Connections optimize goals and skills
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—During her second year at Western Michigan University, Aya Zahreddine made a connection with Dr. Bob White, professor of industrial and entrepreneurial engineering. White was instrumental in empowering Zahreddine to secure her engineering path.
“I loved Dr. White’s cost and financial analysis class,” explains Zahreddine. “I would visit his office hours, and he would ask me what my aspirations and goals were and helped me realize that industrial engineering fits really well for what I want to do.”
After switching to the industrial and entrepreneurial engineering major, Zahreddine hasn’t looked back and is embracing diverse opportunities that range from technical challenges such as becoming a research assistant or the program manager for WALI to finding like-minded students through the Society of Women Engineers and Alpha Pi Mu.
Trusting her math skills, Zahreddine was eager to explore optimization and operations research more deeply. To achieve this goal, she sought out another connection, this time with Dr. Ilgin Acar, assistant professor of industrial and entrepreneurial engineering and director of WMU’s Optimization, Data, and Decision Science (ODDS) Lab. After impressing Acar with her interests and insights, Zahreddine is now an undergraduate research assistant in the lab, where she is now integrating risk mapping, drones and machine learning to enhance disaster response strategies, an interdisciplinary approach that blends her technical expertise with her background in economics.
“Her passion for optimization led her to work collaboratively on our proposal titled ‘Post-Disaster Optimization: Machine Learning and Drone-Based Mapping for Humanitarian Logistics’ as part of the ODDS Lab,” says Acar of Zahreddine’s work. “With her problem-solving mindset and commitment to research, I have no doubt that Aya will continue making meaningful contributions to the field of optimization and beyond.”
Zahreddine also finds her work as the program manager with WALI challenging and a great learning opportunity. In this role, she served as the communication person of the club for the U.S. Air Force, helped with mission scheduling and running the general meetings and ensured that tasks and mission documents were completed.
“I learned a lot about system engineering and the satellite industry and how to integrate components together. I also learned how to time manage and balance school and clubs.”
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has provided Zahreddine a place to interact with like-minded students and share experiences as students in challenging engineering programs. It also offers her opportunities to interact with industry. She serves as president for 2024-25 academic year.
“This experience has helped me build leadership and communication skills that are essential for being a successful engineer and has opened the door for me for several networking events through the SWE National Conference,” explains Zahreddine.
Similarly, as vice president of Alpha Pi Mu, the industrial engineering honor society, Zahreddine has found a way to connect with even more groups. “Being initiated has impacted me in a way that made me feel seen and heard. And my professors are able to see that I have potential to become a successful engineer.”
All of the connections she has made during her time at WMU are impacting her plans for the future.
“In industrial engineering I can work in operations and optimization as the person that enhances projects and makes them better rather than being on the design team,” says Zahreddine. “I want to be a system engineer who works with all different disciplines and is a connection bridge.”
While engineering increasingly focuses on environmental issues, industries are developing green logistics, energy-efficient production, and sustainable supply chain practices. Companies are also looking at diverse applications for AI such as developing systems for humanitarian aid that are AI driven or contributing to efficiency in aerospace and aeronautic operations.
“The opportunities in this field are limitless. Every single company needs industrial engineering, which I find really cool, but it is also challenging to find the best fit and what exactly I want to specialize in.”
Whatever specialty Zahreddine chooses, one thing is certain. The connections she made while at WMU will help this curious and ambitious engineer find success in whatever role she chooses.
“I hope to be living in a big city working in systems and optimization or I might be in grad school. I am not sure, yet I am still considering where I want to be and what I want to do,” says Zahreddine.
Always ready to increase her network, you can connect with Aya Zahreddine on Linked In and follow her career.
For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online