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The H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) is pleased to acknowledge the achievements of six Senior Design finalist teams. Recognized for their exceptional work in project complexity, methodological execution, and potential impact, these teams showcase the pinnacle of academic and practical excellence. Join us in exploring the noteworthy accomplishments of these ISyE teams as they address real-world challenges with innovative solutions.

This milestone event introduced three distinct project categories: Senior Design Finalists, KS2 Technologies Design with Impact Awards, and Featured Create-X interdisciplinary projects. 

Senior Design in ISyE involves completing ISYE 4106, a team-based engineering project addressing a real-world problem for a client, serving as a mentored experience that facilitates the transition from academic study to practical engineering application. 

Within the Senior Design Finalists category, one team stood out: Less Shrinking More Doing. That's the Power of the Home Depot. They earned recognition as the winning team, presenting a project focused on enhancing the security of the self-checkout process.

The team is comprised of Eva Hobson, Lindsey Jerome, Audrey Johnson, Maddy Mazurik, Alexandra Rachman, Grace Saad, Adam Mualem, and Alex Varghese. Under the leadership of client contact Jonathan Horowitz and advisor Dr. Siva Theja Maguluri, this dedicated team excelled in their efforts.

Their innovative approach involves prioritizing transactions based on riskiness and triggering employee interventions, ultimately reducing self-checkout shrinkage. This method, which included developing a visual representation in Python and a groundbreaking risky transaction algorithm, garnered praise for its dedication and problem-solving ingenuity. 

Dr. Maguluri, reflecting on his first-time experience as a faculty advisor, shared his surprise at witnessing theoretical concepts come to life.

"I've taught about Simson’s paradox, but for me, it was a theoretical example. We saw it in real life. Anytime there is this paradox, the confounding factor is extremely challenging to figure out. One of my students poured through data and was able to figure it out manually – it was incredibly impressive to witness." 

Additionally, Audrey Johnson highlighted the uniqueness of their project, emphasizing the hyper-technical nature of their solution.

“I’ve never seen a project like this where our entire solution is technical as opposed to a physical solution. So, my favorite part of all this was writing about 3,000 lines of code which really aligns with what type of work I'd like to do after graduation.” 

Horowitz expressed his admiration, stating, "I would hire every single person on this team if we had the roles." 

The ISyE Senior Design Showcase also featured remarkable projects from other finalist teams. The American Airlines team, Cargo Big or Cargo Home, guided by Dr. John Vande Vate, focused on optimizing cargo versus passenger baggage, promising significant system and revenue growth. 

The Coca-Cola team, Simply Chill, under the guidance of client sponsor Saeed Siddiqi and advisor Dr. Alejandro Toriello, significantly impacted inventory management, aiming for a 15% reduction in inventory costs. 

The Buzzin Dumpster Divers worked with GT Dining Services and was recognized with the KS2 Technologies Design with Impact Award and worked on optimizing waste systems under the guidance of client contact Malte Weiland and Faculty advisors Dr. Craig Tovey and Dr. Valerie Thomas. 

Steelcase's team proposed proactive usage-based fixes to predict repairs before critical errors, offering a new approach in Operation Predict-Prescribe-Profit, collaborating with client contact Edward Vander Bilt and advisor Dr. Anton Kleywegt. 

Additionally, the event showcased the featured ISyE Create-X projects, including SNOOZE led by Dr. John Vande Vate and RealTalk under the guidance of Dr. Craig Tovey, highlighting innovative approaches in addressing contemporary challenges. 

The ISyE Senior Design Showcase celebrated the dedication, professionalism, and innovative solutions of these teams to real-world challenges. These projects not only exemplified academic excellence but also offered practical and impactful contributions to their respective industries. As the event continues to evolve, it promises a platform for future ISyE teams to shine and make significant contributions to the field. 

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All Teams:

Senior Design Finalists: 

Client: American Airlines 

• Project Title: Cargo Big or Cargo Home 

• Team members: Dylan Allister | Brandon Griffin | Taylor Hunter | Allanda (Lonnie) Kriener | Colleen Molton | Parker Neithercut | Emma Prol | Katherine Wehrenberg

• Client Contact: Roman ShevchukAdvisor: Dr. John Vande Vate

Client: Coca Cola 

• Project Title: Coca-Cola Chilled Warehousing Network 

• Team Members: Caleb Becker | Ariana Garbers | Rakshanda Khan | Pablo Martin Jimenez | Tram Anh Nguyen | Thao Phan | Thi Tran | Rachel Wewengkang 

• Client Sponsor: Saeed Siddiqi

• Advisor: Dr. Alejandro Toriello

Client: The Home Depot 

• Project Title: Less Shrinking More Doing.

• Team Members: Eva Hobson | Lindsey Jerome | Audrey Johnson | Maddy Mazurik | Alexandra Rachman | Grace Saad | Adam Mualem | Alex Varghese

• Client Contact: Jonathan Horowitz

• Advisor: Dr. Siva Theja Maguluri

Design with Implementation and Impact, sponsored by KS2 Technologies 

Client: GT Dining Services/GT Sustainability 

• Project Title: Recycling Revamp: A Comprehensive Redesign of Georgia Tech Dining’s Waste Systems 

• Team Members: Ashling Devins | Yuting Gu | Rachel Kneeburg | Juliana Markham | Alejandro Porcella | Eva Reiling | Amber Seaberg | Jiaxi Yu 

• Client Contact: Malte Weiland 

• Faculty Advisors: Dr. Craig Tovey and Dr. Valerie Thomas

Client: Steelcase 

• Project Title: Operation Predict-Prescribe- Profit 

• Team Members: Neal Austensen | Nicholas Broadway | Alexander Buckelew | Craig Cassidy | Luke Eckenrod | Jackson Fisher | Justin Kaplin | Matthew Mazzacano

• Client Contact: Edward Vander Bilt 

• Advisor: Dr. Anton Kleywegt

Featured ISyE Create-X projects 

Project Title: SNOOZE

• Team Members: Emily Bell, Michael Boling, Mia Ferro, Olivia Lawson, Tyler Michael, Scott Rostick

• Advisor: Dr. John Vande Vate

Project Title: Real Talk 

• Team Members: Shane Cooper, Ben Crane, Claudia Dwortz, Z. Serra Koker, Alex Lee, Cassandra Marshall

• Advisor: Dr. Craig Tovey

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Author: Nat M. Esparza