Young Alumni Awards

Lauren Carpenito graduated from Virginia Tech in 2019 with a B.S. in industrial and systems engineering with a minor in business. Building on this foundation, she completed a master's in Healthcare Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2023, enriching her expertise in the intersection of engineering and healthcare.

Her career began at Duke Health, where she excelled as a management engineer. She spearheaded impactful projects across a network of 14 hospitals spanning three states with Duke LifePoint. Her adeptness in providing technical support and implementing process improvement solutions garnered acclaim, particularly in her subsequent role supporting women's and children's healthcare. Here, Lauren's analytical skills and strategic mindset proved instrumental in advancing quality initiatives and navigating complex projects.

Beyond her professional duties at Duke Health, Lauren championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, co-founding a committee within her department to promote systemic change. Her advocacy extended to the Duke Health Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Leadership Council, to create policy reform addressing disparities. Lauren recently transitioned to Huron Consulting Group as a Healthcare Associate. Notably, she was on a groundbreaking project with New York City Health & Hospitals, facilitating the establishment of long-term respite centers for asylum seekers. Her efforts resulted in the opening of the largest temporary shelter in the United States to create safe housing for thousands of individuals and families.

Outside the office, Lauren's commitment to Virginia Tech shines.As Chair of the Emerging Leaders Board, she has led a network of young alumni who give back to the department. Under her stewardship, the board has achieved remarkable growth and impact, enhancing opportunities for both current students and alumni alike. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Lauren currently calls Raleigh, North Carolina home, though she eagerly anticipates a summer adventure in San Diego with her significant other, who is also a 2019 VT ISE graduate!

Since graduating from Virginia Tech with her Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering in 2018, Dr. Missie Smith has applied her human factors expertise to the safe design and development of augmented reality technology within both industry as a research scientist and academia as an assistant professor. In her current role at Meta, she is responsible for guiding the safe design and development of novel AR products by identifying the most critical human-technology interaction challenges, developing a research program, and publishing research to enable further technological development. She leads cross-functional teams and drives research from concept through communication of results to executives, engineers, designers, business partners, and international researchers.

Her research spans from foundational to applied research, enabling both knowledge generation and product development. To date, Missie’s cutting-edge work has already been internationally recognized through 15 invited research talks and has resulted in 24 publications which have been collectively cited over 580 times. Missie is also actively engaged with multiple professional and service organizations including the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, IEEE Virtual Reality Conference, and the International Symposium for Mixed and Augmented Reality. In addition to her breadth of technical experience and societal leadership, she prioritizes outreach and mentorship. She currently has 13 active mentees and has worked 1:1 with over 100 early career professionals/students, providing career advice, technical feedback, resume reviews, and mock interviews. She’s frequently invited to speak at outreach & career events, such as her 2022 keynote for an engineering recruiting event at Mississippi State University, along with other events sponsored by Girl Scouts of Michigan, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and multiple universities.

Her contribution to the field and dedication to supporting others through mentorship is evidenced by her selection as the 2022 Human Factors and Ergonomics Women’s Organization for Mentoring And Networking Rising Star, and in 2024 when she received Mississippi State’s Reveille 25 award which is given to 25 alumni under the age of 40 who are outstanding in leadership and service.