Dept. of Industrial Engineering ~ Annual Report 2025

DEPARTMENT HEAD WELCOME

I am proud to share accomplishments from the year 2024-2025 resulting from the talent and dedication of our faculty, students, staff, and alumni.

In Fall 2024, the Department of Industrial Engineering officially changed the name of its undergraduate degree to Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Analytics (BSIEOA). This update reflects the department’s increased focus on data-driven decision-making, systems optimization, and applied analytics. The name change was made with the strong support of the department’s advisory board and after thoughtful consultation with numerous corporations that hire our graduates.

Our faculty continue to distinguish themselves nationally and internationally. Dean Kim Needy received the 2025 Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Award, the most esteemed honor bestowed by IISE. University Professor Manuel Rossetti served as general chair of the Winter Simulation Conference, while Assistant Professor Rob Curry was awarded a Department of Defense fellowship to explore the deployment of large language models in high-performance computing environments.

Student success remains central to our mission. We awarded more than $214,000 in scholarships to 93 students, primarily supported by the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering (AAIE). This year also saw the completion of the first phase of renovations to student spaces. Funded through a generous gift, a pre-existing lab space was transformed into the Larry and Gwen Stephens Student Learning Center. This center serves as a hub for students to receive assistance outside of the classroom from our teaching assistants and faculty. Later this fall we plan to open the Foust Student Study Center which will provide students a larger space to study, socialize, and host student events.

We were honored to receive a gift establishing a new endowed faculty position, the Palmer Terrell Family Endowed Chair, representing a significant investment in our department’s future and enabling us to recruit additional strong faculty candidates.

Serving as Department Head of Industrial Engineering continues to be a privilege, thanks to the students, faculty, staff, and alumni I have the pleasure of working with every day. If you are a member of our department’s extended family, I hope you find this year’s report to be a source of pride and excitement for the year to come.

Twenty-First Century Professor and Department Head

FEATURED RESEARCH

Resilient Logistics Planning for Military Sustainment and Disaster Response in the Pacific

Robert M. Curry is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas. His research focuses on mathematical optimization, military logistics, and resilient infrastructure systems. He has worked on decision support tools for the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Pacific Command, and other national security partners. Curry regularly collaborates with military officers and data scientists to apply advanced operations research techniques to real-world logistics and sustainment challenges.

From typhoons and tsunamis to contested military environments, the Indo-Pacific region presents some of the most complex logistics challenges in the world. The U.S. Army must be prepared not only to deploy and sustain operations in the face of adversarial threats, but also to respond swiftly to humanitarian crises across vast, dispersed terrain. A team of researchers in the Department of Industrial Engineering, led by Dr. Rob Curry and Army Lieutenant Colonel Clay Woody, is developing advanced mathematical models to help military planners make better decisions about where to place critical supplies and how to route them efficiently in these dynamic conditions

This work is supported by the U.S. Army Pacific Command’s Chief Data Office in collaboration with the Operations Research Center at the United States Military Academy (West Point). These partnerships ensure the research is grounded in current military operations, informed by practitioner input, and well positioned for real-world implementation.

At the heart of this work is a family of mixed-integer programming (MIP) models that optimize two central decisions: where to preposition supply stocks of supplies and equipment as well as how route these supplies to disaster-struck communities. These models account

for a variety of real-world constraints, including transportation capacity, stock capacities, vehicle accessibility and demand requirements. The team’s MIP framework allows decision-makers to determine optimal pre-positioned locations and inventory levels while minimizing cost and maximizing coverage across a vast region of potential humanitarian operations. This work resembles a modern adaptation of the facility location problem, extended with militaryspecific parameters like adversarial risk and infrastructure resilience.

Another branch of the research tackles disaster response planning using scenario-based optimization. Collaborating with Army officers and logistics experts, the team built a simulation engine that generates plausible disaster scenarios — each with unique demands, damaged infrastructure and degraded supply networks. For each scenario, the optimization model recommends stock placements and delivery routes that minimize unmet humanitarian demand and improve post-disaster readiness. When evaluated across a portfolio of scenarios, the results reveal strategies that are not just efficient, but also robust under uncertainty, a key requirement for real-world Army logistics.

Curry’s team also addresses emerging challenges in resilient and adversarial-

aware logistics planning. Ongoing work extends the MIP models to include redundancy protocols, resource diversity and contingency planning, helping the Army build networks that can withstand disruptions. Future extensions may include bi-level optimization and interdiction models to explicitly account for adversarial interference.

The potential impacts of this research are significant. For military operations, it can improve mission readiness, reduce supply chain vulnerabilities and enable rapid

force projection in times of crisis. For humanitarian efforts, it offers a more responsive and scalable framework for disaster response in some of the world’s most disaster-prone regions. The models also provide decisionmakers with transparency and flexibility, allowing them to weigh competing objectives like cost, risk and response time.

In addition to advancing theory, this work is grounded in operational practice. Beyond defense applications, these models also hold value for humanitarian

aid organizations responding to natural disasters across the Indo-Pacific. As the geopolitical and environmental stakes in the Pacific continue to rise, tools that blend rigorous optimization with operational realism are increasingly vital. Through this research, the University of Arkansas Department of Industrial Engineering is helping shape the future of contested logistics, ensuring that critical supplies reach the right place at the right time, whether in conflict or crisis.

Soldiers with the 7th Transportation Group’s 331st Tansportation Company, the Army’s only floating causeway company and Navy Seabees with Amphibious Construction Battalion 1 secure a piece of the Improved Navy Lighterage System loaded with shipping contatiners.

Photo Credit:

U.S. Army

FEATURED RESEARCH

Reliability Analysis and Maintenance of Self-Service Systems

Haitao Liao is Professor and John and Mary Lib White Endowed Systems Integration Chair in the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2010 and the 2017 Alan O. Plait Award for Tutorial Excellence. In addition, he was a five-time winner of William A. J. Golomski Best Paper Award from the IISE QCRE Division and three-time winner of Stan Ofsthun Best Paper Award from the Society of Reliability Engineers. Liao is a Fellow of IISE, and a member of INFORMS, IEEE and Society of Reliability Engineers.

Self-service systems, such as electric vehicle charging piles (EVCPs), give users opportunities to access service and complete requests by themselves. Such systems are usually installed in a specific location without on-site staff. During operation, the systems are subject to random failures that are often imperfectly detected and may not be fixed immediately. As a result, a user sometimes needs to switch to another unoccupied system for service when the initially selected system has already failed or fails during service. Additionally, the service provider would appreciate it if the user, under no obligation, could report the failure immediately.

Clearly, reliability analysis and maintenance decision-making for a fleet of self-service systems is quite different from what has been studied in other types of service systems. Considering continuous customer

arrivals, system failures and failureinduced demand switching, it is quite difficult to model and enhance a fleet’s service level.

The challenge becomes even greater when a unique two-dimensional inspection and maintenance policy is adopted to handle the fleet’s maintenance needs, in hopes of retaining its service level with respect to long-run demand satisfaction. To overcome these challenges, Liao and his collaborators from the University of Hong Kong studied a fleet of AC EVCPs and a fleet of DC EVCPs in Hong Kong. Based on the real data collected in the field, they modeled the fleet state transition process and investigated its analytical properties. They measured the fleet long-run service reliability and obtained the analytical expressions for crucial service level metrics, such as the expected number of failed systems and service reliability loss due

Figure 1: Service reliability of the two EVCP fleets under different combinations of (an interval of u since the last maintenance and when the number of revealed failed systems reaches K): (a) - DC EVCP fleet, (b) - AC EVCP fleet

to imperfect monitoring (see Figure 1). Their work will assist practitioners in (1) determining the optimal maintenance policy that maximizes the fleet’s service reliability, (2) assessing the service reliability loss due to imperfect failure detection and (3) evaluating the sensitivity of the optimal service reliability with respect to the system failure rate and customer behavior in reporting system failures.

Proactive maintenance is often carried out as part of efforts for system reliability performance assurance. In practice, its economic

benefit can be greatly enhanced if the reliability performance of the system in the field is well characterized. For self-service systems, balancing the overall service level with service demand and maintenance cost is essential for operators aiming to maximize their profit.

In recent work by the team of collaborators, a quantitative framework was introduced for developing an optimal maintenance policy to maximize the long-run profit rate of a fleet of self-service systems. After

modeling the real demand and service duration data (see Figure 2), they developed a novel threedimensional maintenance policy to optimize the timing and level of maintenance actions. To facilitate policy optimization, they proposed a Kriging-based optimization algorithm capable of efficiently solving the associated mixed-integer nonlinear optimization problem with a vast search space. This work reveals several critical managerial implications that may assist the operators in improving their profits.

Figure 2. Observed and estimated average demand arrivals and service duration

A user switched to another unoccupied electric vehicle charging pile.

RETIREMENT OF JOHN ENGLISH

John English, a distinguished leader, educator and alumnus who dedicated 27 years of service to the university, retired at the end of 2024 after an impressive career, including serving as head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, dean of the College of Engineering and vice chancellor for the Division of Research and Innovation.

