Acknowledgements

Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.

I’ve lived this definition of research, commonly attributed to Wernher von Braun, on and off for the better part of four years now. That would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many people, all of whom I greatly appreciate. There are several that deserve special acknowledgement at the beginning of the end of this journey.

First, my dissertation committee: Drs. John Evans, Gregory Harris, Richard Sesek, and Konstantinos Mykoniatis, and outside reader, Darren Olsen, JD. Particular thanks to Dr. Evans for first welcoming me into the ISE program, to Dr. Harris for further opportunities, and to Dr. Sesek for his shameless advocacy. Sincere thanks to all for your generous support.

Thanks also to the faculty, staff, and students of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Auburn University. I would not have done it without you. A special thanks go to my instructors in the analytics certificate, Drs. Jeff Smith, Jorge Valenzuela, and Alice Smith, who rekindled my fascination with programming and modeling, and introduced me to many of the tools that made this possible.

My research would have been impossible without the support and assistance of the Tiger Motors Lean Education Center, its Director, Dr. Tom Devall, and staff, especially Diego Caputo. Thanks for sharing this amazing facility and for the great work it does.

I must also give thanks to my research assistants, Alex Barras, David “Brown” Teague, Carson Tillery, collaborators, Drs. Victoria Ballard and Md Monir Hossain, and protocol assistant, Kralyn Thomas. I’m forever grateful for your contributions.

Beyond the faculty, staff, and students of Auburn, its College of Engineering, and the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, I owe immense gratitude to my family.

To my parents, Mike and Sherry, for nurturing in me a spirit of overwhelming curiosity and prudent skepticism and for showing me what it means to be an engineer and educator. I can never repay your love, but do my best to pass it on each and every day. To my brother, Scott, for being my partner in resilience. Thank you for your strength and determination. To my eldest son, Patrick, daughter in-law Kirsten, grandson Teagan, and youngest son, Timothy. Thank you for putting up with an eccentric old man and sharing your lives with him. You teach me every day.

But most of all, to my wife, Cheryl. You are the best partner I could have ever hoped for. I cannot express the gratitude I have for your tireless support and encouragement. This particular part of our 38-year journey has challenged me in new ways, but it was likely harder for you in others. Thank you for being a part of who I am. Always remember there was nothing worth sharing, like the love that let us share our name.1

  1. The Avett Brothers, “Murder in the City”↩︎