhang
YouTube to reach a broader set of researchers and Analytics Institute. Centered around the healthcare
practitioners. system, the goal will be to improve the detection Mina Alizadeh, ’19, advised by William S. Marras, is a Bassam Mohammed, ’17, advised by Farhang
rate of hospital acquired infections and patient postdoctoral researcher at The Ohio State University. Pourboghrat, is a member of the faculty at University of
At the XV International Conference on Stochastic decompensation, while improving the overall design “Ardi” Ardiyanto, ’20, advised by Carolyn Sommerich, Basrah, Iraq.
Programming in Trondheim, Norway, in August 2019, process. is an instructor on the faculty of the Engineering Hamed Rahimian, ’18, advised by Güzin Bayraksan, is a
Dr. Bayraksan delivered a plenary presentation on Department of Mechanical and Industrial University at the member of the faculty at Clemson University.
“Effective Scenarios in Distributionally Robust and ISE Professor and Associate Chair Ramteen Sioshansi Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yoyakarta, Indonesia.
Risk-Averse Stochastic Programs.” The talk detailed Sayak Roychowdhury, ’17, advised by Theodore T.
will be recognized at the Institute of Industrial &
the framework to identify scenarios that are critical to a Ruth Dominguez, ’15, advised by Antonio Conejo with Allen, is an Assistant Professor Grade-I, Department of
Systems Engineers Annual Conference & Expo this
decision-making problem under risk and uncertainty. Miguel Carrion, is a member of the faculty at University of Industrial and Systems Engineering, at the Indian Institute
fall with the 2020 Operations Research Division’s
Castilla-La Mancha. of Technology Kharagpur.
Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Sioshansi is being
Dr. Bayraksan co- honored for his course, ISE 3210 Nonlinear and Joseph E. Duggan, Jr., ’18, advised by Ramteen Azadeh Sheidaei, ’15, advised by Farhang Pourboghrat,
organized a workshop Dynamic Optimization, which was developed to meet Sioshansi, is a member of the faculty at the University of is a member of the faculty at Iowa State University.
on “Mathematical the needs of students facing complex optimization Dayton. Radin Zaid Radin Umar, ’15, advised by Carolyn
Optimization of Systems challenges in their capstone course projects. Dr. Jinjin Ha, advised by Yannis Korkolis, is working as a Sommerich, is a member of the faculty at Universiti
Impacted by Rare, High- Sioshansi and ISE Professor Antonio Conejo developed faculty member at the University of New Hampshire. Teknikal, Malaysia Melaka.
Impact Events,” together the textbook for the class, “Optimization in Engineering: Jaejin Hwang, ’16, advised by William S. Marras, is a Lin Zhang, ’19, advised by Allen Yi, is a postdoctoral
with researchers from Models and Algorithms,” to introduce the advanced member of the faculty at Northern Illinois University. researcher at Keio University, Japan.
Argonne National subject matter making it accessible to the general Bruce McFall, ’18, advised by Jose M. Castro, is an Bining Zhao, ’18, advised by Antonio Conejo and
Laboratory, the University engineering undergraduate audience. adjunct instructor at University of Cincinnati. Ramteen Sioshansi, is a postdoctoral researcher at
of Wisconsin-Madison and Pennsylvania State University.
the Courant Institute at New York University. The Aimee Ulstad, Associate Professor-
workshop’s goal was to provide a worldwide forum Clinical ISE, received the Ohio State
for exploring new models and solution approaches College of Engineering Charles E.
ISE By the Numbers...
6,098 35
for optimization under uncertainty to address these MacQuigg Award for Outstanding
challenges. Dr. Bayraksan gave a talk on how to Teaching for 2019. The award is
address rare, long-term, extreme droughts to better named for the late Dean of the Top four states where ISE alumni live
manage water resources at the workshop, which took College of Engineering and is
place June 24-28, 2019, in Providence, Rhode Island.
LIVING ISE ALUMNI COUNTRIES ARE
presented annually to faculty who Ulstad HOME TO ISE ALUMNI
have demonstrated, in a superior
732 $576,673
ISE Professor Antonio Conejo was elected as manner, their interest in and willingness CA OH
INFORMS Fellow, one of the highest honors in the to help students, their interest in improvement of the 353
operations research profession. He was honored at the high reputation of the College of Engineering and
2,627
2019 INFORMS annual meeting in Seattle in October their outstanding teaching ability. Award recipients are
2019. INFORMS Fellow are examples of outstanding nominated and elected each year by students in the TX FL ISE ALUMNI RAISED FOR ISE DEPARTMENT
lifetime achievement in operations research and College of Engineering. 229 211 DONORS TO OHIO IN FY ’20
STATE IN FY ’20
12 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 13
STUDENT NEWS Students’ App is Finalist in mHealth
First Urban Air Mobility International Symposium
Symposium Showcases Ohio State ISE students Jesse Marquisee, Christine Marquisee, who served as the team
Birthplace of Aviation Jefferies, Greg Metzger and Jacob Keller were finalists
for the 2020 International Symposium on Human
lead, said the idea for the Personal
Electronic Health Record (PEHR) came
Factors and Ergonomics in Healthcare Mobile Health for together by combining two ideas.