“I want to thank John English for the years of leadership he has provided to elevate the Department of Industrial Engineering and College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He has established a legacy in the industrial engineering community that will be felt for years to come,” said Chase Rainwater, current head of the Department of Industrial Engineering.

English began his career at the university in 1991 as a faculty member and served as head of the Department of Industrial Engineering from 2000 to 2007. He also worked on the faculties of Texas A&M University and Kansas State University, where he was dean of engineering from 2007 to 2013.

English returned to his alma mater in 2013 when he was named dean of the College of Engineering and the Irma F. and Raymond F. Giffels Endowed Chair in Engineering. In 2020, as vice chancellor for the Division of Research and Innovation, he helped drive the university’s research growth and innovation efforts. In 2023, he returned to the faculty as a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, where he continued to share his expertise with students and colleagues.

Kim Needy, dean of the College of Engineering, said, “For 27 years, John English has served the University of Arkansas, his alma mater, in a variety of roles with increasing responsibility. His impact on faculty, staff, students and alumni is hard to measure, but everlasting.”

In April 2025, English was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Fame at the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony.

John and Elizabeth English

““His impact on faculty, staff, students and alumni is hard to measure, but everlasting.”

Kim Needy, Dean College of Engineering

DEPARTMENT NEWS

FACULTY AND ALUMNI TAKE SPOTLIGHT AT IISE CONFERENCE

At the annual Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering Conference 2025, faculty and alumni of the Department of Industrial Engineering were recognized with a variety of awards.

Kim LaScola Needy, dean of the College of Engineering, was presented with the Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engineering Award. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the institute. It recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the welfare of mankind and distinguish themselves in the field of industrial and systems engineering. The award is presented for contributions of the highest caliber, nationally or internationally recognized.

CASSADY INDUCTED TO VIRGINIA TECH DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION ACADEMY

Richard Cassady has been inducted as an inaugural member of the Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education Academy of Distinguished Alumni.

“Our five inaugural inductees to this academy exemplify the levels of sustained impact on engineering education that define the academy,” said Jenni Case, head of the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech.

Department alumnus Jennifer Pazour, professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was elected as fellow of the institute. Pazour completed her master’s in 2008 and Ph.D. in 2011. Fellows are recognized as outstanding leaders of the profession who have made significant, nationally recognized contributions to industrial and systems engineering. A fellow is the highest classification of membership.

A team including recent doctoral alumni Mahboubeh Madadi and Ashkan Heydari, along with Lisa Maillart from University of Pittsburgh, and University of Arkansas faculty members Richard Cassady and Shengfan Zhang, received the IISE Transactions Focus Issue on Operations Engineering and Analytics Best Paper award for their paper: “Erlang Loss Systems with Shortest Idle Server First Service Discipline: Maintenance Considerations.”

Cassady received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Virginia Tech. At the University of Arkansas, he serves as director of the undergraduate program in industrial engineering and co-director of the Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center. Cassady is the founder of the first-year engineering program and served as its director from 2006 to 2023. He also served a five-year term on the Virginia Tech Industrial and Systems Engineering Advisory Board.

Outside of work, Cassady’s passion is helping to lead team-based robotics programs for students through the FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST LEGO League in Arkansas. Root Negative One, a FIRST Tech Challenge team that Cassady co-founded and coaches, was selected to represent the United States at the 2019 FIRST Global Challenge in Dubai and has won numerous championships.

Cassady was awarded the 2016 Albert G. Holzman Distinguished Educator Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and the Virginia Tech

College of Engineering Dean’s Award of Excellence for Public Service.

“The people I met at Virginia Tech were incredibly impactful in my life, especially Joel Nachlas. He was the advisor for my undergraduate research project, my master’s thesis, and my doctoral dissertation. More importantly, he was my mentor for many important career and personal decisions,” Cassady said.

POHL: LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

In December of 2024, Dean of the Graduate School and International Education, Ed Pohl received the Bernard Sarchet Award from the American Society for Engineering Management. The award was presented at the group’s annual conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The award is the highest award given by society and recognizes a lifetime of achievement in engineering management. Named after one of the founding fathers of the discipline of engineering management, the award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to the discipline and exemplifies the highest standards of the professorate in engineering management.

Kim Needy, dean of the College of Engineering, nominated Pohl for the award, especially noting his publication record, over eighty peer-reviewed journal articles in thirty different journals.

“I’m so pleased to see Dr. Pohl receive this recognition for his substantial contributions to the field of engineering management throughout his career, with an impact at local, national and international levels,” Needy said. “From his incredible record of peer-reviewed articles to his steadfast engagement and leadership with the society, he richly deserves this award.”

ROSSETTI CHAIRS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SIMULATION

Manuel Rossetti, served as chair of the annual Winter Simulation Conference 2024, hosted in Orlando Florida, in December. The conference is the premier conference for academics and practitioners interested in computer simulation modeling.

Rossetti served as general chair of the conference and supported by the conference committee, oversaw the entire conference, coordinating all aspects of the event. Including keynote speaker selection, venue arrangements, management of the publication of over 300 technical papers and overall logistics.

In his opening remarks, Rossetti stated, “Since 1967, the Winter Simulation Conference has highlighted the value of computer simulation and provided unprecedented analytical insights for designing, planning and operating complex systems. As general chair, it has been my great honor to contribute to the continuing legacy of this wellrespected conference.”

HONORING EXCELLENCE: CURRY RECIPIENT OF PRESTIGIOUS MILITARY ANALYST AWARD

Rob Curry has been honored with the prestigious Wayne P. Hughes Award from the Military Operations Research Society, recognizing outstanding contributions to military operations research. This award celebrates individuals who have made significant impacts through innovative analysis, mentorship, and service to the defense community.

Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, Chase Rainwater, commented on this recognition for Curry. “Dr. Curry has done an exceptional job establishing himself as a recognized researcher in security. We are proud of him and his efforts to sustain our department’s long reputation as a leader in defense research.”

Curry’s research portfolio spans collaboration with the U.S. Navy, Army, Marine Corps and Air Force, and he has led and co-led multiple federally funded projects in security and defense, including those from the Office of Naval Research, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center and the U.S. Department of Transportation. His projects have yielded actionable tools for the U.S. Department of Defense,

and he hopes to continue advancing the field of military operations research through practical innovation, academic rigor and collaborative engagement and mentorship.

RAINWATER RECIEVES RESEARCH ALLIANCE GRANT

The Arkansas Research Alliance announced Impact Grants awarded in April 2025, to University of Arkansas researchers. The grants totaling $1,868,910 were awarded to researchers conducting practical science on Arkansas research campuses.

Chase Rainwater, head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, received a grant to support Smart Robotics for Efficient and Autonomous Packaging. Addressing growing demands for rapid and error-free fulfillment in retail logistics, this project partners with Walmart to create a highly sophisticated robotic arm. By employing innovative computer vision and artificial intelligence, the system autonomously selects, organizes and packs products, boosting speed and efficiency in fulfillment centers and reducing labor costs. This innovation supports Arkansas’ position as a leader in retail logistics automation and supply-chain technology.

OPTIMIZING RESEARCH COLLABORATION

For the second consecutive year, senior leaders from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station; the College of Engineering; and the Sam M. Walton College of Business brought faculty members together to discuss research collaboration across campus.

the associate dean for graduate programs and research for Walton College, hosted a workshop in April 2025, to discuss research opportunities specifically in: digital agriculture, biosensing, food supply chain, robotics in agriculture, health and nutrition and environmental sustainability.

“I firmly believe that collaboration drives innovation,” Ekşioğlu said. “This workshop served as a platform for faculty from across campus including engineering, business and agriculture to come together and identify novel, high-impact research opportunities that address pressing societal challenges. Our next step is to provide seed funding to help these interdisciplinary teams transform their ideas into competitive proposals for external funding.”

Faculty presented a brief overview of their shared areas of research focus. Then participants broke out into small groups to ask questions, discover complementary expertise and brainstorm opportunities to optimize their work.

“Interdisciplinary research is critical to solving the complex issues facing agriculture, and we are thrilled by the interest shown by the faculty from these three colleges to join forces to bring innovation to food, agriculture and the environment,” Meullenet said.

FACULTY AND STUDENT RESEARCH HONORED AT GLOBAL MEETING

Faculty and students from the Department of Industrial Engineering received prestigious recognition at the 2025 Reliability and Maintainability Symposium held Jan. 2730 in Miramar Beach, Florida.

Sandra Ekşioğlu, associate dean for research in the College of Engineering; Jean-Francois Meullenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station for the U of A System Division of Agriculture; and Brian Fugate,

Receiving the Douglas J. Ogden Award was a team from the U of A for their paper, “Modeling the Impact of Corrosion Orientation and Location on Pipeline Reliability. “The award-winning authors included Nikesh

Haitao Liao, Nikesh Kumar and Ed Pohl

Kumar, a current doctoral student; Jose Azucena, a recent graduate and now an assistant professor at North Carolina A&T State University; Haitao Liao, professor and Ed Pohl, professor and dean of the Graduate School and International Education.

