Category Archives: Announcements

You’re invited: GMES Senior Design Presentation Day on May 2

Mine Design. Slope Stability. Water Well Rehabilitation. Come join the audience at the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES) Senior Design Presentation Day, on Wednesday, May 2, to hear a group of outstanding GMES students present their projects.

In addition to senior design, students in the Mining INovation Enterprise (MINE) will present an overview of their team’s geological engineering work with NASA to extract water from gypsum mined from Mars. All events except lunch will take place in Dow 610.

GMES Senior Design Spring 2018 — Everyone’s welcome at the GMES Senior Design Presentation Day on May 2, from 7:45 am – 1 pm in Dow 610. Afterwards, join the department for lunch.

Check out the flyer for full details.

Start times and abbreviated title:

7:45 am – Continental Breakfast & Coffee

8:05 am – Gold Mine Design in Nevada – Group 1 (Note: both groups worked in parallel on the same project site.)

9:05 am – Gold Mine Design in Nevada – Group 2

10:05 am – Stability of Slopes near Military Hill

11:05 am – Water Well Rehabilitation at the KBIC Fish Hatchery

12:05 pm – Mid “year” progress, Golden Eagle Mine Design

12:35 pm – Overview of GE Project Work in MINE Enterprise

1 pm – lunch for participants & audience, Dow Atrium

The GMES Senior Capstone Design Program builds on the Department’s solid field-based, hands-on curriculum to provide students with “their first job”– a project supplied by industry, government agencies, or entrepreneurs.

Senior Design teams experience the entire process of a real-world, client-based engineering project, tackling open-ended problems that reflect the work graduates will likely encounter in their first job. Clients benefit from having a student team address their dynamic goals and tight budgets, and provide a fresh perspective with guidance from experienced faculty.

Student teams explore not only the technical facets of the area of study, but also the business of engineering, including communications, teamwork, project management, intellectual property, and ethics.

EF, ENT, GMES

National Engineers Week 2018

Please join us in celebrating National Engineers Week at Michigan Tech. All are welcome!

National Engineers Week is celebrated at Michigan Tech this week with a variety of events on campus. It began yesterday and runs through Saturday (Feb. 24).

Events at Michigan Tech during Engineers Week, also known as Eweek, are sponsored by Tau Beta Pi, the local chapter of the Engineering Honor Society, and the College of Engineering. .

Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, EWeek is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers.

The week’s first event will be held this afternoon. How to Make a DIY Composter will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. today (Feb. 19) at Dillman 320. The Green Campus Enterprise will help you learn about composting and show you how you can start doing it yourself.

Additional Eweek events at Tech include:

Engineers Week Cake: Enjoy a free piece of cake with the Department of Engineering Fundamentals. Cake will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow (Feb. 20), at Dillman 112.
Engineering Though the Ages Presentation. Learn about the marvels of the past with Chelsey Rock. 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 22) in Fisher 138.
Build a Heart Rate Circuit Board. Build your own circuit board with Blue Marble Security Enterprise. 4 – 6 p.m. Friday (Feb. 23) in EERC 622.
Free showing of “The Martian.” Enjoy a free showing of “The Martian” on behalf of the College of Engineering and Film Board. The film will be shown at noon Saturday (Feb. 24) in Fisher 135.

National Engineers Week celebrates the positive contributions engineers make to society and is a catalyst for outreach across the country to kids and adults alike. For the past 60 years, National Engineers Week has been celebrated each February around the time of George Washington’s birthday, February 22, because Washington is considered by many to be the first US engineer.

BME, CEE, CHEM-ENGG, ECE, EF, GMES, MEEM, MSE

Three Student Teams Chosen for Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition

3D Printing Three Michigan Tech student teams have been chosen to compete in the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition in Detroit on Nov. 16, 2017. The student teams will compete for a total of $21,000 in funding.

Statewide, 27 teams were selected through submission of a one-minute video and a brief write-up about the company product or service, revenue model and team capabilities.

The Tech student teams are Looma, Makerhub and FitStop. Looma is a food and nutrition app that helps users eat healthier by providing preference-based recipe suggestions with integrated calendaring for preparation time and grocery lists for shopping. Makerhub is a web application that connects individuals who own 3-D printers with others who need 3-D printed parts. FitStop is a web application that connects people who are traveling for business or leisure with gyms or fitness centers in the city they are traveling to.

Three Michigan Tech-affiliated start-ups will also participate in the competition. They are StabiLux Biosciences, Goldstrike Data and Orbion.

By Jenn Donovan.

