If the Boot Fits....
Meredith Bounds
Bachelor of Science, Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
Master of Science, Engineering Management
It’s hard not to smile when Meredith Bounds tells the story of her first industrial engineering internship. She worked at the corporate headquarters for a major grocery chain, but it was no cushy, indoor office job.
“There I was in steel-toed boots and a hairnet inside a manufacturing facility where they package fresh foods, such as corn.” Equipped with a stop watch and a clip board, Bounds’ job was to conduct time studies of the packaging process – from shucking and packing the corn on Styrofoam trays to loading bins on forklifts – a tedious task. The best part of the job, she says, was interviewing line workers about their jobs and what was and wasn’t working for them, so that the entire system could be improved and efficiency increased.
With an analytical mind and a love for mathematics, along with multiple scholarships, Bounds entered USF’s Honors College and College of Engineering four years ago. Her intention was to study electrical engineering, but then something happened that gave her fresh insight and altered her course.
As a first-year student, Bounds participated in an overview of engineering fields where, for the first time, she heard about industrial engineering. She was captivated by the idea of combining people and communication skills with math and engineering – and the prospect of interacting with people as well as processes to improve productivity and quality in virtually any industry. That’s why she opted for USF’s five-year program leading to a bachelor’s degree in industrial and management systems engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management.
Perhaps one reason why Bounds enjoys telling the story about her first internship so much is because most people don’t see her in steel-toed boots, but riding boots instead.
A talented rider and competitor, she says that when she came to USF, “It was the only major school in
While that first internship was “far from glamorous,” Bounds says it helped her understand how industrial engineering is used in real-life situations. She also appreciated the hands-on experience applying current tools of the trade such as Arena®, a process modeling and simulator software she had studied in class.
Now she is involved in interdisciplinary research applying industrial engineering skills to health care. She is working with Jose Zayas-Castro, USF department chair and industrial engineering professor, on several projects related to improving the health care system. These projects include a patient flow and resource analysis at the local VA hospital, where the goal is to improve the efficiency of existing data to benefit both patients and health care providers. Her current project looks at patient functional metrics in a polytrauma clinic to determine if metrics tracked over time can define a patient’s progress, resulting in more accurate and efficient treatment.
“It’s an application of engineering tools and design to a field where that kind of analysis really isn’t prevalent. It makes you feel like you really can make a different in an area that truly needs it,” she states.
For Bounds, it’s meaningful work in the field in which she hopes to develop a career as an efficiency consultant.
A career that began with steel-toed boots and corn.
-- Mary Beth Erskine, University Communications & Marketing