Virginia Tech Grado Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering

09/03/2026

Yesterday, we welcomed Gabe Kafity back to campus as a guest speaker for Careers in ISE! Gabe is a 2019 graduate and senior solutions architect for Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Thank you for visiting us, Gabe!

09/02/2026

Shout out to Nicole Quiram, a recent industrial and systems engineering graduate, on leading the team to second place! 🏆

After months of engineering improvements, fundraising, and preparation, the team of engineering students scored big during its inaugural appearance at the European International Submarine Races.

08/28/2026

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

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

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! ⚙️⚡

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.

08/24/2026

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

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.”

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."

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.”