This month, the College of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Universities of Engineering at Arizona Condition College, presented the inaugural Douglas C. Montgomery Distinguished Lecture.
Generously supported by Douglas Montgomery, an ASU Regents Professor of industrial engineering, the new lecture series serves as a forum for the trade of latest matters similar to industrial engineering.
To kick off the initially annual party, college, pupils and alumni joined guest lecturer Harriet B. Nembhard, dean of the University of Engineering at the University of Iowa and an ASU alumna.
A effectively-revered member of the industrial engineering neighborhood, Nembhard researches techniques to enhance elaborate devices in producing and health and fitness care. She has held educational management positions at Oregon State University and Penn State, and her get the job done has been recognized by election to the position of fellow of the American Culture for Excellent, Institute of Industrial and Techniques Engineers and American Institute for Professional medical and Biological Engineering.
Nembhard is also planning for her new function as president of Harvey Mudd College or university, commencing July 1, 2023.
“I imagine Dr. Nembhard was an outstanding choice as the inaugural lecturer for this sequence,” Montgomery states. “It’s like we strike a homerun.”
Kyle Squires, the ASU vice provost for engineering, computing and technological know-how and dean of the Fulton Universities, kicked off the function, thanking Montgomery for his vision in building the collection to increase the profile of the industrial engineering program at ASU and noting that it was a great honor to introduce Nembhard.
Nembhard inspired attendees to function together to brainstorm serious-world examples of how Excellent 4. could be implemented at Arizona Condition University. Photographer: Erik Wirtanen/ASU
Nembhard’s lecture focused on how increased education and learning institutions can benefit from implementing Good quality 4., a notion that aligns Sector 4. technologies — this kind of as artificial intelligence, cyber-bodily methods and significant data analytics — together with a sturdy ability set and competencies in essential wondering, collaboration and management. The conclusion consequence enhances the good quality of an group and the outcomes it makes.
“Quality 4. is some thing of a substrate for the way that I have approached management in many ways,” she says. “It addresses the worries that tutorial leaders facial area from quality schooling to much more technical difficulties on the managerial facet, and has affected the way that I lead. I imagine it provides a lot for tutorial leaders to contemplate.”
She offered attendees with considered-provoking concepts, giving a simple understanding of Excellent 4. axes and offering illustrations of how they can be utilized to improve bigger instruction processes.
Over and above currently being extremely useful, her talk also offered an possibility for dialogue and imaginative thinking. Members were being challenged to brainstorm solutions for complications such as how Excellent 4. can enhance 6-calendar year graduation charges and how to humanize training at ASU.
Nembhard states she hopes that attendees reflect on Top quality 4. and its potential to impression higher education, noting that her objective for the communicate was to encourage reflection and spark curiosity for how industrial engineering can be used to all areas of lifetime.
“Industrial engineering is about techniques, and better instruction is a method we can function to increase,” she claims. “We, as industrial engineers, have the capacity to impact how speedily improvements and developments can happen in the academy by means of the way that we do strategic contemplating and develop a culture of high quality and collaboration.”
For Nembhard, her background as an ASU alumna designed the lecture expertise even much more fulfilling.
“Dr. Montgomery’s operate was a product for the sort of used exploration in alignment with marketplace that definitely mattered to me early on in my occupation,” Nembhard suggests. “To appear back again to in which, in some feeling, a large amount of the work that I have done in my academic career experienced started out is definitely particular. To be requested to give the inaugural lecture is a great honor.”
Kyle Squires, ASU vice provost for engineering, computing and know-how and dean of the Fulton Educational institutions, participated in the celebration and spoke with college students for the duration of the brainstorming action. Photographer: Erik Wirtanen/ASU
Similarly as satisfying for Nembhard was the chance to recognize her late mother, Helen L. Eastman, also an ASU alumna who researched English for the duration of her time at the university. Nembhard focused the converse to her mother’s memory.
Nembhard suggests she hopes individuals who arrived to her lecture will be inspired to much more deeply comprehend the business of academia and work to progress industrial engineering when envisioning the future of increased education.
Esma Gel, a Fulton Universities associate professor of industrial engineering and longtime friend of Nembhard’s, was also in attendance. The two have been close friends for 25 several years because of their involvement in the industrial engineering local community.
“It’s amazing to be in a position to see Harriet communicate and be identified for her contributions to this area,” she says. “She’s a terrific person, in addition to getting a noteworthy member of the industrial engineering neighborhood. So, it’s amazing to see someone like her be rewarded with these forms of nicely-deserved possibilities.”
In reflecting on the inaugural lecture, Montgomery notes that his goal for the sequence is to raise visibility of the industrial engineering discipline, both at ASU and across the field.
“We have a definitely very good industrial engineering method at ASU, and some genuinely superb faculty with lots of noteworthy achievements,” he claims. “I hope that this lectureship will be an possibility to rejoice that and also showcase it far more broadly to industrial engineering specialists.”
Harriet B. Nembhard (considerably suitable) was honored with an award recognizing her as the 1st highlighted speaker of the Douglas C. Montgomery Distinguished Lecture sequence. From left, she is pictured alongside Professor Ross Maciejewski, director of the Faculty of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Kyle Squires, Arizona Condition College vice provost for engineering, computing and technology and dean of the Fulton Schools, and Douglas Montgomery, an ASU Regents Professor of industrial engineering. Photographer: Erik Wirtanen/ASU
