Rutgers industrial engineers host annual regional conference

Students in or interested in the industrial engineering field from across the Northeast United States were invited to learn skills and network at an annual conference that hosted at Rutgers this year.

The Rutgers University chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) hosted their annual IIE Northeast Regional Conference from March 18 to March 20, according to the group's website.

Members of IIE from across the Northeast were invited to listen to speakers from various industries, partake in networking events and meet other members in social activities, said Anvita Tiwari, a School of Engineering junior and conference organizer.

The main goals of the conference were to promote leadership, communication and professional skills, to provide a forum for the presentation of student papers and to inform students about industrial engineering, Tiwari said.

Many speakers were invited from companies such as Accenture, Deloitte, Lockheed Martin and other companies, she said.

They shared their insights on working in the industry and the many different areas one can work in with a degree in industrial engineering.

Each company demonstrated the unique and unknown complex supply chain process, as well as interesting ways industrial engineers find their fit in these companies, said Vidita Gawade, a School of Engineering junior and agenda chair for IIE.

Gawade made it her goal to showcase the wide variety of disciplines in the industrial engineering field at the conference.

“I wanted to showcase the versatility of the industrial engineering field and how the field can be applied through and in any industry,” she said. “We had a great lineup of speakers, including many Rutgers School of Engineering alumni.”

This opportunity was there to provide students with the perfect networking opportunity, Gawade said.

While the rewards of the conference were not viewable right away, Gawade said the connections and skills she developed will be visible over the upcoming years as she pursues a career and manages larger projects.

“Many of the students came up to me and said how glad they felt to attend conference and how inspired they felt to pursue the field and the industries, as well as join the Institute of Industrial Engineers,” Gawade said.

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Noa Halff is a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. She is an associate news editor for The Daily Targum. Follow her on Twitter @NoaHalff for more.