group of ISE students was able

to vastly improve the utilization

of the room, creating an effi-

cient and sustainable 5S system.

In its first full year as a

committee dedicated to this

type of work, the community

involvement committee has

established partner-projects

with the NRV Bike Kitchen,

YToss, and others in addition

to Micah’s Backpack. With

great feedback from the pilot

community partners, the group

will continue to grow, take on

more projects, and use ISE to

bring value to the

community.

Students need experience

to find a job, but in order to

gain experience, students need

a job. This past year, the Indus-

trial and Systems Engineering

Ambassador program’s Com-

munity Involvement committee

worked to break this cycle and

focused on providing communi-

ty partners with ISE solutions

through students of the depart-

ment. The committee finds and

implements projects that relate

to industrial and systems engi-

neering where ISE students are

presented the opportunity to

apply their engineering skills to

real life challenges within the

New River Valley community.

Both the community partners

and students benefit from this

program. The community part-

ner receives engineering exper-

tise to make their operations

more efficient and students

have the opportunity to lead

and participate in projects to

add to their portfolio of ISE

e x p e r i e n c e s .

One of the committee’s

marquee projects this year was

with Micah’s Backpack. Micah’s

Backpack provides food to chil-

dren who qualify for free lunch-

es by packing backpacks with

food for the weekend. In Feb-

ruary, four ISE students along

with an ISE ambassador project

manager implemented a 5S

methodology (sort, set in or-

der, shine, standardize, and

sustain) to organize an inven-

tory room. By interfacing with

the client and implementing

the skills and tools learned

from their ISE classes, the

Lead by the ISE Ambassa-

dors, the ISE department formed

three Virginia Tech Relay for Life

teams for the 2012-2013 academ-

ic year. The department routine-

ly participates in Relay for Life to

honor former University Presi-

dent and Department Head Dr.

Paul E. Torgersen who won his

battle with throat cancer. To date, the Ambassadors

have raised $7,003.24 through

various fundraising efforts. This

placed our combined teams as the

4th highest fundraising company

of all the Virginia Tech Relay for

Life teams, as of 4/19/13.

A cornhole tournament was

organized in the fall where regis-

tered teams donated to compete

in a cornhole bracket. Local

companies donated gift cards to

be used as prizes for the winning

teams. The Relay teams raised

funds throughout the fall and

spring by hosting several Buffalo

Wild Wings percentage nights. In addition, much of the funds were

raised through monthly raf-

fles. Raffle items included baked

goods, gift baskets, and gift cards

and acted as a consistent form of

fundraising for the teams. Finally,

the ambassadors wrapped up

their efforts with an ISE March

Madness Bracket where individual

students could donate and enter

to win gift cards from local busi-

nesses.

The university wide event

was held on the drillfield on Fri-

day, April 19th. All-night activities

included on-site fundraisers, a

remembrance ceremony, a lumi-

naria ceremony, and performanc-

es by Virginia Tech accapella

groups. It was a great way to end a year of fundraising and honor

one of our own,

Dr. Torgersen.

ISE Community Involvement I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Engaged

Student:

Patrick Acker

2

IIE Regional

Conference

at WVU

3

The

Multiplier

Effect

3

Companies

Hiring Hokies

CCS / Herren

4

Celebrate

with ISE

5

Creating a

Culture of

Giving

6

2013 Spring

APM Initiates

7

We’d LOVE

to Hear from

You

7

Relay for Life

V I R G I N I A T E C H

G R A D O

D E P A R T M E N T O F

I N D U S T R I A L A N D

S Y S T E M S

E N G I N E E R I N G

T H E I S E

C O N N E C T I O N

A P R I L 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4

Y O U R W A Y T O S T A Y I N T H E K N O W A S I S E G R O W S

By Meredith Johnson

P A G E 2 Engaged Student: Patrick Acker

Cycling For a Cure

T H E I S E

C O N N E C T I O N

In December 2011, my

grandmother was diagnosed

with lung cancer. Inspired by

this moment in my life, I decid-

ed to confront the issue person-

ally and do the best I could to

make the last few months of

her life the best she has ever

lived. I, along with two other

engineering friends from Vir-

ginia Tech, Morgan Bissell and

Oliver Donkervoet, started an

organization called

"Cycling4aCure" in July 2012.

