IISE/Rockwell Student Simulation Competition

The Student Simulation Competition is sponsored by Rockwell Automation's Arena Simulation Software Group.

Teams of students solve a real-world situational case study using the Rockwell Automation simulation package, Arena. The case study provided by Rockwell Automation is based on a real-world consulting scenario.

The contest is split into two sessions so that student teams can participate in either the Fall or Winter academic sessions. Students who sign up for the Fall session will not be able to enter the Winter session unless they notify and receive permission to defer their entry from IISE prior to receiving the problem statement.

Student team members and their faculty advisers are not required to be members of IISE to enter the competition. Rockwell Automation will cover the membership of any non-member student selected as a finalist for the following year.

Registration for the contest occurs:

  • Fall registration period: Aug. 1 – Sept. 30
  • Winter registration period: Oct. 3 – Jan. 9

Teams may register after the registration timeframes above but will not be granted any extra time to complete the problem.

They will need to submit their entries by the originally scheduled deadline.

The competition begins after the registration period and the problem is sent by Rockwell Automation to the registrants directly.

General rules, guidelines and eligibility:

  • Teams can be comprised of an adviser and:
    • Four or fewer undergraduate students
    • One or two graduate students
    • One graduate students and up to two undergraduate students
  • Teams are given eight weeks to provide a solution to the problem.
  • Any student that has been a member of a first-place finalist team is no longer eligible to participate in future competitions. Any team that includes a first-place winner from previous years shall not be considered for the finalist round of competition.
  • All submissions from the Fall and Winter sessions will be judged together in Spring 2025.
  • The top three finalists from the entire year's submissions will be announced in early April 2025.
  • Each team finalist will receive $1,250 USD for travel expenses to the finals, plus complimentary conference registration and a framed certificate.  You must submit travel receipts to receive your reimbursement.
  • Three finalist teams are selected to present their solutions for final judging at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo, May 31 - June 3, in Atlanta, Ga
  • Winners are announced at the during the Keynote session.

Additional cash prizes are also awarded to competitors based on their finishing position

  • First place: $5,000 USD to the team plus $500 to the team's chapter
  • Second place: $2,500 USD to the team plus $250 to the team's chapter
  • Third place: $1,500 USD to the team plus $250 to the team's chapter

Submit one online entry form per team with payment information for the $30 entry fee. This fee is non-refundable. If paying by check, send completed entry form and payment to:

IISE
Attn: Brian Charles
3577 Parkway Lane
Suite 200
Norcross, GA 30092

The Student Simulation Competition is sponsored by Rockwell Automation and Arena Simulation Software.

Questions? Contact Brian Charles at (770) 349-1102.

2023 Winners

1st place: Team ÉTS
École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS)
Team members: Natacha Desilets, Odrey Richard, Marie-Jeanne Morin
Faculty advisor: Xavier Rousseau-Laliberte

2nd place: Team Igniter
Binghamton University
Team members: Shoog Nimri, Asma Yamin
Faculty advisor: You Jin

3rd place: Team Bearcats
Binghamton University
Team members: Nicole Dates, Hannah Rafferty, Kelli Palumbo, Jillian Carey
Faculty advisor: Sang Won Yoon

Past Winners

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