IISE work systems division (WS) best student paper competition

Sponsored by Dave Hampton with It's All About Time

The Work Systems Division (WS) recognizes students are a large part of IISE membership. With over 1,100 students in the division, this competition will serve as an incentive to encourage students to continue developing the field of Work Systems. The winner will be recognized at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo, May 16 - 19, 2026, in Arlington, TX. This award includes a $250 cash prize.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Candidate papers will come from those submitted (or transferred) to the Work Systems and Services track and accepted through the normal submission process.
  • Multiple students can co-author a paper. At least one must be a member of IISE and the Work Systems Division at the time of paper submission. All student co-authors should have their names listed before any non-students in the list of authors.
  • The student(s) must have carried out a substantial part of the research reported in the paper.
  • Final paper deadline isJanuary 18, 2026

Evaluation Process

The Work Systems Division Board will evaluate the qualified papers and select a winner. The winning paper will be announced by March 15, 2025, via a direct email to the winner and recognized at the Work Systems Division Town Hall Meeting conducted at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo, May 31 – June 3, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. The winning paper will also be announced via an IISE Work Systems Newsletters and Social Media Channels.

Important Dates

  • Abstract submissions close November 10, 2025
  • Abstract decisions will be made by December 15. 2025
  • Full paper submissions are due January 18, 2026
  • Paper reviews completed by February 22, 2026
  • Paper decisions to authors by February 25, 2026
  • Speaker registration deadline: March 8, 2026

Recognition

  • First prize winner(s) will receive a certificate with a hardback cover at the Work Systems townhall meeting at the 2026 Annual Conference.
  • Second and Third prize winners will receive a digital certificate and be recognized at the Work Systems townhall meeting at the 2026 Annual Conference
  • First, second, and third prize winners will be recognized on the Work Systems webpage and in the Work Systems newsletter
  • First, second, and third prize winners will be recognized in ISE magazine.
  • If the award has a sponsor, then a monetary prize may also be presented. If a monetary award is made, the donor will be recognized.

Committee Chair

Gautham Vedanthi

Conflict of Interest Policy

  • Societies and divisions must follow standard conflict of interest guidelines. Those guidelines include, but are not limited to:
  • Officers and Board members of the S/D should be ineligible for awards during the period of their service, without approval by the Senior VP for Technical Operations (SVP). Exceptions may only be made by the SVP when awards are time sensitive (i.e., a Student Best Paper Award for a Student Board Member, when the student is graduating), and the impacted board member(s) or officer(s) must recuse themselves from the award process. For awards that are not time-sensitive, the nominee should wait until their Officer or Board service is complete to be nominated.
  • The awards committee (or judging committee) should not include members who have either a personal or professional relationship with the nominees. For example, a faculty member should not be judging a paper competition where a student from the same university is a nominee for best student paper award.
  • The awards committee (or judging committee) should actively change its membership on a rotating basis from year to year to ensure fairness, equity, and diversity. That is, some members of the judging committee should roll off the committee and new members should roll on.

2025 Winners

First Prize

Nikki Leali, Rumena Begum, Rani Nath, and Faisal Aqlan
Florida Atlantic University, University of Louisville
"Analysis of Adaptive Problem Solving in a Multiplayer Virtual Reality Manufacturing System"

Second Prize

Gavin Denton, Bates Bennett, Seunghan Lee, and Lora Cavuoto
Mississippi State University & University at Buffalo
"Validating Virtual Reality Surgical Training Through Modeling Learning Processes with Hidden Markov Models for Workforce Development"

Past Winners

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