Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast

Can artificial intelligence make workplaces safer? And what happens when the technology gets it wrong?
In recognition of National Ergonomics Month, Problem Solved welcomes Kristianne Egbert, a certified professional ergonomist with 25 years of experience helping organizations design safer, more effective workplaces.
From motion capture and computer vision to AI-powered risk assessments, technology is transforming how ergonomists identify workplace hazards. Kristianne explains how tools that once required painstaking manual measurements can now analyze movements in seconds and why human expertise remains essential.
In this episode:
How motion capture and AI are changing ergonomic risk assessments
Why even sophisticated AI tools can make costly mistakes
The importance of human judgment and professional expertise
Designing equipment and workstations with ergonomics in mind
Why involving employees leads to better workplace solutions
Career pathways and professional development in ergonomics
Whether you're an industrial engineer, safety professional, ergonomist, or simply curious about the future of work, this episode offers a look at the intersection of technology, engineering, and human-centered design.

Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Achieve Excellence with the Experts at IISE
https://iise.org/trainingcenter/
The IISE Training Center is unsurpassed in meeting the educational goals of professionals in myriad industries. IISE is an IACET Authorized Provider and “has complied with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU.” Our instructors are experts in essential topics including Lean and Six Sigma, concepts based on long-standing industrial engineering principles. We ensure that our students attain in-depth levels of understanding and practical knowledge of how to apply strategies to achieve business and professional excellence. Students earn digital badges and certificates to share on social media, email signatures, certificates, wherever employers are looking. The world is online - that's where your credentials should reside.

What does it take to turn an engineering mindset into an entrepreneurial advantage?
In this episode of Problem Solved, guest host Cassandra Sotos, CEO of AmpRx, sits down with Domonique Townsend, CEO and Managing Partner of We Optimize Work, and Brock Anderson, founder of Ergo-ology, to explore the intersection of industrial engineering and entrepreneurship.
From taking calculated risks to balancing big-picture vision with day-to-day operations, the panel shares how their engineering backgrounds have shaped their approaches to building businesses. They discuss the challenges of making decisions with incomplete information, identifying the right problems to solve and learning when persistence pays off—and when it doesn't.
Whether you're considering starting your own business or looking to develop your leadership skills, this conversation offers practical insights into applying an industrial engineering mindset beyond traditional engineering roles.
AmpRX
We Optimize Work
Ergo-ology
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok
Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Achieve Excellence with the Experts at IISE
https://iise.org/trainingcenter/

Streaming October 6...
What does it take to turn an engineering mindset into an entrepreneurial advantage?
Get a sneak peek at our conversation with guest host Cassandra Sotos and entrepreneurs Domonique Townsend and Brock Anderson as they explore risk-taking, leadership, and the challenges of building a business.
Hear the full conversation on Problem Solved, brought to you by the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.

Achieve Excellence with the Experts at IISE
https://iise.org/trainingcenter/
The IISE Training Center is unsurpassed in meeting the educational goals of professionals in myriad industries. IISE is an IACET Authorized Provider and “has complied with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU.” Our instructors are experts in essential topics including Lean and Six Sigma, concepts based on long-standing industrial engineering principles. We ensure that our students attain in-depth levels of understanding and practical knowledge of how to apply strategies to achieve business and professional excellence. Students earn digital badges and certificates to share on social media, email signatures, certificates, wherever employers are looking. The world is online - that's where your credentials should reside.

What does industrial and systems engineering look like when the system you’re working in is 250 miles above Earth?
In this special ISE Day episode of Problem Solved, retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Army Colonel Shane Kimbrough joins us to explore the systems, people and decisions behind human spaceflight.
Across three missions, Kimbrough spent nearly 400 days in space, commanded the International Space Station and completed nine spacewalks. He also flew aboard three very different generations of spacecraft: the Space Shuttle, Russian Soyuz and SpaceX Crew Dragon. With a master’s degree in operations research from Georgia Tech, Kimbrough brings an industrial and systems engineering perspective to environments where efficiency matters and failure can have extraordinary consequences.
Kimbrough shares what happens when an astronaut sees a better way to do something aboard the ISS, how experiments and limited resources are managed in orbit, and why even highly automated spacecraft still need human judgment. 
The conversation also explores NASA’s approach to failure and safety, building trust within high-performing teams, preparing for the first critical minutes of a spacewalk, and a leadership philosophy Kimbrough carried from the Army into space: invest in people.
Plus, he reflects on one unforgettable final night aboard the ISS, what leaving Earth taught him about our planet, the future of human exploration, and the advice he hopes the next generation of engineers will take with them: do hard things.

Happy ISE Day 2026!
This special episode of Problem Solved was brought to you by Binghamton University. Learn more at binghamton.edu/ssie
Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
Problem Solved on LinkedIn
Problem Solved on YouTube
Problem Solved on Instagram
Problem Solved on TikTok
Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

Achieve Excellence with the Experts at IISE
https://iise.org/trainingcenter/

After nearly 200 days in space, this is one of the moments Shane Kimbrough remembers most.
Near the end of his final stay aboard the International Space Station, all seven crew members somehow crowded into the Cupola. Outside: stars, Earth, and a magnificent aurora.
Normally, someone would grab a camera.
This time, nobody did.
They just stayed there together and took it in.
In our special ISE Day episode of Problem Solved, retired NASA astronaut and U.S. Army Colonel Shane Kimbrough shares this story, and many others, from a career spent working, leading and solving problems in one of the most extraordinary environments imaginable.
🎙️ Full episode coming Sept. 14.