In Field Interview

To:                   Mr. Jorge Gomez

From:               Michael L. Carlock 

   

Date:               October 6, 2011

Subject:           In Field Interview

Last week I conducted an interview between myself and Dr. Delia Valles, an associate Professor in our Industrial Engineering department. Getting insight and formulating a profile of someone in my field is beneficial in the aspect of knowing similar interests, experiences, and even obstacles. In this memo I will highlight the high points of our conversation.

Despite its recent history and shown expansion, it is hard for people to truly understand the discipline of Industrial Engineering. With that being said it is even more unclear to people about the path one takes or even the daily routine of one such professional.

It is with these tendencies that I myself did not want to victim to ignorance of my own major, and with that that I was able to discover the following.

A.    Tell me about your background? – I received a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering at The University of Mexico in Durango, a Master’s degree at New Mexico State University, as well as a PHD at NMSU. Work as of today is split up between 45% of time devoted to teaching, 45% to research projects, and the last 10% focusing on service projects.

B.     Are you part of any Professional Organizations? – Institute of Industrial Engineers, Society of Plastics Engineering, and Mexican American Engineers.

C.     What attracted you or what was your inspiration to this profession? – Being around people and incorporating them into working systems. As far as inspirations my uncle who was a Mechanical Engineer and mother who was a biology teacher made it clear that I was expected to earn a degree.

D.    What happens during a normal day of work? – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are devoted entirely to research projects, which right now include a 3 dimension projection dome and wood plastic injection molding. During this research time it is my job to discuss proposals and grants as well as other economic analysis. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days where class sessions are held.

E.     What direction do you see the (Industrial Engineering) department headed? – The Industry out there right now and need for individuals in our discipline is growing, so more effort is needed in recruiting in order to lead our students to successful positions.

F.      Anything you would like to add? - One thing to keep in mind is that our field grows from other disciplines such as Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Technology. I do see the department growing but our goal is to make it the most sought after discipline in the engineering college.

By the end of this session with a strong member in the engineering community it became clear that efforts are ongoing to increase interest and growth of our branch of this field. We will be able to maximize the exposure of Industrial Engineering to the target market and therefore increase our enrollment. Tapping into the trends of young adults will help us gain ground on the battle of recruitment among the other career paths.