Industrial and systems engineers celebrate key leaders in the field at IISE Annual Conference
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NORCROSS, Ga. - Californer -- The industrial and systems engineering community celebrated top achievers in industry and academia in its Honors & Awards presentations at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo May 16-19 in Arlington, Texas.

The Institute's top honor, the Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engineering Award, went to veteran educator and researcher Michael W. Carter of the University of Toronto. The award, sponsored by Texas A&M University, is presented to an individual who distinguishes themselves through contributions to humankind.

"The Gilbreths were pioneers in the application of industrial engineering concepts and it's a privilege and an honor to be counted among people like them," Carter said in an episode of Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast. "I've had several awards from Canadian engineering and healthcare organizations, but getting this from IISE is international. I was really surprised and honored."

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Other top award winners included K.J. (Jamie) Rogers, University of Texas at Arlington, Medallion Award; Gregory T. Lucier of Ling Rothrock and Russell D. Meller of Distribution Science LLC, Captains of Industry; Azad M. Madni, University of Southern California, Albert G. Holzman Distinguished Educator Award; Maury A. Nussbaum, Virginia Tech, David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award; Steven Kiester, Civil Air Patrol (USAF Auxiliary), Fred C. Crane Distinguished Service Award; Laura Albert, University of Wisconsin-Madison, George L. Smith International Award for Excellence in Promotion of Industrial Engineering; and Dremere Woods, Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, UPS Minority Advancement Award.

This year's honorees included 10 new Fellow Award winners, recognizing leaders who made significant, nationally recognized contributions to industrial engineering:

• Mark E. Benden, Texas A&M University
• Karen M. Bursic, University of Pittsburgh
• LuAnn Carpenter, Auburn University
• Alaa Elwany, Texas A&M University
• Jonna Gerken, Pratt & Whitney
• Michael Graul, Texas A&M University
• David B. Reid, Chick-fil-A Inc.
• Lizhi Wang, George Mason University
• Shiren Wang, Texas A&M University
• Mehmet Bayram Yildirim, Wichita State University

IISE also granted scholarship awards to 42 ISE students totaling almost $110,000.

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For conference photo albums and award winners, visit iise.org/Annual. The next IISE Annual Conference will be held May 22-25, 2027, in Louisville, Kentucky.

About IISE: The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers is the world's largest professional society dedicated solely to the support of the industrial engineering profession and individuals involved with improving quality and productivity. Founded in 1948, IISE is an international, nonprofit association that provides knowledge, training, networking opportunities and recognition to enhance the skills and effectiveness of its members, customers and the profession. For more information about IISE, visit iise.org.