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An Illinois ISE alum traces her journey from optimizing hospital scheduling as a graduate student to shaping medical device data standards at the FDA and beyond — showing students how systems engineering can drive meaningful change across an entire healthcare ecosystem.

The Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering honors the memory of alumnus Marvin Smollar (‘68 BS GE; ‘68 BA LAS), whose leadership helped establish programs that continue to connect Grainger Engineering students with alumni and industry leaders. Smollar was instrumental in creating the ISE Engineer in Residence program and helped found the Technology Entrepreneur Center at Illinois, expanding opportunities for mentorship, innovation and entrepreneurship across campus.

Each year, the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering honors alumni whose careers exemplify the impact of an Illinois ISE education. The 2026 ISE Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize leaders whose achievements span industry, academia  and entrepreneurship—individuals whose work is advancing technology, shaping organizations and strengthening engineering communities around the world. This year’s honorees represent the breadth of the ISE network and the lasting influence of systems thinking in solving complex challenges.

Researchers studying how to fairly divide indivisible items — like paintings or laptops — have spent nearly a decade investigating a deceptively simple question: can allocations always be made envy-free up to any item (EFX)? While major breakthroughs from Illinois researchers helped establish when this level of fairness is possible, recent work shows that for three people with complex preferences, EFX allocations do not always exist. Together, these results define the boundary of what fairness can realistically achieve when items cannot be divided. 

ISE alumni entrepreneurs returned to campus for a candid Fireside Chat, offering students an unfiltered look at what it truly takes to build and scale a company. From calculated risk and leadership alignment to hiring for character and embracing failure, the conversation delivered practical lessons grounded in real-world experience. More than advice, the evening underscored something distinctive about ISE: alumni who remain accessible, engaged and invested in the next generation of innovators.

In a featured interview with Authority Magazine, Inki Kim, research professor at the University of Illinois’ Grainger College of Engineering, explores how emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping healthcare diagnostics and personalized wellness. He discusses innovations such as FlightPath—an AR + AI concussion screening tool used by NCAA— athletes and shares insights on building tech that truly impacts human health by bridging data, human behavior and clinical judgment.