Message from the chair

Harold J. Steudel (33K JPG)

As industrial engineers we "strive to make things better". Our leadership role in healthcare improvement is a major example. In this newsletter you will learn about Professor David Gustafson's group receiving a $10 million center of excellence grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for cancer-communications research that will strive to improve the quality of life for cancer patients and their families, particularly those from underserved populations. Likewise you will read about how Professor Patti Brennan is collaborating with colleagues nationwide to address a shared software code for facilitating health-care information, and developing a federal information-technology initiative called the national health information infrastructure (NHII). When the NHII is in place, consumers, patients and professionals will have access to information that can help them make more informed decisions about their health or health care in general.

I think that you will also enjoy the story about the team of IE Professors and researchers led by Professor Pascale Carayon working on a three-year, $600,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for improving outpatient surgical success rates by focusing on patient pre-operation assessments and post-operation follow-up.

Several of the IE faculty members are also involved in the area of national security. Professor Stephen Robinson is leading a five-year, $4.2 million project from the U.S. Department of Defense to study ways to protect the nation's critical infrastructure against attack. This research involves 11 researchers including IE Professors Robinson, Vicki Bier, Pascale Carayon, Mary Vernon, and Mathematics Professor Thomas Kurtz from UW-Madison, and other investigators from the University of Central Florida, Florida State University, and George Washington University.

I am also pleased to announce that IE alumnus Matthew Kuckuk received one of the 12, 2003 Distinguished Service Awards at the 56th annual Engineers' Day held Oct. 17.

Alumni and friends of the college played an important role in the approval of the project plans for the new Mechanical Engineering Building. The State of Wisconsin has committed $23 million to the project, with the remainder of the $46 million total construction cost coming from private funds. Many alumni and friends are stepping forward to provide the private component. Over the summer, the project received some major gifts which were critical for obtaining final approval.

I hope that you enjoy this newsletter, and as always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. We would also like to hear from you with updates to your addresses, job titles, and any interesting goings-on so that we can enhance the accuracy of our alumni database and share the good things that are happening with your lives and careers. Just E-mail me at steudel@ie.engr.wisc.edu to let me know what you are doing.

Harold J. Steudel, Chair and Emerson Electric Professor in Total Quality
360 Mechanical Engineering Building
1513 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706-1572

Tel: 608/262-9927
Fax: 608/262-8454
E-mail: steudel@ie.engr.wisc.edu

www.engr.wisc.edu/ie