Month: September 2015

Life Science and Technology Institute (LSTI) Research Forum

IMG_3557aLSTI first Annual Research Forum
by Department of Biomedical Engineering

The Michigan Tech community viewed the first Annual Life Science and Technology Institute (LSTI) Research Forum that was held Friday September 25. Posters were in the Memorial Union Ballroom A1. Student awards were presented. Undergraduate and graduate students working in life science-related fields showed their research posters in separate competitions.

Sanaz Habibi (Adrienne Minerick’s M.D.-ERL Lab), PhD student in the Chemical Engineering department, won the grand prize for the best poster for her work on “Do Faradaic Reactions Cause Hemolysis in Non-Uniform Alternating Current Electric Fields?.”

Sanaz Habibi : Do Faradaic Reactions Cause Hemolysis in Non-Uniform Alternating Current Electric Fields?
Sanaz Habibi : Do Faradaic Reactions Cause Hemolysis in Non-Uniform Alternating Current Electric Fields?

Graduate Merit Awards winners for the Life Science and Technology Institute (LSTI) Research Forum indlude: Graduate students:

Ramkumar Mohan (Biology)—”MicroRNA-483, A Differentially Expressed MicroRNA Between Pancreatic Beta Cells and Alpha Cells,” Advisor: Zhang/Tang
Ni Fan (Chem)—”Glycan-Dependent Mutual and Reversible Sequestration,” Advisor: Dam
Robert Larson (KIP)—”High Salt Intake Augments Excitability of Pre-sympathetic PVN Neurons,” Advisor: Chen

The Undergraduate Student award winners included: Grand Prize: Jared Pecore (Biology)—”The Mechanisms Underlying α-Amanitin Resistance in Drosophila melanogaster: A Microarray Analysis,” Advisor: Werner
Undergraduate Merit Award: Dakota Anderson (KIP)—”Upper-Extremity Eccentric Exercise: Increases in Muscle Strength and Power at Moderate Training Intensities”

Jared Pecore- Grand Prize, Undergrad
Jared Pecore- Grand Prize, Undergrad


View Photo gallery of Life Science and Technology Institute (LSTI) Research Forum

Michigan Space Grant Funding Opportunities

msgcby Pavlis Honors College

The Michigan Space Grant Consortium, of which Michigan Tech is a member, will host its annual conference at the University of Michigan on Oct. 31. MSGC supports student work in space-related science and technology—as well as STEM disciplines—in Michigan.

There is currently a call for lecture and poster presentations. Registration is free but required for planning purposes. The registration deadline date is Oct. 19 and travel assistance is available for students. To register and for more information, please visit Michigan Space Grant

The Michigan Space Grant Consortium announces funding opportunities in the following categories: Undergraduate Fellowship, Graduate Fellowship, Pre-College Education, Public Outreach, Teacher Training and Research Seed Grant. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply for fellowship grants. The internal Michigan Tech deadline is noon on Nov. 11. Specific information regarding Michigan Tech’s requirements and submission procedures can be found here.

Note: Proposals must be submitted electronically to MSGC only after being reviewed by the Pavlis Honors College and Michigan Tech’s Sponsored Programs Office

For more information contact Paige Hackney, phackney@mtu.edu or 7-4371 in the Pavlis Honors College.

To read announcements, submission requirements and to submit a proposal following an internal review, visit the MSGC website.

Special Seminars: Dr. George A. Hazelrigg

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Dr. George A. Hazelrigg is the Deputy Division Director of Civil, Mechanical & Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) at the National Science Foundation. He presented two special seminars at Michigan Tech on Thursday, September 24 for faculty and students. His visit to Michigan Tech was sponsored by the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, and the College of Engineering.

See the Flyer: Special Seminars: Dr. George A. Hazelrigg

Thursday, September 24, 2015: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Title: The Engineer as a Decision Maker
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TARGET AUDIENCE: GRADUATE STUDENTS & FACULTY

See the Video: Engineering Michigan Tech Channel on Vimeo Video: The Engineer as a Decision Maker

Abstract
We currently think of engineers as problem solvers, and we build our engineering curricula around this model. But what defines engineering as distinct from other disciplines is design, and design is all about decision making, not problem solving. Decision making, unlike problem solving, demands prediction and preferences, and is always done in the presence of uncertainty and risk. As a result, our current engineering curricula do not adequately prepare engineering students for their careers as engineers. Because of this failing, many of the methods we teach and practice provide quite poor results. This talk will illustrate shortcomings of the current engineering curricula and point to avenues for improvement.

