It is no secret ISyE’s esteemed alumni have what it takes to make the impossible possible and have the skills to work in a plethora of areas. They are responsible for such acts as utilizing operating rooms efficiently to serve patients, producing high quality automobiles, and solving problems with the Central Intelligence Agency.

Because of this, ISyE is making sure students in high school learn just how exciting and rewarding a career in industrial engineering can be. Enter Mission Possible, an annual one-week summer program providing rising 9th through 12th grade students with an overview of the industrial and systems engineering major at Georgia Tech. The program demonstrates how IE is utilized in real-world settings through field trips, game competitions, and lectures. For this camp, ISyE partners with the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), which is dedicated to the enhancement of K-12 STEM education.

During Mission Possible 2015, students participated in interactive learning sessions in order to better understand how industrial engineers are changing the world. For example, two companies, Caterpillar and Procter & Gamble (P&G), ran manufacturing games with the students, emphasizing process flow improvements. Students building cars and Lego structures on assembly lines witnessed bottlenecks and struggled with quality control. Caterpillar's game focused on reducing or eliminating waste in the process and finding ways to make the customer happy. P&G's game emphasized creating and selling products under a strict production schedule. Both companies gave the students the opportunity to improve by changing processes—from altering their production schedule to cross-training their workers.

Also on the agenda was a tour of the Coca-Cola Headquarters, where the students were given a presentation on the company’s supply chain. Through this experience, students heard firsthand how industrial engineering is directly related to products they enjoy every day.

The week ended with student presentations demonstrating all they learned. ISyE hopes to challenge these students to see if they have what it takes to become an industrial engineer and one day make the impossible possible.

This year’s action packed program was made possible, in part, by sponsorship from Procter and Gamble. If you would like to sponsor next year’s program or provide assistance to a student with financial need contact: nancy.sandlin@isye.gatech.edu

If you know of a student who may be interested in attending, contact: brandy.blake@isye.gatech.edu or dawn.strickland@isye.gatech.edu