Posts under the ‘News’ category

Rail Transportation Program Announces AREMA Scholarship Recipients

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Educational Foundation recently selected the recipients of their 2013 scholarship campaign. Michigan Tech Rail Transportation Program (RTP) students received more awards than any other university with 7 of the 36 scholarships granted to these students:

* Dylan Anderson: Michigan Tech Alumni Scholarship
* Chris Blessing: AREMA Committee 27–Maintenance-of-Way Work Equipment Scholarship
* Anthony Passariello: Michigan Tech Alumni Scholarship
* Sean Pengelly: AREMA Committee 18–Light Density & Short Line Railways Scholarship
* Nicholas Lanoue: REMSA Scholarship
* Hamed Pouryousef: AREMA Educational Foundation Scholarship
* Irfan Rasul: AREMA Committee 30–Ties Scholarship

The AREMA Foundation provides scholarships to engineering students who are specializing in the railway industry and supports other educational and training endeavors that help to ensure the future of the profession.

All scholarship recipients were members of the Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC), a multidisciplinary student organization for those with an interest in rail.

Rail Transportation Program (RTP) at National Conference

Rail Transportation Program (RTP) Director Pasi Lautala (CEE) and seven students traveled to Knoxville, TN to attend and present at the 2013 Joint Rail Conference (JRC) held April 14 to 18. Lautala made a presentation during the opening plenary session, “Railway Engineering Education Symposium (REES)–Universities and Industry Collaborate to Develop Railway Education,” and co-authored and presented Evaluating the Results and Features of Two Capacity Simulation Tools on the Shared-Use Corridors, with RTP PhD student Hamed Pouryousef (CEE). In addition, Lautala was the organizer and Session Chair for two National University Rail (NURail) Center Sessions. Pouryousef chaired a session on infrastructure development.

In the Education/Student Project session, the Senior Design team of Justin Breeland (ECE), Jake Glair (ECE) and Jeff Langlois (ECE) showcased their project, “Locomotive Sand Tank Level Sensing System,” sponsored by Union Pacific Railroad. Additionally, Kyle Pepin (CEE) and Yidan Lou (MEEM) represented their Senior Design team’s, “Redesign of Type E Rail Car Coupler,” sponsored by the NURail Center and Rail Transportation Program. Alex Hardy, a PhD student (MEEM), also attended the conference and presented results of his research project with John Hill (MEEM), “Creating Scanning Pattern Maps of Driver Fixations during Hazards.”

RTP Director in Europe

Pasi Lautala (CEE), assistant professor and director of the Rail Transportation Program, presented in several European countries. Lautala presented a paper “Identifying and Meeting Challenges to Securing and Educating the Next Generation of Rail Industry Workforce in the US” in the 2nd UIC Congress in Rail Training in St. Polten, Austria. Lautala also provided a guest lecture on railway capacity at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, and conducted discussions for research collaboration with Open Track Railway Technology and with University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom.

CTT Staffers Help Run and Present at Construction Career Days
Staff from the Center for Technology and Training (CTT), part of the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute, joined other construction industry professionals from across Michigan to coordinate the sixth annual Michigan Construction Career Days event in Howell last week. Construction Career Days attracted nearly 2000 middle and high school students and teachers from across Lower Michigan. The event is designed to show young people the wide variety of careers available in the construction industry—at all levels of education and experience.

Governor Rick Snyder toured the 515 acre site, where he met with students and teachers, and also commented on the event. “There are so many opportunities in construction,” Governor Snyder said. “It’s about showing young people this is an opportunity to get training, have a great career, and help rebuild Michigan and reinvent our state.”

Lynn Artman from the School of Technology and Charles Fobbs, an undergraduate student in the Construction Management program, participated as exhibitors for Michigan Tech.

CTT staff assisting in the organization and execution of the event included John Ryynanen, Maureen Anton, and Belle Wirtanen. Ryynanen serves on the Construction Career Days Advisory Committee.

For more information about Michigan Construction Career Days, see CCD.

Congratulations to the following students and faculty for award recognition:

Howard E. Hill Outstanding CEE Faculty of the Year Award – Dr. Tess Ahlborn was awarded the 2013 Howard E. Hill award for Outstanding Faculty of the Year by the students of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Dr. Ahlborn teaches classes in the area of structural engineering. Congratulation Tess!

Graduate Teaching Award – This award is made annually to a graduate student in civil or environmental engineering to recognize excellence in laboratory instruction. This award is voted upon by the CEE undergraduate students.

This year’s recipient is Rachael Barlock who is an MS student in civil engineering working with Dr. Brian Barkdoll.

Graduate Research Excellence Award – This award is made annually to a graduate student in civil or environmental engineering to recognize outstanding student scholarship and research contributions. This award is determined by graduate research committee. This award is accompanied by a $ 1,500 departmental fellowship.

This year’s recipient is Rosa Flores Rangel who is a PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering working with Dr. Paul Doskey.

