Needy Named to List of “Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas”
College of Engineering Dean Kim Needy was among three U of A staff members named among the Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas, a prestigious list that includes business executives, educators and civic leaders from across the state.
Needy, first female dean of the college, said she was honored to be recognized “alongside these outstanding leaders at U of A and across the state.”
In addition to Needy, the list included Sarah Goforth, executive director of U of A’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Denise Thomas, CEO of the World Trade Center Arkansas.
Narrowed from more than 600 submissions, the list revived a publication from the 1990s highlighting the top 100 women in Arkansas, said Mitch Bettis, whose company, Arkansas Business Publishing Group, assisted in compiling the top 100 alongside the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas.
Little Rock Soirée magazine, which also aided with the selections, highlighted the honorees with a special publication in September.
College Welcomes New Associate Dean for Research
Industrial engineering Professor Sandra Eksioglu was named the college’s interim associate dean for research Jan. 1, replacing Heather Nachtmann, who stepped down to focus on other professional opportunities.
Eksioglu joined the college in 2019 as the Jim M. and Marie G. Hefley Professor in Logistics and Entrepreneurship. Her academic interests include operations research, network optimization and algorithmic development. Her work has been funded by National Science Foundation and U.S. departments of energy, transportation and homeland security.
The college recruited Eksioglu from Clemson University, where she was an associate professor. Prior to that, she served on the faculty at Mississippi State University. She received her Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Florida.
The National Science Foundation awarded Eksioglu a CAREER Award in 2011. The U of A selected her for the SEC Academic Leadership Development Program in 2021, and she is a fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.
The College of Engineering’s team of associate deans also includes Bryan Hill, associate dean for student success, and Kevin Hall, associate dean for academics.
Industrial Engineering Professor Named Head of Department
Chase Rainwater, an alumnus and professor of industrial engineering known for his outstanding student mentorship, was named head of the Department of Industrial Engineering on June 1. He takes the helm from Ed Pohl, who was named dean of the U of A Graduate School and International Education.
Rainwater earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from U of A in 2004 and a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Florida in 2009.
He joined the College of Engineering as an assistant professor of industrial engineering in 2009 and achieved the rank of professor in 2021. He also has served as associate department head, director of the J.B. Hunt Innovation Center of Excellence, inaugural director of the Master of Science in operations analytics program and co-director of the Arkansas Security Research and Education Institute. He is a fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.
Rainwater is regarded as an exceptional educator, teaching numerous courses in computing, as well as optimization, probability and statistics. His research interests include supply chain logistics, security and food safety. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and U.S. departments of transportation, homeland security and education, in addition to multiple national labs, nonprofit organizations and companies.
Nachtmann Named Arkansas Research Alliance Fellow
Heather Nachtmann, professor of industrial engineering and the Earl J. and Lillian P. Dyess Endowed Chair in Engineering, was named an Arkansas Research Alliance fellow in May.
The program recognizes scientists and engineers already resident at a university or institution in Arkansas for their ongoing, exemplary contributions to the state’s core research focus areas with a $75,000 grant paid over three years. The program recognizes research leaders with an established history of impact and includes membership into the alliance’s Academy of Scholars and Fellows.
Nachtmann’s research contributions to the state include economic impact and operational studies of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and the Ouachita River. She also serves on the leadership team of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Data Analytics that are Robust and Trusted (DART) Center while also leading advanced mobility efforts for the University of Arkansas.
Nachtmann has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and generated more than $17 million in research grants as principal investigator. She serves as director of the Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center, a U.S. Department of Transportation University Transportation Center, and the Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center.
Nachtmann received her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been with the College of Engineering since 2000.
Matlock Recognized as Fellow of the American Ecological Engineering Society
Biological and agricultural engineering Professor Marty Matlock was named a fellow of the American Ecological Engineering Society.
The society bestows fellow recognition to members with exemplary qualifications and sustained excellence in contributions to practice, research and education in the field of ecological engineering. Fellows are leaders in their discipline and accomplished members of the society with a minimum of 10 years’ active membership.
Matlock received the society’s Odum Award in 2022, the society’s highest honor. The Odum Award honors two of the most influential figures in defining and pioneering the concepts and practices of ecological engineering, Howard T. and Eugene Odum. The award recognizes a lifetime of achievement and contributions during the honoree’s career to research, education and practice in the field of ecological engineering.
The society was founded 24 years ago to promote the development of sustainable ecosystems that integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both by fostering education and outreach, extending professional development and associations, raising public awareness and encouraging original research.
Matlock was a founding member and served as president of the society in 2007-2008.
Chancellor Emeritus John White Receives Book of the Year Award
John White, chancellor emeritus of the University of Arkansas, received the Joint Publishers Book of the Year Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers for his book, Why It Matters: Reflections on Practical Leadership, from Greenleaf Book Group Press.
This is White’s fourth Book of the Year award from the institute, as he was awarded the Joint Publishers Book of the Year Award in 1974, 1986 and 2015.
The book draws on White’s six-decade career as a corporate leader, chancellor, dean, educator, engineer and consultant.
Engineering Departments to Combine, Expand Opportunities for Students and Faculty
The U of A Department of Electrical Engineering and Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering were combined in August to form a single, integrated department named the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
The restructuring will bring numerous benefits for students, particularly in the expansion of educational opportunities, said Jia Di, who has been head of computer science and computer engineering since January 2021, and will lead the new department.
“Students currently enrolled in the program will gain access to a broader range of technical electives previously unavailable to them,” Di said.
The new structure will also facilitate seamless transitions between electrical engineering, computer engineering and computer science programs.
The change was supported by Juan Balda, University Professor and head of the electrical engineering department, who retired in July after 34 years at U of A.
Increased cooperation between faculty members from different disciplines is expected to yield a significant boost in research productivity, Di said.
The newly combined department began operations Aug. 15.