Detroit Area Engineering Students Participate in Summer Youth Programs

Detroit Teens 201606240025The Michigan Chronicle published a story about the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), mentioning that Michigan Tech is one of DAPCEP’s partners. DAPCEP students will be attending Summer Youth Programs at Tech in July. Sixteen high school students from Detroit and southwest Michigan will explore Natural Resources & Engineering majors and possible careers from July 26 – July 1st. This is the third year the program has been conducted.

Students will investigate invasive species and forest biomaterials with faculty scientists at School of Forest Resources & Environmental Science. Dr. Marty Auer and recent graduate environmental engineering graduate and past NSBE president, Terrianna Bradley, who also hails from Detroit, will take students on the water to sampleaquatic life aboard MTU’s Agassiz research vessel in Lake Superior, including a lab experience to identify plankton and analyze fish stomachs.

Faculty from Mechanical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. In addition, students will experience national and state parks and forests, wildlife refuges, and nature sanctuaries, including an overnight at the MI Department of Natural Resource RAM training center in Roscommon.

Coordinated by Michigan Tech Center for Science & Environmental Outreach, contributions from the following covers the students’ transportation, meals, and lodging: Michigan Technological University School of Forest Resources & Environmental Science, College of Engineering, Departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Tech Transportation Institute, Admissions, Housing & Residential Life, Great Lakes Research Center & Center for Diversity & Inclusion.

Showcase of LSSI Projects at Upcoming Community Events

LSSI at Baraga SchoolsSummer 2017

Find out what Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative (LSSI) teams are doing. Many are partnered with Michigan Tech faculty and departments, including CEE, SFRES, etc.

The public is invited to attend one of these upcoming LSSI-sponsored community events.
Contact Joan Chadde or the lead teacher for more information or directions.

  • Noon to 1 p.m. May 26, 2017. Hancock Middle School Garden Planting Day at Hancock Middle School (Jen Davis, lead teacher)
  • 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. June 1-2. Houghton High School – School Forest Research Project Presentations in high school auditorium. (Lauri Davis, lead teacher)
  • Noon to 2 p.m.  June 2,  Washington Middle School, Calumet Township Park (Darrell Hendrickson, lead teacher).
  • 6 to 7:30 p.m.  June 5, Baraga Middle/High School outside the school building. Fun Run, Veggie Kabobs, Garden/Greenhouse Tours. (Lori Wisniewski and Ben Johnston, lead teachers.

Kudos to all the great stewardship work going on and the hard work of LSSI teachers to provide a rich learning environment for their students.

Natural Resource and Engineering for Genesee County Students

Agassiz

High School Students Can Win A FREE 6-Day Trip to:

Explore Natural Resources & Engineering at Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!!

Monday – Saturday, July 10-15, 2017

(includes free transportation, meals & lodging)

STUDENT REGISTRATION FORM ONLINE | STUDENT REGISTRATION FORM PRINT | VIEW THE FLYER

OPEN to all High School students in Genesee County who want to explore engineering forestry, water quality, fisheries, more!

**Up to 15 high school students from Genesee County will be selected to participate.  Talk to your teacher!

What YOU will do …

  • In the forest, investigate invasive species, ID trees, collect amphibian data.
  • On the water, sample aquatic life & collect data aboard a research vessel in Lake Superior;
  • In the lab, examine plankton, engineer a process to clean water;
  • Tour a college campus, stay in a dorm, eat in the dining hall;
  • Learn about engineering and natural resources majors and careers.
  • Experience national and state parks, wildlife refuges, and nature sanctuaries with experts at Michigan Technological University and in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula!!

HOW TO APPLY

  • Complete application form online  2017 Michigan Tech Trip – Genesee County
  • Describe what you hope to gain from this experience and your past experience with natural resources, engineering and environmental stewardship;
  • Email or mail ONE letter of recommendation (from non-family member, such as a teacher or community member) to: jchadde@mtu.edu
  • Deadline extended to Friday, June 9!

A team of educators, university staff, and resource specialists will select participants in mid-May.

A mandatory Parent Meeting will be held in mid- June.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Leyla Sanker| Discovering Place | University of Michigan Flint | lsanker@umflint.edu | Tel: 248-892-9329

Joan Chadde | Michigan Technological University |jchadde@mtu.edu  | Office: 906-487-3341

Coordinated by Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach with generous funding from GM  and the Ride the Waves Program at Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center.

