Dissertation Topic

1. First consider the area of Industrial Engineering in which you find most interesting: Manufacturing Systems, Ergonomics, Production Control, Operations Research, Engineering Economy, Quality Control and all of the other courses you have taken, are taking, or will take, offer possibilities for these. So to find a topic you will find interesting to work on, first pick the area you like most.

2. Check the appropriate technical journals. Try to pick a specific subject matter in the area, such as scheduling in Production Control, and look through the journal articles published on this subject. Often, authors point out unanswered questions in their articles. Such questions can become the basis for your research. Seek the assistance of faculty for any of these steps.

3. After completing the above process (both steps), visit with the professor who normally teaches courses in your area of interest. Take with you a list of literature reviewed, as well as any ideas you may have come across for possible topics. Sometimes, he/she will have a topic in mind for a thesis, and is waiting for a graduate student to express an interest. But you can't count on this! You have the responsibility of identifying a topic, and the professors can provide advice while you are determining a topic. During this process, keep the following in mind:

a) you must find the topic;

b) no faculty is required to direct your thesis; it is solely the decision of the faculty to serve as advisor based on his/her research interests and prior commitments;

c) you are responsible for your project/thesis and its progress; faculty will not (and should not) do your research, will not write your thesis, take the responsibility for your mistakes, nor is he/she responsible for seeing that you finish by your personal deadline;

d) the date of completion is a function of how many hours you work on your thesis, the quality of work you put in, and how well your research progresses; research has unknowns, and that is why it is research, and your advisor cannot determine how long it will take you to finish.

4. Ph.D. students should consider topics related to their M.S. thesis work, if appropriate.

Appendix B : Key Offices and Personnel

Ms. Brenda Lawshe Dr. Bala Ram

Administrative Assistant Professor & Graduate Program Coordinator

Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering

419 McNair Hall 404 McNair Hall

North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina A&T State University

Greensboro, NC 27411 Greensboro, NC 27411

Phone (336) 334-7780 Phone (336) 334-7780

Fax (336) 334-7729

E-mail: blawshe@ncat.edu

Dr. Eui H. Park, Chairman Dr. Reza Salami

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Assoc. Dean for Graduate Programs & Research

419 McNair Hall College of Engineering

North Carolina A&T State University 658 McNair Hall

Greensboro, NC 27411 North Carolina A&T State University

Phone (336) 334-7780 Greensboro, NC 27411

Phone (336) 334-7589

Dr. Kenneth Murray

Interim Dean & Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

School of Graduate Studies

122 Gibbs Hall

North Carolina A&T State University

Greensboro, NC 27411

Phone: (336) 334-7920

Appendix C : Industrial Engineering Laboratories

Automated Data Collection Laboratory (226 Cherry)

Equipment in this laboratory includes Intermec fixed and portable bar-code readers, network controllers, bar coding software, printers, personal computers, and PC network products, and radio frequency data communications hardware. The laboratory is jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Intermec Corporation. Presently, students in Methods Engineering and Quality Control courses use the laboratory.

Computer-Aided Engineering Laboratory (416 McNair)

The equipment in the laboratory includes 4 80286 DOS computers, 2 AT&T 386 DOS computers, 2 DOS/windows Graphics stations, and 3 SUN UNIX Workstations. Several printers (dot matrix, laser, color inkjet printers) are connected to groups of PC's. Software currently available include QSB (Production Planning and Scheduling), BLOCPLAN (Plant Layout), AML/E Robot programming, LINDO (Linear Programming), AutoCAD, FactoryCAD/FLOW/PLAN (Facilities Design), Memory Jogger PC (Charting), and SIMFACTORY (simulation).

Design Studios I&II (Cherry 309 and 311)

This College of Engineering laboratory is being developed for design and manufacturing education in the college. It consists of two rooms, one housing the Design Visualization laboratory, and the second for the Design Tools laboratory. The Design Visualization laboratory will have projection equipment for high resolution drawing, and video-conferencing facilities with other universities for collaborative student projects. The Design Tools laboratory will have powerful personal computers and workstations with CAD and CAM software. These computers will also be equipped for collaborative work with students in other universities. These two laboratories will also be networked with other manufacturing laboratories in the college.

