CISE Outstanding ISE Capstone Senior Design Project

The IISE Outstanding Capstone Senior Design Project Award celebrates excellence in Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) capstone projects that demonstrate the practical application of ISE principles and create significant impact for real organizations. Sponsored by the Council on Industrial and Systems Engineering (CISE), with generous support from IEM at Oklahoma State University, ISE at Virginia Tech, ISE at The Ohio State University, and an expanding list of leading ISE departments, this award recognizes both individual students and teams who exemplify best-in-class ISE practice.

Each year, projects are awarded in both the traditional product and the rapidly evolving service systems domains, reflecting the breadth and dynamism of the ISE profession.



Submission Form

Complete with project by April 27 

Purpose

The award aims to:

  • Promote and reward innovative, impactful student work in ISE.
  • Encourage conversion from student to professional IISE membership.
  • Recognize the successful "reduction to practice" of ISE knowledge, demonstrating tangible value in industry, healthcare, logistics, public service, and beyond.

Eligibility

  • Open to undergraduate ISE capstone teams or individuals worldwide, including both completed and in-progress projects concluding around the IISE Annual Conference & Expo.
  • Projects must meet ABET Senior Capstone Design requirements and clearly demonstrate the application of ISE tools, principles, and methods.
  • At least one team member must attend and present at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo. All presenting students must be IISE student members.
  • Only one nomination per category (traditional or service domain) per department is permitted; two submissions are allowed if one is for each category.

Application Process

  • Applications are submitted online, facilitated or endorsed by departmental capstone coordinators or faculty mentors.
  • All team members must provide IISE membership numbers.
  • The department (or sponsor) must commit to covering conference attendance for at least one presenter.
  • Application implies intent to present at the Capstone Showcase and, for finalists, participate in a follow-up global IISE webinar.

Recognition and Rewards

  • The top 20 projects will be invited to showcase at the IISE Annual Conference.
  • Finalists receive complimentary first-year professional IISE memberships and global exposure through conference presentations and webinars.
  • Winning teams and departments receive formal recognition, certificates, and funding support for conference participation.
  • Alumni of this award represent emerging thought leaders in ISE internationally.

Judging Criteria

Projects are evaluated based on:

  • Measurable impact and proven results.
  • Depth and breadth of applied ISE knowledge.
  • Innovation and originality.
  • Problem identification, complexity, and solution effectiveness.
  • Communication of technical and business value to stakeholders.
  • Data-driven analysis and sound engineering judgment.
  • Consideration of sustainability, economics, and broader stakeholder impact.

Process Timeline (2026 Example)

  • Application deadline: April 27, 2026
  • Finalists notified: April 28, 2026
  • Capstone Poster Showcase: May 17, 2026, at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo in Arlington, Texas
  • Finalist “Bake-off” Presentations: May 18, 2026
  • Awards Presentation: May 19, 2026

Global Webinar for Finalists: September/October 2026

2025 Winners

1st Place - Northwestern
SwiftShift: A Front-Loaded Staffing Strategy to Improve Turnaround Time for Discharge Rooms
Sahaana Rajesh, Marin Clark, Emilia McDougal, Juan Oliva

2nd Place  - University of Toronto
Creating a Decision-Support Analytics System to Drive IISE Enterprise Growth
Lucas Sciardi, Junwon Kang, Jerry Chen, Yanzhi Deng

3rd Place - University of Michigan
Optimizing Cost Efficiency in Nagase Warehouses and Logistics
Kian Sandoval, Matthew Blasius, 
Faith Jones, Zitong Sun, Ian Zhou

4th Place - The University of Oklahoma
Die Another Day: Optimizing Storage Chaos

Samantha Lynn, David Colindres, Stella Beaty

2024 Winners

Service Systems

1st Place:

No pane, No Gaine. Home Depot Installation Services Scheduling Redesign, Georgia Tech

Angela Stefanowicz, Madison O-Carroll, Deandra Kosen, Elizabeth Schupp, Katherine Scott, Noel Varughese, Taylor Doering, Elise King

2nd Place:

Revolutionizing Patient Transfers: The Implementation of Algorithmic Solutions to Reduce the Long-term Care Inter-facility Transfer Waitlist, Dalhousie University

Lindsay Cormier, Amelia Lane, Joachim Mwebembezi, Borna-Noveiri

3rd Place:

A Scheduling Algorithm to improve patient access to chemotherapy at Mayo Clinic utilizing at-home infusion, University of Michigan

Adam Thompson, Jialin Wen, Peiyu Wang, Jiaya Zhang

4th Place:

US Open Tennis Championships Electronic Officiating Quality Control, Northeastern University

