Help Michigan Tech students progress in their career development by sharing your own professional experience!

The Alumni Association’s newly formed LinkedIn Alumni-Student Professional Networking subgroup makes it easy for alumni and students to connect. The group is a great way to stay connected while sharing your knowledge, and we encourage you to join. Students have already posted some great questions, so get involved and join the conversation!

To learn more, please visit our website: http://www.mtu.edu/alumni/connect/networking/

The Memories website has a new look and functionality which makes it even easier for Alumni and friends to share their Michigan Tech memories and upload photos as well.

The site, originally launched in 2010 for Michigan Tech’s 125^th celebration, contains stories about campus life and adventures in the Keeweenaw from the 30’s right up to today! You can search for stories either by topic or decade and read what others have posted.

Take a moment to share your memories at http://www.mtu.edu/memories/

If you accurately predict the total amount of snow to fall in the Keweenaw this winter you could win a a stay in a campus guest room (located in the Memorial Union Building & Wadsworth Hall) and a Michigan Tech Winter Survival Kit from the Michigan Tech Alumni Association.

According to the Keweenaw Research Center, a total of 132 inches of snow fell during the 2011-12 season last winter. There were 944 entries in the Second Annual Snowfall contest ranging from 73.8 to 400 inches. Scott Yager, a 2010 Electrical Engineering Tech alumnus earned the grand prize with his prediction of 131.5 inches.

Brian Baldwin, a 1989 Computer Science alumnus, was chosen from all entries to also win a Michigan Tech Winter Survival Kit as the Consolation Prize.

Check out the Snow Memories posted by alumni and friends: www.mtu.edu/memories/snow/

Enter your snowfall prediction for this winter at http://mtu.edu/snowfall/

Celebrating Our Heritage

Michigan Tech’s accomplishments have always been reflected in its alumni. It is only fitting, then, to celebrate that legacy with a distinctive entrance and mall on the west end of campus.

• At the western gateway, an arch will be held aloft by two towers symbolic of mine structures and reflecting our beginnings as the Michigan Mining School. The gateway plaza will be accented by benches, seatwalls, and landscaping.
• Looking east toward the middle of campus, Alumni Way will create a seamless transition to the existing campus mall.
• Signature features will celebrate the legacy of Michigan Tech alumni, their character, and accomplishments.
• Along the pathway, there will be commemorative benches and markers celebrating our heritage.
• A large Husky sculpture will give the campus a gathering place that honors our mascot.
• A bell and clock tower will be located at the center of campus.
• Trees, new sidewalks, and reconfigured streets and parking will round out the project.

An Alumni Association–led effort is underway to fund Alumni Way entirely through private contributions from alumni and friends. For many of our alumni, the walk on campus elicits clear memories.  With Alumni Way, you can remember those best of times permanently, on behalf of yourself, your family, your mentors, and/or your graduating class.

Visit www.mtu.edu/alumniway for to learn how you can get involved.

The Fellowship/Scholarship program was created by the Alumni Association Board of Directors as part of their mission to celebrate traditions and create connections for students and alumni.

“We are certain that students can see the value of a Michigan Tech education and we want to demonstrate the value of being part of a vast network of Alumni who have shared in this experience. We are proud to be able to support our students and encourage them to explore all that the association has to offer you right now and into their professional career,” says Darnishia Slade ’98, the organization’s president.

This is the second year of the program which will provide a total of $90,000 in support over three years. Alumni have provided the funding for these awards through generous donations to the Alumni Association over the years.

Recipients of this award are asked to connect to the Michigan Tech Alumni Association through its social networks and invited to participate in the local Keweenaw Alumni Chapter (KAC) activities. They are also encouraged to join the Michigan Tech Student Foundation (MTSF), a student-led campus organization whose motto is “Students Helping Students”.

Graduate students visited the Alumni House to meet with Ms. Slade and Alumni Relations staff members.

2012 Alumni-Student Broomball Championship team, The Pirate Sheep (students)

More than 100 Michigan Tech alumni and friends from all over the country gathered on campus October 12-13 for Alumni Homecoming 2012.  After Friday’s Homecoming parade, alumni, students, and friends were warmed by chili served by the Alumni Association while they cheered on students competing in the cardboard boat races.