Additionally, the winner of the 2024 Thomas L. Fagan Jr. Reliability and Maintainability Symposium First Place Student Paper Award was announced at the conference after a year-long evaluation process. Cesar Ruiz, a graduate and current assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, along with co-presenter Farid Hashemian, a doctoral student, and Haitao Liao, professor, received the award. Their paper titled “Reliability Prediction via Accelerated Testing with Imperfectly Controlled Conditions” was published in the 2024 RAMS Proceedings.

Chase Rainwater, head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, commented on the news of the

awards: “It is impressive to see our current students, recent alumni and current faculty all being recognized for their work in one year. It speaks to the high level of research in reliability and maintainability that is happening at the University of Arkansas.”

FACULTY FELLOWS

The title Fellow is used to describe the highest level of membership in most professional societies. Requirements to achieve the level of Fellow vary among organizations. Fellows are typically nominated by other Fellows, have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their field and devoted service to the organization. The Industrial Engineering Department proudly recognizes faculty who have achieved this prestigious status.

American Society for Engineering Education

Kim Needy

American Society for Engineering Management

Kim Needy

Heather Nachtmann

Edward A. Pohl

Institute of Engineering & Technology

Karl D. Schubert

Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers

Richard Cassady

Sandra Ekşioğlu

John English

Haitao Liao

Heather Nachtmann

Kim Needy

Edward A. Pohl

Chase Rainwater

Manuel Rossetti

Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences

Greg Parnell

International Council on Systems Engineering

Greg Parnell

Lean Systems Society

Greg Parnell

Military Operations Research Society

Greg Parnell

Society for Decision Professionals

Greg Parnell

Society of Reliability Engineers

Richard Cassady

Edward A. Pohl

Cesar Ruiz, Farid Hashemian and Haitao Liao

ACTIVE GRANTS

Hernandez, S. and J. R. Chimka, “Seat belt, motorcycle helmet and child restraint survey,” Sponsored by Arkansas State Police, $638,575 (2021 – 2025)

Chimka, J.R., “JB Hunt Innovation Center of Excellence,” Sponsored by J.B. Hunt Transport Inc., Industry, $237,979 (2024-2025)

Liao, H., E. A. Pohl, X. Liu, Y. Zhao, R. A. McCann and X. Wu, “RII Track-2 FEC: Artificial Intelligence on Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Network (AI SUSTEIN) and Beyond towards Industries of the Future,” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $1,450,003 – Arkansas share. (2021 –2026)

Nachtmann, H. L., M. Barry, S. William, Chimka, J. Curry, R. Liao, H. Sullivan, K. Zhang, S.“Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC),” Sponsored by Department of Transportation, Federal, $10,000,000 (2023-2029)

Parnell, G. S., R. Curry, E. A. Pohl, “BAA Proposal,” Sponsored by U.S Army Corps of Engineers, Federal, $450,000. (2022-2024).

Pohl, E. A., K. M. Sullivan and H. Liao, “IAC MAC,” Sponsored by Alion Science & Technology Corporation, Industry, $98,047. (2023-2025) GR020403

Pohl, E. A., Bob Beitle, C. Sides, National Science Foundation, $249,792, “I-Corps Commercialization STEP (STEM Training in Entrepreneurship Practices),” 2017-2024

Cothren, J. D., C. E. Rainwater, H. L. Nachtmann, A. R. Milburn, A. Zajicek, D. J. Adams, J. R. Chimka, J. Zhan, K. Luu, H. Liao, L. Zhang, Q. Li, X. Liu, K. D. Schubert, S. Zhang, T. H. N. Le, X. Wu, X. Liu, S. Yang, Z. Sha, “EPSCoR Track 1 Data Science | Data Analytics that are Robust and Trusted (DART): From Smart Curation to Socially Aware Decision Making,” Sponsored by Arkansas Economic Development Commission, State, $679,842 year 5. (2020 – 2025)

Cothern, J.D., C. E. Rainwater, “Photogrammetry Services,” Sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories, Federal, $2,940,000 (2020-2026)

Di, J., B. N. Panda, C. E. Rainwater, D. R. Thompson and H. A. Mantooth, “Cyber-Centric Multidisciplinary Security Workforce Development,” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $4,634,626.00. (2019 – 2024)

Gibson, K., C. E. Rainwater, N. Le, J. Thompson, “Convergence Accelerator,” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, $3,999,819 (2023-2026)

Rainwater, C. E., Y. Li, J. L. Kent, J. Zhao, M. C. Lacity, C. Maxwell and E. A. Pohl, “Improving Food Safety of Pork Supply Chain,” Sponsored by Walmart Foundation, $3,200,000.00. (2020 –2024).

Li, Y., C. E. Rainwater, J. L. Kent, M. C. Lacity and M. T. Kidd, “Poultry Excellence in China: Improving Food Safety in Poultry Supply Chain (Phase II),” Sponsored by Walmart Foundation, $3,500,000.00. (2019 – 2024).

Rossetti, M. D., B. W. Hill, E. A. Pohl, R. L. Turner, X. Wu, A. J. Alverson, W. Chaovalitwongse, C. T. Harris, C. R. Cassady, W. F. Limp, J. R. Tipton, R. R. Rao and W. -J. Lo, “Multidisciplinary Data Science (MDaS) to Better Prepare STEM Students with Emerging Data Science Skills,” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $1,000,000. (2019 – 2025)

Rossetti, M. D., “CELDi DLA Membership,” Sponsored by Defense Logistics Agency, Federal, $87,199, 2024-2025

Schubert, K. D., C. S. Gattis, J. S. Popp, T. Carter III, C. Cao and G. Gunderman, “Innovation Training and Scholarships To Improve Student Retention and Graduation in STEM Fields,” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $999,864. (2021 – 2026)

Schubert, K. D., “Project Management Support for EPSCoR DART Project (Seed Funding - NSF EPSCoR DART Education Theme),” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $10,721 (202 – 2024).

Zhang, S., E. Specking, H. Liao, C. E. Rainwater, X. Wu, R. A. McCann, S. V. Hernandez, W. Zhang and Q. Li, “RET Site: Arkansas Data Analytics Teacher Alliance (AR-DATA),” Sponsored by National Science Foundation, Federal, $600,000 (2020 – 2024).

Catanzaro, D. G. and S. Zhang, “A Blood-based Multimetric Index to Predict Progression to Active Tuberculosis Disease,” Sponsored by University of California, San Diego, Institution of Higher Education, $597,230.00 (2018 – 2024). NIH Sub-award

FEATURED PUBLICATIONS

In 2024, the faculty of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas contributed one book, one book chapter, 29 refereed journal articles and 14 other refereed publications and proceedings. The faculty authors are indicated in bold.

Book Published

Lam, H., E. Azar, D. Batur, S. Gao, W. Xie, S. R. Hunter and M. D. Rossetti, Eds., Proceedings of the 2024 Winter Simulation Conference, Orlando, Florida, 2024: Piscataway, New Jersey: Institute of Electrical Engineers, Inc. https://ieeexplore.ieee. org/xpl/conhome/10838618/proceeding

Book Chapter

Smith, J. C. and R. M. Curry, (2024). “Mixed-Integer Programming Modeling Strategies for Scheduling-Based Optimization Problems.” Optimization Essentials as a part of the book series, International Series in Operations Research & Management Science. Vol. 353, Springer Nature. https://link. springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-99-5491-9

Refereed Journal Articles

Ekşioğlu, Burak

Kiani, M., T. Isik, B. Ekşioğlu and R. G. Pirrallo, “Dynamic tuberculosis screening for healthcare employees.” Computers and Operations Research. (2024): Vol. 169, 106737. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.cor.2024.106737

Liu, D., B. Ekşioğlu, M. Schmid, N. Huynh and G. Comert, “Decentralized platoon formation for a fleet of connected and autonomous trucks.” Expert Systems with Applications, (2024): Vol. 249, Part B, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. eswa.2024.123650

Cengil, A.B., B. Ekşioğlu, S. D. Ekşioğlu, H. Eswaran, C. J. Hayes and C. A. Bogulski, “Using data analytics for telehealth utilization: A case study in Arkansas.” Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, (2024): Vol. 30, Issue 10, 1563–1572. https://doi. org/10.1177/1357633X231160039 (first published online in 2023)

Ekşioğlu, Sandra

Cengil, A. B., S. D. Ekşioğlu, B. Ekşioğlu, H. Eswaran, C. J. Hayes and C. A. Boguluski, “Statistical Analysis of Telehealth Use and Pre- and Postpandemic Insurance Coverage in Selected Health

Care Specialties in a Large Health Care System in Arkansas: Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.” Journal of Medical Internet Research, (2024): Vol. 26, 49190.