BME, CEE, CHEM-ENGG, ECE, EF, GMES, MEEM, MSE

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Labs Available to Harvey Displaced Researchers

Four Michigan Tech labs, so far, have responded to a request by scientific honor society Sigma Xi and the March for Science for researchers to open their labs to scientists displaced by Hurricane Harvey. Rudy Luck (Chem), David Shonnard (ChemEng), Paul Sanders (MSE) and the Great Lakes Research Center all have invited researchers and students impacted by Harvey to work in their labs.

In its call for lab space, Sigma Xi wrote, “some researchers in the storm’s path will be displaced from their laboratories for an extended period. These individuals may require extraordinary measures to continue their work. Sigma Xi is joining with March for Science to assemble a list of research laboratories nationwide that are willing to accommodate faculty, postdocs and students who need to temporarily relocate.”

Nationwide, 290 labs have signed up so far. To see the list of labs click here.

By Jenn Donovan.

Biofuels Conversion, Biochemical & Thermochemical

Shonnard Lab @ Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI
David Shonnard
drshonna@mtu.edu

Alloy Research

Sanders Alloy Research Lab @ Michigan Technical University
Houghton, MI
Paul Sanders
sanders@mtu.edu
Al, Fe, Ni, Cu, Mg alloy development; modeling, casting, thermo-mechanical processing, mechanical testing, SEM/TEM
may be able to provide basic housing (basement bed, bath)

CHEM-ENGG, MSE

2017 Staff Service Award Recognition

The annual Staff Council Service Recognition Luncheon will be held at noon Wednesday, June 14, in the MUB Ballroom. President Glenn Mroz and Staff Council Chair, Jenn Biekkola will present awards for five-year increments of service to more than 150 staff members. Recent staff retirees will also be recognized.

A big “THANK YOU” for your service and commitment to Michigan Tech to the following staff members in the College of Engineering who will be honored for reaching a 5 year anniversary date this fiscal year.

First Name	Last Name	Service Years	Department
Christopher	Gilbertson	5	Civil & Environmental Engineering
John	Kiefer	10	Civil & Environmental Engineering
Rashelle	Sandell	20	Civil & Environmental Engineering
Joan	Becker	20	Electrical and Computer Engineering
Robert	Barron	30	Geological & Mining Eng & Sciences
Paul	Fraley	5	Materials Science and Engineering
Thomas	Wood	5	Materials Science and Engineering
Allison	Hein	25	Materials Science and Engineering
Nancy	Barr	10	Mechanical Engrg-Engrg Mechanics
Jeremy	Worm	10	Mechanical Engrg-Engrg Mechanics

Lucia Gauchia Participates in LATTICE Peer Support Symposium

Assistant Professor Lucia Gauchia attended the first symposium for a new national program, LATTICE, or Launching Academics on the Tenure-Track: An Intentional Community in Engineering. The four-day symposium, which took place May 18-21, 2017, on Bainbridge Island, WA, focused on career skills, self-reflection, and conversations about identity and the academy. The symposium featured:

a cohort of early-career engineers,
mentorship and networking with senior panelists,
and professional development workshop sessions.

LATTICE is funded by the National Science Foundation and sponsored by the University of Washington, North Carolina State University and California Polytechnic State University.

Gauchia has joint appointments with the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. She holds an endowed position as a Richard and Elizabeth Henes Assistant Professor for Energy Storage Systems. Having held a faculty position for four years now, she recommends pursuing mentorship opportunities earlier. Nevertheless, the experience was a good one. She was able to join a community and share stories with women in electrical and computer engineering.

I especially enjoyed being able to engage and interact at a fuller level, with no burden of having to dissociate emotion from professionalism, work and research interest and career from personal life.Lucia Gauchia

ECE, MEEM

Two 2017 NSF CAREER Awards Within the College of Engineering

Biomimic Batteries
Lucia Gauchia

2017 NSF CAREER Award

When batteries drain, people say they’re dead. Recharging them is not the only way to bring them back to life. Lucia Gauchia studies what’s called a battery’s second life, when it is repurposed for a new use.

In engineering, we take the fish out of the pond and expect to be able to tell how it’s going to live in the pond; ecologists do not extract their subjects from their environment.

So, Gauchia turned to systems designs and population analyses that quantify individuals, groups and their interactions with their environment.

With her NSF CAREER award Gauchia will test a number of batteries in first and second life stages under a variety of conditions. She will then use Bayesian networks to inform ecology-based methods to discern patterns in the data; with those patterns she can do cross-level testing to see what holds true from batteries to packs to modules. The analyses should help better predict when a battery might fail in any of its life stages. “Batteries are interesting systems and they have peculiar behavior—and you just don’t believe that until you test them yourself,” she adds.