Thursday, September 24, 2015; 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Title: Framing Your Research Project
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TARGET AUDIENCE: NEW & ESTABLISHED FACULTY FRAMING YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT

Abstract:
While the overall success rate for proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation and other Federal agencies tends to be rather low, for well written proposals, it can be rather high. Furthermore, it is rather easy to identify the key elements of a well written proposal. Top among these for NSF are a well written and concisely stated research objective and a plan to accomplish the stated objective. Although this sounds both obvious and simple to achieve, surprisingly few principal investigators meet this requirement. This talk will focus on how to frame a research project in a way that will dramatically increase the PI’s probability of success. It will distinguish between science, mathematics and engineering, and discuss the nature of fundamental research underlying each. It will then present templates for framing research projects.

GEORGE A. HAZELRIGG
Bio:
George Hazelrigg enjoyed designing and building things when he was young, so he decided to go to college to study engineering. He obtained a BS in mechanical engineering from Newark College of Engineering (now New Jersey Institute of Technology) and went to work for Curtiss-Wright. There he found that his education had utterly destroyed his abilities to do engineering design. So he felt it necessary to get a master’s degree. Hecompleted an MS in mechanical engineering, also from NCE, but still hadn’t regained his design abilities. While getting his MS, however, he did some teaching and liked it. So he figured that if he couldn’t do design, the next best thing would be to teach it. Five years later he had obtained MA, MSE, and PhD degrees in aerospace engineering from Princeton University. Now, in addition to not knowing how to do design, he couldn’t teach it either. For the next 25 years he roamed industry and academe in an attempt to understand the theory of engineering design, including time spent at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, General Dynamics, Princeton University and a consulting firm of which he was a co-founder. He also spent a year in Korea helping to found the Systems Engineering Department of Ajou University. He joined the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1982 as program director for the Engineering Design program, providing support to others in the field. In January 1996 he did a stint as Station Science Leader of the US South Pole station. In 2004 he became Program Director for the NSF Manufacturing Machines and Equipment program, and then Deputy Division Director of NSF’s Civil, Mechanical & Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) Division. He also served as Program Director of the Sensors and Sensing Systems program. For relaxation he spends his weekends soaring over the Shenandoah Valley as a certified flight instructor in gliders (CFI-G) with about 1,800 total flying hours.

Ford Donations to Fund STEM Programs for Girls and Leadership Scholarship

1996CynthiaHodges_bwTech Today articles by Jennifer Donovan

At a Career Success Day breakfast this Friday September 18, sponsored by Michigan Tech’s Presidential Council of Alumnae this Friday, a Ford Motor Company executive and Michigan Tech alumna will present a $30,000 check from Ford. Cynthia Protas Hodges, a 1987 mechanical engineering alumna who is now chassis supplier technical assistance site manager at Ford, will make the presentation.

The gift from Ford will fund three youth programs for women in summer 2016, all designed to engage young women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Women in Engineering (WIE): A scholarship program and an intensive, exciting week-long look into engineering careers. About 150 young women in grades 9-11 will trek up to Michigan Tech to participate. Ford funding will provide scholarships for 10 students to attend.

Junior Women in Engineering (JWIE): Similar to WIE, it provides an opportunity for younger women (grades 6-8) to explore fields of engineering through hands-on projects and investigations. This program will serve as preparation for the WIE program.

Women in Computer Science (WiCS) brings young women (grades 9-11) to campus for an exploration in computer science (CS) fields. The primary goal is to introduce the students to the many ways that CS profoundly impacts every industry from medicine to e-commerce, engineering to insurance and much more.
By hosting a program exclusively for girls, Michigan Tech is trying to change the widespread perception that STEM fields are only for males. The programs also promote diversity by welcoming students from across the US and around the world.


Ford Motor Company Fund Presents Leadership in Engineering Scholarship

by Jennifer Donovan

The Ford Motor Company Fund has awarded Michigan Tech engineering student Michael Robinson a $10,000 Alan Mulally Leadership in Engineering Scholarship. Cynthia Protas Hodges, a Michigan Tech alumna and Ford manager, will make a presentation at 1 p.m., September 17 in the Career Services Office of the Michigan Tech Administration Building.

