IMSE seniors to benefit from new mentoring program

April 19, 2022

Seniors in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) are taking advantage of a new mentoring program designed to support their transition from college to the workforce.

“We think this new mentoring program will greatly benefit current and future IMSE students,” Jim Noble, professor and chair of IMSE, said. “This is an opportunity for IMSE Hall of Fame members to give back to the department while helping to develop future industrial engineering leaders.”

The IMSE Hall of Fame, founded in 2008, honors distinguished Mizzou industrial engineering graduates whose careers have significantly impacted their field, and also recognizes persons who have helped advance and improve the Department.

This program brings together a Hall of Fame member with an industrial engineering senior in the current IMSE Capstone II course. Although optional, each of the 13 students opted to participate and were assigned a mentor based on shared interests to maximize growth for students.

Dmitri Winkeler is one of the students receiving personalized mentoring support. He wanted to start building his professional network now before beginning his first job at Samsung Austin Semiconductor as an incoming engineer in Austin, Texas, his hometown.

“I have already connected with my mentor, John Conte, once, and plan to meet with him again before I begin working,” Winkeler said. “I would love for him to connect me to other Mizzou industrial engineering grads he knows, especially in the Austin area.”

Karen Hamilton, BS IE ’87 and chair of this mentoring program, led an introductory group meeting. Expectations for both the student and mentor were explained before the mentor-mentee pairs broke off into separate conversations.

“We want both mentor and student to benefit from one another,” Hamilton said. “For students, the benefit is to expand their personal and professional networks while getting professional insights from an IMSE graduate. For the mentor, they get to learn from someone with a different background who grew up in a different generation.”

The mentor-mentee program does not end at graduation this May. It is designed to last through the student’s “first semester” – essentially six months – in the workforce after leaving Mizzou.

“I am glad to have John available to ask him advice regarding any obstacle I might have to overcome,” Winkeler said. “He’s highly experienced in the industry, so him sharing how he overcame challenges will help me succeed.”

Become a Mizzou industrial engineer to get personal and professional advice from IMSE graduates.