DATA FOR THE GREATER GOOD - INDUSTRIAL & SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN–MADISON
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING FALL 2021 NEWSLETTER
INDUSTRIAL & SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING
DATA
FOR THE
GREATER
GOOD
New leadership, continued
growth in data science
1
CHAIR’S MESSAGE
Analysis reveals
COVID-19’s impact
on breast cancer
outcomes
The spread of COVID-19 in spring 2020
consumed the United States’ healthcare
system, shelving seemingly less-pressing
medical concerns. Hospitals, clinics and
Greetings From Madison! assistant professor. Qiaomin comes
to us from Cornell University, with patients alike postponed elective procedures
Twelve months ago, we were adapting and routine appointments.
a focus on research that combines
to a 100% virtual experience for all
mathematical modeling and data But even sensible precautions have knock-
university operations. One year later, we
science to improve complex systems. on effects: Delayed or missed care can mean
have proven that no matter the format,
And finally, we say thank you—but not diseases go undetected and untreated.
we can continue to be a leader in higher
goodbye—to Professor Jeff Linderoth,
education. In September we began a new With that in mind, a
who served as our department chair for
academic year with an intentional plan for group of researchers
the last five years. Jeff will take a well-
a physical return to campus, but also with led by Proctor and
earned sabbatical and then return to
the experience and know-how to adapt Gamble-Bascom
his passion for teaching and research in
as needed. No matter what challenges we Professor Oguzhan
our department.
face in the coming year, we are certainly Alagoz analyzed the
positioned to succeed. As a department, we continue to impact of COVID-
evaluate our core values and mission, enforced disruptions to preventative care
Our research proved especially relevant
welcome students from all social on long-term breast cancer mortality.
over the past year, as we were frequently
classes, offer our students a world-class
called upon to apply our expertise in The researchers, who published their
educational experience, and pursue
efforts to fight the pandemic. From findings in a paper in the Journal of the
research for the greater good.
supplying PPE to areas in need, to National Cancer Institute, discovered
modeling disease progression, our faculty We are grateful for your continued the effect was, thankfully, small. Their
and grad students rose to the challenge. support of our department. If you find collaborative modeling study estimates that
As a department, we’ve been extremely your way to campus this fall, we’d love by 2030, 2,487 additional breast cancer
grateful for the opportunity to contribute to have you stop by and visit us in deaths will occur due to the pandemic’s
to the greater good in this important way. person. Until then, please feel free to interruption of mammography screenings,
reach out by phone or email. symptomatic diagnoses and chemotherapy
Our students and faculty racked up
treatments. In all, that amounts to slightly
an impressive number of awards over On, Wisconsin! greater than a half-percent (0.52%) increase
the last several months. Collectively,
over typical projections had the pandemic
our department has been honored
not transpired, which Alagoz says is a credit
with numerous scholarships, grants,
to healthcare providers’ ability to rebound
fellowships and more. I’m proud to lead
and resume offering regular care within a
such a bright and ambitious group of
few months.
individuals! Laura Albert
“People were expecting like 10,000 or
The past few months have seen some David H. Gustafson Department 15,000 additional deaths,” says Alagoz,
changes to our roster of world-class Chair and Professor noting that any additional deaths are
faculty. Longtime faculty member
laura@engr.wisc.edu still premature losses of life. “Although
Pascale Carayon retired from formal
(608) 262-3002 at first the screening volumes and
faculty duties but will continue to make
@lauraalbertphd diagnostic procedures were delayed
contributions to the field of healthcare
significantly, screening facilities and
systems engineering. We are proud
clinics were pretty good in catching
to welcome Qiaomin Xie as our latest
up and they went back to normal very
quickly. That’s the primary reason the
mortality impact is actually limited.”
engr.wisc.edu/isye facebook.com/uwisye twitter.com/uwisye linkedin.com/groups/138818
2
Focus on new faculty
Qiaomin Xie devises algorithms to navigate
uncertainty in complex systems
Xie joins ISyE after spending two and a for training intelligent agents to make
half years as a visiting assistant professor sequential decisions under uncertainty,
at Cornell University. She earned her PhD while also drawing on tools from game
in electrical and computer engineering theory, optimization and statistical analysis.
from the University of Illinois in 2016,
“The goal here is to build the theoretical
spending one semester as a research fellow
foundation for data-driven decision-
at the Simons Institute for the Theory of
making,” she says.
