Virginia Tech Grado Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering

Virginia Tech Grado Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering Building tomorrow’s problem solvers.💡
Home to the #6 undergraduate and #9 graduate programs in the nation!

That's a wrap on the first week of classes! ✏️
08/28/2026

That's a wrap on the first week of classes! ✏️

Congratulations to Dr. Yubin Hong on a successful defense! Dissertation Title: Where Automation Ends: Roadway Infrastruc...
08/27/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Yubin Hong on a successful defense!

Dissertation Title: Where Automation Ends: Roadway Infrastructure and the Deactivation of Driving Automation Systems

Advisor: Dr. Charlie Klauer
Advisory Committee: Dr. Rafael Patrick, Dr. Miguel Perez, and Dr. Zachary Doerzaph

Students in our Industrial Automation course are already taking part in their first lab sessions. We are thrilled to hav...
08/26/2026

Students in our Industrial Automation course are already taking part in their first lab sessions. We are thrilled to have these Hokies back in the classroom and eager to learn! ⚙️⚡

Interested in graduate study at Virginia Tech? Apply for a visit to explore our industrial and systems engineering progr...
08/25/2026

Interested in graduate study at Virginia Tech? Apply for a visit to explore our industrial and systems engineering programs this November!

Learn more about the opportunity at ise.vt.edu/grad-visit

The first priority application deadline is Sept. 15, 2026.

A successful first day of classes for the ISE department! 📚
08/24/2026

A successful first day of classes for the ISE department! 📚

Summer is nearly over, so it's time for our last internship spotlight! ⛅Kayra Judd is a rising junior from Richmond, Vir...
08/21/2026

Summer is nearly over, so it's time for our last internship spotlight! ⛅

Kayra Judd is a rising junior from Richmond, Virginia with a minor in finance. These past few months, she was interning at Mercedes-Benz Türk in Istanbul, Turkey as a production process planning intern.

ISE skills and tools at work:

➤ Optimize fixed-length raw material usage by developing Python and Excel sequencing logic, creating minimal-waste cutting schedules for highly variable, customer-specific PVC window sealing profiles.
➤ Conduct rigorous quality control on advanced automation equipment, validating the precision of robotic welding cells and an automated 3-robot flap bonding system.
➤ Analyze 200,000+ rows of machine data using Python to optimize Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and minimize material waste during sheet metal and pipe cutting.
➤ Manage a collaborative effort to build automated Power BI dashboards, replacing static spreadsheets with visual weekly KPIs that enable the engineering team to pinpoint performance gaps instantly.
➤ Direct Lean manufacturing layout redesigns based on unit-by-unit assembly workflow evaluations, successfully reducing cycle times and improving factory ergonomics.

“My favorite part of my internship was having the engineering office directly integrated with the factory. Seeing the work we do in the planning department translate instantly to the production line was incredibly rewarding,” said Judd. “Unlike other Mercedes-Benz locations, the Turkey plant builds every highly customized bus model from start to finish on a single, continuous assembly line, not relying on any outsourced components. Witnessing this immense scale and complexity under one roof was unbelievable. It truly brings the Daimler Truck and Mercedes-Benz Türk slogan, ‘You make us,' to life. Being part of the teams that make this possible is a defining professional milestone.”

Hokies are at their best when working together 🤝Seth Lindman and Allison Hubbard are rising seniors from Augusta, Georgi...
08/20/2026

Hokies are at their best when working together 🤝

Seth Lindman and Allison Hubbard are rising seniors from Augusta, Georgia and Loudoun County, Virginia, respectively, with minors in business. This summer, the pair interned at Dell Technologies in Austin, Texas as product operations interns.

ISE skills and tools at work:

➤ Professor Win Nguyen’s Data Management course helped them work efficiently in Excel.
➤ Professor Kimberly Ellis' Production Planning and Inventory Control course helped them understand what manufacturing supply chain departments do and how their work affects them.
➤ Professor Kathleen Carper's Technical Communications course helped them effectively craft and present their end of the summer findings using PowerPoint.

"My favorite part of the internship is working on a global team and getting to meet people from all around the world,” said Hubbard. “I also enjoy the fast-paced day to day!"

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to work in an environment at a place like Dell,” said Lindman. “I have learned so much about innovation in the technology industry."

Hokies are already trickling back into Blacksburg, and we have a few internship spotlights left before the fall semester...
08/19/2026

Hokies are already trickling back into Blacksburg, and we have a few internship spotlights left before the fall semester kicks off! 🍁

Nicole Cheng is a rising sophomore from Panama City, Panama. She took her ISE expertise to MetroBank this summer as an investment banking analyst and operational intern.

ISE skills and tools at work:

➤ Apply concepts such as process automation, systems integration, data analytics, and process optimization.
➤ Develop Python-based solutions to automate regulatory reporting for Panama’s Superintendency of the Securities Market by consolidating international and local investment data, reducing manual work and improving efficiency.
➤ Collaborate with investment banking and operations teams to develop a Copilot AI Agent that streamlined corporate risk assessments and supported data-driven due diligence.
➤ Build an automated tool to monitor, analyze, and summarize material events from the Latin American Stock Exchange, transforming market data into timely insights for investment decision-making.

“My favorite part of my internship has been working with Jefferies New York investment funds, to analyze investments and automate the analysis process using Python and AI tools,” said Cheng. “I have enjoyed the balance between perseverance, creativity, and communication, as it allowed me to combine financial analysis, technology, and teamwork to solve real-world challenges. This experience has shown me that the best results come from pairing technical skills with innovation and effective collaboration.”

Nilay Sabade is a rising junior from Irvine, California. Over the summer, he interned with STIHL as a polymers productio...
08/18/2026

Nilay Sabade is a rising junior from Irvine, California. Over the summer, he interned with STIHL as a polymers production intern.

ISE skills and tools at work:

➤ Implement 5S methodology to clean up and organize end of arm tools for robot part pickers
➤ Use Lean manufacturing techniques to reduce downtime by numbering end of arm tools, making it easier to find the right tool when doing changeovers
➤ Use Excel to create a database of end of arm tools and link to part numbers by adding a column for end of arm tool numbers to the shift report
➤ Work with a fellow intern in the polymers department to create an app that makes it easy for process techs to find end of arm tools

“My favorite part about the internship was learning that sometimes less is more. I actually removed parts of the old setup to improve organization,” said Sabade. “I learned new skills and had the chance to get forklift certified. I also loved hanging out with the other interns after work and on the weekends which made the experience much more enjoyable.”

Helen Brown is a rising junior from Stafford, Virginia. This summer, she interned with Rubbermaid, a subsidiary of Newel...
08/17/2026

Helen Brown is a rising junior from Stafford, Virginia. This summer, she interned with Rubbermaid, a subsidiary of Newell Brands, as a continuous improvement analyst intern.

ISE skills and tools at work:

➤ Create a user-friendly audit tool for Rubbermaid associates to easily collect data with and automate reports on Power Bl
➤ Develop an inventory control tool on Excel for users to automatically gather information from the system that isn't already calculated (lead time, min/max, average usage, etc.)
➤ Use Al and ergonomics principles to develop solutions to ergonomics issues on the line
➤ Assist in production planning for Black Friday through data collection and analysis on the plant floor (cycle times, inventory capacity, machine usage, etc.)

“I enjoy how my work makes an impact to save the company time and money through my project with inventory control, and how I get to make employees' lives easier through the digitized audit tool and ergonomics research,” said Brown. “This internship has been so rewarding, and I am excited to take what I have learned into the classroom next semester!”

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