Month: October 2013

Science is Spelled Excitement during STEM Awareness Month

Children running around with huge smiles on their faces, the sound of laughter and tons of exclaimed “whoas” is typically a scene from an amusement park. Or in Michigan Technological University’s case, a Science and Engineering Festival.

October is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Awareness month in Michigan. All month long, events have been held across the state, and right here in the Copper Country, to help youth become more interested in STEM subjects.
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Funding Opportunities from Michigan Space Grant

Michigan Tech’s Space Grant Consortium liasion, Dr Robert O. Warrington has announced the funding opportunities from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium, with a deadline for applying of November 13, 2013.

The consortium offers a total of $100,000 support for graduate and undergraduate fellowships, $50,000 for Research Seed Grants, and $100,000 for Public Service Grants in aerospace, space science, Earth system science, and other related science, engineering or mathematical fields.

See the full PDF flyer for more infomation

Additional and specific information about the funding opportunities

Iver 3 Charts New Waters

Iver 3—a third-generation Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)—is charting new territories in the field of underwater exploration, and researchers at Michigan Technological University’s Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) couldn’t be more excited. Iver represents the latest AUV technology available from its Massachusetts-based manufacturer, Ocean Server, and the first robot of its type available for public use.

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Lake Superior Water Festival Shows Students Careers in STEM

2013 Lake Superior Water Festival at Great Lakes Research Center on Thursday, October 17

High school students from the five western UP counties will spend today at Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center, learning about the Great Lakes, water research and careers they might consider in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The Water Festival is sponsored by the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education, based at Michigan Tech.

Stepping Out in Style: Michigan Tech Researchers Developing an Artificial Leg with a Natural Gait

Walking is tricky business, as any toddler knows. And while most artificial feet and limbs do a pretty good job restoring mobility to people who have lost a leg, they have a ways to go before they equal the intricacy of a natural gait. As a result, over half of all amputees take a fall every year, compared to about one-third of people over 65.

In cooperation with a Mayo Clinic scientist, researchers at Michigan Technological University are taking a giant step toward solving the problem. They are making a bionic foot that could make an amputee’s walk in the park feel, well, like a walk in the park.

The secret lies in the ankle. Mo Rastgaar, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering–engineering mechanics, and PhD student Evandro Ficanha are working on a microprocessor-controlled ankle-foot prosthesis that comes close to achieving the innate range of motion of this highly complex joint.
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