Industrial engineering seniors were honored this spring for two semesters of work solving real-world problems alongside industry partners.

During the 2021-22 academic year, 59 industrial engineering seniors participated in the Industrial Engineering Capstone Experience as part of 12 teams of four to five students. The teams begin by getting to know their industry partner and the issues motivating the project. Students perform preliminary analysis and define objectives for their spring semester work. They assess the potential impact of their work and create the deliverables that their industry partner needs to implement their work. Every student pursuing the Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering at the U of A is required to complete the two-semester course sequence. Richard Cassady, University Professor of industrial engineering, coordinates the Industrial Engineering Capstone Experience courses.

This year, eight of the 12 projects were process improvement projects. During the fall semester, these teams developed an understanding of the details of the process of interest and the concerns that their industry partner had about the process. They then identified the key measures of process performance and assessed and evaluated process performance under current operating policies. In the spring semester, they made recommendations for improving process performance and evaluated the potential impact of these recommendations. They also provided deliverables that facilitate the implementation of recommendations.

The four remaining projects were system design projects. During the fall semester, these teams developed an understanding of the issues creating the need for the system, identified the system stakeholders, detailed the system requirements, assessed the perceived user value of each requirement and defined the minimum viable product. In the spring semester, they designed the system and evaluated the potential impact of implementing the system. They also provided deliverables that facilitated implementation of the system.

Each year, the experience concludes with the Industrial Engineering Capstone Symposium. In 2020, the symposium was cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2021, the symposium poster session and presentations were conducted remotely, but the awards ceremony was held in person. This year marked a return to the normal program with the entire symposium being held in the Arkansas Union Verizon Ballroom on May 4.

The awards presented included:

Team Awards

• Project of the Year: Luke Welch, project manager; Aidan Massanelli; Andres Luna Orosco Amelunge; Hector Aguilar; and Harrison West.
  Project Title: Balancing Workload by Optimizing the Assignment of Field Sales Proposals to Pricing Engineers 
  Supported by: ArcBest
• Outstanding Achievement in Data Analysis: Olivia Gammill, project manager; Taylor Knabe; Jennifer Sanchez; Andrew Hume; and Patrick Gonzalez.
  Project Title: Reducing Patient Transportation Times Through Improved Staff Scheduling Using Simulation
  Supported by: Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis
• Outstanding Achievement in Modeling: Brandon Jerome, project manager; Jaiden Ellerbee; Ryan Kraichely; Terrance Martin; and Camille Sockwell.
  Project Title: Balancing Hospitalist Workload by Optimizing Patient Assignment Using Linear Programming
  Supported by: Parkland Health
• Outstanding Achievement in Decision Support: Emma Regier, project manager; Lucas Hicks; Emily Eskens; Jacob Reich; and Austin Wood.
  Project Title: Improving the Sustainability and Reducing Costs of Inbound Loads Using Lane Consolidation
  Supported by: Sam's Club
• Impact Award: Spencer Loper, project manager; Henry Ward; John Santine; Luke Rafie; and Cody Parrish.
  Project Title: Data Synthesis, Storage, and Visualization for Near Real-Time Analysis of Final Mile Delivery Routes Databases with a Flexible Open Platform
  Supported by: LATROBE LLC

Individual Awards

• Outstanding Project Managers: Spencer Loper, Emma Regier and Luke Weiner
• Outstanding Team Members: Andres Luna Orosco Amelunge, Camila Schrader and Austin Wood.
• Outstanding Faculty Advisers: Professor Chase Rainwater, Professor Manuel Rossetti and Professor Kelly Sullivan.
• Outstanding Industry Partners: Michelle Mattiga, Crystal Bridges; Katie Parker, Baptist Memorial Healthcare; and Olga Tcheremenskaia, The Instituto Superiore Di Sanitá — Department of Environment and Health.

Other Projects

Additional projects the Capstone Experience Teams completed were:

• Project Title: Improving the Scheduling of Protection Services Staff by Creating a Microsoft Excel Application and Exploring Shiftboard's Full Functionality
  Team: Natalia Sandhu, project manager; Camila Schrader; Itza Della-Serra; Sarah Bollinger; and Esteban Siles.
  Supported by: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
• Project Title: Decision Making for Downstream Pace in the Event of Upstream Delays
  Team: Neil Balasekaran, project manager; Peyton Dunman; Noah Layton; Bailee Miller; and Maddie Pearl.
  Supported by: Gerdau
• Project Title: Developing a Consolidated Toxicological Database to Perform Chemical Risk Analysis and Predictions
  Team: Quinn Salverson, project manager; Andrew Banks; Colin Connelly; Kaitlyn Frey; and Rajaram.
  Supported by: The Instituto Superiore Di Sanitá — Department of Environment and Health
• Project Title: Maximizing Utilization of Intermodal Local Tractors Through Driver Reassignment
  Team: Coleman Warren, project manager; Faris Balbaid; Eric Gerstein; William Fletcher Rosenbleeth; and Hayden VanLaningham.
  Supported by: J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.
• Project Title: Improving the Usability and Accuracy of a Category Sales Forecasting Tool
  Team: Chloe Kordsmeier, project manager; Grant Glover; Collin Snieski; Caleb Gonzales; and Carolina Virreira.
  Supported by: Nestlé
• Project Title: Reducing Bone, Liver, and Lung Biopsy Turnaround Times for Potential Oncology Patients by Standardizing System Processes
  Team: Shantal Sarmiento, project manager; Tayden Barretto; Stephen Branscum; and Paola H. Franco.
  Supported by: Parkland Health
• Project Title: Improving the Centralized Lending Processes for Increased Throughput Using Targeted Human-Centered Solutions
  Team: Luke Weiner, project manager; Cleondra Cooks; Anna Lee; Jaira Porter; and Aidan Grygar.
  Supported by: Republic Finance LLC