Your 2026 IISE Annual Conference Preview: 3 Voices to Know Before You Go

What makes this year’s IISE Annual Conference and Expo a must-attend event?

In this special preview episode of Problem Solved, we bring you insights from three featured voices who are shaping conversations across industrial and systems engineering:

• Laura Albert (University of Wisconsin–Madison) on why this is a consequential moment for ISE and why it’s time to stop being a “well-kept secret”
• Jennifer Van Buskirk (AT&T) on leading transformation inside one of the world’s most complex systems and how ISEs are uniquely built for it
• Doug Melton (Pre-Conference Workshop, Engineering Unleashed) on developing an entrepreneurial mindset and creating value in any context

From the future of the field, to industry impact, to putting the mindset into action, get your first look at the ideas waiting for you in Arlington.

IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2026
May 16–19 | Arlington, Texas

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

How do you design a hospital that feels warm, human, and even joyful while balancing the complex systems that keep it running?

In this episode of Problem Solved, we take you inside one of the most advanced pediatric hospitals in the country, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital.

From simulation labs that test systems, to technology that connects families in critical moments, to robots that deliver supplies, this facility is redefining what healthcare can look like.

Walk through the hospital with our group and sit in on conversations with leaders Michelle Tillis (CNIO & VP, IS&T) and Jason Skelley (Director Information Systems Business Partnership) as we explore how teams are balancing standardization and customization, and how new opportunities for improvement are emerging.

Thank you to the entire team at Children's and to our guides Kristen Bowman, Felicia Reynders, and Megan Difiore.

Learn more about the HSPI Conference sponsored by Society for Health Systems
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Coming soon:

How do you design a hospital that feels warm, human, and even joyful while balancing the complex systems that keep it running?

In this episode of Problem Solved, we take you inside one of the most advanced pediatric hospitals in the country, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital.

From simulation labs that test systems, to technology that connects families in critical moments, to robots that deliver supplies, this facility is redefining what healthcare can look like.

Walk through the hospital with our group and sit in on conversations with leaders Michelle Tillis (CNIO & VP, IS&T) and Jason Skelley (Director Information Systems Business Partnership) as we explore how teams are balancing standardization and customization, and how new opportunities for improvement are emerging.

Thank you to the entire team at Children's and to our guides Kristen Bowman, Felicia Reynders, and Megan Difiore.

Learn more about the HSPI Conference sponsored by Society for Health Systems
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Decision Science: The Systems Behind Billion-Dollar Site Selection with Ramya Gowda

When companies decide where to build, expand, or relocate, that single decision shapes everything that follows - hiring, productivity, supply chains, cost, and long-term risk.

But how do organizations actually make those decisions?

In this episode of Problem Solved, we sit down with Ramya Gowda, Managing Director at Newmark, where she leads strategic consulting in site selection, location strategy, and labor analytics. Ramya helps global corporations evaluate potential locations and make some of the most consequential decisions in their organizations.

Using industrial and systems engineering principles, Ramya and her team apply decision science, data modeling, and systems thinking to compare locations across hundreds of factors, from workforce availability and infrastructure to logistics networks, environments, and long-term resilience.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How companies evaluate potential locations for manufacturing plants, offices, and data centers
• Why site selection is really an upstream systems decision that affects everything downstream
• How decision models translate complex data into board-ready recommendations
• Why relationships with communities and economic development organizations matter
• The skills industrial engineers need to work in location strategy and consulting

Ramya also shares how industrial and systems engineering prepares professionals to solve complex problems across industries—not just in manufacturing.

Read some of Ramay's articles:
https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/the-geography-of-packaging-why-location-strategy-matters-more-than-ever.shtml

https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q3-2025/the-site-selection-corporate-checklist.shtml

https://www.areadevelopment.com/manufacturing-industrial/q2-2025/get-your-mega-site-project-ready.shtml

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Decision Science: The Systems Behind Billion-Dollar Site Selection with Ramya Gowda

When companies decide where to build, expand, or relocate, that single decision shapes everything that follows - hiring, productivity, supply chains, cost, and long-term risk.

But how do organizations actually make those decisions?

In this upcomiong episode of Problem Solved, we sit down with Ramya Gowda, Managing Director at Newmark, where she leads strategic consulting in site selection, location strategy, and labor analytics. Ramya helps global corporations evaluate potential locations and make some of the most consequential decisions in their organizations.

Using industrial and systems engineering principles, Ramya and her team apply decision science, data modeling, and systems thinking to compare locations across hundreds of factors, from workforce availability and infrastructure to logistics networks, environments, and long-term resilience.

Read some of Ramay's articles:
https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q1-2026/the-geography-of-packaging-why-location-strategy-matters-more-than-ever.shtml

https://www.areadevelopment.com/corporate-site-selection-factors/q3-2025/the-site-selection-corporate-checklist.shtml

https://www.areadevelopment.com/manufacturing-industrial/q2-2025/get-your-mega-site-project-ready.shtml

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
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Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

From the Floor of Applied Ergo 2026

At the Applied Ergonomics Conference 2026, engineers, safety professionals, students, and leaders from across industries came together around one shared goal: improving the way people work.

In this special episode of Problem Solved, we take you onto the floor of the conference through conversations with attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, and Ergo Cup teams. Along the way, you’ll hear why ergonomics matters, what this community looks like, what people are learning, and how the field is evolving through new tools, AI, wearables, and worker-centered design.

Great solutions don’t just come from data or technology. They come from listening to the people doing the work.

And that leads us to the Ergo Cup, where real-world problems meet practical and inspiring solutions.

And if you were at Applied Ergo, you might just hear yourself!

Thank you to those who contributed on this episode, in order: Justin Kimel, Joe Michels, Abby McCoy, Nolan Audette, Maya Peleg, Madeline Shoot, Jena Peterson, Kristine Dungo, Julia Abate, Rachel Zoky, Kristianne Egbert, Lisa Brooks, Virgil Watson, David Clardy, Rose Figueroa
Applied Ergonomics Conference sponsored by Applied Ergonomics Society
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Right after his keynote at the Applied Ergonomics Conference, we had a chance to sit down with Cassini Nazir, an interaction designer and professor at the University of North Texas. In his talk, Cassini encouraged ergonomics professionals to think more intentionally about curiosity and how asking better questions and designing with empathy can improve the systems and experiences people rely on every day.

And as it happened, his friend Mike Courtney was there too. Mike is a futurist who actually delivered the keynote at last year’s conference, so we talked with him about something many professionals are dealing with right now - the rapid pace of technological change and how to make decisions when things are evolving so quickly.

Two quick conversations, both recorded at the Applied Ergonomics Conference, about curiosity, design, and navigating a changing world.

This bonus episode was recorded live at the Applied Ergonomics Conference as part of Problem Solved LIVE.

Every great solution is a story worth telling.

Applied Ergonomics Conference sponsored by Applied Ergonomics Society
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Have you streamed this episode yet?
In this special keynote spotlight episode of Problem Solved, IISE’s Frank Reddy sits down with Dr. Mark Benden, researcher, inventor of nearly 30 patents, and longtime leader in ergonomics innovation. With more than four decades of experience across military service, industry, and academia, Dr. Benden has helped generate over $2.5 billion in economic impact through human-centered design and workplace innovation.

In this conversation, he shares:

Join us for this inside look at one of AEC’s keynote voices. And don’t miss Problem Solved LIVE on-site at AEC, where we’ll be capturing insights from innovators shaping the future of ergonomics.

Applied Ergonomics Conference sponsored by Applied Ergonomics Society
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok

Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org