SIUE Engineering Master’s Candidates Present Research on International Stages
Five Southern Illinois University Edwardsville industrial engineering graduate students have presented their scholarship at internationally attended conferences during the fall 2017 semester. Two of the master’s candidates received Distinguished Paper Awards for their standout studies.
Award winners Priyank Shah and Jijo Varghese each presented at the IISE (Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers) Engineering Lean & Six Sigma Conference in Orlando. Under the advisement of Emmanuel Eneyo, PhD, professor of industrial engineering, Shah presented “Value Engineering and Lean Six Sigma – Integrated Approaches for Process Improvement,” and Varghese presented “Quality Value Stream Mapping: An Innovative Approach to Quality Assurance.”
“The large-scale presentation experience was a great boost to my academic and professional future,” Shah said. “I got goosebumps as I heard my name for the distinguished paper award. To achieve the award in front of many experienced, best and brilliant minded people was a dream come true.”
“Being one of the top eight out of 100-plus papers prepared by a pool of consultants, professors and students was surely a grand achievement for me,” added Varghese. “Working with Dr. Eneyo was an absolute pleasure. I am honored to work with an individual who is knowledgeable, supportive and friendly.”
Fellow master’s candidates Narayana Kurapati, Naga Maddali and Cem Yaba presented at the BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society) Annual Meeting.
Maddali aspires to be a design engineer, using his passion for 3D modeling. “Application of 3D modeling enhances our understanding of programs and helps derive suitable solutions,” he said. “With the help of my advisor, Dr. Felix Lee, I developed interest in modeling a coronary artery, which when diseased, results in cardiac arrest.”
He credits Lee, and Jon Klingensmith, PhD, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, with providing encouragement and input that are developing him into a strong leader in his field. “Dr. Lee’s teaching skills are impeccable and always to the point. Dr. Klingensmith provided necessary review and direction. He always strives to provide better techniques to the field of biomedical engineering.”
According to Lee, all industrial engineering faculty are strong proponents of the University’s teacher-scholar model. The five students’ successes offer exemplary evidence of their dedication to this mission.
“It shows that industrial engineering faculty are doing a great job in advising and guiding their graduate students on their research work,” Lee said. “I think that one key strength of our program lies in our faculty. We take not only teaching seriously, but also strive to foster our students in their research abilities.”
Lee also advised Kurapati’s research project, while Sinan Onal, PhD, assistant professor of industrial engineering, served as Yaba’s advisor.
“My research is about fatigue analyses of customized knee inserts in total knee replacement surgery,” Kurapati explained. “I met many people at the BMES conference, which made me feel confident and encouraged me to do more research. I look forward to working in 3D product design and manufacturing.”
“Attending international conferences improves your presentation skills and your project,” Yaba said. “This study was conducted with the objective of developing a face tracking based system to track positions of patients in three-dimensional space. I started the project as an undergraduate working as a research assistant. We’ve continued to encounter related problems, and as we’ve solved them one by one, my interest in this area has grown.”
Photos: SIUE industrial engineering graduate students (L-R) Priyank Shah and Jijo Varghese each presented at the IISE (Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers) Engineering Lean & Six Sigma Conference in Orlando this fall, and received Distinguished Paper Awards.
SIUE industrial engineering graduate students (L-R) Narayana Kurapati, Naga Maddali and Cem Yaba presented at the BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society) Annual Meeting in fall 2017.