Ekşioğlu, S. D., R. A. Proano, M. Kolter and S. N. Pinkley, “Designing Drone Delivery Networks for Vaccine Supply Chain: A Case Study of Niger.” IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, (2024): Vol. 14, Issue 3, 193-213

Gulcan, B., Y. Song, S. D. Ekşioğlu and M. Roni, “A Multistage Stochastic Programming Model for Adaptive Biomass Processing Operation under Uncertainty.” Energy Systems, (2024): Vol. 15, 1197-1232

Azadi, Z., S. D. Ekşioğlu and H. N. Geismar, “Optimization of Pediatric Vaccine Distribution Network Configuration under Uncertainty.” Computers & Industrial Engineering, (2024): Vol. 192, 110230 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2024.110230

Bhurtyal, S., S. Hernandez, S. D. Ekşioğlu and M. Yves, “A Two Stage Stochastic Optimization Model for Port Infrastructure Planning.” Maritime Economics and Logistics Journal, (2024): Vol. 26, 185-211

Liao, Haitao

Shi, G., X. Zhang, J. Zeng, H. Liao, H. Shi, H. Niu and J. Wang, “A Chance-constrained Net Revenue Model for Online Dynamic Predictive Maintenance Decision Making.” Reliability Engineering & System Safety, (2024): Vol. 249, 110233

Liao, H., “Accelerated Testing and Smart Maintenance: History and Future.” IEEE Transactions on Reliability, (2024): Vol. 73, Issue 1, 33-37 DOI: 10.1109/TR.2023.3330739

Cheng, Y., H. Liao and E. A. Elsayed, “From Reliability to Resilience: More Than Just Taking One Step Further.” IEEE Transactions on Reliability, (2024): Vol. 73, 1, 42-46 DOI: 10.1109/TR.2023.3330960

Azucena, J., H. Wang and H. Liao, “Modeling and Analysis of Two Normal Populations Based on an Unlabeled Paired Sample.” Communications in Statistics - Simulation and Computation, (2024): Vol. 53, Issue 9, 4158-4176 https://doi.org /10.1080/03610918.2022.2134895

Zhang, F., H. Liao, J. Shen and Y. Ma, “Optimal Maintenance over a Finite Time Horizon for a System under Imperfect Inspection and Dynamic Working Environment.” Reliability Engineering & System Safety, (2024): Vol. 246, 110057 https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2024.110057

Wei, Y., Y. Cheng and H. Liao, “Optimal Resilience-based Restoration of a System Subject to Dependent Recurrent

Hazards.” Reliability Engineering & System Safety, (2024): Vol. 247, 110137 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2024.110137

Shi, G., X. Zhang, H. Shi, J. Zeng, Y. Qin and H. Liao, “Realtime Evaluation of the Credibility of Remaining Useful Life Prediction Result.” IEEE Transactions on Reliability, (2024): Vol. 73, Issue 3, 1606-1618 DOI: 10.1109/TR.2024.3362331

Wei, G., V. Krishnan, Y. Xie, M. Sengupta, Y. Zhang, H. Liao and X. Liu, “A Statistical Model for Multisource Remote-Sensing Data Streams of Wildfire Aerosol Optical Depth.” INFORMS Journal on Data Science, (2024) Vol. 3, No. 2, 105-218 https:// doi.org/10.1287/ijds.2021.0058

Hanyu, T., K. Yamazaki, M. Tran, R. A. McCann, H. Liao, C. E. Rainwater, M. Adkins, J. Cothren and N. Le, “AerialFormer: Multi-Resolution Transformer for Aerial Image Segmentation.” Remote Sensing, (2024): Vol. 16, 2930 https://doi.org/10.3390/ rs16162930

Milburn, Ashlea

Short, E., S. K. Council, A. B. Milburn, A. Ammerman, J. Callaghan-Koru, P. Mendoza Kabua, B. L. Ayers, “Assessing the Acceptability and Implementation Feasibility of a Culturally Adapted Parenting Intervention for Marshallese Mothers: A Study Protocol.” Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, (2024): Vol. 37, 101240 https://doi.org/10.1016/j. conctc.2023.101240

Nachtmann, Heather

Bu, F. and H. L. Nachtmann, “Value-Focused Assessment of Container on Barge Freight Transportation Readiness.” Engineering Management Journal. (2024): Vol. 37, Issue 3, 289305 https://doi.org/10.1080/10429247.2024.2406129

Parnell,

Greg

Manso, D. F., G. S. Parnell, E. A. Pohl and M.C.N. Belderain. “Gaps in strategic problem-solving methods: A systematic literature review.” Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, (2024): Vol. 31, 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.1828

Tran, M., S. Kreinberg, E. Specking, G. S. Parnell, B. Hernandez, E. A. Pohl, G. Gallerno, J. Richards, R. Buchanan and C. Rinaudo. “Smart Installations Weather Warning Decision Support.” Systems, (2024): Vol. 12, Iss. 1 https://doi.org/10.3390/ systems12010014

Pohl, Letitia

(Tish)

Pohl, L. M. and M. Tutam, “Performance analysis for a dualcrane automated storage and retrieval system.” European Journal of Industrial Engineering, (2024): Vol. 19, 1-17 https:// doi.org/10.1504/EJIE.2025.143084

Rossetti, Manuel

Gibson, A. and M. D. Rossetti, “Enabling massively parallel, ad hoc exploration of the design space for simulation models within a serverless environment.” Simulation: Transactions of the Society for Modeling and Simulation International (2024): Vol. 100, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1177/00375497241233284

Rossetti, M. D., J. Bright, A. Freeman, A. Lee and A. Parrish, “A multicriteria model for assessing item importance and risk using operational data from military supply chains.” Journal of Defense Analytics and Logistics, (2024): Vol. 8, Issue 1, 2399-6439

Sullivan, Kelly

Chakrabarty, N., K. M. Sullivan and D. B. Lopes da Silva, “Time-Based Redeployment of Multi-Class Nodes for Reliable Wireless Sensor Network Coverage.” Computers & Industrial Engineering, (2024): Vol. 197, 110549 https://doi.org/10.1016/j. cie.2024.110549

Lopes da Silva, D. B. and K. M. Sullivan, “An optimizationbased Monte Carlo method for estimating the two-terminal survival signature of networks with two component classes.” Naval Research Logistics, (2024): Vol. 72, Issue 2, 169-186 https://doi.org/10.1002/nav.22218

Sullivan, K. M. and A. B. Milburn, “Case Article—Optimizing Transportation and Equity in a District Zoning Problem for ORville Public Schools.” INFORMS Transactions on Education, (2024) online https://doi.org/10.1287/ited.2023.0046ca

Enayaty Ahangar, N., K. M. Sullivan, S. M. Spanton and Y. Wang, “Algorithms and Complexity Results for the Single Cut Routing Problem in a Rail Yard.” IISE Transactions, (2024): Vol. 56, Issue 2, 172-185

Zhang, Shengfan

Wang, D., S. Sethu, S. Nathan, Z. Li, V. Hogan, C. Ni, S. Zhang and H. Seo, “Is human perception reliable? Toward illumination robust food freshness prediction from food appearance— Taking lettuce freshness evaluation as an example.” Journal of Food Engineering (2024): Vol. 381 https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jfoodeng.2024.112179

Conference Proceedings

Ekşioğlu, Sandra

Uhorchak, N., R. A. Proano, S. D. Ekşioğlu, F. Cengil, B. Ekşioğlu, “Pediatric vaccine tender scheduling in low and middleincome countries.” Proceedings of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo, Montreal, QC, Canada, May 2024.

Bui, H., S. D. Ekşioğlu, R. A. Proano, “Evaluating the Impact of Vaccine Hesitancy on the Allocation of Vital Resources During COVID-19 Pandemic.” Proceedings of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo, Montreal, QC, Canada, May 2024.

Gattis, Carol

Adams, P. D., C. S. Gattis, X. Delgado Solrzano, J. S. Popp, W. Lo, “Increasing Retention for Rural and Underrepresented STEM Students.” Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon, June 2024. DOI: 10.18260/12—46891

Liao, Haitao

De Luis, A., M. Tran, T. Hanyu, A. Tran, H. Liao, R. A. McCann, H. A. Mantooth, Y. Huang, N. Le, “SolarFormer: Multiscale Transformer for Solar PV Profiling.” Proceedings of 2024 International Conference on Smart Grid Synchronized Measurements and Analytics (SGSMA), Washington, DC, 2024.

Ruiz, C., F. Hashemian, H. Liao, “Reliability Prediction via Accelerated Testing with Imperfectly Controlled Conditions.” Proceedings of the 70th Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, January 2024.

Parnell, Greg

Anthony, A., E. Specking, G. S. Parnell, R. Buchanan, W. Anderson, G. Gallarno and J. Richard, “Analyzing Heat Related Injuries at Fort Moore.” Proceedings of the Conference on Systems Engineering Research, Tucson, Arizona, March 2024.

Rainwater, Chase

Ho, N-V., T. Phan, M. Adkins and C. E. Rainwater, J. Cothern and N. Le, “RSSep: Sequence-to-Sequence Model for Simultaneous Referring Remote Sensing Segmentation and Detection.” Proceedings of the Asian Conference on Computer Vision, 223236, Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2024, Pizano, R. T. and C. E. Rainwater, “A Bi-Modular Auto EncoderBased Unsupervised Degradation Detection Methodology for Remaining Useful Life Prediction.” Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Prognostics and Health Management (ICPHM), Spokane, Washington, June 2024, 243251 DOI: 10.1109/ICPHM61352.2024.10626534

Rossetti, Manuel

Rossetti, M. D., F. Hashemian, M. Aghamohammadghasem, D. Phan and N. S. Mousavi, “Input Distribution Modeling Using the Kotlin Simulation Library.” Proceedings of the 2024 Winter Simulation Conference, Orlando, Florida, December 2024.

Rossetti, M. D., “An Introductory Tutorial for the Kotlin Simulation Library.” Proceedings of the 2024 Winter Simulation Conference, Orlando, Florida, December 2024.

Schubert, Karl

Schubert, K. D. and C. S. Gattis, “An Innovation-Themed National Science Foundation S-STEM Grant Program.” Proceedings of the 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon, June 2024. https://peer.asee.org/ collections/166

Zhang, Shengfan

Sun, X., P. Qiu and S. Zhang, “SurvReLU: Inherently Interpretable Survival Analysis via Deep ReLU Networks.” Proceedings of the Conference on Information and Knowledge Management CCIKM, Boise, Idaho, October 2024. https://doi. org/10.1145/3627673.3679947

Mousavi, N. and S. Zhang, “Developing a Predictive Model for Monitoring Renal Function in ICU Patients Undergoing Gabapentin Therapy: A Focus on Essential Lab Tests.” Proceedings of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo, Montreal, QC, Canada, May 2024.

Phan, N. and S. Zhang, “A Comorbidity Network Analysis for Hospitalized Patients to Aid Early Pandemic Preparedness.” Proceedings of the IISE Annual Conference & Expo, Montreal, QC, Canada, May 2024.

Mullins Library is the main library on the University of Arkansas campus, serving as a central hub for research, study and access to the university’s vast collection of resources.

Chieko

Hara

UNDERGRADUATE NEWS

SENIORS OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Arkansas Alumni Association honors students at the University of Arkansas with several award programs. The Seniors of Significance award program has a rich history of honoring excellence in student leadership, academics and cocurricular involvement.

Two I.E. students were selected for this honor during the spring 2025 semester, Alyssa Ball and Caleb Mallett.

Alyssa is a native of Fayetteville and has always felt a strong connection to her hometown. With a passion for mathematics and strategically integrating adapting technology into various organizations to drive positive change, it took her three semesters of college to find her true calling in the Industrial Engineering department.

For more than 2 years during her undergraduate career, she worked as a research assistant under Mr. Brandon Crisel. Together they collaborated on a project focused on the development and implementation of student electronic portfolio (e-Portfolio) construction and personalization curriculum. After completing research on technical platforms, industry standards, stakeholder buyin and what makes relevant content for an e-Portfolio, they began creating a series of modules directed at developing an independent learning process for students to build their own e-Portfolios. By developing assignments to accompany the learning modules, they presented these learning materials to students achieving widespread engagement in the department and college. She also worked as an undergraduate course assistant working under Richard Cassady in his Intro to IE course, as well as a position as an extra help assistant in the IE front office assisting staff and faculty.

Outside of academic pursuits, she is an avid fan of Razorback football and can often be found cheering on her beloved Hogs. Alyssa is a proud member of the Society of Women Engineers, the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, and the American Society for Engineering Education, organizations that have helped provide her with a keen sense of community. Following graduation, Alyssa transitioned to a position within a lead consulting firm collaborating with teams dedicated to both strategic advising and technical impacts for their clients.

The first engineer in his family, Caleb, was born and raised in Conway, Arkansas. With a love for math and problem-solving, industrial engineering was a natural fit offering the challenge of solving logic puzzles on a larger, real-world scale.

He is especially interested in operations research and hopes to pursue a career where he can apply those skills. He values the versatility of his degree and the confidence it gives him to thrive in a variety of environments.

Caleb served as the 2024-25 President of the U of A IISE Student Chapter and was named an Outstanding Senior by the Department. In summer 2025, he worked for Walmart as an automation engineer on the strategic engineering initiatives team, evaluating innovative technologies for the Grocery Network supply chain. He began his master’s degree in Fall 2025.

Outside of academics, he enjoys disc golf, bowling, reading novels and volunteering with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, the campus food pantry and the Miracle League of NWA. He is a member of Alpha Pi Mu, and is the data analyst for Razorbook Reach, an RSO which provides books to underserved children in NWA.

ALPHA PI MU NEWS

The IISE Student Chapter and Alpha Pi Mu co-hosted their annual Bowling with the I.E.s event in March. What a turnout for the event! Faculty, students and staff were in rare form for the night. The event garnered the RSO Event of the Month award for the IISE group from the University of Arkansas.

The 2024-25 President of the IISE Chapter, Caleb Mallett, was named an Outstanding Senior by the College of Engineering and Senior of Significance by the Alumni Association.

Two members, Sarah Nesmith and Lexie Willroth, were the recipients of the nationally competitive IISE Scholarship Awards, the two will be serving as Chapter Officers for the 2025-26 academic year.

In addition to all of this, the Chapter achieved the IISE Student Chapter Gold Award for the second year in a row! Manuel Rossetti advises the group.

ALPHA PI MU CELEBRATES 116TH INITIATION

The APM Chapter at the University of Arkansas chartered in May of 1956. In past sixty-nine years the group has achieved numerous milestones, the most recent being the celebration of their 116th initiation ceremony. In March, the group hosted the initiation, inducting five new members. The event was attended by new students, current students and faculty.

The U of A chapter was also selected for the fourth place Most Outstanding Chapter Award 2024-25 by Alpha

Pi Mu. Additionally, Hannah Strohm, president, was the recipient of an Alpha Pi Mu Scholarship. Rob Curry advises the group.

INFORMS STUDENT GROUP

The INFORMS UARK Student Chapter had an active 2024–2025 academic year. They hosted a distinguished speaker series, featuring speakers from academia and industry. Speakers came from the University of Arkansas, University of Texas at Arlington, Purdue University, Clemson University, University of Virginia and Aimpoint Digital. They also organized two industry panels and networking meetings to support students’ job searches

Bowling with the I.E.s event 2025

and professional development. Prior to major I.E. conferences, the group arranged practice sessions, allowing students to present research and receive valuable feedback.

In addition, they introduced a hands-on workshop on Arkansas High Performance Computing (HPC), assisting students to leverage HPC tools for academic research and growth. This workshop introduced students to the available computational infrastructure, demonstrated how HPC can accelerate research, and provided practical guidance on getting started.

On a lighter note, the group organized a hike in the scenic Arkansas outdoors and a barbeque at a nearby park. The annual Ping-Pong Tournament drew strong participation from students, faculty and staff, while the “Cup o’ Connection” series continued to offer a reliable space for peer support and community building through informal discussions over coffee.

As a result of the efforts of the chapter, they were the recipients of the Magna Cum Laude Award from the institute. The award is the second highest award given to chapters and was given at the 2025 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Atlanta, October 26-29. The INFORMS group is advised by Haoming Shen.

Dr. Haoming Shen, advisor; Zaidur Rahman, vice-president; Farid Hashemian, President; Amit Kumar Saha, Treasurer and Hasan Md Shahriar, Secretary.

Pi Beta Phi Centennial Gate ~ University of Arkansas

The gate, located on Maple Street at the intersection of the former Campus Drive near Memorial Hall, was built in commemoration of the chapter’s 100-year anniversary on campus in 2012.

Whit Pruitt

Industrial engineering and operations analytics seniors were honored this spring for two semesters of work solving real-world problems alongside industry partners.

During the 2024-25 academic year, 39 seniors on eight teams participated in the Industrial Engineering and Operations Analytics Capstone Experience. The teams work on project problems provided by industry partners.

They begin in their fall semester by getting to know their industry partner and the issues motivating the project. Students then perform preliminary analysis and define objectives for their spring semester work.

In the spring, they apply their industrial engineering and operations analytics skills to develop recommendations for their industry partner, assess the potential impact of their work and create the deliverables that their industry partner will need to implement their work.

Every student pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Analytics at the U of A is required to complete the two-semester course sequence. Richard Cassady, University Professor of industrial engineering, coordinates the experience.

The experience concludes with the Capstone Symposium. This year’s event was held April 30, 2025.