Efficiency Improvement Laboratory (208 Graham)

This laboratory is primarily focused on participating in Energy Analysis and Efficiency Improvement in industrial facilities. A new course is being planned as a technical elective, and this course will use the laboratory. This course to be called Facility Management, will teach the tools to measure energy consumption in industrial facilities and to reduce energy consumption without sacrificing productivity.

Human Factors/Ergonomics Laboratory (203/204 Graham)

Laboratory facilities (1100 sq. ft.) include physiological monitoring equipment as well as human performance measurement equipment. The research equipment includes human strength recording devices, 6-channel datagraph for measuring heart rate, EMG, EKG, EEG, etc., learning and motor skills evaluation devices, sensory and perception devices, reaction time and biofeedback devices, 2D sonic digitizer.

Human-Machine Systems Engineering Laboratory (HMSEL (221-222 Edward B. Fort Interdisciplinary Research Center)

The Human-Machine Systems Engineering Laboratory (HMSEL) is a research and instructional unit in the College of Engineering and is housed in the Interdisciplinary Research Center IRC). HMSEL has the following research facilities: (a) Simulation Laboratory, has a flight simulator, five Silicon Graphics Machines (INDIGO 400 maximum impact), MicroSaint Simulation, MATRIX^tmRapid^tm, and Manual Control Laboratory (MCL) software, (b) Visual Cognition &Perception Laboratory, has equipment for research in eye movement studies. Some apparatus available are ISCAN Eye and True Depth Display ( c) Virtual Reality and HCI Laboratory, has equipment for research in human-computer interaction (HCI), virtual environment design, information display and visualization studies, and cognitive systems engineering. Designs are achieved with Rapid Prototyping Software, MATB, FITT, Spyglass Slicer and Transform, SGI UNIX and many NT machines

Ergonometric Human Signal Processing Laboratory (136 & 205 Edward B. Fort Interdisciplinary Research Center)

This facility is used to study bio-metric and ergonometric indicators of human workload using EEG and EMG data. Apparatus include Lafayette BIOPACK ,EEG lab set from GRASS, EKG and EMG. Researchers use simulation, neural network and fuzzy set models as tools to develop workload metrics.

Inegrated Manufacturing Laboratory (104 Graham)

This College of Engineering laboratory houses a Computer-Integrated-Manufacturing cell with the dual capability of: (I) printed-circuit board manufacturing, and (ii) small milled and assembled parts. The cell consists of an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System, a CRS robot, an Intermec Bar-code Reader, a Vision System, a Flexible Conveyor System, an Emco-Maier VMC100, and a Heller Oven. The operations of the cell are integrated by CIM Concepts’ Cell Controller software. This laboratory also has a Bridgeport CNC Milling machine. This laboratory is used by students primarily in the GEEN 601 and GEEN 602 courses.

Programmable Logic Controller Laboratory (102 Graham)

This College of Engineering laboratory has six Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controllers and software for sequential control. In addition, the laboratory has table-top simulators that can be controlled and integrated using Programmable Controllers. This laboratory is used by students in the GEEN 601 and INEN 635 courses.

Rapid Response Manufacturing Laboratory (206 Cherry)

This laboratory offers a unique research and educational opportunity for investigations concerning computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, and manufacturing systems as well as the integration of these concepts. Major equipment of this laboratory includes MICROBOT CIM System, EMCO Compact 5 CNC lathe, EMCO Unimat PC DCC lathe, Jet bandsaw, and ZYCO Laser Telemetric System.

Robotic & Automation Laboratory (Cherry 203)

The mission of this laboratory is to instruct students in the use of existing industrial grade robotic devices and to provide a research setting for the improved use and integration of robotic devices in the industrial environment. This laboratory is equipped with IBM 7540 robot with TECHNOVATE Robotic Workcell, RHINO Mark II Robot, MICROBOT Teachmover. MICROBOT Minimover, MITSUBISHI RM 501, and personal computers.