Industrial and Systems Engineers generally end up in a variety of industries. We seek partners in our efforts to prepare students for careers in these industries. There are a number of ways in which to partner with the department, from participating in formal recruiting sessions to sponsoring programs and projects, whether at the undergraduate or graduate level. The benefits of partnering are enormous – from name recognition and student access to exposure to cutting-edge technologies. Specifically, here are a number of ways in which to partner (click on a link to learn more):
The purpose of this course is to give students skills in carrying out a project for a designated client, just as practicing engineers. This course brings together many of the tools presented in previous courses to solve the problems defined in the project. Students also acquire additional experience in giving presentations and technical writing.
Teams of 3-5 ISE seniors solve a problem defined by the client (company sponsor) over a 15-week semester. Problems cover any topic of relevance to industrial and systems engineering (i.e., lean manufacturing, supply chain management, transportation optimization, facilities layout, economic analysis, data mining, process improvement, inventory analysis, production control, etc.). Deliverables include recommendations, analyses, and decision support systems. Donations support all project costs (travel, etc.) and educational support.
- Host a recruiting event
Nearly all students are members of the Institute of Industrial Engineers student chapter, which holds bi-weekly meetings. Sponsor a meeting by providing a speaker that can talk about being an Industrial and Systems Engineering major in your company and provide information about careers in your company. If desired, we can arrange for interviews for the following day. Interviews can be scheduled in advance (with a resume book provided) or scheduled at the informational meeting. Donations cover food and beverage costs of the meeting, resume books, and interviewing logistics.
- Sponsor an ISE student event
The student chapters of IIE and Alpha Pi Mu have a full calendar of activities, many of which could benefit from sponsorship. For example, students travel annually to regional and national IIE conferences to present their work and network with other IEs. The students host an annual “Quiz Bowl” in which they compete in teams on their knowledge of Industrial Engineering topics. Finally, the students annually hold a banquet to honor graduates and those that have served in leadership positions. In these cases, the sponsors would be gratefully acknowledged during the event. Donations cover the cost of the event.
- Sponsor the Sales Engineering Program
Engineering students pursuing a minor in Sales Engineering take courses in economics, marketing, strategic selling, and a sales engineering seminar. Seminar speakers come from industry and spend one hour discussing a topic of academic interest. A second hour is available to discuss sales engineering career opportunities at the sponsor. Interviews can also be arranged. Donations cover food and beverage costs of the seminar, access to students, online resumes, and interviewing logistics.
- Sponsor an Integrated Product and Process Design Project
Multi-disciplinary teams of 3-5 seniors from across the College of Engineering solve a problem defined by the client over a 30-week academic year. The first semester deals with the product or process design while the second semester is concerned with prototype development. Deliverables include the actual design and prototype. The company retains all intellectual property. See the IPPD website for details.
- Sponsor a Ph.D Research Project
As a “Research I” university, it is the department’s mission to produce research – answers to the problems facing society today. As most problems facing industrial and systems engineers are grounded in industry – supply chain management, risk management, production and inventory control, data analysis, etc. – it is only natural that industry and academia partner on research projects. In these collaborations, complicated problems are defined that can only be approached with advanced techniques and resources (Ph.D. students and faculty). The results may include analyses, recommendations, models, tools, or decision-support systems, depending on the needs of the company. Contract costs generally support student stipend, tuition, equipment and faculty time.
- Fund an Endowed Scholarship
After faculty support, graduate students represent the highest expense of the department. However, they also represent its future, as they produce the research to solve problems with cutting edge technologies and eventually enter the workforce to do the same. As the research university for the State of Florida, it is our mission to graduate Ph.D. students. Interest from the endowment would pay the stipend and tuition requirements for a Ph.D. student and the endowed scholarship would be continually recognized with the name: Jane Doe, Company XYZ Fellow.
- Fund an Endow Professorship or Chair
A department relies on its faculty to perform research and pass knowledge down to students in the classroom. Endowed positions provide funding to further enable these activities while recognizing tremendous accomplishments. An endowed position would be continually recognized: Dr. Jane Doe, Company XYZ Professor or Company XYZ Endowed Chair.