Dayton Engineer

By Keelin Kelly

Two graduate students in the School of Engineering’s Department of Engineering Management, Systems and Technology were recognized for their collaborative research work with best paper awards at national conferences for their research areas. 

Adedayo Aruwajoye

While pursuing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Lagos in Lagos, Nigeria, Aruwajoye developed a strong interest in the confluence between business, engineering and technology.

“I wanted to deepen my speciality in this particular mix to understand how an engineer manages different processes and people,” Aruwajoye said.

He graduated from the University of Lagos in 2019 and led operations for a supply chain and technology consulting firm for two and a half years before he discovered UD’s engineering management master’s degree program. 

“It checked a lot of boxes for me: it was a master’s program for two years in engineering management, and it incorporated the specifics I was looking for,” he said. “Following that up with my conversations with the graduate coordinator at the time, it seemed like a great choice for me.”

Dr. Henry Lester, Aruwajoye’s research advisor, is an associate professor and program director of the systems engineering program in the Department of Engineering Management, Systems and Technology at UD. 

In October 2023, Aruwajoye and Dr. Lester traveled to the University of Colorado, Boulder for the American Society of Engineering Management 2023 International Annual Conference and won the Merritt Williamson Best International Annual Conference Paper Award.

The research detailed in their paper titled “Analysis of Power System Resilience to Extreme Events” examines past hurricanes in the U.S. and the responses of power systems in affected areas. It includes an extensive data collection and analysis for over 500 counties across six states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

“It’s impactful because in this part of the world and even beyond, every other critical societal infrastructure is connected to power systems,” Aruwajoye said. “We are trying to develop some form of metric from this data to ensure subsequently developed power systems can bounce back to optimal functionality in the least amount of time possible and maintain operation regardless of high-impact disruptions they encounter.” 

Esther Adeyemi

After four years in the construction industry as a civil engineer, Adeyemi became interested in the business side of engineering and discovered UD’s engineering management master’s degree program.

“I pursued engineering management because I felt there was a need for me to develop myself even more in order to manage people,” Adeyemi said. “Coming to UD has helped me to be more open minded and outspoken.” 

Her initial plan was to pursue only her master’s degree in engineering management, but she has decided to continue at UD to pursue her Doctor of Engineering, Systems Engineering and Management degree. 

“The community here has been like a home away from home for me,” Adeyemi said, who is originally from Nigeria. “One person here who makes that possible is Dr. Bommer. I can’t imagine our paths not crossing.”

Dr. Sharon Bommer is an associate professor and the director of the Human Performance and Cognition Lab within the Department of Engineering Management, Systems and Technology.

In October 2023, Adeyemi and Dr. Bommer participated in the 2023 Industrial Engineering and Operations Management International Conference that was held at the Lawrence Technological University in Detroit, Michigan and won best paper in the human factors and ergonomics track.

Titled “A Pilot Study on the Impact of Colors on Human Performance Within a Multitasking Simulation Environment,” their paper describes their pilot investigation into improving the experimental design for assessing the impact of different colors using the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory’s Multi-Attribute Task Battery simulation software.

Adeyemi and Dr. Bommer conducted their experiment in the Human Performance and Cognition Lab which aims to expand the possibilities of human performance and well-being through the investigation of mental workload analysis. Adeyemi looks forward to mentoring other students in the lab this summer and hopes to further its mission by opening the lab up to the entire engineering department.

“Dr. Bommer wants to make me better, and when someone is really invested in your success, it only makes sense that you try to give your all,” Adeyemi said. “The least I can do for her is work hard and make sure the lab grows.”