Saturday’s Alumni-Student Broomball Invitational preliminary alumni rounds brought out competitive spirits and big appetites that were satisfied at the VIP football tailgate catered by the Library Restaurant and Brew Pub.

The weekend’s events were capped off with a skybox at the Saturday night hockey game directly followed by the 4^th Annual Alumni-Student Broomball Invitational championship game.  The student team, The Pirate Sheep, claimed the Alumni Cup this year.

Over 610 alumni, families and friends—ranging from the Class of 1941 to 2012— converged on the campus, many for the first time since graduation for Alumni Reunion 2012. The most senior attendees were Larry Farnum ’41, Ned Dake ’42, and Elmer Dupuis ‘42. Thirty-Six Tech Twosomes (alumni couples who met at Tech) were in attendance. Special affinity group reunions included Biological Sciences 50th Anniversary, Men’s Basketball, and Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics 85th Anniversary.

Read more at www.mtu.edu/alumni/connect/reunion

Of the 944 entries ranging from a low of 73.8 inches to a high of 400 in the Second Annual Snowfall contest, Scott Yager, a 2010 Electrical Engineering Tech alumnus was the closest without going over with his prediction of 131.5 inches.

By coming with a half inch of the  total amount of snow to fall in the Keweenaw during the 2011-12 season, Scott wins the Grand Prize which includes two nights at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge and a Michigan Tech Winter Survival Kit (Tech Hoodie, Gloves, Hat, Scarf, Blanket, and Snowbrush).

Brian Baldwin, a 1989 Computer Science alumnus, was chosen from all entries to also win a Michigan Tech Winter Survival Kit as the Consolation Prize.

Thank you to all of you who entered the contest. Stay tuned for the Third Annual Snowfall Contest for the 2012-13 season which will kick off in November!

Check out the Snow Memories posted by alumni and friends and post your own stories about winter at Tech.

Alumni Reunion 2012, scheduled for August 2-4, will, in part, celebrate the women who have attended and succeeded at Michigan Tech. Women have been enrolled as  far back as 1889, four years after the founding of the institution, with more than 10,000 earning a degree plus 4,000 who attended.

Back in the day though, women were far more likely to forego their Michigan Tech education to get married, start a family, or go to work to support their husbands. The Tech Wives Club was very active, and many local women began their education at Tech and completed their degrees at other institutions.

“We count them as part of the University family and extend a special invitation to attend the 2012 Alumni Reunion said Alumni Relations Director Brenda Rudiger. They are certainly considered among the ‘Women of Tech.’”

The spirit of the festivities will range from fond memories to enduring dreams—and some specially made libation to smooth matters. To mark this special occasion, the Keweenaw Brewing Company has created Keweenaw Belle, a special Hefeweizen brewed with locally grown berries.

All female graduates, former students, faculty and staff are invited to a number of special events during Reunion including a Saturday evening “Girls Night Out” party hosted by the Presidential Council of Alumnae.

The 2012 Alumni Reunion will feature the Golden M’s (those who graduated 50 plus years ago), the classes of ’62, ’72, ’82, ’87, ’92 and ’02. As well,  a group reunion is planned for Men’s Basketball alumni, and special events planned in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Department of Biological Sciences, the 85th anniversary of the Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics department, and the 35th anniversary of the Michigan Tech Student Foundation.

Bring the whole family to enjoy a variety of Reunion events for all ages including Tech Talks, picnics, campus tours and open houses, outdoor adventure trips, hands-on children’s science demonstrations, boat rides, a golf outing sponsored by the School of Business and Economics and more picnics, department open houses.

For more information on Alumni Reunion 2012, visit www.mtu.edu/reunion or contact Alumni Relations at 906-487-2400, alumni@mtu.edu.

More about women at Tech…

Tech’s first female student enrolled in 1889, four years after the founding of the institution. Today female students comprise 26 percent of the student body. The goal is to have 35 percent by 2020.