Computing in Berkeley, California, and
then was a postdoctoral researcher at Artificial intelligence companies like Google
Massachusetts Institute of Technology for DeepMind have used reinforcement
two years. learning to achieve remarkable, eye-
catching results in quickly mastering
Xie’s work on the underlying decision-
games like Go and chess, and the technique
making policies that drive systems with
holds promise in areas such as robotics
elements of uncertainty and randomness
and autonomous vehicles. But it hasn’t yet
(known as “stochastic” in mathematics) is
crossed the considerable divide from games
crucial to computer networks and systems,
Everything Qiaomin Xie had heard about to real-world applications, a gap Xie hopes
such as data centers consisting of thousands
UW-Madison led her to believe it would be to close through her work.
of servers to host many applications.
an ideal landing spot for the next phase of Despite her focus on the methodological
her academic career. While those applications stem from
and theoretical side, Xie says it’s crucial
her training in electrical and computer
As an incoming assistant professor in to consider practical constraints and
engineering, Xie notes that the
ISyE, she would be joining a faculty whose requirements when designing algorithms.
methodologies are natural fits for optimizing
expertise in areas like optimization, And she enjoys helping students see
performance in systems such as the ride-
machine learning, and healthcare and the relevancy of modeling and data
sharing industry and hospitals—the kind
manufacturing systems would dovetail in their everyday lives. At Cornell, Xie
of operations research that’s a hallmark of
with her research in applied probability, taught a course called Urban Analytics, an
ISyE—as well as for revenue management.
stochastic networks and reinforcement introductory-level data analytics class that
learning. The growing data science “The main goal of my research is to focused on applications like ride-sharing
influence and community on campus understand the fundamental properties systems while teaching students how to
would allow for myriad collaborations of these stochastic systems and to try to clean, visualize and analyze data.
across departments. build a theoretical foundation of efficient
She’ll teach ISyE 624: Stochastic Modeling
algorithms and also practically useful
And both future and former colleagues had Techniques during the fall 2021 semester,
algorithms that can be implemented in
told her plenty of positives about Madison and she hopes to develop courses covering
real-world systems,” she says.
as a city. reinforcement learning and game theory in
More recently, Xie has focused on a newer the future.
Fortunately, when Xie finally visited in
approach to complement her model-
July 2021—about a month after she had “It always feels so great to interact with
based techniques for algorithm design
accepted her new faculty position in ISyE— students and make them realize the
and performance analysis of various
Madison lived up to her expectations. material and the knowledge they learn
systems. This data-driven decision-making
in the course actually can have a strong
“I love Madison,” she says. “It’s such a framework leans heavily on reinforcement
connection to their real life,” she says.
wonderful city. It’s perfect in terms of size, learning, a machine learning paradigm
in terms of location.”
3
ISyE poised to dive
deeper into data,
elevate equity
Years ago, when several of Laura Albert’s to engineering analytics course that will
mentors in operations research tried to serve as a core course for all UW-Madison
nudge her to consider a career in academic engineering students. In recent years, ISyE
administration, her initial reaction was less has also hired faculty members—Justin
than enthusiastic. Boutilier (fall 2019), Yonatan Mintz (fall
2020) and Qiaomin Xie (fall 2021)—
Yet here she is, having taken over as the
whose research is driven by data science
David H. Gustafson Chair of ISyE and
methodologies such as machine learning.
speaking effusively over her enjoyment of
strategic planning. “We have a huge potential to lead in
engineering analytics, data science,
Since arriving at UW-Madison in 2013,
and artificial intelligence. There are
Albert has further established herself as
opportunities that industrial engineers can
a prolific researcher and has prioritized
uniquely tackle, and we can build upon this
sharing her insights with the broader
outstanding research ecosystem here at
public. But it took a combination of gaining
UW-Madison,” says Albert, pointing to the
leadership experience through several
creation of the American Family Insurance
forums of the Institute for Operations
Data Science Institute and the School of
Research and the Management Sciences
Computer, Data & Information Sciences in
and some self-reflection for Albert to
recent years.
envision a path into administration.
