The Drive for Efficiency
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/20/2026) — ISyE students ground themselves with a passion for their work and its connection to the greater community. Whether with an assignment, company project or passion project, they are empowered to make a positive difference and connection to the parts of their lives that mean the most to them.
Ben Hach is one such student. As an ISyE undergraduate student (class of 2027) who is also receiving a minor in Spanish Studies, Hach has always valued his project-based mindset and the connection to applicability and meaning.
Born and raised in Chicago, the famous and impressive Chicago skyline greatly impacted Hach’s childhood. This impact is originally what led him to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
“I wanted to major in architecture, and that program is what started my project management mindset. However, architecture seemed to be all about the design, and I love and missed the numbers - the math. I was also concerned that none of my designs and projects would be applicable,” Hach reflects.
After careful consideration, he switched his major to ISyE.
“What I love about being in ISyE is that everything is so applicable. I can see my results, and be guided by the numbers that give way to an elegant solution. I now get to take the STEM elements that I love and combine them with the team project process I learned during my time in architecture. I now feel like I am home. I love it here!”
Through courses such as Optimization Models and Methods (IE 3011) taught by ISyE professor Jean-Philippe Richard, Hach has found a love for the diverse curriculum that has taught him to develop skills that very clearly come together to be applied to multiple areas.
“Professor Richard is very effective in challenging students, and teaching us how to approach and structure big problems. It is empowering to learn and see these complicated problems be solved so elegantly with clear metrics. I have become very confident and empowered because of the knowledge I have acquired.”
Along with the valuable curriculum, Hach remarks that the people within the department share a unique sense of excitement and passion for finding an area of study that many people don’t know about. Since a large percentage of students (including Hach) transfer to ISyE from a different major, there is a diverse background of students in the department, and all of these backgrounds are valued.
Hach explains, “Being valued in the department empowers us as students to build our own experience and careers.”
For Hach, this empowerment has inspired two valuable opportunities for him – his summer 2026 internship and his place on the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project team.
Summer 2026 Internship
“Though you may not use everything you learn later on in your area of work, the many different courses ISyE offers will inspire you, and help in narrowing down what you want to do after graduation,” Hach reflects.
Hach, like many ISyE students, is a people-person, and was inspired to enhance those skills because of the human-factors element of ISyE course offerings. As such, he will be interning as a Project Management intern at a fiber optics company based in North Carolina, but housed in Shakopee, Minnesota. Since he is also minoring in Spanish Studies, Hach has a unique opportunity to assist with the company’s Mexico team and the full Global Project Management team.
“I firmly believe people should be comfortable, confident and heard in the business world, and in their personal lives. Empathy drives people to do better, and has allowed me to be so comfortable working with people, especially when applying and explaining technical aspects of the job.”
University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
Beginning in 1990, the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project has been a staple in the student group community. The team builds one car every two years, and races that car once a year in two different races. The first is the American Solar Challenge, which takes place this summer. The team will start on July 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and complete the race in Amarillo, Texas on August 1. The second race (which will take place summer 2027) is the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia. The vehicles in each race are judged on performance longevity and the handling of terrain variations.
With over 100 active student members and generous donations and sponsors, the team builds and designs every vehicle from the ground up. Students must also source their own budget for attending races, shipping the vehicles to the race locations (nationally and internationally), as well as sourcing software, parts, materials and customized pieces, which require careful planning from a variety of perspectives.
“We are basically are our own business. We have built relationships with large corporations in the Twin Cities area and beyond such as 3M. And with decades of trust and inspiring innovation, the Project puts the University of Minnesota in the world spotlight for sustainability.”
In 2023, the Project was awarded the most competitive solar car in the world.
Now assisting with the build and success of the Project’s 16th car, Hach only recently learned of the team when they visited Foundations of Industrial and Systems Engineering (IE 1101) to talk about the group’s initiatives and purpose. Valuing sustainability and team projects, Hach joined the Project and, because of his passion for working with people and past experience with the elements of design, he became the Marketing Lead. He has since assisted with fundraising initiatives such as leading the Give to the Max Day fundraiser in November 2025, as well as other key initiatives for the team.
“Industrial Engineers are the ‘meeting place’ for other engineers. I work with so many different teams within the Solar Vehicle Project, as well as communicate with so many groups and maintain important relationships. Whether assisting with elements of human factors, parts, sponsorship and partner collaboration, the Solar Vehicle Project allows me to be a connection in the process of human and machine, and inspire others to support and understand what we are building and who are building it with and for.”
For Hach, the technical skills he has learned in ISyE thus far have provided him with an excellent foundation, but the true value of ISyE has been the people. Whether in the classroom or working with the Solar Vehicle Project, he has found the connection, enthusiasm and drive that many students hope to find during the college years.
“The friendships I have made and professors I have worked with have been so valuable to all aspects of my academic career. By embracing the human aspect of the program and applying it to what I am passionate about, and I get to live ISyE every day.”