A New Chapter for IME
As we begin a new academic year, we are also entering a historic new chapter for Cal Poly: our first semester. After decades on the quarter system, this transition brings change, but it also gives us an opportunity to reflect on what remains constant in the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department. At the center of our work are the people who make IME such a strong and connected community.
The stories in this newsletter offer many examples.
Our students continue to seek out opportunities that extend well beyond the classroom. They helped organize Cal Poly’s inaugural Emerging Interdisciplinary Leaders in Healthcare: AI Conference, tackled industry challenges through the Systems Optimization Club and completed a milestone year of senior projects with industry partners. They are also conducting research alongside faculty and representing Cal Poly through organizations such as the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.
Our faculty are creating those opportunities while advancing research with broader impact. Zhiyuan Wei’s work examining human behavior and healthcare access, supported by a National Science Foundation grant, is one example. Across our Summer Undergraduate Research Program, students are working closely with faculty mentors on emerging challenges in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to manufacturing and healthcare systems.
Those experiences are strengthened by the broader IME community. Industry partners bring real-world challenges into our classrooms and projects. Support from organizations such as the Gene Haas Foundation helps sustain the hands-on learning that is central to a Cal Poly education. Alumni remain involved as advisers, mentors and supporters, including Carlene Iverson, whose continued engagement with IME reflects the lasting connection so many of our graduates have with the department.
Behind all of this are faculty and staff whose daily work makes these opportunities possible. Their commitment, along with the energy of our students and the involvement of alumni and industry partners, is what allows IME to continue evolving while holding fast to the Learn by Doing approach that defines Cal Poly.
As we enter this first semester together, I am excited about what lies ahead. I hope the stories in this newsletter give you a sense of the work happening across IME and, just as important, the people behind it.
Whether you are a current student, alumnus, industry partner or longtime friend of the department, I encourage you to stay connected. We value hearing from you and hope you will continue to be part of the IME community as we begin this next chapter.
Those who would like to support the department can also make a gift to help expand opportunities for IME students here.
Thank you for all you do to support our students and our department.