And she’s also keen to continue driving
“I have always enjoyed giving back to early
ISyE forward in the areas of equity
career researchers in the discipline, and
and inclusion in student recruitment
academia is such a great place to do that
and retention, education and research.
because every year we’re educating the
Associate Professor Nicole Werner will
next generation,” says Albert, who served
be leading the department’s new equity
as the College of Engineering’s assistant
task force, while Albert and Assistant
dean for graduate affairs from 2017-19.
Professor Gabriel Zayas-Caban have both
“The department chair and the assistant
earned awards for their efforts to improve
dean positions have given me unique
representation in the field.
opportunities to not just help students
and colleagues on an individual level but Werner, through her work on the hidden
also more on a structural level to make workloads of family caregivers for people
lasting policies and structures. This is a with dementia and children with medical
place where I really want our assistant complexity, is among the ISyE faculty
professors, graduate students, and members whose research explores areas of
everyone to flourish.” inequity. Ditto for Boutilier’s research on
healthcare in international, low-resource
And, as a department, Albert sees ISyE
settings, Mintz’s on bias in automated
as particularly poised to thrive in an era
decision-making, Albert’s own work on
where data science is informing nearly
public sector infrastructure decisions, and
every field, including historic department
others across the faculty.
areas of strength like healthcare systems,
human factors, optimization and “We have faculty who have interest in
manufacturing. application areas where equity is really at
the forefront,” says Albert. “So I think for
The department rolled out a revamped
us, it’s particularly driven by the research.
undergraduate curriculum incorporating
It kind of spreads everywhere.”
a stronger emphasis on data analytics in
fall 2020, along with a new introduction
4
Operations research shows effectiveness
of substance-use diversion program
In 2017, the Madison Police Department to? Is it reducing regularly with Aleksandra Zgierska (now
launched the Madison Addiction Recovery crime?” says a professor at the Penn State College
Initiative (MARI), a collaborative effort Veronica White, a of Medicine and a former UW-Madison
with a host of local agencies aimed at PhD student who faculty member and principal investigator
creating a more effective response to the was first author on for MARI), and Joe Balles (a retired
opioid epidemic. the study, which Madison Police captain who’s coordinated
is part of her MARI through the nonprofit Safe
Rather than arresting individuals who
dissertation work Communities Madison-Dane County).
had committed a nonviolent, drug-use-
on the opioid crisis in Dane County and
related crime, officers could offer eligible “I hope it can be a model for future
the effects and costs of various potential
adults a personalized treatment program initiatives, in terms of how academic
community initiatives and policies.
for substance-use disorder. The diversion researchers should be involved from the
program, which has since evolved into the The team, which also included Jane R. beginning,” says White, who is co-advised
Madison Area Addiction Recovery Initiative, and Jack G. Mandula Assistant Professor by Zayas-Caban and Albert. “Not only were
and similar efforts in communities across Gabriel Zayas-Caban, PhD student we able to use different tools that they
the country offer an alternative to the use- Sebastian Alvarez Avendano and Professor had probably never heard of, like causal
arrest-use cycle (and possible incarceration) and David. H. Gustafson Chair Laura Albert, inference, but we were also able to help
that hinders those individuals and strains used three types of analyses—all methods make sure they were capturing the data
the criminal justice system. that fall under the bucket of causal that could use those tools.”
inference from observational data—to parse
In order to accomplish that mission, The group will next look at MARI’s
the MARI data. (To account for the lack of a
however, the programs need to do effects on recidivism at 12 months, and
randomized assignment that is typical of a
more than merely exist. They need to White also sees opportunities to probe
controlled trial, since there was no control
be effective. the program’s influence on the health
group of MARI-eligible individuals who
outcomes of participants. Zayas-Caban
Working in close partnership with the didn’t participate in the program, Alvarez
notes that while diversion programs have
MARI team, ISyE operations researchers employed a newer approach to estimating
grown, thorough analyses like this one
analyzed the initiative’s performance. By the complier average causal effects analysis
have been slower to follow.
their estimate, MARI reduced the odds of in order to compare program participants
recidivism within six months. The team to a historical comparison group.) “These kind of community policing
published its findings—the first in an initiatives are popping up everywhere,”
White says the research group’s
ongoing study—in the journal Drug and he says. “This is, I think, pretty close to
partnership with the MARI team was
Alcohol Dependence. being one of the first studies to really
vital in providing deeper context for the
systematically collect this data and analyze
“It’s promising; that’s the biggest thing data and enabling insightful analysis.
it in an academic environment.”
that we’re trying to answer. At least in She helped with data collection and met
six months, is it doing what we expect it
5
Pascale Carayon speaks at the inaugural Wisconsin
Institute for Healthcare Systems conference in 2017.
