ISE Spring 2025 Newsletter: A Message from the Chair

Hello ISE friends and colleagues, 

It’s hard to believe the spring semester is already coming to a close and commencement is just around the corner. This time of year offers a special opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of our alumni, faculty, and students over the past few months, and what an impactful semester it has been. 

In our last update, we shared the loss of Carlos del Sol, a dedicated member of our ISE Advisory Board and long-time friend of the department. In January, we received news of another bittersweet moment—the passing of Marguerite Haldeman, wife of the late Harold Haldeman, a distinguished ISE alumnus. With her passing, a generous memorial gift originally placed in a family trust in 2017 was released to benefit our department. You will find specifics of the Haldeman Endowment in this edition of our newsletter. The support of alumni like Carlos, Harold, and Marguerite plays a vital role in our continued growth and progress. 

We also had the honor of inducting two outstanding alumni into the ISE Hall of Fame—Eric Stern and Kevin Teehan. Their achievements in industry and their service to both the engineering profession and the university are truly inspiring. They exemplify the impact of an ISE education and the enduring strength of our alumni network.

Our faculty continues to drive innovation and excellence in research. Xiang Zhong, Ph.D., co-director of the HEALTH-Engine Lab, brings expertise in stochastic modeling, control, and data analytics with applications spanning healthcare, service, and production systems. Her groundbreaking work in data-driven modeling as it relates to hospital planning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and using AI to improve intensive care delivery is helping shape the future of engineering. I encourage you to explore her innovative research. 

We are also proud to celebrate Aleksandr Kazachkov, Ph.D., who received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award for his outstanding contributions to mixed integer programming. His research will enable faster solution times and more complex models for challenging operational problems. Please take a moment to learn more about his impactful research. 

From the facilities perspective, we are getting closer to the final installation of the large-scale 3D printer of concrete, which will enable innovative ISE and multidisciplinary research leading to the future of construction, Infrastructure 5.0. Infrastructure 5.0 converges our areas of expertise in optimization, data analytics and modeling, supply chain, and materials and manufacturing, thus revolutionizing applications in transportation, construction, housing, to name a few.

As you can see, there is no slowing down in ISE. We are proud of the momentum we’ve built and look forward to what’s ahead. Thank you for your continued support of the department and for being part of our vibrant ISE community. 

Go Gators! 

Iris V. Rivero, Ph.D., F. IISE, F. SME
Paul and Heidi Brown Preeminent Chair in Industrial and Systems Engineering