Throughout his undergraduate career at Ohio State, Consumers Application Design Competition. “One idea was an app that acts as a
George Valcarcel, ISE ’20, was known for taking his Their mobile application allows individuals to manage centralized and curatable data hub
interests to the highest level. In the summer of 2019, their own healthcare data as well as provides a for your healthcare information in
while interning at Ascension Global, a boutique aviation translation engine between electronic health records. a telehealth setting,” he said. “The
consultancy in Washington, D.C., his innate curiosity Think smartphone wallet for second idea was saving patients’
ignited an excitement to learn more about the emerging healthcare information. time and money by reducing the
industry of urban air mobility. The Urban Air Mobility Symposium focused on use cases; number of trips they needed to
operational challenges; vertical take-off and landing vehicles The team received a $250 make to the hospital for a set of
“In October 2019, I pitched and enabling technologies (like the drone pictured here); award with Marquisee
infrastructure; and community integration and economic elective surgeries. We integrated a workflow
the idea for a symposium presenting their design at the
development for the air mobility ecosystem. and screening process to improve a user’s healthcare
to Dr. Elizabeth K. Newton 2020 symposium originally experience by utilizing user-centered design and
at the OSU Battelle Center scheduled for Toronto, but cognitive systems engineering principles.”
for Science, Engineering offer a common vision and call to action to take the next switched to online due to
and Public Policy,” says steps toward contributing to air mobility. the coronavirus pandemic. The app includes questions to screen symptoms and
Valcarcel, who as a student It was presented during the allows users to select their preferred hospital where
“Our event was unique because it is one of the first in services are offered. When finished, the information is
was a University Innovation Digital Health session of the
the U.S. to focus on what air mobility will mean for a sent to the selected hospital’s care team for review.
Fellow, member of Ohio conference
specific community – in this case Ohio – and also was Marquisee
State’s Integrated Business
one of the first major air mobility events hosted by a
and Engineering Honors
state university,” Valcarcel said.
Program, and co-founder of
We’ve Got Spirit!
Interdisciplinary Resource for Valcarcel Panelists and keynote speakers addressed use cases;
Innovative Students (IRIS). operational challenges; vertical take-off and landing
vehicles and enabling technologies; infrastructure; and
Valcarcel had taken Dr. Newton’s course, Rapid
community integration and economic development. The
Innovation for Public Impact. Soon he had her support,
list of speakers was just as impressive, representing
along with her team at the Battelle Center, and that of We may not be able to cheer on the Buckeyes in the ‘Shoe this year, but we can still show our
NASA, Uber Elevate, Sikorsky, Honeywell Aerospace,
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Jim Buckeye pride at home. The Ohio State College of Engineering has launched “Party in a Box,”
Elroy Air and the Federal Aviation Administration, and
Gregory and Knowlton School of Architecture City and complete with pompoms, Koozies and pennants. Show your ISE spirit while cheering on the Bucks.
included a keynote by Dr. John S. Langford, President of
Regional Planning/Center for Aviation Studies Professor Get yours at engineering.osu.edu/buckeye-engineering-party-box. Sales of the boxes will
the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Amber Woodburn McNair. help fund the College of Engineering Priority Fund.
and the Founder of Electra Aera.
He then approached Fred Judson, Director of the Ohio
“I also owe credit to [Department Chair] Farhang
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center, and Tim Sweeney,
Pourboghrat and my ISE Professors Sam Krening,
Director of Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace
Martijn Ijtsma and Mike Rayo for supporting me through
and Aviation for JobsOhio, who agreed to serve as
a crazy year as a student planning this conference,
organizing partners.
as well as for showing interest in attending my event/
With his team all set, they put together the Ohio Urban getting the word out across – not only our Department
Air Mobility Symposium, which took place Feb. 27 at the – but to other faculty and students across the College of
Blackwell Inn Conference Center, and showcased The Engineering,” he said.