Carayon launched the institute as its founding director.
Lasting Legacy:
Carayon shapes healthcare systems
engineering through research, mentorship
Pascale Carayon’s curriculum vitae is 72 “Pascale has been so dedicated to Together, Carayon and Smith developed a
pages long, detailing the litany of awards, supporting and shaping the future of the model for improving job design by balancing
publications and lectures the widely field,” says Harvey D. Spangler Assistant stressful requirements, which they
respected human factors engineering Professor Nicole Werner. “The scope of her published in 1989.
scholar has accumulated over the course of influence as a mentor definitely rivals the
Carayon’s work on job design gradually
her more than 30-year career. scope of her influence as a researcher. The
shifted into healthcare settings, as did her
two are intertwined.”
What it doesn’t list are the numerous early research on the impact of computer
times she’s set aside any zeal for personal And Carayon’s research influence on the technology on workers and processes.
accomplishment to include a junior faculty field of healthcare systems engineering
She’s studied the implementation of
member on a major research grant, connect has been substantial. Werner was an
electronic health records systems,
young researchers from different sides of intern at The Johns Hopkins Hospital
designed and evaluated various health
the UW-Madison campus and beyond, or as an undergraduate student at George
information technologies such as
quietly put forward a current or former Mason University when the resident
clinical decision support for diagnosing
PhD student for an opportunity. human factors engineer shared Carayon’s
pulmonary embolism and an integrated
2006 paper detailing the Systems
“She does a lot of work behind the display to aid teamwork in pediatric
Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety
scenes that she doesn’t even tell you trauma care transitions, and, through the
(SEIPS) model, a framework for analyzing
she’s doing,” says former advisee Abigail SEIPS model, developed ways to improve
and improving healthcare systems and
Wooldridge (MS ’13, PhD ’18), now an patient safety and clinician well-being.
safeguarding patients.
assistant professor at the University
Carayon says she learned early
of Illinois. “Things would just kind of The SEIPS model, which Carayon
on the importance of getting out
materialize for you.” has subsequently updated twice,
into real workplaces and talking to
became a foundational piece of her
Or, as Michelle Rogers (MS ’98, PhD the workers whose jobs would be
work in healthcare. As director of the
’02), now an associate professor at affected by her research.
interdisciplinary Center for Quality
Drexel University, puts it: “She has
and Productivity Improvement (CQPI) “My lab is not a physical space in the
definitely spoken up for me when I
at UW-Madison, she shared the model Engineering Centers Building. My lab
wasn’t in the room.”
with clinicians, healthcare leaders and is going out and talking to people and
Carayon retired in August 2021, other professionals through SEIPS short observing them—being in the real
capping a remarkable tenure in which courses. She also founded and directed environment. And I really, really enjoyed
she established herself as one of the the Wisconsin Institute for Healthcare that,” she says. “Sometimes it was talking
world’s foremost experts in applying Systems Engineering (WIHSE) to better to people, sometimes it was observing
human factors and industrial engineering connect healthcare and engineering them, sometimes it was convincing them
approaches to the healthcare system. researchers and practitioners. to do a survey and to collect data from
But she’s also forged a reputation as an them. So there was always that connection
SEIPS grew out of research that began two
uncommonly devoted mentor, particularly to people in their real environment that I
decades earlier when Carayon was a PhD
for women in engineering. liked. That gave me a sense that what I was
student with Professor Michael J. Smith.
doing was important.”
6
DEPARTMENT NEWS
FACULTY NEWS STUDENT NEWS
David H. Gustafson Chair Harvey D. Spangler PhD student Akash Deep
and Harvey D. Spangler Professor Jeff Linderoth earned the E. Wayne Kay
Faculty Scholar Laura received a $416,547 Graduate Scholarship
Albert landed a data grant from the U.S. from the SME Education
science grant through the Office of Naval Foundation.
