FALL 2018 INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES IEMS TRANSFORMS ADVISING AND MENTORING FOR UNDERGRADUATES New ‘GuIdE’ advising and mentoring system strengthens student connections to faculty, peers, and alumni oo often, advising and group luncheons with a small group of mentoring meetings students and one faculty member mentor, and offer an environment for students reduce to discussions to ask questions, learn from their peers, on what courses to take and develop a connection to faculty that encourages additional conversations Tin upcoming academic quarters. Marita Labedz Poll throughout the year. A 2016-17 survey of students in Central to the department’s curriculum Northwestern Engineering’s Department redesign is Marita Labedz Poll, who of Industrial Engineering and Management joined the department in fall 2017 as an Sciences (IEMS) and anecdotal feedback academic adviser. Labedz Poll’s past from IEMS alumni reveal that many former experience includes serving as associate students wish they had taken advantage vice chancellor for student affairs and Advice from Marita Labedz Poll more fully of all that Northwestern has dean of students at the University of to undergraduate students: to offer, including the opportunity to learn Massachusetts, Boston, senior associate I always recommend that students from and interact with faculty outside dean of students at Lake Forest College, follow their interests and be the classroom. and assistant director of residence life at intentional about what they To increase the department’s focus on the University of Rochester. engage in, inside and outside of the faculty mentoring for its undergraduates, In 2018-19, IEMS will expand its classroom. Take time once a year IEMS introduced a new advising model roster of GuIdEs for undergraduates ‘‘to consider your opportunities in 2017-18. The system allows students to include “Peer GuIdEs” composed of because your interests will change. to meet with a staff academic adviser senior industrial engineering majors and Look broadly across Northwestern, to discuss curriculum matters, such as “Alumni GuIdEs” made up of department but don’t forget your connection to which courses to register for or a student’s alumni. The department believes the IEMS. Get to know your professors four-year plan, as well as a “Faculty GuIdE” new, comprehensive support system outside of class and learn about to address deeper discipline topics and of faculty, peers, and alumni will spark their interests and research. You career-related questions. Structured multi-directional connections and new won’t have this same opportunity Faculty GuIdE meetings are biannual opportunities. after graduation. FROM THE CHAIR Dear friends all levels is evidenced throughout Mark Spearman, Wally Hopp, PhD from Stanford, joins us as an this newsletter. Assistant Chair Jill Don Frey, Barry Nelson, Bruce assistant professor. and colleagues, Wilson earned the 2018 Charles Ankenman, and now Mark Northwestern’s Center for Deering McCormick Distinguished Werwath. Our Master of Science in Optimization & Statistical Learning fter one year as chair Professor of Instruction award Analytics (MSiA) program, directed (OSL), along with Lehigh University, of the Department of earlier this year, one of five by Diego Klabjan, continues to be hosted the 11th US and Mexico A Industrial Engineering and University Teaching Awards a highly competitive, rigorous, and Workshop on Optimization and Management Sciences (IEMS) and awarded annually. Jill joins hands-on program at the intersec- its Applications in Huatulco, four years at Northwestern, my Professors Bruce Ankenman, tion of information technology and Mexico. The event included 30 respect for and pride in the depart- Barry Nelson, and Karen data engineering, machine learning participants from Northwestern, ment’s students, staff, faculty, and Smilowitz in receiving this honor, and data science, and business. Argonne National Laboratory, alumni continues to grow. In round a remarkable record of teaching We have a strong incoming class Columbia University, Johns numbers, one in five Northwestern excellence in the department. of 15 PhD students, including seven Hopkins University, NYU, Princeton, undergraduates is enrolled in the Congratulations to Professor women. Counting double majors Stanford, and more. McCormick School of Engineering. Jorge Nocedal for winning the and both BS and MS degrees, our I hope you enjoy this newsletter, Of that total, more than 20 percent 2017 John von Neumann Theory new PhD students arrive with as it gives you a sampling of the of Northwestern Engineering Prize, the foremost theory prize backgrounds in mathematics activities at IEMS. I look forward to BS degrees are concentrated in in operations research. Previous and applied mathematics (11), connecting with many of you over industrial engineering (IE). This winners include legends such as industrial engineering, operations the coming year. is the highest percentage among George Nemhauser, a PhD alumnus research, and analytics (7), the top ten industrial engineering and advisory board member; statistics (3), as well as applied programs in the country. IE at George Dantzig, the father of linear physics, mechanical engineering, Georgia Tech is second with about programming; Richard Bellman, psychology, and control science 18 percent of their engineering the founder of dynamic program- and engineering. degrees, while Purdue University, ming; and six Nobel Prize winners After hiring Matthew Plumlee University of Michigan, and Cornell including Ken Arrow, John Nash, and Zhaoran Wang last year as University follow in a range between and Harry Markowitz. assistant professors, we’re excited 13 to 14 percent. Our Masters of Engineering to welcome two more outstanding While IEs have a significant Management (MEM) program cele- hires: Simge Küçükyavuz, who footprint at Northwestern brated its 40th anniversary in June earned her PhD at the University Engineering, we value quality 2018. Over the years, MEM has of California Berkeley, joins us David Morton foremost, and the high quality of been led by truly distinguished col- as an associate professor, and David A. and Karen Richards Sachs our scholarship and innovation at leagues including Al Rubenstein, Chang-Han Rhee, who earned his Professor and Chair Nocedal Receives John von Neumann Theory Prize as the most prestigious theory prize in sciences. Nocedal officially received the By Amanda Morris operations research. prize at the annual INFORMS meeting in Nocedal shares the 2017 prize with Houston, Texas in October 2017. orge Nocedal, Donald Goldfarb, a professor at Columbia Nocedal’s research lies at the interface Walter P. University. The pair was cited for “their of computer science, operations research, Murphy fundamental contributions, theoretical and applied mathematics. He has made Professor and practical, that have, and continue to fundamental contributions to the theory Jof Industrial have, a significant impact on the field of of nonlinear optimization methods and Engineering and optimization.” created new algorithms for a variety of Management Sciences Named after John von Neumann — applications. His nonlinear optimization at Northwestern Jorge Nocedal a mathematician, pioneer in quantum software, KNITRO, is used in the energy, Engineering, has physics, and member of the Manhattan computer, and financial industries to received the John von Neumann Theory Project — the prize is awarded annually optimize everything from the design of Prize from the Institute for Operations to a scholar who has made fundamental, computer chips to the production and Research and the Management Sciences sustained contributions to theory in delivery of electricity. (INFORMS). The award is widely regarded operations research and the management 2 Northwestern University • McCormick School of Engineering MEM Program Celebrates 40th Anniversary Attendees included students, alumni, faculty, and corporate guests By Mark Werwath, MEM Director he Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program celebrated its 40th anniversary on June 30 with an event that Tbrought together corporate guests, Guests attend MEM’s 40th anniversary event at Northwestern’s James L. Allen Center. students, alumni, faculty, and members of the IEEE Technology and Engineering and technologists can bring to the offering combining Internet of Things with Management Society. marketplace of ideas, products, and business opportunities, and a new course Northwestern Engineering’s John platforms. offering in product management. Rogers, the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Professor Barry Nelson, a past While MEM at Northwestern continues Querrey Professor of Materials Science director of MEM, concluded the event by to evolve and provide new examples of and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering presenting the history of the program. His how technology can enable innovation in and Neurological Surgery, showcased his presentation was a reminder of how rapidly business models and platform offerings, groundbreaking research and highlighted the MEM curriculum has innovated in just the tenets of MEM not only distinguish the the connection between technology the past year. Examples of such innovation program from traditional MBA programs, development and business development. include creating one of the first SCRUM but also trace back to MEM’s original roots. His talk illustrated the value proposition certification workshops held on campus to of MEM — the unique value that engineers bolster experiential