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Margaret Black and Kolby Killion headshots.
Black (left) and Kolby Killion (right) have received the Engineering Graduate Merit Doctoral Fellowship for their academic accomplishments. | Image: Courtesy of Margaret Black and Kolby Killion
Margaret Black and Kolby Killion from the Wm Michael Barnes ’64 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University have been awarded the Engineering Graduate Merit Doctoral Fellowship for 2021, a highly competitive fellowship given to a current student nominated by the student’s respective graduate department.
 
Black is from Peachtree City, Georgia, and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Black’s research focus is in natural language processing.
 
“I am so grateful for this honor to be chosen as a merit scholar,” Black said. “I am excited to be part of the impressive research in the industrial and systems engineering department.”
 
“Margaret’s accomplishments and work ethic make her a great recipient for the merit fellowship. She has ample knowledge in her research and I am grateful she has joined my research team. I am looking forward to continuing to work with her,” said Dr. Mark Lawley, professor of industrial and systems engineering.
 
Killion is from Houston and attended The University of Texas to study biomedical engineering. His research interests include industrial engineering applications to the health care industry, specifically, human-factor considerations of medical devices, usability and interpretability of machine-learning tools in health care contexts, and optimal clinical team configurations in hospitals and medical practices. 
 
“I really appreciate being chosen for a merit fellowship and look forward to being a part of the amazing work done in Texas A&M's industrial engineering department,” Killion said.
 
“I am so happy to welcome a talented and well-accomplished student like Kolby to our research group,” said Dr. Farzan Sasangohar, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering. “I am confident that the impressive depth and breadth of health and human systems engineering in our department will foster his resolve, motivation and commitment toward the achievement of excellence.”