IISE Manufacturing and Design (M&D) Division Best Student Paper Award

The Manufacturing & Design (M&D) Best Student Paper Award (BSPA) recognizes student-authored outstanding research contributions in the fields of manufacturing and design that will be presented at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Annual Conference and published in the Annual Conference proceedings. The award will be presented annually during the M&D Townhall Meeting at the IISE Annual Conference.

Eligibility Requirements

Lead Author Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be a current member of both IISE and the Manufacturing & Design (M&D) Division.
- Must have been a full-time student during the period when the research was conducted and the paper was written.
- Must be the primary contributor to both the research and the writing of the paper.
Either the lead author or the faculty advisor/instructor overseeing the work must be registered to attend the upcoming IISE Annual Conference.
The lead author must not have received the BSPA within the previous two years.
The final, full-length paper must be submitted through the official IISE conference submission system for abstracts and papers.
Nominated papers must be presented in-person at the IISE Annual Conference. Failure to do so can result in revocation of the award.
The work must be clearly distinct from other works. It may not be previously published by the authors or other authors. It may not be submitted for any other awards within IISE, or its divisions or societies.
Papers submitted for BSPA, and their lead authors, are ineligible for the M&D Best Track Paper Award.
The faculty member or instructor submitting the application/nomination package must:
- Be familiar with the body of work being nominated.
- Affirm that the student is the lead author and primary contributor.
- Affirm that either the nominee or the person submitting the package will attend the conference; present the topic; and receive the award if selected.

Nomination Process

The BSPA nomination package must be submitted and affirmed by a faculty member or an instructor (nominator) who is familiar with the body of work (i.e., advisor, course instructor).

The nomination package must include:

The name of the student as it should appear on the award or finalist certificate (if awarded).
The student’s email address.
Title of the paper.
Affirmations that all BSPA eligibility criteria are met.
Affirmation that the paper will be presented at the IISE Annual Conference
Acknowledgement that the award can be revoked if the topic is not presented at the conference.
Signature, name and email of the faculty member or instructor submitting the package.
A copy of the full-length, final version of the paper.

Submit a full-length, final version of the paper into the conference submission system for abstracts (due Nov. 10, 2025) and papers (due Jan. 18, 2026).

Submit the nomination package to the BSPA Selection Committee Chairperson, Jihoon Jeong by January 30, 2026

Evaluation Process

Papers will be assessed on a 5-point scale: 5 is the highest ranking; 0 is the lowest. Assessors will assign an integer value to each assessment category. The assessments categories are equally weighted. The assessment categories are:

Originality
Relevance to manufacturing or design
Significance to manufacturing or design
Depth and completeness of the work
Organization and quality of writing

Each paper will be assessed against the assessment criteria. The final score for each assessment will be the average of integers assigned in each category.
The Selection Committee Chairperson will rank the papers based on their assessment final scores.
The nominee whose paper receives the highest score will be the winner. If the event of a tie, the selection committee will deliberate to determine the winner.

The BSPA Selection Committee Chairperson will inform the winner and the individual who nominated the winner by March 1, 2026.

Evaluation Process

The BSPA selection committee will verify compliance with the eligibility criteria. Once eligibility is validated, the committee will evaluate the submitted papers by assessment and ranking to select a winner.

Originality
Relevance to manufacturing or design
Significance to manufacturing or design
Depth and completeness of the work
Organization and quality of writing
Quality of presentation of the nominated paper at Annual Conference.

- Each paper will be assessed against the assessment criteria.
- The final score for each assessment will be the average of integers assigned in each category.
- The Selection Committee Chairperson will rank the papers based on their assessment final scores. The nominee whose paper receives the highest score will be the winner. If the event of a tie, the selection committee will deliberate to determine the winner.
- The BSPA Selection Committee Chairperson will inform the winner. Notification will occur no later than March 1, 2026.
- Either the selection committee chairperson or the M&D President-Elect will notify IISE regarding the finalists per IISE policies. Either will notify IISE and the M&D President of the winner immediately after selection and before the M&D Townhall.

Important Dates

Abstract submissions close November 10, 2025
Abstract decisions will be made by December 15. 2025
Full paper submissions are due January 18, 2026
Paper reviews completed by February 22, 2026
Paper decisions to authors by February 25, 2026
Speaker registration deadline: March 8, 2026
Paper final revision submission deadline: March 22, 2026

Recognition

First prize winner(s) will receive a certificate with a hardback cover at the M&D townhall meeting at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo.
Second and Third prize winners will receive a digital certificate and be recognized at the M&D townhall meeting at the IISE Annual Conference & Expo.
First, second, and third prize winners will be recognized on the M&D webpage and in the M&D newsletter
First, second, and third prize winners will be recognized in ISE magazine.

Committee Chair

Jihoon Jeong

Conflict of Interest Policy

It is imperative to maintain the integrity of the awards programs within IISE and the M&D Division. Therefore, all members of the division shall abide by the following conflict of interest policy requirements.

M&D officers and board members are ineligible for M&D awards during their period(s) of service without approval from IISE’s Senior Vice President for Technical Operations (SVP). Exceptions may only be made by the SVP when awards are time sensitive (e.g., Student board member is nominated for Best Student Paper Award, but will graduate before the Annual Conference). In the case of time sensitive awards without SVP approval, the affected officer/members must be recused from the awards processes. For non-time sensitive awards, officers and board members may be nominated for awards after their service on the M&D Division board has ended.
Award selection committees shall consist of members who have neither personal nor professional relationships with nominees. Upon knowing that such a conflict arises, the member shall immediately be recused from further participation in the selection process.
Award committee members should change annually to ensure fairness, diversity and equality.

2025 Winner

1st Place:
Rongxuan Wang and Thiraj Wegala
Auburn University
"In-Situ Porosity Detection in LPBF Using Machine Learning - Augmented Ultrasonic Emissions"

2024 Winner

1st Place:
Imtiaz Qavi, Sampa Halder, Dongping Du, and George Tan
Texas Tech University
"Machine Learning Enhanced High Fidelity and High Viability Bioprinting using Rheological and Compositional Predictors"

Past winners

Manufacturing and Design Division page