In October 2012, we

(Cycling4aCure) signed our

contracts with Cindy's Hope

Chest and will be cycling

3,400+ miles from San Francis-

co, California to Virginia

Beach, Virginia this coming

summer 2013 to raise funds for

Cindy's Hope Chest and the

American Cancer Society.

Cindy's Hope Chest is

based out of Charlotte, NC and

specializes in providing coun-

seling for women with cancer.

If an individual going through

chemotherapy or radiation

treatments needs a babysitter or

their yard landscaped, Cindy

coordinates these and many

other services free of charge.

Cindy’s Hope Chest also helps

these women by aiding in the

purchase of wigs, mastectomy

bras, post-surgery camisoles,

and many other items. Cindy

not only coordinates these ser-

vices, but also acts as a

“shoulder to lean on” through-

out the duration of an individu-

al’s chemotherapy and radia-

tion treatments. We are spon-

sored by DryTac (an interna-

By: Patrick Acker

tional company specializing in

vehicle/RV advertising wraps),

the second grade class of St.

Edward-Epiphany School

(Richmond, VA) for their out-

reach project, and several other

small businesses that have been

instrumental to our success.

During each day of our

40-45 day journey, we will be

cycling for approximately 6-10

hours and covering anywhere

from 60-120 miles. We will be

live video streaming from the

road and updating our blog

multiple times throughout each

day with video/photography for

the duration of the trip to en-

courage current cancer patients

to keep pushing forward

through their treatments. We

invite you to log onto our web-

site at cycling4acure.org to

learn more about our story and

how we are fighting for you

from the road! If you or some-

one you know may be interest-

ed in sponsoring our organiza-

tion, please contact us on our

website (advertising for busi-

ness/corporations available for

all sponsorship levels)!

About Patrick:

Patrick is a sophomore in

ISE and he's currently in-

volved with the human

powered sub project and

last year, he was involved in

FLEX, Big Event-projects

committee, and Hokie Day

2012.

Oliver Donkervoet, Patrick Acker, Morgan Bissell pictured above, from left

IIE 2013 Regional Conference at WVU

cluded with dinner, awards,

and a presentation by our

very own Dr. Don Taylor.

Dr. Taylor talked about pro-

fessional leadership and the

benefits of the IIE organiza-

tion. During free time, stu-

dents were given a tour of

the West Virginia University

campus and were able to

ride the personal rapid

transit (PRT), which is

The 2013 Regional Confer-

ence for Institute of Industri-

al engineers was held at

West Virginia University this

past February. A total of 22

Virginia Tech students, both

undergrad and graduate,

attended the conference.

The conference began on

February 22nd with a wel-

come dinner and a speaker.

Marci Jackson, from Premier

Healthcare, spoke about the

challenges of healthcare re-

form and the emerging need

for Industrial Engineers. The

following day, the students

had a busy day starting with

a series of small discussion-

based lectures revolving

around success after gradua-

tion. Students also listened

to two technical paper

presentations and attended a

plant tour at Swanson Indus-

tries. The conference con-

WVU’s very own monorail

system. The conference was

overall a great experience

for students to network and

learn more about careers in

industrial engineering. The

students are already looking

forward to the 2014 regional

conference, to be hosted by

the Virginia Tech chapter of

IIE!

The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the

Genius Inside Our Schools

Sequel to Liz Wiseman’s best-selling business book, Multipliers : How the

Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

Elise Foster is a ’99 and ’00 graduate of the ISE department. She was the

outstanding senior in the College of Engineering for the Class of ‘99 and

also worked extensively with the Center for the Enhancement of Engi-

neering Diversity.

For more information, visit http://MultiplierEffectBook.com

by: Liz D. Wiseman, Lois N Allen, and Elise Foster

Sponsorship

Opportunity

If your organization

is interested in

serving as a

corporate sponsor

for the 2014

student IIE

conference at VT

please contact

Zvonko Cindrich at

zzvonko@vt.edu

P A G E 4

T H E I S E

C O N N E C T I O N

Companies Hiring Hokies

CCS and its subsidiaries in

Christiansburg have hired

many Hokies over the year,

including ISE graduate Marty

Muscatello, who is CEO.

