20屆校友博士Busayo Aworunse知道世界“忙碌”的含義。今年早些時候，他在Thomas J. Watson工程和應用科學學院完成了工業(yè)和系統(tǒng)工程博士學位，同時還在霍尼韋爾國際有限公司擔任全職生產(chǎn)支持工程師。
問:是什么促使你決定重返學校攻讀博士學位?
Aworunse:我想進入一個不同的行業(yè)。我的專業(yè)是天然氣工程與管理。我畢業(yè)于尼日利亞的Obafemi Awolowo大學，我的家鄉(xiāng)。我在那里學習電子與電氣工程，并在俄克拉荷馬大學獲得了天然氣工程與管理碩士學位。我學習石油是因為石油在尼日利亞是一個很大的產(chǎn)業(yè)，我打算在那里工作。
我在這里找到了一份工作并呆了下來，但我意識到石油和天然氣行業(yè)正在發(fā)生變化，我想繼續(xù)從事與數(shù)據(jù)科學相關的工作。很難轉換到新的東西，所以我想獲得一個學位，為我打開新的機會。我認為系統(tǒng)工程將是一個完美的結合。
問:你為什么選擇賓漢姆頓大學?
Aworunse:當我在尋找系統(tǒng)工程的學位課程時，我偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)賓漢姆頓的SSIE[系統(tǒng)科學和工業(yè)工程]系，我決定申請那個項目。我和系主任Mohammad Khasawneh教授談過，我有那種感覺，那種聯(lián)系。我想，“是的，那就是我想去的地方。”
問:當你決定重返學校時，你在哪里工作?你的日常生活是怎樣的?
Aworunse:在我離開天然氣和石油之后，我在霍尼韋爾的航空部門找到了一份工作，在印第安納州南本德的工廠。我在生產(chǎn)支持工程部擔任DMAIC(定義、測量、分析、改進和控制)項目負責人，在那里我花了很多時間來改進工藝。通過數(shù)據(jù)分析，我致力于降低成本，制定廣泛的路線圖，并使團隊更加以數(shù)據(jù)為導向。
就在那時，我決定，我需要找到一種方法，在我的全職工作和獲得學位之間架起一座橋梁。我不想僅僅為了學習而獲得學位——我希望它能非常適用于我的工作。
這個程序的異步特性很有幫助。一旦我離開工作回到家，我就從全職工程師變成了全職學生。我登錄BLACKBOARD，試著補上我的課。毫無疑問，這是嚴酷的。我回到家時已經(jīng)筋疲力盡，但我心中有最終的目標。
問:你在沃森學院的經(jīng)歷是怎樣的?
Aworunse: SSIE項目對我來說非常有價值。它不是那么抽象或理論的東西。當你知道你今天在課堂上學到的東西就是你明天在辦公室里要做的事情。這是一件無價的東西。
這里的教授也很了不起。在我的第一學期，我上了一些統(tǒng)計學的課，在那里我遇到了Jia Deng教授。我問他有沒有帶博士生。在與他的交談中，我發(fā)現(xiàn)他的工作更多的是基于實驗室的，我也在尋找更多的基于模擬的東西。所以，他把我推薦給Changquing Chen教授，他們決定成為我的共同顧問。兩位優(yōu)秀的教授在我的整個旅程中給予了指導。
問:你是如何對系統(tǒng)工程和技術產(chǎn)生興趣的?
Aworunse:小時候，我就對數(shù)學和物理很著迷，我喜歡建造東西。從小到大，我的核心目標就是成為一名工程師——我只是還不知道自己想成為什么樣的工程師。上高中時，我決定在電氣工程專業(yè)完成本科學業(yè)。它為我在石油和天然氣行業(yè)的職業(yè)發(fā)展提供了良好的背景。
問:現(xiàn)在你有了博士學位，你未來的目標是什么?你認為自己在未來三到五年內(nèi)會有什么發(fā)展?
Aworunse：我的學位確實給了我職業(yè)發(fā)展的機會。這讓我更有市場。我想繼續(xù)盡可能多地學習。我不完全確定我還喜歡做什么，但我仍然希望自己在過程改進中發(fā)現(xiàn)自己，并將我所受的教育應用到新的領域。無論您在哪個領域，目標始終是改進流程和減少變化。
問:工作之余，你喜歡做什么?
Aworunse:我喜歡看電影，我還經(jīng)常玩Scrabble和FIFA 。我也很喜歡旅游。今年3月，在疫情封城之前，我還在印度旅游，這太棒了。我還在英國、澳大利亞和突尼斯生活過。我因為工作和個人旅行去過很多地方，包括除了南極洲以外的所有大陸。
問:我們聽到大家都在談論“忙碌文化”，并利用我們的每一點空閑時間來提升自己。作為一個真正經(jīng)歷過那種生活的人，你對那些想要做同樣事情的人有什么建議呢?