Alice Gadon, Anders Narita, Emircan Gezer, Jonathan Goldstein

Product Systems

1st Place:

Resource Allocation Playbook for Woodward, Virginia Tech

Sarah Valley, Caitlyn Sanford, Reed Foote, Kaylee Keegan

2nd Place:

Improving a highly variable production yield for Transmet Corporation, The Ohio State

Ryan Stacey

3rd Place:

Marble Tube Mill Quality and Process Improvement Using Statistical Quality and Process Control, Kennesaw State University

Ryan Waltman, Dalton Beasley, Dyson Beasley, Tristan McMichael

4th Place: 

Leveraging Tableau and Python to create a Software Solution with Machine Learning for Carrier and Freight Data, North Carolina State

Nolan Whitley, Rishi Narayan, Steven Lamm

2023 Winners

1st place:
Data-Driven Supplier Selection for New Product Launches, Georgia Tech  

Isaac Altman, Jinghan Chen, Margaret Fowler, Maxim Geller, Aila Khan, Madeleine Pollack, Justin Rickerson, Kota Teasley, 

2nd place:  

Tool & Equipment Management at IMP Aerospace, Dalhousie University

Katrina Bagnell, Emma Holle, Olivia Murray

3rd place:
Visualizing Success: Developing a Visual Management System to Decrease Mentor/Mentee Backlog, Enhance Interdepartmental Communication & Operational Efficiency, Toronto Metropolitan University

Aman Nahan, Saifaldeen Zaghloul

4th place:
Optimizing Outbound Shipments for Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Virginia Tech

Sam Barnes, Will Carlyle, Ashley Girod, Drew Martin, Zach Schwinger 

2022 Winners

1st place:
Loblaws DC Operations Scheduling Problem & Solutions, Dalhousie University

Connor Newman, Matthew Laforest, Justin Wright, Catherine Shaw

2nd place:
Amazon Multi-Ship Mode Forecasting and Optimizing Method Development, University of Washington

Drake Foster, Daniel Murphy, Daniil Tchistiakov, Emily Whelan, Trent Wydrowski

3rd place:
Redesign for a 17-fold throughput increase in the Production Line of the Powered Air Purifying Respirator to meet Covid-19 driven demand, West Virginia University 

Anthony Garber

4th place:
Increasing Production Capacity through a Lean Transformation, Virginia Tech 

Kristina Pratt, Casey Crawford, Mary Buetow, Mason Colby

2021 Winners

1st place:
Amazon Freight Cold Chain Design, Georgia Tech 

Thomas Culwell, John Browning, Matthew Link, Riley Martin, Shrey Udhaya, Viviana Osorio, Isabelle Liffton

2nd place:
Personnel Deployment Manager (PDM) for the United States Air Force, North Carolina State 

Mariel Jeffris, Jason Wheeler, Samuel Cynamon

3rd place:
Robins AFB Radome Repair Process Flow and Facility Redesign, Georgia Tech

Kathryne Otte, Vishal Hansalia, Rahil Manji, Matthew Oswald, Harper Power, John Raj

4th place:
Balancing Inbound and Outbound Flow of Trailers by Predicting Customer Compliance and Seasonality, University of Arkansas

Parker Tankersley, Alyssa Roth, Remy Kirk, Grayson Lee, Jacob Underhill

5th place:
Cost-effective Freight Carrier Selection for ArcBest, Oklahoma State University

Kaustuvi Thapa, Torie Richardson, Cade Phelan

2020 Winners

1st place:  
Product Wheel Optimization for Devils Backbone (AB Brewing Company), Virginia Tech

Chris Brassel, Joshua Glaab, Rachel Hollatz and Cher Wang

2nd place:  
Kanban System Optimization for Improved Flow in Fire Truck Assembly Plant - Sutphen Corporation, The Ohio State University

Aaron Kramer

3rd place:  
Increase Waste Diversion for the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Tech

Abhita Moothy, Erin Abbott, Elena Buter, Benjamin Espy, Kiran Gite, Toral Kadakia, Sahana Subramanian and Caleb Tysor

2019 Winners

1st place:    
Optimization of Shipping Mode, Georgia Tech

Karan Agrawal, Shelby Carswell, Weichao Chen, Trishla Chokshi, Shaiv Gandhi, Guergana Ilieva, Kayla Raabe and Pavlos Sepetas

2nd place:  
Simulation Design & Development to Support the Concept Design and Detailed Design for a New 2-oz. Bottling Line for Abbott Nutrition, The Ohio State University

Talia Zaverdinos

3rd place:  
Inventory Optimization for Eastman Chemical, Virginia Tech

Jad Haj Ali, Jiyao Shang, Haonan Zhou and Tushar Rajesh Kumar


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