In this episode of "Problem Solved," we talk to three previous guests of the podcast – Bobbie Watts, Gretchen Macht and Ali Hobbs – about the "good, bad and ugly" lessons of 2020. The three professionals discuss the struggles and successes discovered in their careers and industries over the past year as well as their optimism for the heightened role and need for industrial and systems engineers in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In this episode of "Problem Solved," Angie Jackman, an industrial engineer with NASA and project manager for the Mars Ascent Vehicle mission at the Marshall Space Flight Center, discusses her career and the role of industrial and systems engineers at the space agency with IISE member and Purdue University professor Barrett Caldwell.

In this episode of "Problem Solved," we highlight research by IISE members and academic leaders Laura Albert* of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Gretchen Macht at the University of Rhode Island on efforts to streamline procedures for in-person voting on Election Day.

*Albert will be named a new IISE Fellow on Nov. 2 during the virtual IISE Annual Conference & Expo. More details on registration for the event can be found at: www.iise.org/annual

Industrial engineering professor Shaul Ladany reflects on his life of research and teaching, his athletic career as a world-record race walker who competed in two Olympics, and growing up amid the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. This episode is sponsored by the University of Louisville Online Learning.

In this episode of "Problem Solved," IISE's David Brandt chats with Elizabeth Gentry, Ph.D. from the University of Louisville and James Swisher of Hawkeye Business Solutions about technical communications. They discuss the many ways in which engineers need to practice their communications skills in working with both fellow engineers and non-engineers. Our guests have both highs and (sort of funny) lows to share with our audience as well as best practices to apply throughout a career. This episode is sponsored by the University of Louisville Online Learning.

Stefan Enjem explains how ISE and Toyota tools – along with discriminating taste buds that desire delicious, gluten-free and low-sugar refreshment, have built a house of cider in Long Beach, California, one that has been able to withstand a pandemic that struck a month and a half after opening. This episode is sponsored by University of Louisville Online Learning.

ISE faculty members Kim LaScola Needy and Manuel D. Rossetti from the University of Arkansas and Eileen Van Aken from Virginia Tech discuss how instructors and students adjusted to remote learning challenges during the pandemic shutdown last spring, along with the innovative lessons they are applying to the start of the fall semester. This episode is sponsored by the University of Louisville Online Learning.

News reports have shared images and stories of the hardships endured by healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, many working long hours to serve seriously ill patients amid shortages of equipment and protective gear. In this bonus episode of Problem Solved, we discuss these challenges with Lynda Enos, a certified ergonomics and human factors consultant with HumanFit who specializes in safe patient-handling programs for hospitals and outpatient facilities. She discusses some of the unique ergonomic challenges that caregivers have faced during the crisis, along with valuable lessons that can be learned and applied for similar events in the future.