The Integrated Product and Process Design, a senior capstone program within the Engineering Innovation Institute at the University of Florida, has named Sindia Rivera-Jiménez, Ph.D., as its new assistant director.

Rivera-Jiménez joins the program from Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla., where she worked as an assistant professor and the adjunct coordinator for chemistry in the natural sciences department. Established in 1995, IPPD is a program within the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering that gives students hands-on experience working with industry sponsors and faculty coaches, in a team setting, to develop industrial products. Rivera-Jiménez will focus her efforts on sustainable program expansion, student project mentoring, academic curriculum restructuring and engineering education research.

“The expansion of our program, curriculum restructuring and benchmarking strengthens our ability to meet the needs of our stakeholders,” noted R. Keith Stanfill, director of IPPD. “Dr. Sindia Rivera-Jiménez’s comprehensive understanding of educational outcomes assessment best practices, and her passion for student success will greatly benefit the university, our students and our sponsors.”

Rivera-Jiménez received both her B.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.
Prior to Santa Fe College, she worked as an assistant professor for food science and technology within the college of agricultural sciences at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. In addition to professional positions, Rivera-Jiménez has been active in the community, working with underserved student groups at the high school and university level.

About Integrated Product and Process Design
The Integrated Product and Process Design program is an innovative educational initiative at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida. Our students work in small multidisciplinary teams under the guidance of faculty coaches and industrial liaison engineers to design and build authentic industrial products for sponsoring companies.

Contact
R. Keith Stanfill, Ph.D., P.E.
Director, IPPD
stanfill@ufl.edu