CCS provides computing solu-

tions for harsh environments

and mission-critical applica-

and control system vendors.

CCS’s Qualtrax software

makes compliance easier.

Qualtrax manages documents,

processes, and training so all

required compliance is man-

ageable, secure, electronic,

and in one central location.

tions. CCS serves a wide varie-

ty of industries including man-

ufacturing, energy, food and

beverage, marine, telecom-

munications, and defense. A

wholly-owned subsidiary of

CCS-Inc., FoxGuard provides

cyber security and regulatory

compliance assistance for

critical infrastructure entities

CCS-Inc.

Herren Associates is a

management consulting firm

based in Washington D.C. that

leverages industrial engineer-

ing principles to deliver meas-

urable and sustainable results

that improve business opera-

tions. Founded in 1989 by Jeff

Herren, a VT ISE Advisory

Board member, Herren Associ-

ates strives to maximize the

value of every tax dollar spent.

Herren is a one hundred per-

son firm, thirteen of whom are

graduates of the VT ISE depart-

ment. The firm is always look-

ing to add more Hokies. Her-

ren Associates specializes in

process re-engineering, sys-

to not only delivering smarter

solutions to clients, but also

fostering an entrepreneurial

environment to attract, devel-

op, and retain the best people.

tems acquisition, engineering

management, program analy-

sis, and cost engineering for a

wide variety of civilian and

government industries. Herren

has been industry recognized

by several publications, includ-

ing Washington Business Jour-

nal’s FAST 50, INC. 500 Fastest

5000, and SmartCEO maga-

zine’s GovStar Awards: Indus-

try Star. Herren is committed

Herren Associates

Ways to Stay

Connected

If you and members

of your class or your

employer would like

to sponsor or be a

co-sponsor of an

event (e.g. ISEats,

pizza for information

sessions, Relay for

Life fundraising

events, etc.) contact

us and we will

coordinate your

efforts!

Virginia Tech graduates

VT ISE Grads of Herren Associates, pictured with Dr. Don Taylor, ISE Department Head

P A G E 5

T H E I S E

C O N N E C T I O N

Celebrate with ISE

Congratulations to Lexi Ioannou and Dan Pappas!

Lexi and Dan got engaged in November 2012, and the

wedding is this July! They both graduated from Virginia Tech in May 2011, and Lexi is

an ISE alumni.

Word Search: ISE Faculty

A X N I D Z P G O P N W W S I

X K X U E R N I A R I S I A E

F Y A L S I A S U L L H N L F

T R L B L S U W A E K E C H F

N I A L R P B R O B N W H C A

S I E T A E E A I H A C E A A

H O R T I H H S U J R H S N T

K M H A S C H C F M F U T W Q

S Y N E S R E G R O T K E V C

D R A B B A G L I G L U R A A

L O C K H A R T L E S O M N G

F S T U R G E S I I L E F A N

I L A S A C G N T Y L I P K E

T R A V I S E F A I N I J E W

E V O R G R R T O H W E R N Z

Agnew Bish Camelio Casali Cherbaka

Ellis Franklin Fraticelli Gabbard Grove

Howard Jin Kleiner Koelling Lockhart

Nachlas Nussbaum Pasupathy Sarin Sherali

Shewchuk Sturges Taaffe Taylor Torgersen

Travis VanAken Wernz Winchester

Word

Bank

See page 7 to

find out how to

be featured in

Celebrate ISE

Creating a Culture of Giving

Our Most Vital Need - The Excellence Fund

To aid us in soliciting funds for

this endowment, we recently

commissioned a sculpture,

which has been installed on

the wall in Durham Hall right

outside the departmental main

office. The names of our bene-

factors appear prominently on

the large brass plaques above

the sculpture and the names

of our Patrons appear on the

brass plaques on either side of

the sculpture. Our Sponsors

names appear on the bronze

plaques surrounding the sculp-

ture.

retain the world's best faculty,

assist with day-to-day operations,

and help maintain state-of-the-art

research and teaching facilities. If

we are to be competitive with

other top 10 departments, giving

is vital.

