Across industries, teams are solving massive, complex challenges — but too often, those breakthroughs stay hidden inside their organizations. The IISE Innovation Cup, sponsored by the University of Tennessee Knoxville, changes that. It gives teams a global stage to showcase measurable results, real-world impact, and the power of industrial and systems engineering in action.
In this episode of Problem Solved, we take you inside the Innovation Cup- what it is, why it matters, and what great innovation truly looks like.
You’ll hear from:
• Tom Mazzone, Innovation Cup committee member, on why the Cup exists and how it elevates ISE work
• Aniket Ramekar (Mayo Clinic), on the digital door-sign project that transformed clinical workflows
• Rishabh Bhandawat (Smurfit WestRock), on optimizing spare-parts inventory
• Bill Harrington, Innovation Cup committee member, on the criteria that separate a good project from a great one
Whether you work in healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain, aerospace, or continuous improvement, this episode will inspire you to look at your systems in a new way — and maybe even submit your own project.
Submissions for the IISE Innovation Cup are now open.
Learn more about the IISE Innovation Cup.
Bill Harrington's unedited interview on IISE Innovation Cup judging criteria:
https://youtu.be/fHlwnq74Hqw
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Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
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Problem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth Grimes
Interested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org