July 26, 2024

At Mizzou Engineering, students are encouraged to fearlessly ask questions and explore more effective research methods. For Ray Wood, a master’s student in industrial engineering, this education has resulted in notable achievements, including third-place finishes in two prestigious global research competitions. 

This summer, Wood placed third in the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Global Undergraduate Student Technical Paper Competition. He also placed third in the IISE Operations Research Undergraduate Research Competition. 

“Ray’s two international IISE awards are a first for our department,” Jim Noble, department chair, said. “We’re excited to see his research recognized amongst all the work being done by emerging industrial engineers.” 

Wood presented his paper, ‘A Mixed Integer Programming Approach to Enhancing Throughput and Reducing Production Costs of Manufacturing Eco-Friendly Hair Extensions,’ for all three awards. This paper is part of his thesis project. Sharan Srinivas, an assistant professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, serves as Wood’s M.S. project advisor and is a co-principal investigator on the supporting grant. 

Both research competitions took place at the IISE Annual Conference in Montreal, Canada. Prior to these, Wood secured first place in the IISE regional competition at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Additionally, he received an honorable mention in the 2023 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award category at the Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution (CELDi) Annual Meeting and Research Symposium. 

Our tradition of success continues to inspire excellence and innovation. Discover more about the dynamic field of industrial engineering at Mizzou!