WMU welcomes over 150 students and professionals across Great Lakes region for IISE conference
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Welcoming over 150 students and industrial engineering experts to share in networking, keynote presentations, as well as technical and career sessions, Western Michigan University hosted the Great Lakes Regional Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE) conference in February.
“The goal of this year’s conference was to help students discover new and emerging areas within industrial engineering that they may not have previously considered,” says co-advisor of WMU’s chapter of IISE and faculty specialist Dana Hammond.
IISE is a professional organization for students and industry professionals across the industrial and systems engineering field. It focuses on improving systems and processes through data-driven decision-making, efficiency, innovation and leadership development.
The conference included keynotes speakers, breakout sessions, student research and professional development workshops. Keynote speakers included Ramsey Elshafei, founder and president of RE Development Solutions, and Jason Hart, senior vice president of global marketing at Intuitive, who each shared how industrial engineering provided a strong foundation for successful career in non-traditional engineering roles and industries. WMU and IISE alumni lead breakout sessions that showcased diverse career pathways in aerospace, entrepreneurship, technical sales, manufacturing and emerging technologies.
“I was most excited about the breakout sessions,” says industrial engineering student Maria Bautista, who served on the marketing team and as program designer for the conference. “They gave me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of the different career paths available within industrial engineering.”
Students were involved in the planning of the conference, including budgeting, marketing, organization and logistics.
“We coordinated venue reservations, speaker outreach, sponsor partnerships, budgeting, registration systems, event scheduling, branding materials and communication with visiting universities,” says Bautista. “From timeline management to risk planning and budgeting, it has truly been a full-scale project management experience.”
According to Hammond, hosting the conference at Western was symbolic of the quality education the University offers. It highlighted the strength of WMU’s industrial and entrepreneurial engineering programs.
“While we may be smaller in size than some of the larger institutions in our region, this event demonstrates the impact, initiative and close-knit culture that define our program,” says Hammond. “It reflects our students’ ability to lead at a high level and deliver a professional experience that stands alongside any university in the region.”
The best part of the conference for Hammond was seeing her students come together with existing professionals and future industrial engineers.
“I was most excited to watch our students come together as a group, build lifelong friendships and take on leadership roles,” says Hammond. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see our students realize they are capable of leading something at this scale.”
For more information about offerings, visit the Department of Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management website.
For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.