Students Excel in International Poster Competition

Chemical engineering PhD student Brett Spigarelli with his team's carbon dioxide scrubber. His prize-winning poster focussed on improving the scrubber's efficiency. Sarah Bird photo
Two graduate students, Brett Spigarelli and Howard Haselhuhn, took first and third place in the Minerals and Metallurgical Processing Journal Student Poster Contest, held Feb. 22 in Seattle. Both are PhD candidates in chemical engineering.

The contest was part of the SME (Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration) Annual Meeting. Thirteen graduate students from all over the world entered posters in the event.

The Tech students’ advisor, Chair Komar Kawatra (ChE), is on sabbatical as a Fulbright scholar in India and flew to Seattle for the competition.

“I am very fortunate to be working with graduate students like Howard and Brett,” said Kawatra. “They are highly motivated and just outstanding. One day I expect them to be CEOs of major corporations.”

Spigarelli earned the top spot for his poster on optimizing a carbon-dioxide scrubber that removes 50 percent of the CO2 passing through.

The scrubber, an 11-foot bench-model plastic pipe packed with glass beads, has a water-based solution flowing through it. From below, carbon dioxide bubbles up, reacting with chemicals in the liquid. The process not only captures carbon, it binds it in a solid form, making an undisclosed product that can be used as a construction material. The liquid itself can be recovered and used again.

The group has received a patent and hopes to build a pilot plant in cooperation with industry partner Carbontec Energy Corp.

Spigarelli’s prize-winning poster focused on making the scrubber as efficient as possible. In particular, he developed a model for determining the ideal concentration of chemical in solution to strip out CO2. “You want to remove as much carbon as possible, but you don’t want to use excess chemicals, because you want to save the company money,” Spigarelli said. “This process will give you the best results.”

Haselhuhn’s third-place poster also focused on water chemistry. At an iron-processing facility, he studied the technology used to remove impurities from iron ore. He found ways to improve the process and significantly boost productivity.

“The iron ore is ground down into very small particles, which are mixed in water,” he said. “The larger particles, which contain more iron ore, settle quickly, and the smallest ones, containing silica, stay suspended.” However, Haselhuhn discovered, sometimes the raw ore contains high levels of magnesium, which translates into higher concentrations of magnesium in the water. In turn, that causes silica particles to cluster together and settle out with the iron, rendering the separation process ineffective.

“By compensating for the excess magnesium, companies could reduce the loss of iron in their concentration process,” Haselhuhn said. “The results of this research will save millions of dollars per year and reduce the loss of an important natural resource.”

by Marcia Goodrich, magazine editor
Published in Tech Today

Peace Corps Volunteer Tackles A Sensitive Women’s Health Problem in Uganda

RUMPS Community Partners
RUMPS Community Partners

When Stacey Frankenstein-Markon discovered that girls in Uganda often used rags, old socks or wads of newspapers to do the job of sanitary napkins, she was shocked. She was even more horrified to realize that purchasing commercial pads was an impossible dream for most of them, since they come from families of subsistence farmers making about $1 a day in disposable income.

“Disposable pads cost $1 for an 8-pack,” says the 25-year-old Peace Corps volunteer, who with her husband, Tony Markon, is serving in Uganda as part of Michigan Tech’s Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) program in applied science education. “If a family has three daughters who need pads, that family would have to spend 20 percent of their income just on menstrual pads. Who can afford to do that?”

The pad problem also was leading girls to stay away from school, fearing that they might stain their clothes and be badgered by boys, Frankenstein-Markon said. Eventually, they fall so far behind that they have to drop out.

But thanks to the inventiveness of another Peace Corps volunteer who had served in the eastern Ugandan region just before the Markons got there in 2010, the Michigan Tech student has been able to help hundreds of girls practice better hygiene while they learn about menstruation, their bodies and women’s health. And not incidentally, stay in school.

She is doing it with RUMPS. The RUMPS (Re-Useable Menstrual Pads) project teaches girls to sew locally available toweling into washable pads. Before they start stitching, they learn about puberty, sex, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The Peace Corps volunteer and her community partners answer questions and encourage honest discussion about matters most of the girls have never considered mentioning in public.

With the help of their three Ugandan partners–Betty Adio, Alice Mundaka and Deborah Nabirye–Frankenstein-Markon has reached more than 1,800 girls, women and men. Adio is now reaching out to another 3,000 elementary school girls. Word is spreading, and seven other Peace Corps volunteers have developed RUMPS projects in their communities.

“I’ve cut out 3,600 RUMPS pads myself,” says Frankenstein-Markon. “I have spent 180 hours using scissors, bandaged six blisters and swept up more tiny bits of towel fluff than I ever imagined could exist.”

In October 2010, two faculty members visited the Markons and the RUMPS project. Brad Baltensperger, chair of the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences at and program director of the PCMI Applied Science Education Program, and Casey Huckins, an associate professor of biological sciences who heads the University’s new PCMI in biological sciences, spent a week in Uganda to discuss the graduate students’ research, to observe them teaching and to learn more about the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers.