Ohio State University and the State of Ohio’s strategic
Two hundred people, including faculty, students,
air mobility projects.
government stakeholders/regulators and members of
Valcarcel said the event’s goals were three-fold: the industry attended. Valcarcel is currently recruiting
generate awareness of the progress being made in a team of Ohio State students to co-chair and continue
Ohio and bringing thought leaders to the Buckeye to host the symposium, while he plans to remain an
State; promote networking and connections among advisor even after he heads to Chicago to work as an
academia, government and industry participants; and Incoming Business Analyst for McKinsey & Company.
14 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 15
BuckISE on the Move NSBE
The National Society of Black Engineers kicked off the
2020-2021 academic year with its first general meeting via
Ohio State ISE students participate in a variety of student chapters of professional Zoom in early September, which coincided with NSBE Week.
organizations that add to their education and help prepare them for the workforce. Here’s Other activities included networking events and a talk on
“Start Your Semester Strong.” The group’s activities also have
a roundup of some of the activities sponsored by Big Data and Analytics Association included a virtual Recruiting Bootcamp with General Electric,
(BDAA), Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), Interdisciplinary Resource an activities fair and a scavenger hunt.
Upcoming events include meetings with companies:
for Innovative Students (IRIS), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Society of Accenture, Boeing, Eaton, Honda, Marathon, PepsiCo, Texas
Hispanic Engineers (SHPE) and Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Instruments, Thermo Fisher Scientific and WillowTree
NSBE strives to increase the number of culturally responsible
black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally
and positively impact the community. Currently, the organization at
Ohio State includes more than 100 members, who have given more
SHPE than 50 hours of community service and represent 13 engineering
majors.
The Society of Hispanic Engineers focuses on chapter development, professional
development, academic development and community outreach. In May, following the civil unrest sparked by the death of George
Floyd in Minneapolis, NSBE Ohio State Chapter President Kamila
“We strive to create an environment that feels like home – a family away from
Thompson posted on social media with the hashtag Black Lives
your family,” said SHPE Vice President Omer Alrefaai.
Matter, “We do not judge how every person expresses their anger
Past activities have included: and stand with those who fight for justice as we continue to uplift
• Mentorshpe – providing mentoring for new and continuing black engineers to be culturally responsible in how
members we reject racism. We applaud everyone’s bravery in
these tough times and encourage everyone to use
• Networking brunch – offering members the opportunity to prepare their voice and continue to demand change. Thank you
for career fairs NSBE fam for representing us well and stay safe in this
• Dia de Ciencias – an event to give back to the community fight.”
In addition, Alrefaai said, “We try to expose STEM-related majors That same month, NSBE won the 2020 Outstanding
to high schools and provide them with information about college Diversity and Inclusion Enhancement Award during
application deadlines, sponsorship, and the Diversity, Outreach and Inclusion Ohio State’s Student Organization Awards ceremony.
office here at Ohio State.” NSBE was cited for its work with other universities
The group meets biweekly, and Alrefaai said, “While the pandemic has impacted to advance STEM through 12 outreach projects and
our activities, we have a great eboard working digitally to get our events online encouraging K-12 students to become engineers.
and provide that familia aspect safely, yet creatively to our members.”
IISE network with other industrial engineering students
throughout the Midwest and learn about their programs
While time on campus was cut short in the spring due
to the COVID-19 pandemic, IISE still hosted virtual
The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and experiences. One of the unique features of this meetings. Members had the opportunity to hear from
hosted its annual Leadership Summit January 25, 2020. conference was the opportunity to visit Western Kevin Condon, who is the vice president of engineering
Students who attended heard from key speakers, Michigan’s new medical school. Students were invited & optimization for Target Food and Beverage, and learn
including Princeton City School District Superintendent to tour this state-of-the-art facility and learn various about how his role changed during the pandemic. “It
Tom Burton and Former Accenture Senior Director Jim ways industrial engineering applies to the healthcare was very interesting to hear some of the solutions his
Dickey. Attendees had the opportunity to receive a industry. team came up with in order to adapt to the changes in
professional headshot, participate in mock interviews IISE is proud of its cohort program that serves as a demand throughout the country,” said IISE Member Erin
and attend breakout sessions focusing on financial mentorship program for students in the club. Some of Abramczyk.
wellness, opportunities and time management. this year’s events included bowling, ice skating and a In the coming year, IISE plans to continue hosting
In February, IISE members traveled to Western Michigan football watch party. Outside of the cohort program, IISE meetings and events virtually in order to provide its
University in Kalamazoo Michigan for the Regional IISE also offered several social opportunities to its members members with opportunities to advance their industrial
Conference. This was a great chance for students to through happy hours and intramural sports. engineering knowledge and connection to their peers.
