The objective of this course is to introduce students to the industrial engineering profession through a series of hands-on projects, activities and presentations.

Each week we will focus on one aspect of industrial engineering fundamentals and explore that facet of engineering with a team-based assignment completed during the class session.

A distinguishing characteristic of industrial engineering, when compared to other engineering disciplines, is its attention to the relationship between people and technologies, developing human-centered systems that effectively integrate scientific discovery and societal needs.

While manufacturing, for many years, has been the caldron for industrial engineering, the need to improve the productivity and quality of our growing service sector has substantially broadened the applicability of industrial engineering practices. For instance:

• Industrial engineers are leaders in developing the complex scheduling systems that coordinate air passenger travel needs as well as round the clock support desks of major software suppliers.
• Industrial Engineers are helping to build the banking, financial and retail systems that improve the use of resources and minimize waste while expanding the variety of products and services available to the consumer.
• Industrial engineers at the UW are involved in the design and development of revolutionary modeling and information systems that can help surgeons learn in a simulated environment or even operate on patients at great distance via the Internet.