Greetings from the department of engineering management and systems engineering (EMSE) at Missouri S&T. We have had an unusually busy and rewarding year in 2022. Along with business and information technology (BIT) and economics, EMSE became one of three founding departments of the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development, effective July 1. The college was formed as a result of the historic $300 million gift from S&T graduate Fred Kummer and his wife, June.
As you’ll see in each of the stories shared below, true to the vision behind the gift, the research conducted by EMSE faculty and students is making a societal difference.
On the first day of the college’s official existence, EMSE hosted its first doctoral defense as a Kummer College department. Javier Valentín-Sívico, assistant teaching professor, successfully defended his dissertation research investigating the lack of adequate broadband in rural communities.
That was just the beginning of our research success as part of the new Kummer College. Since its inception, EMSE has secured over $3.5 million in new grant funding. This includes National Science Foundation (NSF) funding for Casey Canfield, assistant professor, who, along with co-principal investigator and EMSE professor Cihan Dagli, is investigating how artificial intelligence can help improve the matchmaking between donated kidneys and transplant centers and patients.
Associate Professor Abhijit Gosavi also received NSF funding to study the use of reinforcement learning for reducing the use of fossil fuels for remanufacturing, research that should lead to numerous environmental benefits, including reduced pollution.
Jinling Liu, assistant professor, was awarded a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) K01 career development award to investigate the connection between race and hypertension using precision medicine and artificial intelligence predictive models. She is the first S&T researcher to receive this award.
In addition to our research, EMSE’s academic programs and students continued to shine in 2022.
At the 2022 American Society of Engineering Management (ASEM) conference, we received the Founder’s Award for Best Graduate Program. In addition, doctoral student Ashley-Ann Davis, along with Suzanna Long (former department chair) and Casey Canfield, won the Merritt Williamson Award for best international annual conference paper, “Key Factors for Energy Portfolio Transitions in Island Nations.”
Also at the conference, Missouri S&T’s student case-study team, which was made up entirely of EMSE students, placed first in the in-person competition held at the conference, and second in the virtual competition that took place in September. Please join me in congratulating Duyen Do, Scott Henrich, Julia Meyr and Sophia Rowland.
Finally, please allow me to thank everyone who contributes to the success of the EMSE department and the university. Your continued support of our campus is truly enriching the experience and education of our students. For this, and more, we thank you.