Alan Mulally is the former president and CEO of the Ford Motor Company. To honor his service to Ford, the Company has established the Alan Mulally Leadership in Engineering Scholarship. The scholarship program is a $1,000,000 fund. Each year for 10 years, the fund will support ten $10,000 scholarships to outstanding sophomore or junior engineering students at Ford’s 20 premiere partner universities around the globe. Michigan Tech is among the inaugural schools to award this scholarship.

Robinson is a second-year mechanical engineering major with an electrical engineering minor. He was selected for his strong academic performance as well as his internship experience and leadership roles in the student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Cru Christian student organization. He is also a member of the Formula SAE Racing Team’s powertrain team.

Barbara Oakley Speaks to First Year Students Assembly

oakley2aBarbara Oakley, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at Oakland University and author of several books, spoke at Michigan Tech Sept. 3 for the First Year Engineering and Computer Sciences Lecture. She presented a talk on “Learning How to Learn” at the Rozsa Center to over 1200 students.

Oakley also met with faculty in a presentation about her MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). This course is one of the most popular courses in the world, with well over half a million students in its first six months alone. Learning How to Learn is based on the book A Mind for Numbers. Oakley’s latest book is “A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra).”

Oakley herself has learned from experience to apply the perspectives of many fields to learning and to life. Originally intending to become a linguist, she earned her bachelor’s degree in slavic languages and literature. After working for the Army as a signal officer, she returned to school to study engineering so that she could better understand the communications equipment that the Army used.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and worked as a translator on Russian trawlers in the Bering Sea. Oakley also spent a season as the radio operator at the South Pole Station in Antarctica, where she met her husband, Philip. They moved to the Detroit area, where she earned a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering and a doctorate in systems engineering. She has been teaching at Oakland University ever since.

Barbara Oakley, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at Oakland University and author of several books, spoke at Michigan Tech Sept. 3 for the First Year Engineering and Computer Sciences Lecture. She presented a  talk on “Learning How to Learn” at the Rozsa Center to over 1200  students.
Barbara Oakley, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at Oakland University and author of several books, spoke at Michigan Tech Sept. 3 for the First Year Engineering and Computer Sciences Lecture. She presented a talk on “Learning How to Learn” at the Rozsa Center to over 1200 students.
Barbara Oakley talking about MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)  at Michigan Tech. This course is one of the most popular courses in the world, with well over half a million students in its first six months alone.  Learning How to Learn is based on the book A Mind for Numbers.
Barbara Oakley talking about MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) at Michigan Tech. This course is one of the most popular courses in the world, with well over half a million students in its first six months alone. Learning How to Learn is based on the book A Mind for Numbers.

See the Video of Barbara Oakley: Learning How to Learn

DoD Guidance on Medical Research

IMG_8369Dr. R. Keith Martin, Senior Science Advisor, Tunnell Government Services visited campus on Thursday, September 10 to discuss research programs and funding opportunities in the life and medical sciences within the Department of Defense.

Dr. Martin presented two sessions: “Understanding Military Medical Research Programs,” and “The Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium.” Both seminars were in the MUB Ballroom A-1.

Dr. R. Keith Martin has had a successful career as a researcher and senior leader in the area of medical and health science research and development. He has served in many leadership roles within the US Army and Department of Defense including Military Deputy to the Principal Assistant for Research and Technology at the Army’s R&D Headquarters, where he exercised executive oversight of the planning, management and execution of >$1.4B of annual R&D funding for medical programs.

Dr. Martin retired from military service as a full Colonel and now works for Tunnell Government Services as a senior science advisor to help connect researchers from academia and industry with the medical research programs supported by the Army and the Department of Defense.

In addition, Dr. Martin engaged in discussions on research programs and opportunities funded by the Department of Defense.

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Center for Automotive Research Visits Tech

Researchers from CAR, the Center for Automotive Research, Ann Arbor, visited Michigan Tech on Thursday, September 3.  Valerie Sathe Brugerman and Greg Schroeder from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in Ann Arbor discussed CAR’s research areas and potential collaborations in several sessions on campus.
The visit is co-sponsored by the School of Forestry and Environmental Science, and the College of Engineering.

CAR, the Center for Automotive Research, Ann Arbor, visited  Michigan Tech
CAR, the Center for Automotive Research, Ann Arbor, visited Michigan Tech
CAR, the Center for Automotive Research, Ann Arbor, visited  Michigan Tech
CAR, the Center for Automotive Research, Ann Arbor, visited Michigan Tech

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