Charlie Purdum, director of industry relations, gives a tour of the FAME Lab.

Industry Engagement

Penn State frequently collaborates with companies large and small that are interested in supporting industrial and manufacturing engineering education and research efforts.

Our partnerships are beneficial to companies, our department, and our students. We assist with engineering projects, processes, and problems while our engagement partners provide students with the real-world experience they need to be successful, industrial engineering professionals with a global view of business and manufacturing.

Engagement opportunities within the department include:

Engineering Career Fair
Fall Career Days
Spring Career Week

Industrial Engineering Career Fair (Fall semester)
Contact Brady Bobbit, president of Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Student Chapter

Engineering Career Resources & Employer Relations Office
Engineering internships & Co-ops

Information sessions/panel discussions
Held via IISE
Contacts: Janis Terpenny, IME Department Head and IISE faculty advisor; Brady Bobbit, president of the IISE Student Chapter

Senior-level Capstone Design Projects
Contact: Charlie Purdum, Director of Industry Relations

Distributing internship and/or Co-op opportunities to industrial engineering students
Contact: Mandy Engel-Herbert, Undergraduate Staff Assistant

Identifying industrial engineering courses
Give a presentation/lecture related to the course content, which could also provide insight into companies.
Contact: Mandy Engel-Herbert or Elena Joshi, Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Student Scholarship Support
Provide scholarship funding
Contact: Dan McCurdy, Associate Director of Major Gifts

Partnering to provide applied research projects
All levels: undergraduate, masters, and doctoral
Contact: Charlie Purdum

Organizing factory tours for students
Run via either a student organization or IE-specific course
Contact: Charlie Purdum

Collaborating through research centers and/or labs
Contact: Charlie Purdum

Sponsoring departmental events
Such as the Annual Awards Banquet and Family Day held every spring, among others
Contact: Charlie Purdum

Our corporate partners include:

Get involved

If your company has a project for our students, a research question for faculty, or would like to help take advantage of a funding opportunity, please contact Charles Purdum at 814-865-5345.

About

Home of the first established industrial engineering program in the world, the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) at Penn State has made a name for itself in the engineering industry through its storied tradition of unparalleled excellence and innovation in research, education, and outreach.

We are Innovators. We are Makers. We are Excellence in Engineering. We are Penn State IME.