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Industrial Engineering: University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering

Faculty Karen Bursic - Assistant Professor & Undergraduate Program Director

  • Education: Ph.D. (Industrial Engineering): University of Pittsburgh
  • Areas of Expertise: Engineering and Project Management, Engineering Education, Engineering Economics, Probability and Statistics
Karen Bursic

Dr. Bursic joined the department in 1994 as a teaching faculty member and became the Undergraduate Program Director in July, 2007. She received her BSIE, MSIE, and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and has experience in the automotive and consulting industries. Prior to joining the department she worked as a Senior Consultant for Ernst and Young in their Operations and Quality area. Previous to that she worked at General Motors Corporation as an Industrial Engineer and later a Production Supervisor. She has also taught in the Katz Graduate School of Business (at the University of Pittsburgh) and at The Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Bursic teaches undergraduate courses in Engineering Economics and Probability and Statistics as well as Engineering Computing for freshman. She has also taught graduate electives in Engineering and Project Management. Dr. Bursic’s research interests include Engineering Education, Engineering Economics, and Project Management. Dr. Bursic is a senior member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) and active in the Pittsburgh Chapter and is also a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). She is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Pennsylvania.

Recent Publications

  • “Implementing International Requirements in Undergraduate Industrial Engineering Programs,” with Kim LaScola Needy, 2008 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference Proceedings.
  • "“The Challenges of Undergraduate Industrial Engineering Curriculum Reform at the University of Pittsburgh ,” with Kim LaScola Needy, Bryan A. Norman, Mary Besterfield-Sacre and Brady Hunsaker, 2007 Industrial Engineering Research Conference Proceedings.
  • Review of “Engineering Economy”, 13th edition, by Sullivan, et. al., The Engineering Economist, 2006.
  • “Applying Engineering Economic Analysis to Contemporary Problems with Global and Societal Implications,” 2006 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference Proceedings.
  • "Self-Managed Production Teams," chapter in Field Guide to Project Management, 2nd edition, John Wiley & sons in 2004.
  • "Integrating Engineering Economic Analysis Across the Engineering Curriculum," with Kim L. Needy and James P. Wilson, 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference Proceedings.
  • "A Comparison of Freshmen and Senior Engineering Design Processes," with Cynthia J. Atman, Justin R. Chimka, and Heather N. Umphred, Design Studies, 1999.
  • Co-Editor of Project Management Casebook and Instructor’s Manual with David I. Cleland, Richard Puerzer, and A. Yaroslav Vlasak, Project Management Institute, 1998.
  • "Verbal Protocol Analysis as a Method to Document Engineering Student Design Processes," with Cynthia J. Atman, Journal of Engineering Education, 1998.
  • "Information Gathering: A Critical Step for Quality in the Design Process," with Cynthia J. Atman, Quality Management Journal, 1997.
  • "Describing Student Design Behavior," with Justin R. Chimka and Cynthia J. Atman, Annual Conference Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education, 1997.

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