Problem Solved: The IISE Podcast

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.AmpRXWe Optimize WorkErgo-ologyLearn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)Problem Solved on LinkedInProblem Solved on YouTubeProblem Solved on InstagramProblem Solved on TikTokProblem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth GrimesInterested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email [email protected]

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.

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/ssieLearn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)Problem Solved on LinkedInProblem Solved on YouTubeProblem Solved on InstagramProblem Solved on TikTokProblem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth GrimesInterested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email [email protected]

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.

Season 7 of Problem Solved kicks off with Guy Primus, an industrial engineer whose career has taken him from technology and business to Hollywood, virtual reality, entrepreneurship and AI.Primus joins Problem Solved to talk about the systems-thinking mindset that has connected his unconventional career and why defining the right problem may be more important than solving it. He shares how an early lesson from Georgia Tech professor Don Ratliff helped him understand the possibilities of industrial engineering, and how those same skills later influenced his work at companies including Microsoft, Starbucks and in the entertainment industry.  The conversation explores the intersection of creativity and engineering, using AI to accelerate innovation, understanding the human side of technology, and finding opportunities to apply analytical thinking in unexpected places. Primus also reflects on entrepreneurship, leadership and the importance of combining what you're good at with what genuinely interests you. Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)Problem Solved on LinkedInProblem Solved on YouTubeProblem Solved on InstagramProblem Solved on TikTokProblem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth GrimesInterested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email [email protected]