Needy Receives Distinguished Service Award

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Kim Needy

Kim Needy, head of the industrial engineering department and holder of the Twenty-First Century Professorship in Engineering, received the Distinguished Service Award for the Industrial Engineering Division at the conference of the American Society for Engineering Education in June.

Jane Fraser, a member of the board of directors of the industrial engineering division of ASEE, presented the award, saying that Needy “has provided exemplary service to the Division over an extended period of time, both before and after service as an officer in the division.”

Fraser also cited Needy’s research contributions, service to the industrial engineering division as an officer and the connection she brings to the Institute of Industrial Engineers, as the 2012-2013 president-elect of this organization. Dr. Needy serves as an at-large director of the American Society for Engineering Management and is on the board of advisors for the department of systems engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. 

At the University of Arkansas, Needy’s research focuses on sustainable engineering in the built environment. She examines how sustainability can be implemented in buildings to provide healthy environments for its occupants. She has recently worked on the design of green children’s hospitals and green public libraries by studying issues related to health and safety, productivity of the workforce in those areas and indoor environmental quality. Needy’s research has led to 120 publications throughout her career.