This semester’s Capstone Design Expo showcased the ingenuity and problem-solving skills of more than 118 student teams across seven disciplines. Among them, 17 teams represented H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE), presenting a wide range of solutions, from optimizing scheduling for medical clinics, to refining inventory management for a major auto manufacturer, to enhancing sepsis detection through data-driven patient monitoring.
Capstone Design Expo monodisciplinary Industrial Engineering award went to Serving Solutions. The team partnered with North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC), a nonprofit dedicated to preventing hunger and homelessness, to design scalable systems for enhancing the overall customer experience.
“By focusing on operational efficiency and accessibility, we delivered improvements across three key areas,” said Emma MacGregor, a fourth-year ISyE student on the team. “We modernized inventory management by implementing barcode scanners to streamline tracking; we enhanced customer order processes by developing a more accessible interface supported by a digital queueing network and automated ticketing and printing system, and optimized the pantry layout to create more usable space while also reducing travel time through the pantry.”
In addition to MacGregor, the full team consisted of Samhith Aravind, Sachin Bharadwaz, Shaktik Bhattacharyya, Elyse Daniel, Erin Hinnegan, and Zora Ripkova, under the advisement of Xin Chen, James C. Edenfield Chair and ISyE professor.
Professor Chen noted that the team’s success was measured not only in numbers and workflows, but in real benefits for the families NFCC serves.
“Serving Solutions delivered measurable improvements to North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC)’s pantry operations and the families it serves, such as optimization-driven reshelving that expanded usable shelf space by 16.4%," said Chen. “Watching students transform classroom concepts (optimization, stochastic modeling, and applied data science) into practical systems that volunteers can easily run was truly inspiring.
He added that the benefits extend directly to the community, and how partnerships like these strengthen both student learning and nonprofit operations.
“Collaborations with food pantries like NFCC showcase the immense value of ISyE partnerships. When our students engage with mission-driven organizations, they don’t just apply theory; they create solutions that significantly enhance community impact. I look forward to more opportunities where these collaborations continue to drive lasting improvements that strengthen communities.”
To learn more about the expo, read the full capstone story here.