Chair, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering
Hello alumni, faculty and friends of the UF Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering.
There is so much happening and expansion in ISE facilities this semester. Weeks after Herbert Wertheim toured our towering 3D concrete construction printer (of which we made a concrete UF logo to greet him), we cut the ribbon to officially establish this game-changing technology as a teaching and research tool.
As we host these events showcasing our expanded facilities, we are working in parallel on the establishment of a metal powder printer lab that will test components that can go into airplane engines and spacecrafts. We are aiming high, literally.
Along with our facilities expansion, in this newsletter you will meet the essence of ISE: our students and faculty, who continue to make a difference in our lives.
Our ISE students always shine. Be sure to read the profile of Ph.D. student Tanner Staggs, a first-generation college student who focuses on novel algorithms for solving large-scale network interdiction problems. His work helps identify network vulnerabilities.
You will also meet Ph.D. student Gustavo Paulon, whose research on the biomechanics of traumatic brain injuries, specifically head-neck dynamics, is promising to improve the safety of helmets for first responders.
Our students thrive outside of the labs and classrooms, too. In fact, we profile one ISE student who also serves as team manager for UF’s basketball team.
In this newsletter, you will read about another amazing industrial tool under the ISE umbrella: The AMBIT metal printer. This revolutionary machine offers hybrid technology (machining and metal printing) that could transform how industries repair and remanufacture everything from airplane parts to bridge components. It is part of ISE’s additive manufacturing expansion.
This semester, ISE is also part of an NSF-funded multi-university research team seeking to reduce corrosion of infrastructure such as bridges. Mitigating corrosion is a global challenge that costs the United States nearly half a trillion dollars annually. This project uses existing microbial biofilms growing on metal surfaces to develop a coating.
And we bid farewell to beloved ISE master’s graduate and supporter Glenn Renwick, a diehard Gator who incorporated his engineering background into his role as CEO of Progressive Insurance. Renwick passed away in May, not long after visiting UF for a fireside chat with students and faculty.
Renwick knew the value of his ISE education at UF and gave back to a department that continues — as you will see in this newsletter — to raise the bar.
Have a wonderful rest of the semester and Go Gators!
Iris V. Rivero, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering