And the changes keep on coming!

Paul Griffin has been named the new Peter and Angela Dal Pezzo Department Head Chair of the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Penn State, effective Aug. 15.

A member of the faculty in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech since 1988, Griffin has served as a professor of industrial engineering and co-director of the Center for Health Care Logistics. Additionally, Griffin was associate chair for five years during his tenure at Georgia Tech.

Griffin replaces the outgoing head of industrial engineering, Richard Koubek, who left Penn State to become the College of Engineering dean at Louisiana State University. Ravi Ravindran, professor of industrial engineering, has been serving as the department's interim head.

Griffin's research and teaching interests include health and supply chain systems. In particular, his current research activities concentrate on cost-effectiveness modeling of public health interventions, health logistics, health access and economic modeling, and supply chain coordination and control.

Griffin received his B.A. in chemistry and his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, his M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso, and his Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University.

Congratulations Dr. Griffin! Welcome to Penn State!

Farewell to seniors, department head

There is a lot of change happening in the IE department lately...

A few weeks ago we congratulated our graduating seniors. They were a fantastic group and we wish them the very best! You can view photos from the graduation reception here and here. Commencement photos are available here.

We also said goodbye to our department head, Dr. Rick Koubek at the end of May. Dr. Koubek announced earlier this year that he had accepted the dean of engineering position at Louisiana State University. He began his appointment at LSU on June 1. Despite the sad news of his departure, Dean David Wormley, along with College and industrial engineering department faculty and staff, celebrated Koubek's accomplishments during a farewell reception on May 1. The reception, held in Leonhard Building lobby, was attended by approximately 50 of Koubek's colleagues and friends. You can view some photos here.

We also welcomed back a familiar face. Effective June 1, 2009, Dr. Ravi Ravindran, professor of industrial engineering, began his job as interim head of IE. Ravindran previously served as department head and has extensive knowledge of the department, its faculty, staff, students, and alumni. He will lead the department until a new department head is named later this year.

Although change is sometimes difficult, we know that the new Penn State IE alums, Dr. Koubek, and Dr. Ravindran will have all have smooth transitions into their new roles. Best of luck to all!

IE commemorates 100 years with centennial celebration

The Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering commemorated its 100th birthday this year with a centennial celebration on April 3 and 4 at the Leonhard Building and Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus.

The rainy weekend didn't deter the 300+ alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the department from participating in the weekend's activities.

The IE centennial celebration honored the accomplishments of the department, its faculty, staff and students over the last 100 years. The celebration also focused on the future goals of the department and its mission to produce world-class, globally aware industrial engineers.

The celebration began Friday at the Leonhard Building with a welcome picnic. On Saturday, activities included Leonhard Building and campus tours, lunch with the Nittany Lion and Blue Band trumpets, lab activities, a panel discussion, trivia challenge, children's activities and a Saturday evening reception at the Nittany Lion Inn. A centennial book that illustrates the remarkable history of the department also was distributed to those in attendance.

Thank you to everyone who attended and made it such a great success!

If you have photos from the celebration that you'd like to share, send them to tlc26@psu.edu.

World-famous educator to speak at annual Kudroff Lecture

The IE department will host the Marvin J. Kudroff Memorial Lecture on Thursday, April 2 at 4:15 in 102 Leonhard Building.

In celebration of 100 years of industrial engineering education, the department will begin its centennial celebration weekend by presenting one of the most highly regarded educators in IE history, Dr. Gavriel Salvendy.

Featured speaker, Gavriel Salvendy, Ph.D., Chair Professor and Head, Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, and Emeritus Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University will speak about "What do we do and what should we do in Industrial Engineering Education Research and Practice."

Salvendy has a 40-year academic career where he has supervised over 50 doctoral dissertations and has authored more than 440 publications, including 30 books and 240 journal papers. His main research deals with the human aspects of design, operation, and management of advanced engineering systems. Salvendy serves as founding editor of two scientific journals, including the International Journal on Human-Computer Interaction and Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing.

Salvendy is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the Institute of Industrial Engineers, and the American Psychological Association. He is also the recipient of the John Fritz Medal, the engineering profession's highest award, and the John L. Imhoff Global Excellence Award for Industrial Engineering Education, presented by the American Society for Engineering Education.

The Marvin J. Kudroff Memorial Lecture was established at Penn State in 1981 to provide an annual lecture to engineering faculty and students by leaders in the field of engineering. The Kudroff Lecture alternates between the Architectural Engineering and the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering departments.

Student group hosts leadership conference

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) recently hosted twenty high schools students during their eighth annual high school leadership conference.

Students from William Penn High School, in York, Pa., spent their weekend in State College, experiencing various engineering activities and learning about college life. Students attended a series of workshops and tours, including a tour of the Factory for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) Laboratory in the Leonhard Building, given by Adriana Felix-Salgado and Maria Andrea Mendez, two SHPE IE students. Students also had the opportunity to observe multiple machines in action and make injection-molded key chains.

In addition to the tours, the students participated in the Extreme Engineering Challenge, an engineering project where they worked on a task, created a budget, and developed a marketing plan. The projects were presented and judged; Students were given prizes for presentation, functionality, and marketability.

SHPE is a national organization whose mission is to be the source for quality Hispanic engineers and technical talent. The Penn State chapter is one of the larger SHPE groups, consisting of 76 members. Aside from being a professional development organization, SHPE works with the community by being a part of THON, the Penn State Intrafraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, and hosting the annual high school leadership conference.

Graduating in a tough job market

If you're graduating in May you may be concerned about your chances of landing a job. The recent economic crisis has put everyone into panic mode, however, if you do your homework and prepare yourself you'll stand a better chance of getting the job you want.

There are plenty of opportunities on campus, such as job fairs, networking events, workshops and seminars to give you an edge on your job hunt:

•Engineering Career Week 2009 - February 3-5 at the Nittany Lion Inn
•Penn State Spring Career Days 2009 - February 15-17 at the Bryce Jordan Center

And here are some being held in Leonhard Building:

• American Foundry Society Job Fair - February 26 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm in the Leonhard Building lobby

• "How YOU can get ready for the career fairs" seminar - February 12 from 6:00 - 7:15pm in 102 Leonhard, presented by The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)

These are just a few examples of the many opportunities available to ALL Penn State students. Take advantage of these and give yourself the best chance possible of landing that dream job!