Additional funding from Michigan Tech School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, College of Engineering, Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan Tech Transportation Institute, Admissions, Great Lakes Research Center.

Great Lakes Investigations Aboard Michigan Tech’s Research Vessel Agassiz

for Students in Grades 4-12 ~  Fun!  FREE!  Educational!

Ride the Waves GM

Dates: May 25 – August 30, 2017

SCHOOL REGISTRATION FORM | VIEW THE FLYER

Michigan Tech’s Ride the Waves Program 2017 invites Copper Country youth in Grades 4-12 to join scientists from Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center in the exploration of Lake Superior, Portage Waterway and Torch Lake. There are four programs to choose from that will accommodate 18 youth and chaperones.

Aquatic Food Web & Lab Investigation (3-hour session, 1.5 hrs on Agassiz &1.5 hrs in lab at the Great Lakes Research Center). Find out how scientists investigate water quality and collect samples to examine in the lab. Find out “what makes a lake trout?”  All ages students.

Mine Waste Remediation & Torch Lake Restoration (4-hour session, 2 hrs on Agassiz & 2 hrs on land; meet at the Lake Linden marina). The copper mining and milling history of the Copper Country is explored by land and water. Students visit historic copper milling sites, reclaimed mine waste sites, and the bottom of Torch Lake. Ideal for Grades 6-8 students.

Navigation Exploration (4-hour session, 2 hrs on Agassiz & 2 hrs in classroom at the Great Lakes Research Center) Students use chart dividers and compasses to determine the Agassiz’s position on a navigational chart and then navigate the Agassiz to a new location. Students will use algebra to determine the accuracy of their navigation. Ideal for Grades 8-12 students.

Lake Superior’s Ring of Fire (4-hour session on Agassiz)  Explore an area in Lake Superior where the shrimplike organism Diporeia is up to 20 times more abundant than in any other part of Lake Superior! How does this affect the Lake Superior food web?  Ideal for Grades 9-12 students.

Agassiz

REGISTER ONLINE: RTW 2017 Registration

List all dates and times that work for your group and we will reply and fit you into the earliest available slot. Groups of 5 or more students will be given preference in scheduling, so get with your friends and form a group! Available May 25-Aug. 30, 2017.

The Ride the Waves Program is made possible with a generous grant from General Motors (GM) and Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center. More than 3000 youth have benefited from GM’s support, now in its 5th year.

For more Information:

Contact Joan Chadde (jchadde@mtu.edu) or Lloyd Wescoat (lwescoat@mtu.edu) or call 906-487-3341.

Michigan Tech Center for Science & Environmental Outreach at the Great Lakes Research Center.

K-12 Students Learn About Garbology

TV6 Garbology

CALUMET, Mich. (WLUC) — Some fourth grade students at CLK Elementary said the day’s lesson stunk. But that didn’t stop them from digging through trash to learn about waste management on May 9.

Some fourth grade students at CLK Elementary said the day’s lesson stunk. But that didn’t stop them from digging through trash to learn about waste management on May 9.

“We have to do “garbology,” where we get all the garbage from our grade and we’ll have to put on a tarp,” fourth grade student Dawson Kauppinen said. “And we have to separate all the plastic, metal, paper and a bunch of other stuff.”

Read more and watch the video at TV6 Fox UP, by Harri Leigh.

Designing a Sustainable Future

Summer Institute for Grade 4-12 Teachers

Teachers in the Lab

Date:  July 24 – 28, 2017

Application deadline June 15, 2017

TEACHER REGISTRATION FORM | EVENT | VIEW THE FLYER

Program

Investigate product life cycle, building design, renewable energy sources, low impact site design, water reuse, smart transportation and food systems with cutting edge research scientists and engineers at Michigan Technological University and community/teacher experts.

Teachers will engage in hands-on engineering lessons, gather resources for teaching about sustainability while addressing the new Michigan Science Standards. As well as learn how to share STEM sustainability career options with their students, all while spending an exciting week in the Keweenaw Peninsula enjoying the Great Outdoors!

Teachers in the Field

Course

Earn 30 SCECHs and Course Preparation

Participants will earn 30 SCECHs (pending) from Michigan Technological University for the 5‐day course.