American Family Funding Research to examine
Initiative for a project and improve the use of
applying machine learning tools to the mathematical models in naval defense.
insurance industry. PhD student Minhee
Vilas Distinguished Kim received the Mary
Professor Emeritus Vicki Achievement Professor G. and Joseph Natrella
Bier was appointed to the Shiyu Zhou published a Scholarship from the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory new textbook, Industrial American Statistical
Commission’s Advisory Data Analytics for Association, as well as
Committee on Reactor Diagnosis and Prognosis. the Gilbreth Memorial
Safeguards. One of Zhou’s papers Fellowship from IISE.
also received a best paper award
from IISE Transactions, while another Undergraduate Jan
Harvey D. Spangler (in collaboration Wodnicki earned a
Associate Professor with UW E-Business Hilldale Fellowship to
Nicole Werner Chair Professor Raj support his research
received a grant Veeramani) received project using machine
from the National honorable mention learning to improve
Institutes of Health to from the journal. treatment of diabetic
create an information foot ulcers in India.
technology tool to support caregivers
of people with dementia. Werner was
also elected as president-elect of the
Division of Applied Experimental and
Engineering Psychology of the American
Psychological Association.
Human factors work shows hidden
ingenuity of family caregivers
Duane H. and Dorothy M.
Bluemke Professor Robert In a hospital room, all the equipment for strategies they developed in response.
Radwin received the a gastrostomy feeding fits together as They published their study in the journal
International Ergonomics intended, delivering nutrition directly to the Pediatrics.
Association’s fellowship patient’s stomach. It’s a setting designed
“A lot of work has been focused on trying
award. Radwin was also explicitly for patient care, after all.
to make healthcare and devices safer in
appointed the next editor- The average home has a decidedly different clinical settings, because that’s where
in-chief of Human Factors: The Journal of the setup. And for families with children with they’re historically used the most,” says
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. medical complexity (those who have Werner. “That’s important, but there’s just
significant chronic health conditions that this gap, where we don’t really know how
Associate Professor affect multiple organ systems and require they’re being used in the home.”
Kaibo Liu won the ongoing care), integrating medical devices
By highlighting this hidden work, PhD
Institute of Institute of into their existing physical environments
student Hanna Barton, who led the study,
Industrial and Systems can prove frustrating.
hopes to give medical providers a window
Engineers’ 2021 Award
Those families also are resourceful, devising into the homes of their patients.
for Technical Innovation
workarounds to better accommodate and
in Industrial Engineering. “If we can get clinicians thinking about what
sustain their children’s equipment in spite of
it’s like to do this at home, it might alter
limited support from device companies and
the conversations they have, like preparing
Proctor and healthcare providers.
someone for what life is going to be like
Gamble-Bascom
To explore those workarounds, members now with a gastrostomy tube and the care
Professor Oguzhan
of the lab of Harvey D. Spangler Assistant you’re going to need to provide,” they say.
Alagoz was elected
Professor Nicole Werner and collaborators “It’s not only about all the clinical diagnoses
a fellow of the IISE.
visited 30 families with children with and medications, but it’s also about how
medical complexity to conduct interviews that fits into your day-to-day life.”
about the barriers they faced and the
7
www.engr.wisc.edu/isye
Department of
Industrial & Systems Engineering
1513 University Ave., Room 3107
Madison, WI 53706
Bright idea
PhD student Rebecca Alcock is leading a
pilot project at Eagle Heights Community
Gardens on the UW-Madison campus,
where she and student volunteers
installed solar panels and electric bicycles.
It’s part of her effort to create a renewable
energy and transportation system that
could be employed by rural healthcare
clinics in sub-Saharan Africa. Alcock,
who received a research award from the
UW-Madison Global Health Institute
to support her project, is working with
her advisor, Assistant Professor Justin
Boutilier, and Grainger Engineer Design
Innovation Lab Director Lennon Rodgers.
Alcock was also one of 12 UW-Madison
faculty, staff and students to be named a
2021-22 Morgridge Fellow through the
Morgridge Center for Public Service.
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