AWARD WINNING TEAMS

• Project of the Year: Standardizing and Automating Yard Capacity Estimation

Luke Haskins, lead, Mackenzie Johnston, Javier Muriel Coscio, Thatcher Hagen and Nathan Shipp

Supported by: ABF Freight

• Outstanding Achievement in Data Analysis: Setting Staffing Levels for Poultry Further Processing Operations

Omar Qedan, lead, Stella Chaney, Mikah Daniels, Emma Higgins and Ella Pearl

Supported by: Simmons Prepared Foods

• Outstanding Achievement in Modeling: Determining Pallet Counts using a 3D Bin Packing Problem Heuristic

Daniel Terry, lead, Case Owenby, Thaddeus Wilson, Cesar Trujillo and Jaylen Malone

Supported by: J.B. Hunt Transport Services

• Outstanding Achievement in Decision Support: Automating and Standardizing the Carrier Selection Process for Managed Transportation Using MultiObjective Optimization

McKenna Heap, lead, Alison Thomas, Amanda Davis, Hannah Strohm and Jamie Ramirez

Supported by: ArcBest

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

• Outstanding Team Leaders: Luke Haskins, McKenna Heap and Omar Qedan

• Outstanding Team Members: Jalal Altal, Emma Higgins and Case Owenby

• Outstanding Industry Partners: Devon Buckingham, J.B. Hunt; Jordan Fernandez, J.B. Hunt and Ollie Nsabimana, Simmons Prepared Foods

• Outstanding Faculty Advisers: Brandon Crisel, Rob Curry and Kelly Sullivan

OTHER PROJECTS

Additional projects the Capstone Experience teams completed were:

• Project Title: Optimizing Float Pool Configurations to Address Unpredictability in Medical-Surgical Nurse Staffing

Alyssa Ball, lead, Roberta Cantu, Audrey Dizdar, Alberto Saenz Barahona and Han Siew

Supported by: Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation

• Project Title: Streamlining the SBIR/STTR Topic Selection Process

Grant Bunten, lead, Malek Altal, Trinity Colbert,

Spencer Dance and Oliver Welch

Supported by: Infinity Labs LLC

• Project Title: Improving Out-of-Network Trailer Monitoring Using Data Visualization With Microsoft Power BI

Cray Cothran, lead, Adam Maxwell, Baile Brust, Gabe McNabb and Jack Hannan

PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Standardizing and Automating Yard Capacity Estimation

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MODELING

Supported by: J.B. Hunt Dedicated Contract Services

• Project Title: Improving Parking Enforcement Scheduling Using Integer Linear Programming

Caleb Mallett, lead, Milagros Diaz Romero, Lily Harris and DeCory Thomas

Supported by: U of A Transit and Parking Department

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DATA ANALYSIS

Setting Staffing Levels for Poultry Further Processing Operations

Determining Pallet Counts using a 3D Bin Packing Problem Heuristic

HONORS EXPERIENCE

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DECISION SUPPORT

Automating and Standardizing the Carrier Selection Process for Managed Transportation Using Multi-Objective Optimization

The Honors Experience in our department is designed for students who are also enrolled in the University of Arkansas Honors College. The experience includes a minimum of 12 credit hours of honors courses, as well as an undergraduate research project that culminates with a thesis, Kelly Sullivan coordinates the program. In 2024-25, two undergraduate students completed the Honors College experience in our department:

Caleb Mallett

Han L. Siew

Minimizing Uncovered Triples: An Integer Programming Approach to College Football Conference Scheduling Rob Curry & Kelly Sullivan

Developing 3D-Printed Packaging to Protect Biodegradable Sensors used for Large-scale, Efficient Water Quality Monitoring

Haitao Liao

GRADUATE NEWS

STUDENT RESEARCH HONORED AT GLOBAL MEETING

The 2025 Reliability and Maintainability Symposium brought the Douglas J. Ogden Award to an I.E. team for their paper, “Modeling the Impact of Corrosion Orientation and Location on Pipeline Reliability.” The award-winning authors included Nikesh Kumar, a current doctoral student; Jose Azucena, a recent graduate and now an assistant professor at North Carolina A&T State University; Haitao Liao, professor and Ed Pohl, professor and dean of the Graduate School and International Education.

in celebration of student achievement and academic excellence. The event was hosted on the evening of April 24 at the Fayetteville Town Center.

The Outstanding Graduate Student award is decided by faculty vote and is based upon excellence in academic performance, leadership, service, collegiality, ethics and dedication.

Also, at the symposium, the 2024 Thomas L. Fagan Jr. Reliability and Maintainability Symposium First Place Student Paper Award was announced after a year-long evaluation process. Cesar Ruiz, a graduate and current assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, along with copresenter Farid Hashemian, a doctoral student and Haitao Liao, professor, received the award. Their paper titled, “Reliability Prediction via Accelerated Testing with Imperfectly Controlled Conditions,” was published in the 2024 RAMS Proceedings.

Maryam Aghamohammad was selected as Outstanding Graduate Student for 2024. Aghamohammad received a B.S. in mathematics and M.S. in industrial engineering from Shahed University and Sharif University of Technology in Iran, respectively. After working as a product manager in industry for six years, she chose to pursue a Ph.D. at the U of A, supported by the National Science Foundation and the Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC). Maryam is advised by Haitao Liao.

GRADUATE STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE

Each spring, the Department of Industrial Engineering honors outstanding students at the annual Industrial Engineering Student Awards Banquet. This special event brings together faculty, students, staff and alumni

She has published three conference papers and given five research presentations including those at the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineering (IISE), the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and the Winter Simulation Conference.

Aghamohammad was the recipient of the IISE John L. Imhoff Scholarship in 2024, which is one of the most prestigious scholarships for industrial and systems engineering students. She will soon begin a role as a senior data scientist at Walmart Global Tech.

Aghamohammad was also one of three students selected for the Graduate Academic Excellence Award. The other two students were Neda Adeli Ardabili and Hasan Md Shahriar.

Farid Hashemian

Nikesh Kumar

Maryam Aghamohammad

The Graduate Research Award recognizes the student who made the most valuable contribution to departmental research. It too, is selected by faculty vote.

The 2024 Graduate Research Award was presented to Nick Uhorchak. With his adviser, professor Sandra Eksioglu, Uhorchak has conducted research in data-driven optimization. His research focuses on developing optimization models and solution approaches to support scheduling of tenders for pediatric vaccines in developing countries.

During 2024, Uhorchak published a paper in the Proceedings of IISE Annual Conference and published a book chapter in the Encyclopedia in Operations Management. He also presented his work at the IISE Annual Conference, the INFORMS Annual Meeting and at the Arkansas Bioinformatics Consortium.

Additionally, at the banquet, the student chapter of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers sponsors the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant award. The recipient for 2024 was Hasan Md Shahriar.

Nick Uhorchak

Hasan Md Shahriar

MSOM/MSEM PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Master of Science in Operations Management (MSOM) graduate degree program began at the University of Arkansas College of Engineering in 1974 and continues to be the University’s largest graduate program. The program has awarded 6,416 MSOM degrees as of spring, 2025, and continues to thrive. The program is designed for professionals from diverse backgrounds ranging from business to government, military, nonprofits and other industry operations.

The Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM) graduate degree program began in 2017 and as of spring, 2025, has awarded 178 MSEM degrees with enrollment on the rise. The MSEM prepares engineers to lead and manage teams, projects and organizations with technical workforces to meet strategic objectives.

Coursework, often cross-listed with both programs, emphasizes practical knowledge in areas such as project management, decision making, supply chain management, quality management and other areas of importance to business and industry leaders. Program content focuses primarily on the tools and methods that are essential to successful management of work processes, projects and people in a wide spectrum of organizations.

The curriculum brings an industrial engineering perspective to the principles of management and equips graduates to fulfill their managerial responsibilities more effectively. Students can select from more than three dozen graduate courses to make up the ten required to complete the degree.

By operating in eight-week terms and having an online option for program courses, the flexibility of the program serves students employed full-time by Fortune 500 companies such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt Transport, FedEx, Lockheed-Martin and others. We are also proud of our military affiliation and have many current military members and veterans as students from all branches of service stationed throughout the world.

“STACKABLE” GRADUATE CERTIFICATES FOR CUSTOMIZED STUDY EXPERIENCES

Our unofficial motto “Learn it Today, Use it Tomorrow” recently evolved to “Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow.” With that mindset, the MSOM and MSEM programs now offer multiple graduate certificates and micro-certificates to elevate the program, many of which combine to help students customize their degree path and graduate with multiple credentials simultaneously.

There are six graduate certificate programs, which are each a four-course (12 credit hour) series, including Project Management, Lean Six Sigma, Homeland Security, Engineering Management, Operations Management and Engineering Management Analytics.

Additionally, there are five available micro-certificates, which are two-course (6 credit hour) programs. These include Analytics for Operations Managers, Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, Systems Engineering Analytics, Leading Operational Change (the most popular), and Advanced Air Mobility Autonomous Operations (drone aircraft).

The best feature of the graduate certificates and microcertificates available for students is that these certificates can be “stacked” to permit students to further customize their study experience in the program. As an example, the Leading Operational Change (LOC) micro-certificate includes two courses: Leading Change and Leadership Principles. Both courses are also optional courses in the Project Management Graduate Certificate, so a student who completes the LOC micro-certificate is already halfway finished with the Project Management certificate as well and will earn both credentials simultaneously from taking this course series.

Some MSOM and MSEM students have graduated with three, four, or even five additional graduate certificate and micro-certificate credentials at once without completing additional coursework beyond their required thirty credit hours.

NEW STAFF, NEW POSITIONS, NEW THINGS

In 2024 and 2025, the MSOM and MSEM teams underwent several changes and added new positions and initiatives. David Paulus, P.E., took the helm of leadership as co-director of both the MSEM and MSOM programs in May 2024 and serves as Professor of Practice in Industrial Engineering.

At the 2025 summer faculty meeting, faculty and staff joined the advising team to celebrate the excellent 18-year career of advisor Sheila Vaughen, who retired in July. Sheila was our advisor on the Hurlburt Field Air Force base in Florida and was responsible for advising hundreds of students over the years and made a tremendous difference!

