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ALUMNI
UF ISE ALUM EXPLAINS WHAT MOTIVATES HIM TO GIVE BACK
UF ISE alum, Carlos del Sol (BSIE ’72) has dedicated years of time and service to both the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering.
“I fully recognize that without the engineering education I received at UF, I would not have reached my professional success. This is what motivates me to give back. I also recognize that mentors have been extremely influential in my career. So, one of my goals in my retirement is to share my experience and expertise with other individuals, including students, and faculty and staff, and to help them achieve their personal and professional goals,” Mr. del Sol said.
del Sol has served as a guest instructor for the UF Engineering Leadership Institute for many years and has given many seminars on leadership development and how to take essential steps to achieve a successful career.
In addition to mentoring students, del Sol has also served on the Dean’s Advisory Board and the ISE Advisory board, where he is currently the chair.
UF ISE ALUM HONORED AS 2021 GATOR100 AWARDEE
Alumni from the University of Florida have created and guided some of the most innovative and profitable businesses in the nation and the world. Each year, the UF Alumni Association, in partnership with the UF Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center recognizes these amazing entrepreneurs with the Gator100 Awards.
Congratulations to Scott Ellyson (BSISE ‘93) who made the list for leading one of the world’s Fastest Growing Gator Companies!
Ellyson is CEO and co-founder of East West Manufacturing, where he has played a pivotal role in the company’s growth. Managing projects from design to delivery, East West takes a concept, turns it into a design, manufactures the product to worldclass standards and handles the entire logistics process for delivery to customers.
In addition to overseeing East West’s global operations, Ellyson is well recognized in the global manufacturing and distribution industry and is very active in the company’s acquisition efforts.
UF ISE ALUM BREAKS DOWN CAREER BARRIERS WITH MOTIVATION FROM THOSE CLOSEST TO HER
The road to success isn’t always easy, but Consuela Smith (MSISE ’11) finds inspiration in the little things to continue to strive for greatness.
Smith attended the UF Outreach Engineering Management (OEM) Program. Completing this program was one of the many challenges Smith faced while moving up in her career. Balancing a full-time job, raising a family, and consecutively pursuing two master’s degrees wasn’t an easy feat. Despite juggling multiple roles, Smith knew that hard work and dedication were required to achieve success in everything she did, including her career.
Smith’s tenacious spirit isn’t the only thing that motivates her. No matter what goal she’s pursuing, there is always one voice that remains constant in the back of her mind. Smith’s mother, who passed away in 2014, was one of her biggest inspirations throughout her life. Smith’s mother had an entrepreneurial spirit, one that she tried to instill in Smith from a young age.
This mindset has allowed Smith to get involved in her community to not only help others to achieve their own success but to also gain more experience in mentoring and leadership. She works with many nonprofit organizations, where she gets the opportunity to step into a leadership role and set a vision of her own. Through volunteering, Smith is learning new skills that she can apply to her current position at L3Harris.
Overall, Smith is optimistic about the future of her career as well as the engineering discipline as a whole.
“THERE IS MUCH MORE AWARENESS OF DIVERSITY, AND THERE IS AN EXTREME VALUE IN THE MANY PERSPECTIVES THAT BLACK WOMEN HAVE IN TECHNOLOGY AND IN LEADERSHIP,” SHE SAID. “BLACK WOMEN ARE DOING AMAZING THINGS, WHICH IS OPENING UP DOORS AND CREATING SPACE FOR ME, AS WELL AS OTHERS TO SUCCEED.”
Just as her mother did for her, Smith hopes to inspire the future generation of engineers and remind them to continue to work hard to reach their full potential.
UF OEM STUDENT NAMED PRESIDENT OF VALENCIA COLLEGE
Kathleen Plinske, Ed.D., has been named Valencia College’s next president. Dr. Plinske is the first woman to serve in the role.
Dr. Plinske’s determination to provide quality education to students extends beyond the Valencia College campus and into K-12 schools in her community. She spearheaded the “Got College?” initiative, a program that set out to increase the college-going rate among high school students in Osceola County. The program sends student ambassadors from Valencia College to local schools to talk to young students about college experiences. Students are also brought to the Valencia campuses for tours and they are provided with admissions and financial aid guidance through bilingual information sessions.
Dr. Plinske, who previously served as Valencia College’s executive vice president and provost, as well as the campus president for the Osceola, Lake Nona and Poinciana Campuses, assumed the position of Valencia College president in July of 2021.
Dr. Plinkse was also selected as a student speaker for the Spring 2021 commencement ceremony.
UF ISE student Georges Obayi was named to the UF Hall of Fame 2021 Class.
Since 1921, the UF Hall of Fame is the highest recognition given to student leaders who have shown superior leadership and achievement through their campus activities.
UF ISE STUDENT AWARDS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
UF ISE student Blake Studer was selected as a student speaker for the Spring 2021 undergraduate commencement ceremony.
Studer was as an Engineering Ambassador for three years, serving as leadership chair, recruitment chair, and president.
UF ISE AMBASSADORS MAKE THEIR MARK DESPITE A CHALLENGING YEAR
The UF ISE Ambassadors is a student organization with a mission of supporting the growth and improvement of the department through collaborations with faculty, administration, students, and alumni. The organization works on a variety of different projects throughout the academic year, such as teaching sections of the Introduction to Engineering course, leading tours for prospective faculty and students, and hosting forums to connect students, faculty and alumni.
The ISE Ambassadors plan and manage the ISE Career Fair, an annual event to provide networking opportunities for ISE students. Due to the global pandemic, the Ambassadors pivoted and planned a week-long virtual career fair that offered recruiting sessions and career enrichment workshops with top companies.
In addition to planning events, the ISE Ambassadors also work to recruit prospective students. They scripted and directed a recruitment video that they sent to high school science programs throughout Florida to introduce students to the ISE discipline. They have also organized an orientation for students who have expressed an interest in choosing ISE as their major. The group organized multiple weekend events with information sessions and campus tours for future students and their families.
Going forward, the ISE Ambassadors are working on a number of projects. These include a research showcase that will provide ISE students with research opportunities, alumni chats that will connect ISE alumni with students so they can learn about the industries and opportunities available to them in the workforce, as well as faculty and student events such as coffee chats and a new faculty cooking show series, allowing ISE students to get to know department faculty.
P.O. BOX 116595 GAINESVILLE, FL 32611
WWW.ISE.UFL.EDU
UFISE UF_ISE
BY THE NUMBERS
416
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS 30%
UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS
222
GRADUATE STUDENTS 42%
WOMEN STUDENTS
#12
#14
$4.13M
In active research awards
77.5%
More female faculty than average ISE Department