These students will follow many successful alumnae, who share a status of have stood out among a male crowd. Tech women of high repute are everywhere. Catherine Leslie ’83 is the director of Engineers Without Borders USA. Kim Nowack ’85 is the chief engineer of the Mackinac Bridge Authority. Bonnie Klamerus ’83 ’91 was the structures manager for a landmark bridge that spans the Colorado River and links Arizona and Nevada.

Jeanne Farnum, who is 91, will be the oldest alumna at the reunion. She enrolled in geology at Michigan Tech in 1939. She has rock-solid Tech pedigree. She hails from a family of geologists. The Mineral Museum is named after her grandfather, A. E. Seaman, who taught and chaired the geology department. Starting with him, five generations of the family have been represented at Tech.

The year Farnum enrolled, she was one of 15 women among 959 students. She had a hand in founding Theta Chi Epsilon, the first sorority on campus. After a year, she transferred to the University of Illinois. “We were surrounded by all these men,” she recalls about the move. “I wanted to find some sisters.” The male to female ratio at Tech was 90 to 1; at Illinois it was 10 to 1.

She routinely returned to the Copper Country in summers to learn how to do field work. As well, she helped recruit female students in the UP and northern Wisconsin. “All the fellas were off to war,” she explains, “and they were looking for students.”

She has been a regular at Tech reunions since she was a little girl, what with her family ties. She and her husband live in Tucson. She savors her roots. “I always felt privileged to be raised in Houghton,” she says.

Sally Heidtke is another proud and satisfied alumna. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1981 and has worked with engineers from all over the world. “At not point in my career did I ever feel at a disadvantage,” she says. “There was never a question of being second-best. Tech prepared me extremely well.” She was one of a handful of women at Tech, but says, “I felt welcome and I belonged.”

Sara Rajala was the only woman in her electrical engineering classes while at Michigan Tech in the early 1970s. Now, she’s head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Mississippi State University. She sees herself as a role model and is busy “encouraging, promoting, and supporting women in engineering.” Her message to them: “Engineering is a wonderful discipline. Technology is changing so rapidly, the opportunities out there are enormous. Prepare yourself to take advantage of opportunity so you can help solve the world’s problems.”

The overall attitude of alumna is that good work transcends gender, and dreams transcend work. Says Barbara Jones ’92, whose education at Tech and service in the Peace Corps transformed her, “I learned that all of us, everyone, has an obligation to make the world a better place. I gained a feeling of responsibility for the world.”

Such sentiments will underscore a modest amount of libation at the reunion. The Keweenaw Brewing Co. is concocting custom beer for the event: Their special twist will be the addition of locally grown berries (thimbleberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries) to the brewing process. “They will add a complexity of underlying fruit flavors that brings summer to your palate”—as well as intoxicating memories.

Alumna Bonnie Klamerus, who earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in civil engineering in 1983 and 1991, respectively, was the structures manager for a landmark bridge, completed in 2010, that spans the Colorado River and links Arizona and Nevada, a quarter of a mile downstream from the grand and storied Hoover Dam.

She says that, as a woman in engineering, good work has trumped gender bias. “When people see that you know what you’re talking about, you fit in. I learned that all of us, everyone, has an obligation to make the world a better place. I gained a feeling of responsibility for the world.”

Charlotte Iola Field earned a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1977. In many electrical engineering classes, she was the only woman, but there were no gender issues. “It wasn’t hard that way,” she recalls. “No uncomfortable stuff. We had study groups–great people. We all helped each other.”  She acknowledges that “A lot of people—men and women–have helped me along the way.” In turn, she wants to be known for helping others. “I believe in people.”

As a woman, she has had some pioneering roles in her career and the worst thing about being the only female in the room? “People who don’t know you or your reputation expect you to prove yourself. This is a big problem for women early in their career. All people need to assume that the individual in question is a valued resource until proven otherwise.”

They lead students and young alumna like Jessica Koski ‘09, who attributes her education to her boldly speaking out from the Native American perspective. Koski’s , native name, is “Nee-gon-e-go-quay,” which means “leading woman.”

“Are you a leader?” she is asked.  “I’m getting there,” she says. “It’s a lot of responsibility.”