Luis G. Occeña is the department chairman and an associate professor in the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department at the University of Missouri. Occeña’s current research focuses on computer-integrated systems and its applications to a variety of industries and the development of information tools and virtual models to help increase productivity, safety and quality. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and corporate sponsors.