Oklahoma and Tennessee. Erin has jumped in to quickly learn the details of our programs and is already serving both our domestic and international student populations with excellence!

Phil Jones, a full-time professor in our programs, was promoted and now serves as Assistant Director of Strategic Growth and Innovation in addition to his teaching responsibilities. A longtime professor with an excellent reputation with students, the department is excited for the strategic vision Phil will bring to this role. Among his first priorities in the role was the formation of a new Industry Advisory Board (IAB) made up of leaders from business and industry in the area ranging from energy companies to big box retailers and transportation companies. Phil led the first IAB meeting in August 2025.

Our advising team also grew with some wonderful new staff recently. Advisor Chelsea Ashworth joined the advising team in late 2024 after many years as an educator. Chelsea is herself continuing her education and pursuing an MBA as she works with our MSOM and graduate certificate students on the Fayetteville campus.

Advisor Laura Hunt joined the advising team in early 2025 after many years in the field of education and is the parent of two current Razorback students. Laura serves dozens of MSOM students, in addition to teaching a section of University Perspectives for incoming freshmen. Laura also recently began serving as the department’s Liaison to the MSOM Alumni Society Board at the Arkansas Alumni Association and will take a significant role in coordinating our marketing and engagement efforts and helping connect current students with alumni.

Advisor Erin Roberts joined the advising team in 2025, coming to us with excellent advising experience at universities in

Finally, Melody Bowen Miller was promoted from her role as advisor to Marketing and Engagement Manager in early 2025, then later in 2025 to Assistant Director of Marketing for the MSOM and MSEM programs. Melody is an alum of our program who earned the MSOM in 2011 and returned to the university as an advisor after many years in the marketing field. Melody formerly served as the department’s liaison to the MSOM Alumni Society Board but now serves as an MSOM Alumni Society Board Member and as Vice President of the Pride Alumni Society with the Arkansas Alumni Association. In addition to her marketing role, Melody also teaches University Perspectives for firstyear students, and in fall 2025 will begin teaching a new course in the MSOM program, Operations Management Applications.

ANNUAL FACULTY MEETING

The annual Faculty Meeting was held virtually over Zoom on July 25, 2025, with over forty in attendance. Prior to meeting virtually, an asynchronous blackboard course was created where the group could collaborate on new course developments, participate in Workday Student training, learn more about the College of Engineering Vision and be updated about the current state of the Graduate School.

During the virtual meeting, instructors spent time learning about AI usage in the courses, discussing their courses, needed updates and engaging in a panel

discussion with the newly formed Industry Advisory Board. Blackboard Support provided a demonstration of Honorlock, a new online test proctoring service, and engaged in great discussions about what they wish they would have known their first year and humanizing the online classroom.

In addition to the learning and networking opportunities during breakout sessions, annual awards were presented to the faculty and community partners at a dinner.

Student. Without her knowledge, assistance and positive attitude, our students and faculty would be scrambling. Her support, collaboration and attention to detail have made all the difference for us and so many others across campus.

MSOM ALUMNI SOCIETY UPDATES

William Caballero received the Rookie of the Year award. This award recognizes an outstanding instructor who has gone above and beyond to contribute to student success and program efforts, making a difference in a relatively short period of time. Dr. Caballero has jumped in teaching multiple courses with a positive attitude and helped us recruit new instructors.

The Leonard Nethercutt Innovator of the Year Award went to Michael Woudenberg. The Innovator Award is open to any instructor in MSOM or MSEM who increases learning outside the traditional curriculum through innovative teaching and service. Mr. Woudenberg is solutionoriented, has a positive attitude, and is always problem solving to improve how he presents his material in future terms.

Doug Gardner was the recipient of the Randy Roy Instructor of the Year Award. This award recognizes an instructor who goes above and beyond to help students in the MSOM and MSEM programs and has volunteered to help when program needs arise. Doug teaches many of our international students in Fayetteville. They work through examples until students fully understand, talk through real-world examples and discuss what the topics really entail.

The final award at the faculty meeting was the Campus Partner Award. This year’s campus partner is Stephanie Mallicote, Associate Registrar for Curriculum. Stephanie has played a key role in our change to Workday

The MSOM Alumni Society with the Arkansas Alumni Association is made up of MSOM graduates who regularly volunteer to serve our students and alumni. While the 2020 pandemic slowed the group’s activities for a handful of years, the MSOM Alumni Society is fully active again and growing.

First, long-time Board members are re-engaged and helping plan activities to connect our alumni, students, faculty and staff. Board members continuing to serve include Kyle Sligar (MSOM 2013), Derek Martin (MSOM 2013), Ed Amass (MSOM 2013) and Board president Alfonso Camerlingo (MSOM 2014).

Additionally, the Board has added two new members recently. Vivian Hill (MSOM 2012) joined in mid-2025 and serves as an assistant director in the M.S. in Finance program at Walton College of Business. Melody Bowen Miller (MSOM 2011) also joined in 2025 after more than a year as the department’s liaison to the Arkansas Alumni Association and serves as vice president of the Pride Alumni Society.

The Board recently began including alumni from both the MSOM and MSEM programs to the group and is now actively recruiting MSEM alumni to join and serve on the Board. Upcoming plans include a joint tailgate with the Armed Forces Alumni Society (AFAS) in October 2025, a joint tailgate with the Department of Industrial Engineering for the Homecoming game on November 1, as well as alumni networking opportunities with current students and several events in early 2026. The Board is excited to plan a scholarship golf tournament in mid2026 as well.

ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING ANNUAL AWARDS

The College of Engineering alumni, faculty, staff and guests gathered Saturday, April 12, to induct two new members into the college’s Hall of Fame and recognize nineteen graduates with Distinguished Alumni and Early Career Alumni Awards.

The formal event was led by Dean Kim Needy. “It is with great pride and heartfelt gratitude that we honor our distinguished and early career alumni. Their achievements inspire our students, elevate our institution and exemplify the impact of engineering in shaping a better world,” Needy said. “We celebrate their leadership and look forward to their continued contributions.”

HALL OF FAME

The Hall of Fame inductee from the Department of Industrial Engineering was John English, B.S.E.E. ‘81, M.S.O.R. ‘82, former dean of the college and retired professor of industrial engineering.

“DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

Those honored as distinguished alumni from the I.E. Department included, Brett Peters, B.S.I.E. ‘87; dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Matt Stone, M.S.O.M. ‘06; state senator, Arkansas.

“Their achievements inspire our students, elevate our institution and exemplify the impact of engineering...”

Kim

Needy, Dean College of Engineering

English was dean of the college and Irma F. and Raymond F. Giffels Endowed Chair in Engineering 2013-2020 during a time the college saw significant enrollment growth and set records for its research enterprise. Prior, he served as department head of industrial engineering 2000-2007 after joining the department as an assistant professor in 1991.

EARLY CAREER ALUMNI

The Early Career Alumni included: Jordan Baumberger, B.S.M.E. ‘09, M.S.O.M. ‘24; senior project manager, Entergy and Will Mangrum, B.S.I.E. ‘10; vice president of operations, Hytrol Conveyor Company.

ARKANSAS ACADEMY OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING –39TH ANNIVERSARY

2025 inductees, from left: Jake Wofford, Becca Luetjen, David O’Mara and Yisha Xiang. Not pictured: Demond Dortch.

Faculty, staff, family and friends of the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering gathered in April to celebrate the induction of five new members. Marking the 39th anniversary of the academy.

The inductees: Demond Dortch, B.S.I.E. ’02, AVP & Chief Mechanical Officer, BNSF Rail; Becca Luetjen, B.S.I.E.

’10, J.B. Hunt, Sr. Director, Engineering; David O’Mara, B.S.I.E. ’04, GoDaddy, Director of Product Marketing, Jake Wofford, B.S.I.E. ’10, J.B. Hunt, Vice President Operations; and Yisha Xiang, M.S.I.E. ’06, Ph.D. ’09, Associate Professor, University of Houston.

In 2026, the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineering will mark their 40th anniversary. To honor this incredible legacy, the board has established a Historical Committee to capture and share the academy’s rich history.

AWARD OF FELLOW

Alum, Jen Pazour (MS ’08, PhD ’11) was honored with the title of Fellow, at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering Conference in Atlanta. Jen is a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Fellows are recognized as outstanding leaders of the profession who have made significant, nationally recognized contributions to industrial and systems engineering. A fellow is the highest classification of membership.

ALUM ADVANCES PROMISING RESEARCH

Payam Parsa, PhD ‘17 is advancing a promising research project, Techeeta, through the NSF I-Corps program to explore its potential for real-world impact. Techeeta uses machine learning to support injury risk assessment in soccer players, with the goal of helping athletic staff make more informed decisions. The project is highly collaborative, bringing together data scientists, medical doctors and

sport scientists from soccer and basketball to ensure the technology is both scientifically rigorous and practically useful. Parsa is an assistant professor at Cal Poly Pomona in the Department of Industrial Engineering.

