Doctoral student's work recognized at international conference

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University doctoral student Clifford Aidoo-Mensah, M.S.’24, received an Outstanding Student Paper Award at the annual Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) 2025 Conference for his work to assess the financial viability, scalability and efficiency of adopting a hybrid manufacturing process. The conference was held in June in Atlanta.

Aidoo-Mensah’s research presents a guide for the metal sand casting industry to move toward economically sustainable practices by reducing material waste, enhancing production precision, and significantly lowering operational risks.

“The paper has an innovative approach to combining advanced economic modeling with practical manufacturing processes, providing tangible insights into industrial scalability and cost-efficiency that resonated with the reviewers and audience,” says Aidoo-Mensah, whose advisor for the project is Dr. Ying Thaviphoke, assistant professor industrial and entrepreneurial engineering and engineering management.

The work focused on a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis evaluating the integration of 3D Sand Printing with traditional sand casting for high-volume metal production. The research specifically used advanced economic methods, including net-present-value-adjusted return on investment, sensitivity analysis, and Monte Carlo simulations.

Aidoo-Mensah is pursuing his Ph.D. in engineering and applied sciences, specializing in advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and AI-driven techniques to enhance process efficiency and sustainability. His dissertation advisor is Dr. Robert Makin, assistant professor of computer sciences. Mensah works alongside Makin in WMU’s Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy Lab exploring cutting-edge materials science, focusing on precision deposition techniques, aiming to develop next-generation materials with tailored properties for various high-tech applications.

“This interdisciplinary work positions me uniquely to advance manufacturing processes that are economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and technologically revolutionary,” says Aidoo-Mensah.

The IISE is an international, nonprofit association that provides leadership for the application, education, training, research, and development of industrial and systems engineering.

In addition to Aidoo-Mensah, other College of Engineering and Applied Sciences faculty and graduate students attended the event, sharing their research that is shaping the future of ergonomics, manufacturing and mobility systems. Faculty and students participating in the conference included the following:

• Dr. Tycho Fredericks, chair and professor of the Department of Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management, participated in the Council of Industrial Engineering Department Heads meeting that brings together leaders of accredited industrial engineering programs from across the country.
• Dr. Tarun Gupta, professor of industrial and entrepreneurial engineering and engineering management, moderated portions of the Modeling and Simulation Town Hall and presented awards during the conference.
• Dr. Sang Heon Kang, assistant professor of industrial and entrepreneurial engineering and engineering management, chaired the physical ergonomics sessions and presented his research.  
  • Lumbar spinal creep: Effects of trunk flexion posture, exposure-recovery schedule, and individual flexibility
  • Influence of individual flexibility on the effectiveness of a passive back-support exosuit: An exploratory study
  • Biomechanical Evaluation of a Back-Support Exosuit in Agricultural Harvesting Postures
• Dr. Ying Thaviphoke, assistant professor of industrial and entrepreneurial engineering and engineering management, chaired the Decision Analytics for Service and Supply Chain Optimization tracks.
• Adam Lecznar, doctoral student in engineering and applied sciences, presented research in EMS systems with Fredericks and participated in the biomechanical study poster session with Kang.
• Ashraful Hossain, who graduated recently with a master’s student in engineering management, presented “Stakeholder Management Through Problem Structuring Lens: An Investigation of Ride-sharing Efficacy in Bangladesh.”
• Autumn Hotopp, master’s student in industrial engineering, participated in the biomechanical study poster session with Kang.

Fredericks and Dr. Steve Butt, dean of WMU’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, are both IISE Fellows. The IISE Fellow Award recognizes outstanding leaders of the profession who have made significant, nationally recognized contributions to industrial and systems engineering.  

Learn more about Western’s industrial and entrepreneurial engineering and engineering management programs at wmich.edu/ieeem.

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