KENNESAW, Ga. | Jul 12, 2024

A Kennesaw State University engineering senior design team recently secured a third place finish at the Industrial and Systems Engineering Capstone Senior Design Project competition in Montreal.

The competition was hosted in May by the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, a nonprofit association which provides leadership in the field of industrial and systems engineering.

The award-winning team was composed of KSU alumni Dalton Beasley, Dyson Beasley, Tristan McMichael, who graduated in Fall 2023, and Ryan Waltman, who graduated in Spring 2024. All obtained their Industrial and Systems Engineering degree. 

“It was a great experience for all of us,” Waltman said. “The conference had a bunch of talented speakers from the industrial space who inspired us, and we made strong connections with professionals and academics.”

During the competition, the team shared their project focused on increasing throughput on a tube mill. The marble tube mill that their team improved is a type of grinding mill that pulverizes marble into fine particles for use in various industrial applications. To complete the project, the design team partnered with mining and manufacturing company, Imerys, in Marble Hill, Ga.

The group exceeded all project goals, and Imerys employees are currently implementing the design team’s recommendations.

Robert Keyser and Awatef Ergai, both associate professors in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, were the project advisors for the team.

“It was an honor and a pleasure working with the ISYE Senior Design team on their Imerys Tube Mill Optimization project,” Keyser said. “They successfully conducted applied research with two goals: increasing hourly throughput and improving the quality and consistency of marble products produced at the tube mill.”

In addition to the international honor, the senior design team won first place at the KSU Senior Design Expo in Fall 2023. They were the first industrial engineering team to win the award, beating out of 115 engineering teams.

They credit Kennesaw State for giving them the proper resources and connections needed to further their learning within the industrial engineering field.

“My favorite part of being at Kennesaw State was the infinite opportunities to grow,”  McMichael said. “Our professors here were wonderful. There was a great sense of community in our department, and I will always appreciate that.”

Following graduation, Dalton and Dyson Beasley secured jobs as process engineers at Imerys, Waltman was hired as a data analyst at HD Supply, and McMichael is exploring opportunities in the nuclear industry.

– Story by Ana Johnson

Photo submitted

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.