Smith earns Institute of Industrial and System Engineers’ highest award in engineering economy

Alice Smith, Joe W. Forehand/Accenture distinguished professor in Auburn University’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, is the recipient of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers’ Wellington Award for her outstanding contributions in the field of engineering economy.

Smith has taught engineering economy for nearly three decades. Her research focus is analysis, modeling and optimization of complex systems with emphasis on computation inspired by natural systems. Her groundbreaking research on economic metamodeling established the foundation in developing solutions for the field of engineering economic decisions.

She has authored more than 200 publications and was honored with the E.L. Grant Award two times for the best paper published in the journal, The Engineering Economist. She has published 21 book chapters and has served as a principal investigator on more than $7 million of sponsored research.

“Many of Alice’s research contributions lie at the interface of disciplinary boundaries such as neural networks, engineering economics and operations research, with good industrial applications,” said Chan Park, Daniel F. and Josephine Breeden professor in Auburn’s industrial and systems engineering and 1996 Wellington Award recipient. “The high quality of her work is evidenced through the variety and nature of the research grants that have supported her work.”

A registered professional engineer in Alabama and Pennsylvania, she has served her profession throughout her career. Among other honors received, she is a fellow of the IIE, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers, and a member of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science and American Society for Engineering Education. She is serving on the administrative committee of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society through 2018 and is IIE senior vice president of publications through 2017.

The Wellington award is named after Arthur M. Wellington, author of the 1887 book, “The Economic Theory of Railway Location.” Smith recently accepted the award at the IIE Annual Conference & Expo, in Anaheim, California.