As this episode premieres, we're one week away from the 2024 elections in the United States. With early and mail-in voting underway, and an anticipated crowd of in-person voters topping it all off Nov. 5, how are election officials managing the ballot traffic and executing a free and fair election process? We talked to returning guest Gretchen Macht, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering at The University of Rhode Island. Dr. Macht is a computational, community ergonomist in the environment of public service and government, and the Director of the Engineering for Democracy Institute, previously known as URI VOTES. She discusses how her team engages with county election officials from different parts of the U.S., the lessons learned from four years ago and how they’re being applied now, and what you should know about the process in real time as American voters — and the world — wait for the results.

Barrett Caldwell, Ph.D., professor of industrial engineering and aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue University as well as a Fellow of IISE, returns for another round of "ExpertISE." This week, Dr. Caldwell gives his thoughts on the following question: "What role does ethics play in ISE and how are students prepared to handle ethical dilemmas in the field?"

James Swisher, IISE's Director of Continuing Education, returns to ExpertISE this week to offer his insights on the following question: "What's one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were a student in ISE?"