The Danielle Ladwig Award for Graduate Excellence – This award is made annually to a graduate student in civil or environmental engineering in recognition of outstanding achievement in academics, research, and service, in memory of our former friend and colleague, Danielle Ladwig. This award is determined by the graduate research committee. This award is accompanied by the Pati and Soumitri Reddy $ 1,500 annual fellowship.

This year’s recipient is Hamed Pouryousef, who is a PhD candidate in civil engineering working with Dr. Pasi Lautala.

The Nicole Bloom Award For Environmental Sustainability – This award is made annually to an undergraduate civil or environmental engineering student who has demonstrated leadership, passion, and activism for affecting environmental sustainability at the local, national and global level. This award is determined by the graduate research committee. This award is accompanied by the Pati and Soumitri Reddy $ 1,500 annual fellowship.

This year’s recipients were Breanna Cornell (ENVE undergraduate) nominated by Dr. Judith Perlinger, and Christa Meingast (ENVE undergraduate) nominated by Dr. Jennifer Becker and Dr. Eric Seagren.

Joan Chadde, coordinator of education programs for the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, and Professor Brad Baltensperger, chair of cognitive and learning sciences, have been named among the 25 top education professors in Michigan. The list of top education professors was just released by a nonprofit organization called StateStats, whose mission is to advance education through the use of technology and information tools. StateStats provides education resources online, including lists of professors they have researched and nominated as the best in their profession.

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David Ferryman, Vice President System Engineering for Canadian National Railway visited Michigan Tech on Tuesday, April 2nd, and led a discussion concentrating on “CN Engineering Challenges”. CN is one of the greatest supporters of Michigan Tech’s Rail Transportation Program and Mr. Ferryman visited Michigan Tech to review the facilities and to discuss future collaboration and activities with students and faculty.

Dr. Pasi Lautala, Director of the Rail Transportation Program, Michigan Tech and David Ferryman, Vice President System Engineering for Canadian National Railway

For more information see the Rail Transportation Program website

The Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society celebrated World Water Day on Thursday, March 21 with a student poster competition. The posters covered different topics in water research occurring at Michigan Technological University. Posters were displayed on the 1st floor of the Great Lakes Research Center; CWS Faculty presented a showcase of CWS research, followed by A dinner in the Atrium overlooking the lake.

2013 Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society Award Winners
Original Research Category:
1st – Miles Corcoran
2nd – Julie A. Padilla
3rd – Jade E. Ortiz and Martin Hobmeier (Tie)

Coursework/Informational:
1st – Nancy Auer’s BL4465 Biological Oceanography class:

Photos of the award winners and all other presenters

After a catastrophic earthquake, minutes count. Dan Cerminaro hopes to shave hours off the time it takes to get help where it’s needed most.

Cerminaro, a senior majoring in civil engineering, is working to identify quake damage without setting foot in the danger zone, or even on the same continent.

Read more from the Michigan Tech Research Magazine 2013 article by Marcia Goodrich

Michigan Technological University environmental engineering PhD candidate Jennifer Fuller grew up dabbling in snowmobiling in her native Saginaw, where they have just a few inches of snowfall per year. So when she got to Houghton and Michigan Tech, she was hooked.

“I started with a local hill climb, found the Sledheads student organization and eventually moved on to the Midwest pro circuit,” she says.

READ MORE

The Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC) was held on Feb 21-22, 2013. GRC was organized by the Graduate Student Government (GSG). Graduate students from all departments at Michigan Tech presented their research and ideas to other students and faculty in the form of oral or poster presentations. A group of judges that consists of faculty (and/or some invited members of industry) evaluated student’s presentations to award prizes to the best 1st, 2nd and 3rd presentations from each session (oral and poster). There are also three honorable mention awards given in both oral and poster presentation sessions.

In addition, at the Awards Banquet that was held on Friday evening February 23, the Graduate School presented several annual awards, including the Exceptional Graduate Student Scholar Award given to Antonio Velazquez Hernandez, Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research presentation was “Structural Health Monitoring and Model Updating of Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines using Wireless Sensors Technology”

Recipient of Exceptional Graduate Student Scholar Award: Antonio Velazquez, shown here with Kevin Cassell (GSG), Michigan Tech Provost Dr. Max Seel, Antonio Velazquez and Dr. R. Andrew Swartz (CEE), graduate student advisor.

Find out more about the Graduate Research Colloquium

Railroad Night, hosted by Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC)
with a chance to meet the rail industry alumni and officials.

Keynote speaker for Railroad Night 2013 was Robert C. VanderClute (left)
Sr. Vice President Safety and Operations, Association of American Railroads;
2012 Recipient of Railway Age’s W. Graham Claytor Jr. Award for
Distinguished Service to Passenger Transportation, shown here with Brian Sykes, Norfolk Southern,
and Dr. Pasi Lautala, Director of the Rail Transportation Program, Michigan Tech
See more photos and information here at RTP Railroad Night 2013 page

Trains Magazine visits campus and the RTP’s 8th Railroad Night ~ “we recently visited Michigan Tech to talk about the railroad engineering program. It’s a big program, that is getting bigger, and you’ll be amazed at the experiences these students have already had with internships, reverse engineering, and job prospects”

See the video produced by Trains Magazine here