BEST DISSERTATION AWARD

Fan Bu, PhD ‘24 received the ASEM 2025 Best Dissertation Award for his work titled, “Feasibility Assessment and Container Traffic Forecasting of Inland Waterway Container on Barge Transportation.” Heather Nachtmann advised his dissertation.

The award committee chair noted the “significant contribution extensions; effective integration of analytical and management concerns as a primary premise; presentation of quality design of the study, collection and analysis of data as appropriate conclusions with broad application to a range of engineering management related organizations.”

Bu is an assistant professor at Texas Tech University. The award was presented at the ASEM International Annual Conference in Boise, Idaho on September 25.

FIVE WAYS TO PARTNER WITH I.E.

The Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas works with a wide network of collaborators. Listed below are some of the ways we are working together with the professional community for mutual benefits. We are always eager to explore new and creative ways to team up with you, our alumni and industry friends.

INDUSTRY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

1 2 3 4 5 6

IE’s faculty and students work with corporations, governmental agencies and other organizations to perform in-context research that provides new knowledge, tools and insights. Your research funding supports the project, provides valuable experience for students that prepares them to directly contribute to your organization and leverages the expertise and resources associated with a major research institution. Our focus is on ensuring that your research funding results in a measurable return on investment to your organization. For more information, contact Dr. Chase Rainwater: cer@uark.edu

PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES

The Capstone Experience Course provides unique opportunities for companies to partner with students to solve real-world issues companies face. The student teams work closely with the company to identify projects of interest, then work together to identify objectives and ways to achieve desired outcomes. To partner with us, please contact Dr. Richard Cassady: cassady@uark.edu

MENTORING CIRCLES

Through the Mentoring Program, IE students are provided with networking opportunities and access to industry professionals with whom they can discuss career opportunities, job expectations and skills, and strategies for professional success. Industry mentors are provided with the opportunity to share their passion for their profession and help develop the next generation of leaders, while building their own coaching, communication and leadership skills. Contact: aaie@uark.edu

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION AND INTERNSHIPS

Through cooperative education and internships, employers receive the benefit of working with some of the top students in our program. The students gain hands-on experience in the workforce and can use their newly acquired skills. Employers also find potential new employees by developing their relationship with the students. Contact: Caleb Hatz at chatz@uark.edu

GUEST SPEAKERS

The Industrial Engineering Faculty cannot be available for every single class during a semester. They, like all of us, have conferences to attend as well as family matters that take precedence over work at times. There are also times during a school year that bringing in a guest lecturer can add some variety in substance to a course as well as provide real world experiences that the faculty member may or may not be able to provide. For more information, contact Dr. Chase Rainwater: cer@uark.edu

OUR FACULTY

C. Richard Cassady, Ph.D. University Professor

Ph.D. I.S.E (Virginia Tech)

M.S.I.S.E (Virginia Tech)

B.S.I.S.E (Virginia Tech)

Rob Curry, Ph.D. Assistant Professor

Ph.D. (Clemson University)

M.S.I.E. (University of Florida)

B.S.I.E. (University of Arkansas)

John R. English, Ph.D., PE Professor

Ph.D. (Oklahoma State University)

M.S.O.R. (University of Arkansas)

B.S.E.E. (University of Arkansas)

Justin R. Chimka, Ph.D. Associate Professor

Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh)

M.S.I.E (University of Pittsburgh)

B.S.I.E. (University of Pittsburgh)

Burak Ekşioğlu, Ph.D. Professor

Ph.D. (University of Florida)

M.S.E.B.M. (University of Warwick)

B.S.I.E. (Bogazici University)

Phillip Jones Instructor

M.S.B.A. (University of Arkansas)

B.S.C.M. (University of Arkansas-L.R.)

Brandon Crisel Instructor and Undergrad Adviser

M.S.I.E. University of Arkansas

M.Sc. Math Arkansas State University

B.Sc. Math Arkansas State University

Sandra Ekşioğlu, Ph.D. Professor

Ph.D. (University of Florida)

M.S.E.M.S. (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania)

B.S.B.A. (University of Tirana)

Haitao Liao, Ph.D. Professor

Ph.D. I.S.E. (Rutgers University)

M.S.I.S.E. (Rutgers University)

M.S. Statistics (Rutgers University)

B.S.E.E. (Beijing Institute of Technology)

Kerry Melton, Ph.D.

Teaching Associate Professor

Ph.D. (Oklahoma State University)

M.S.I.E. (University of Arkansas)

B.S.I.E. (University of Arkansas)

Kim LaScola Needy, Ph.D., PE, CFPIM, PEM

Dean, College of Engineering

Ph.D. (Wichita State University)

M.S.I.E. (University of Pittsburgh)

B.S.I.E. (University of Pittsburgh)

Edward A. Pohl, Ph.D.

Professor, Dean of Graduate School

Ph.D. (University of Arizona)

M.S.R.E. (University of Arizona)

M.S.S.E. (Air Force Institute of Technology)

M.S.E.M. (University of Dayton)

B.S.E.E. (Boston University)

Ashlea Bennett Milburn, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Ph.D. I.S.E. (Georgia Tech)

M.S.I.S.E. (Virginia Tech)

B.S.I.E. (University of Arkansas)

Gregory S. Parnell, Ph.D.

Professor of Practice

Ph.D. (Stanford University)

M.S. (University of Southern California)

M.E.I.S.E. (University of Florida)

B.S. (University of New York at Buffalo)

Letitia M. Pohl Ph.D.

Teaching Associate Professor

Ph.D. (University of Arkansas)

M.S.S.E. (Air Force Institute of Technology)

B.S.M.E. (Tulane University)

Heather Nachtmann, Ph.D. Professor

Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh)

M.S.I.E. (University of Pittsburgh)

B.S.I.E. (University of Pittsburgh)

David Paulus, Ph.D.

Professor of Practice and Director

M.S.O.M. and M.S.E.M. Programs

Ph.D. (Colorado State University)

M.S.I.E. (University of Tennessee)

B.S.M.E. (University of Tennessee)

Chase Rainwater, Ph.D.

Professor & Department Head

Ph.D. (University of Florida)

B.S.I.E. (University of Arkansas)

Manuel D. Rossetti, Ph.D., PE University Professor and Director of the Data Science Program

Ph.D. (The Ohio State University)

M.S.I.S. (The Ohio State University)

B.S.I.E. (University of Cincinnati)

Karl D. Schubert, Ph.D. Professor of Practice

and Assoc. Director of the Data Science Program

Ph.D. (Uiversity of Arkansas)

M.S.C.E. (University of Kentucky, Lexington)

B.S.C.E. (University of Arkansas)

Kelly Sullivan, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Ph.D. (University of Florida)

M.S.I.E. (University of Arkansas)

B.S.I.E. (University of Arkansas)

Haoming Shen, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. (University of Michigan)

M.Math (University of Michigan)

M.E.C.E. (University of Michigan)

B.S.E.E. (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

Shengfan Zhang, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Ph.D. (North Carolina State University)

M.I.E. (North Carolina State University)

B.M. (Fudan University, Shanghai)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Faculty

C. Richard Cassady cassady@uark.edu (479) 575-6735

Justin R. Chimka ...................................................................jchimka@uark.edu ..................................................................... (479) 575-7392

Brandon Crisel ....................................................................... bcrisel@uark.edu ....................................................................... (479) 575-4815

Rob Curry rmcurry@uark.edu (479) 575-3156

Sandra Eksioglu sandra@uark.edu (479) 575-6042

Phillip Jones........................................................................... pwj001@uark.edu ...................................................................... (479) 575-3156

Haitao Liao ................................................................................. liao@uark.edu .......................................................................... (479) 575-6196

Kerry D. Melton kdmelton@uark.edu (479) 575-3156

Ashlea Bennett Milburn ..................................................... ashlea@uark.edu ....................................................................... (479) 575-3702

Heather Nachtmann ............................................................... hln@uark.edu .......................................................................... (479) 575-5857

Kim LaScola Needy ............................................................. kneedy@uark.edu ...................................................................... (479) 575-7762

Greg S. Parnell gparnell@uark.edu (479) 575-7423

David Paulus ......................................................................... dpaulus@uark.edu ..................................................................... (479) 575-3156

Edward A. Pohl ....................................................................... epohl@uark.edu ....................................................................... (479) 575-7762

Letitia (Tish) Pohl ................................................................... lpohl@uark.edu ........................................................................ (479) 575-3667

Chase Rainwater cer@uark.edu (479) 575-6029

Manuel D. Rossetti .............................................................. rossetti@uark.edu ...................................................................... (479) 575-6756

Karl D. Schubert ..................................................................schubert@uark.edu .................................................................... (479) 575-2264

Haoming Shen ................................................................... haomings@uark.edu ................................................................... (479) 575-3156

Kelly Sullivan ksulliv@uark.edu (479) 575-2563

Shengfan Zhang ................................................................ shengfan@uark.edu .................................................................... (479) 575-3571

Department of Industrial Engineering 4207 Bell Engineering Center • 1 University of Arkansas • Fayetteville, AR 72701 Phone: (479) 575-3156 • Fax: (479) 575-8431