16 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 17
SWE Slager. “The Wellness Program was established to help
our members prioritize their own well-being and still
The Society of Women Engineers is an organization stay involved in SWE through events such as workout
supporting women in engineering at Ohio State classes, healthy eating challenges and body positivity
and seeks to provide an inclusive community for its workshops.”
members since engineering is a predominantly male
Other outreach events included interaction with Girl
field. “Our mission is to empower women to achieve
Scout troops, middle school STEM events, and a
full potential in careers as engineers and leaders,
pen pal program with high school girls interested in
expand the image of the engineering and technology
engineering.
professions as a positive force in improving the quality
of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity and Twenty-seven members attended the national
inclusion,” according to SWE’s Vice President Amanda conference in Raleigh and 31 members attended the
Slager. WE19 SWE conference in Anaheim, participating in an IRIS
outreach event called Invent-It-Build-It where more
This year, SWE’s theme centers around making the
than 3,000 young girls joined them to learn about Four years ago, Interdisciplinary Resource for • An onsite visit to Nationwide’s new innovation hub
connection, which is especially important in the current
engineering. Innovative Students was founded by several students in the Arena District with Innovation Product Manager
COVID-19 climate and the move toward hosting mainly
virtual events. Upcoming events include virtual professional in the Integrated Business and Engineering Honors Zach Friedman, discussing the “Scaffolding of
development, social, educational and alumni events. Program. They sought to tap into the wealth of talent Abstraction,” a term he uses to describe the biases we
Slager said the most successful events last year from students of all majors and academic talent. IRIS’ take with us when addressing complex problems.
SWE also will be holding the annual SWE Career Fair
included the Dress for Success Fashion Show and the members are unified under the concept of Design
in the spring to help Ohio State engineering students • Natasha Pongonis , co-owner of Nativa, a multicultural
Wellness Program. “About 70 engineering students Thinking – a process for human-centered innovation.
obtain internships, co-ops, full-time jobs and research marketing agency, visited with IRIS students to show her
attended the fashion show where members modeled
opportunities. Students in the club learn valuable skills for product work with data analytics using web-scraping and natural
some of their own clothes to give ideas of what to
wear in various professional settings,” according to development while connecting with successful language processing to analyze public sentiment about
professionals in the Columbus area – from startups certain topics.
to Fortune 500 companies. Events from the past year • Morgan Howard, innovation manager of Safelite, led a
have included: discussion of the “empathy” portion of Design Thinking
• An onsite visit to Lextant, a Columbus-based and the importance of utilizing it in effective market
consultancy with a strong foundation in Design Thinking research.
to enhance user experience. Lextant’s workshop gave IRIS plans to continue hosting similar events, as well
IRIS members insight into their methods of using images as pursuing a partnership with a client for a long-term
to better understand what consumers are seeking in a project throughout the semester.
product.
BDAA “We are still working to finalize plans for this upcoming year. However,
we remain dedicated to BDAA’s mission: Inspire, Empower, Connect,”
The 2019-2020 school year saw the continuation of many longstanding Big according to Meaden. “The plan is to host all meetings in a virtual format
Data and Analytics Association events, “such as the BDAA Career Fair in the fall, to keep our events safe and our members healthy. We intend to have
many fruitful Tech Talks with our sponsors, and BDAA socials at campus-area meetings on Tuesday evenings via Zoom. To accommodate students who
restaurants,” according to BDAA Internal Relations Director Kelly Meaden. “We are located in different time zones, have other schedule conflicts, or are
also hosted the first-ever BDAA Formal in November. We hope to host many just curious to learn more from our speakers, we hope to bring our Tuesday
more formals in the future, when it is safe to do so.” guests back for a virtual chat session on Thursday afternoons.”
Other activities included an Intro to Analytics workshop series for freshmen (and BDAA is partnering with the College of Arts & Sciences to co-host
other students who were new to the field) last fall, along with a Python workshop the Quantitative & Data Career Expo in September. Meaden said, it
series in the spring. BDAA partnered with CoverMyMeds for tours of their office. is believed that “this collaboration will provide the best opportunity
Additional student visits were taken to COTA and Alliance Data. “This spring, we for all students at OSU to find jobs and internships within the data
hosted a few virtual meetings,” Meaden said, “and many of our members were analytics field at a myriad of great companies.”
able to engage with the Can’t Stop Columbus campaign to aid in coronavirus
research and analytics in Columbus.” For more information, follow BDAA on social media: @bdaaosu.
Over the summer, BDAA matched its members’ donations to Campaign Zero In the coming year, Meaden says plans include expanding the
and The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, raising a total of $1,958 BDAA mentorship program, which connects upperclassmen and
for the two organizations. underclassmen, and hosting a lecture series on data analytics.
18 Fall 2020 ise.osu.edu 19You can also read
