ERIE, Pa. — The Penn State Behrend chapter of the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) was recently awarded the professional organization’s Gold Award. The award is the highest honor in IISE’s University Chapter Recognition Program.
The Behrend chapter received the award in recognition of its improvements, progress and overall achievements during the 2015-16 academic year. The 2015-16 University Chapter Activity Report (UCAR), which each student chapter of IISE must complete, is the basis for the program. The UCAR provides a measurement system that allows student chapters to track progress and improvement. It also provides visibility so a chapter’s accomplishments can be recognized and rewarded publicly.
Teams gain gold, silver and bronze awards based on how many UCAR points scored.
The 2015-16 IISE officers who led the chapter’s efforts were: Caitlin Wilson, president; Andrew Lesko, vice president; Rachael Knox, treasurer; and Jesse Hayes, secretary. The chapter was founded and is advised by Faisal Aqlan, an assistant professor of industrial engineering who joined Penn State Behrend in August 2014.
Founded in 1948, the IISE is the world's largest professional society dedicated solely to the support of the industrial and systems engineering profession. It is an international, nonprofit association that provides leadership for the application, education, training, research and development of industrial and systems engineering.