Aworunse:時刻記住要跳出舒適圈。這需要做出很多犧牲，有能力走出你的舒適區(qū)真的很重要。你必須有達到特定目標的熱情。你需要知道你為什么要做你正在做的事情——它使你到達終點線。
Elizabeth Short SUNYBinghamtonEng 10月6日
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: BUSAYO AWORUNSE
校友聚光燈：BUSAYO AWORUNSE
Nigeria native earned Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering while holding down full-time job
尼日利亞人在全職工作的同時獲得工業(yè)和系統(tǒng)工程博士學位
Busayo Aworunse presented at several conferences during his time as a Ph.D. student at Watson College.
Busayo Aworunse在沃森學院讀博士期間在幾次會議上發(fā)表過演講。
Busayo Aworunse, Ph.D. 20, knows the meaning of the world “hustle.” Earlier this year, he completed his doctoral degree in industrial and systems engineering from the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science while maintaining a full-time job as a production support engineer for Honeywell International Inc.
Question: What inspired your decision to go back to school for a doctoral degree?
Aworunse: I wanted to move into a different industry. I originally studied natural gas engineering and management. I received my bachelor’s from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, where I’m originally from. I studied electronic and electrical engineering there and got my master’s in natural gas engineering and management from the University of Oklahoma. I studied that because petroleum is a large industry back in Nigeria, and that’s where I was planning to work.
I got a job here and stayed, but I realized that the oil and gas industry was changing, and I wanted to move on to something more data science-related. It’s hard to switch to something new, so I wanted to get a degree that would open new opportunities for me. I decided that systems engineering would be a perfect blend.
Q: Why did you choose Binghamton University?
Aworunse: When I was searching for degree programs for systems engineering, I came across the SSIE [systems science and industrial engineering] department at Binghamton, and I decided to apply for that program. I spoke with Professor [Mohammad] Khasawneh, the chair of the department, and I had that feeling, that connection. And I thought, “Yeah, that’s where I want to be.”
Q: Where were you working when you decided to back to school? What was your day-to-day like?
Aworunse: After I moved away from gas and oil, my background got me a job at Honeywell in its aerospace division at the facility in South Bend, Ind. I worked in the production support engineering department as the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) program lead, where I spent a lot of time working on process improvements. I worked on cost-reduction initiatives and developing extensive road maps through data analytics, as well as making the team more data-driven.
That was when I decided I needed to find a way to bridge my full-time job with getting a degree. I didn’t want to just get a degree for the sake of it — I wanted it to be very applicable to what I was doing at my job.
The asynchronous nature of the program helped. Once I left my job and got back home, I’d move from being a full-time engineer to a full-time student. I’d log into Blackboard and try to catch up on my classes. It was rigorous, no doubt. I’m getting back home and I’m exhausted, but I had the end goal in mind.
Q: What was your experience like at Watson College?
Aworunse: The SSIE program was very valuable for me. It wasn’t something so abstract or theoretical. You know that what you learned in class today is what you’re going to be doing in the office tomorrow. It was something very priceless.
The professors here were also very amazing. In my first semester, I took some statistical class and that’s where I met Professor Jia Deng. I reached out to see if he was taking any doctoral students. Talking with him, I saw his work was more lab-based, and I was also looking for something more simulation-based. So, he referred me to Professor Changquing Chen, and they decided to be my co-advisors. It was a blend of two excellent professors to guide me throughout my journey.
Q: How did you get interested in systems engineering and technology?
Aworunse: As a kid, I was always fascinated with math and physics, and I loved to build things. Growing up, my core focus was wanting to be an engineer — I just didn’t know what kind of engineer I wanted to be yet. In high school, I decided that electrical engineering was the area in which I wanted to complete my undergraduate degree. It gave me a strong background when my career progressed to the oil and gas industry.
Q: What are your goals for the future now that you have your doctorate? Where do you see yourself in the next three to five years?
Aworunse: My degree has definitely given me career progression. It’s made me more marketable. I’d like to keep learning as much as I can. I’m not entirely sure what else I might like doing, but I still want to find myself in process improvements and apply my education to newer areas. The goal is always to improve processes and reduce variation, regardless of what field you’re in.
Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
Aworunse: I like to watch movies, and I play Scrabble and FIFA a lot. I also really love to travel. Back in March, before the shutdowns, I was in India, which was amazing. I’ve also lived in the U.K., Australia and Tunisia. I’ve been to a lot of places for work and for personal trips, including all the continents except Antarctica.
Q: We hear all this talk about “hustle culture” and using every bit of our free time to better ourselves. As someone who’s really lived that life, what advice do you have for others looking to do the same?
Aworunse: Keep the end game in mind. It takes lots of sacrifice, and having the ability to step outside your comfort zone is really important. You have to have that zeal to reach that particular goal. You need to know why you’re doing what you’re doing — it’s what makes you reach the finish line.