MSU engineering students bring home individual, group honors

Contact: Abby Barber

In competition with universities from five states and Puerto Rico, industrial engineering majors at Mississippi State University are being recognized for both individual and collaborative efforts.

At a recent regional conference of the Institute of Industrial Engineers held at Auburn University, the MSU student chapter received the first-place award for organizational achievements, while senior member Ashley Powell of Crossett, Ark., took top honors in the research report category.

The largest professional society for industrial engineers, IIE has some 17,000 members spread among more than 150 chapters worldwide. The organization's Southeastern region includes 18 student chapters in Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Puerto Rico.

Powell received the first-place award for a project report she and her teammates completed dealing with an injection molding facility in Booneville.

The Outstanding Chapter Award, which MSU received for the first time, is based on research report scores and team competitions in bridge design and construction and other learning activities.

Other MSU industrial engineering majors attending the conference included seniors Kristy Bevis of Florence, Ala., Trey Crumpton of Raleigh and James Findley of Madison; graduate student Jeff Miller of West Point; and sophomore Elizabeth Scanlon of Brandon.