Participants are asked to:

  • Complete pre‐course readings and reflections.
  • Participate fully in all parts of the Institute.
  • Teachers who develop an approved lesson plan after the institute can earn $100. Due Sept. 5, 2017.

Instructors include Michigan Tech faculty, community and teacher experts.

Teachers on Campus

Cost

$300 off campus includes 5 lunches, field trips, and classroom supplies, or $650 on campus which includes five nights lodging and meals.

Teachers can choose to enroll in the course (ED5640) for 2 graduate credits. (There is an additional cost of $561 Official Applied Science Education Graduate Resident and Non‐Resident $561 per credit). Additional coursework required.

Payment due June 15, 2017. Pay by credit card by calling MTU Cashier at 906.487.2247. Payments are non‐refundable.

Financial Aid May Be Available

Teachers may apply for Michigan Space Grant Consortium K‐12 Educator Incentive Program funds for up to $400 to attend workshops on math and science.

Teachers and House

Teachers CooperatingCampus

The class meets in the Great Lakes Research Center, a state‐of‐the art facility with many sustainability features.

Accommodations

Participants staying on campus will receive 5 nights lodging in single rooms with private baths in Michigan Tech’s new Hillside Place and all meals from Monday breakfast through Friday lunch. Easy walking distance to downtown Houghton and Michigan Tech hiking and biking trails. Nearby camping and Super 8 Hotel options are available.

Getting to Michigan Tech

Michigan Technological University is in Houghton, MI (pop. 7,000). United Airlines is the sole airline serving Houghton (800‐241‐6522 or www.united.com) with two flights daily from Chicago. Taxi service is available by calling Copper Country Limo & Taxi at 906‐370‐4761.

Why Come to Michigan Tech?

It’s summer, right!? What better place to earn credit/SCECHs? After class, you can choose from hiking, biking, kayaking, Lake Superior beaches, beautiful sunsets at Mclains St. Park (10 miles away) or visit the more than 25 nature sanctuaries and preserves in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Contact

Joan Chadde, Course Coordinator
Tel: 906.487.3341
Email: jchadde@mtu.edu

REGISTER NOW

Supported by the Sustainable Futures Institute, Michigan Tech Transportation Institute, Great Lakes Research Center, and the Western UP Center for Science, Math and Environmental Education. Coordinated by the Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.

Cleaning Dirty Water Competition Winners Announced

1490293756The winners of the Cleaning Dirty Water Competition shouldn’t come as a surprise. The winners are three members of the Michigan Tech chapter of the Society of Environmental Engineering — seniors no less — Joseph Doyle, Kyle Mischler and Jeremy Luebke.

The winning trio had stiff competition from the runner up team, “The Insolubles,” three students from a Hancock High School chemistry class — Mike McParlan, Murphy Mallow and Shannon Nulf. The class is taught by a Michigan Tech grad.

Other teams that competed included Quantum Huskies, a group of international students from Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Whiz Kids, a group of three eighth-grade students from Lake Linden-Hubbell Middle School and three members of the Copper Country Recycling Initiative task force.

The competition was held in recognition of World Water Day, Wednesday (March 22). This year’s theme was wastewater, hence the cleaning water competition.

Event coordinator Joan Chadde, director of the Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach and a member of the World Water Day planning committee, made the wastewater right before participants’ eyes. The wastewater was made up of household items that go down the drain. Each team was given a cup of wastewater and directed to clean it as best they could using only the materials provided — screen, sand, gravel, activated charcoal and alum.

After 20 minutes, the results came in. Martin Auer (CEE), a local wastewater treatment expert served as judge. All members of the winning team received $25 Michigan Tech gift certificates, which they generously handed off to the second place Hancock High School students, explaining “they didn’t have time to spend it, since they’d be leaving Houghton soon with graduation just a few weeks away.”

Globally, two billion people are without clean drinking water and three billion are without wastewater treatment. After treatment, wastewater is a valuable resource that can be returned to cities for drinking water.

Michigan Tech’s World Water Day events were sponsored by the following Michigan Tech departments and research centers: The Great Lakes Research Center, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, the Ecosystem Science Center, the Sustainable Futures Institute, Visual and Performing Arts and The Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.

ABC News 10, WLUC TV6 and WJMN TV3 all covered World Water Day celebrations this week at Michigan Tech.