At the Grado Department of

I n du s t r i a l an d S y s t e ms

Engineering, our vision is to be

leaders in research, education,

professional outreach and

leaders in our communities and

society. Funds from the

Commonwealth of Virginia to

Virginia Tech do not cover our

annual budget or needs. Private

giving is critical if we are to

maintain, let alone improve, the

high quality of our processes.

Giving to ISE at Virginia Tech

c a n p r o v i d e s t u de n t

scholarships, maximize students'

learning, help us attract and

Adams, Michael & Brenda

Adkins, Roger & Mary

Arnold, Dick & Sally

Arnold, Joseph

Askew, Tom

Bailey, Fred

Birk, Lydia

Blackwood, Morgan

Blanchard, Ben & Dot

Burzacchi, Sebastian & Kelly

Canada, John & Wanda

Casali, John

Chachra, Vinod & Ranjana

Cullinane, Thomas & Katherine

Davis, Darrell & Michelle

Deisenroth, Mike & Marilia

Dick, Dan & Lynn

Doughty, Gary & Eleanor

Easterly, Mary Chris

Fitzgerald, William & Vicki

Forbes, Charles & Patricia

A Special Thanks And Recognition To Our Excellence Fund Contributors

Fulton, Steven

Gingrich, Pete

Grado, John & Corrie

Guynn, Jack & Becky

Harmon, Ken

Hepler, Clint & Nita

Jones, John & Lillian

Klein, Dave & Christine

Laman, Denise

Leclaire, Kevin & Jessica Oi

Leslie, Charles

Mayo, Trevor

McClelland, Robert & Mary

McKnight, John

Memmer, Peter

Miller, Matthew & Holly

Monroe, Ellis

Montague, John & Jean

Montgomery, Doug & Cheryl

Norris, Jack

O’Brien, Charley & Betsy

Overby, Tom & Carolyn

Pannell, Rob

Polk, John & Marty

Porterfield, Robert & Nancy

Powers, Styron

Ring, Bill & Sara

Rockwell, Chris & Sharon

Rusak, Jennifer & Mark

Sage, Don & Mary Etta

Sauer, Nancy & Ron

Smith, Jaime & Erika

Smith, Michael & Elizabeth

Snelling, Steve

Spitzer, Kirk & Leila

Stewart, Mona & Kevin

Szabos, Brian & Kurstein

Taylor, Bob & Connie

Taylor, Don & Jo Ellen

Torgersen, Paul & Dot

Van Aken, Eileen & Steve

van Luyn, Dutch & Trudy

Worley, Hal & Thornie

WE WOULD LOVE TO

HEAR FROM YOU!

Celebrate with ISE Please send in any updates and announce-

ments such as (but not limited to) marriage,

births, career accomplishments, retirement,

community projects, and awards and recog-

nitions by email to Joyce Vest at

vestjs@vt.edu or by mail to the Depart-

ment, address listed below.

Please be sure to include all relevant infor-

mation including your name, address,

phone number, and email address.

Address Updates

Mailing and email address updates should

also be sent in to Joyce Vest at

vestjs@vt.edu.

V O L U M E 3 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 7

Congratulations 2013 Spring APM Initiates!

Solution to Word Search on page 5

Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech

250 Durham Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061

phone: (540) 231-6656, fax: (540) 231-3322, email: ise@vt.edu

Joanna Appugliese

Emily Armentrout

Allie Aroesty

Jonathon Beck

Brian Bohannon

Bomi Choi

Zvonko Cindrich

Will Coleman

Megan Dierolf

Nadejda Doutcheva

Abdel Rahman El Mazny

Taylor Everson

Casey Glinowiecki

Oscar Herrera-Restrepo

Mary-Gallagher Hunter

Meredith Johnson

Michael Kott

Kevin McIntire

Alexander Monahan

Marylee Morrison

Sarah Oertel

Taylor Rains

Matthew Young