Gauchia is an assistant professor with a dual appointment in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Read the full story here.

Eco-friendly Marine Acoustics
Zhaohui Wang

2017 NSF CAREER Award

From monitoring whale populations to tactical surveillance, underwater acoustic communication networks are handy systems to have in place. But their greatest feature—being underwater—is also their greatest challenge. Zhaohui Wang has a plan for improving underwater acoustics networks to maximize information delivery.

The ambient soundscapes of the ocean floor or Lake Superior or even small inland lakes are full of background noise, which can interfere with an acoustic signal—or a signal can interfere with natural sound, such as whale whistles. In addition, underwater environments change seasonally, daily or even hourly, which can alter a signal’s strength by the time it reaches the receiver. With her NSF CAREER award, Wang will model, understand, and even predict underwater dynamics in real time.

One of my main goals is to develop a system that allows for harmonious co-existence with other acoustic systems—especially marine animals.

Wang is an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. Read the full story here.

Service Recognition for Faculty and Staff

Tuesday (May 9, 2017), faculty and staff members, along with their guests, gathered at the Memorial Union Ballroom for an awards dinner recognizing 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service to Michigan Tech. Within the College of Engineering, the following employees were recognized:

25 Years

John Beard, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Allison Hein, Materials Science & Engineering
Alex Mayer, Civil & Environmental Engineering

30 Years

Robert Barron, Geological & Mining Engineering & Sciences
Stephen Hackney, Materials Science & Engineering

35 Years

William Bulleit, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Gopal Jayaraman (retired), Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

This year’s Staff Service Recognition luncheon will be held on Wednesday, June 14. Congratulations to all the honorees.

CEE, GMES, MEEM, MSE

Engineering Faculty Among Those Recognized by Fraternities and Sororities

On April 9, more than 320 students gathered for the 11th Annual Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony held in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

In addition to the many student awards presented, Order of Omega, the Greek Life Honor Society that coordinates the awards, took the time to recognize some exceptional faculty and staff members.

There are more than 560 students in fraternities and sororities at Michigan Tech, and Order of Omega wanted to emphasize that these awards were coming directly from the students.

When writing a nomination for the Outstanding Faculty Award, students were asked to consider faculty who:

are dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed academically
demonstrate a passion for teaching and/or research
utilize innovative teaching methods
promote academic integrity among students

When writing a nomination for the Outstanding Staff Award, students were asked to consider staff who:

are dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed both inside and outside the classroom
demonstrate a passion for working with students
promote and inspire the Michigan Tech Values of Community, Scholarship, Possibilities, Accountability and Tenacity

The following faculty and staff members were nominated by members of the Greek community and were recognized at the 2017 Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony:

Faculty:

Evelyn Johnson (HU)
Scott Miers (ME-EM)
David Hand (CEE)
Noel Urban (CEE)

Staff:

Laura Bulleit (Dean of Students Office)
Rochelle Spencer (Student Activities)

These nominations were written by individual students and were supported by an entire fraternity or sorority. In the end, the Outstanding Faculty Award was presented to Evelyn Johnson and the Outstanding Staff Award went to Laura Bulleit.

Advisor of the Year was also awarded to a staff member, Heather Simpson (Wahtera Center). Congratulations to all of these faculty and staff members who were nominated and thank you for inspiring and motivating students.

A special congratulations to Jessie Stapleton, director of student activities, for winning the first-ever Unsung Hero Award. She was recognized for all of her hard work and dedication to the students in the Greek community.

By Student Activities.

CEE, MEEM

ME-EM Nonlinear and Autonomous Systems Lab Live Tour

To celebrate National Robotics Week, a team from University Marketing and Communications will host a live lab tour of the Nonlinear and Autonomous Systems Lab

Nina Mahmoudian (MEEM) and Donna Fard (MEEM) will talk about their research followed by students demonstrating robots they designed to better navigate an obstacle course in the lab. Join in from 11:15 a.m. to noon Wednesday (April 12, 2017) on Facebook Live and Twitter.

#mtulive

VIEW THE VIDEO TOUR ON FACEBOOK

VIEW THE VIDEO SCREENSHOTS

MEEM

Category Archives: Announcements

Biofuels Conversion, Biochemical & Thermochemical

Alloy Research

Biomimic Batteries Lucia Gauchia

2017 NSF CAREER Award

Eco-friendly Marine Acoustics Zhaohui Wang

2017 NSF CAREER Award

Biomimic Batteries
Lucia Gauchia

Eco-friendly Marine Acoustics
Zhaohui Wang