Late 1900s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
1946
The Department of Industrial Engineering (IE) was founded at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Howard Emerson was named the first Department Head (1947–68).
1950
The IE curriculum was formally recognized for academic accreditation.
1951
First graduate program was established (MS in Industrial Engineering).
1968
Doug Hutchinson named Department Head (1968–74).
1970
Dan Doulet named Department Head (1974–76).
1976
John Snider named Department Head (1976–91).
1992
Charles Aikens named Department Head (1992–99).
1993
Alumnae Leslie Benmark (BS ’67, MS’70) becomes a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
1999
Tom Shannon named Department Head (1999-2001).
2001
Adedji Badiru named Department Head (2001–06).
2003
Under the leadership of Badiru, the department changed its name to the “Department of Industrial and Information Engineering” to reflect a new strategic integration of information modeling and optimization.
2004
Alumnus Chad Holliday (’70) elected as a member of the NAE.
2005
Junior Lindsey Hargett was one of ten students selected in the College of Engineering’s new ambassador program.
2005
Doctoral programs in industrial engineering are established.
2005
Alberto Garcia named the college’s new Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
2006
Garcia named interim head of the department (2006–08).
2008
Bruce Robinson named interim head of the department (2008–10).
2008
Holliday honored with the Volunteer of the Year, one of UT’s most significant recognitions.
2010
Rupy Sawhney named Department Head of Industrial and Information Engineering (2010–13).
2010
The College of Engineering breaks ground on the John D. Tickle Engineering Building, which will house the department and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. It is named after IE alumnus John Tickle (’65), president and owner of the Strongwell Corporation.
2011
First International Lean Summer Program took place in Knoxville. 26 undergraduate students from ITESM Campus Aguascalientes, Mexico, participated in a month long training on Lean Systems.
2012
Two IE graduate research students helped a cerebral palsy patient through project research to be more mobile with the use of technology devices.
2012
Lean Summer Program in the Department of Industrial and Information Engineering expands to include undergraduate students from Mexico, Brazil, and China.
2012
Departments of Industrial and Information Engineering, Engineering Management, and Personal and Professional Development team up to provide Y-12 employees a masters certificate in Engineering Management.
2012
Under the Sawhney’s leadership, the department changed its name to Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) to represent the present emphasis on systems engineering by the Institute of Industrial Engineers, the industrial engineering professional society.
2013
Engineering Management Master’s program expands to also provide ORNL employees the opportunity to receive additional educational training.
2013
John Kobza comes from Texas Tech, to become department head.
2013
The department moves into the John D. Tickle Building as the college celebrates its 175th anniversary.
2014
The Health Information Technology and Simulation Lab, a partnership between the department’s Xueping Li and the College of Nursing that simulates a variety of health care experiences opens.
2014
Jim Ostrowski and collaborators win the INFORMS Computing Society Prize.
2015
Sawhney awarded the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Society Outstanding Educator Award.
2016
Dunlap Industries, founded by Emerson, celebrates its 50th anniversary.
2016
The college becomes the Tickle College of Engineering in recognition of the support of the ISE alumnus.
2017
The department plays host to the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Conference.
2017
UT launches the Integrated Business and Engineering Program, which combines courses in business and engineering. Several ISE students have taken part throughout its history.
2018
Mingzhou Jin appointed as the new director of the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment.
2018
ISE’s Center for Advanced Systems Research and Education (CASRE) uses better engineered workspaces to tackle the opioid crises.
2019
Li and ISE partner with the College of Nursing, School of Art, and East Tennessee Children Hospital in an effort to improve everything from patient wait times to recovery from surgery through the Health Innovation Partnership Program.
2020
Jin serves as UT’s lead contact on the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute, a $111-million, US Department of Energy-backed, public-private partnership.
2020
ISE students help DeRoyal Industries navigate the challenges of COVID as it produced health care equipment.
2021
The Zeanah Engineering Complex, named for ISE alumnus Eric Zeanah (’84), opens as the new “Gateway to Engineering.”
2021
CASRE partners with CNS-Y12 to improve workforce outcomes for employees.
2022
The department celebrates its 75th anniversary.
