When Karmel Shehadeh was growing up in Amman, Jordan, she read a lot. But, she says, “I was not a reader of books, or novels.”
She was a reader, however, of scientific papers, journals, and the bios of university researchers around the world. The idea of creating new knowledge, sharing it with students, and making an impact on the world resonated with her, and she became determined to teach and do research.
It was a dream that didn’t come easy. But today, she’s an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. And while she says she’s “in love” with the research she does with mixed integer programming, the best part of her job is working with students. Whether they’re her students, or not. And that’s why she makes a point of addressing them directly in her faculty bio and in her papers. Because she wants them all to know that their dreams are possible.