“Stacey made a rousing presentation about women’s bodies and menstrual health to several hundred high school girls packed into a large classroom,” Baltensperger says “She was animated and direct, and she used innovative ways to get and maintain the attention of her audience.”

One of Baltensperger’s and Huckins’ fondest memories of their African trip is sitting around a pot of warm millet beer with several teachers at the end of the day. “Casey and I both joined in drinking from the communal container through three-foot long straws and talked about the challenges faced by teachers in Uganda,” Baltensperger recalls.

Frankenstein-Markon’s work has not gone unrecognized. For International Women’s Day earlier this month, the Peace Corps in Uganda nominated her for her efforts to “empower girls.” She was one of three winners from Africa recognized by the Peace Corps worldwide.

How do Ugandans respond to Americans broaching such a sensitive subject? “Overall, every community I have visited has reacted positively,” Frankenstein-Markon says. “In Uganda today, people are trying to overcome traditional taboos. I have found that talking about menstrual health has opened the door for other, deeper topics. I start by talking about body changes. Then I move on to how a woman becomes pregnant.”

Sometimes the question-and-answer component of RUMPS sessions does run into cultural roadblocks. She recalls one man saying, “Madam, how can I ask you about sex when my niece is in the audience?” Also, “most Ugandans do not want their children to hear about family planning,” Frankenstein-Markon says.

But she is far from discouraged. “For every five shy Ugandans, there is always one courageous woman who says, “Ladies, let’s talk about the clitoris,” another who asks, ‘Madam, I want to use family planning. What can I do?’ People want this information, and we can help them get it.”

A biological sciences major who earned her bachelor of science from Michigan Tech in 2008, Frankenstein-Markon heard about PCMI when she was a junior. When she learned that PCMI was about to start a program in applied science education, she had no doubts. “To be able to join the Peace Corps while earning a master’s degree was a no-brainer,” she says. “It is such a unique opportunity and environment to do your research.”

Next fall the Markons will be back at Michigan Tech to complete their master’s degree work. And then? “We may end up abroad again,” she says. Judging by her passion for her efforts in Uganda that would be no surprise.

by Jennifer Donovan, director, public relations
Published in Tech Today

World Water Day Lecture, Poster Session Today

Can science save the Great lakes?

It’s an appropriate question to ask on World Water Day, which is Thursday, March 22, and even more appropriate considering the fact that Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center is nearing completion and scheduled to open this summer.

Lana Pollack, chair of the US Section of the International Joint Commission, will examine the threats to the health of the Great Lakes and discuss how research data-based policy-making can protect them.

The free public World Water Day Lecture is at 5:30 p.m. in EERC 103. The International Joint Commission is an independent, binational organization that works to prevent and resolve boundary waters disputes for the common good of the US and Canada.

The lecture is sponsored by Tech’s Center for Water and Society (CWS) and the Visiting Women and Minority Lecture Series. There will be a reception afterward.

Before the lecture, the CWS will sponsor a graduate poster session and competition to highlight the ongoing research on water at Tech. The poster session is scheduled for 3 to 5 p.m. in the DOW atrium.

In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of water research and CWS, students from six different departments have registered posters in two categories, research and classes. The posters will be judged and cash awards made in both categories.

“World Water Day is the signature event for CWS,” said Center Director Noel Urban (CEE). “The poster session, guest speaker and reception provide an opportunity for CWS members from all of 11 departments represented by the Center to socialize and sow seeds for future collaborations.”

Published in Tech Today

NSF Honors Tech’s Global Watershed Website

A website for Michigan Tech’s Global Watershed program has been singled out as one of two top websites nationwide. The Global Watershed program is part of a graduate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fellowship program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) at 213 universities across the country. The program, known as GK12, prepares graduate students in STEM fields to work with teachers and students in kindergarten through 12th grade to incorporate scientific research and the scientific method as integral parts of their science education curriculum.

Locally, Michigan Tech’s GK12 Global Watershed program partners graduate student fellows with partner-teachers at the BRIDGE Alternative School, Copper Country Intermediate School District, Hancock High and Middle Schools, Manistee High School and Stanton Township. While the Michigan Tech program focuses primarily on rural schools in the western UP, it also partners with the Colegio Munoz school system in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

“The website for our GK12 Global Watershed program really is an invaluable tool for organizing and publicizing our project,” said Professor Alex Mayer (CEE), program director.

“It’s critical that we have a polished site that’s easy to use to spread the word about the program to potential GK12 fellows and partner teachers and publicize the accomplishments of our existing fellows and their partner teachers,” Mayer went on to say. “We’re very pleased that NSF has recognized the quality of our web presence.”

The award-winning website was designed and developed locally by the web development firm of opusWeb.com in Hancock. “It’s truly an honor to know that a website our firm developed right here in the Keweenaw was recognized on a national level,” said Jeffery Primeau, opusWeb.com cofounder and director of marketing/communications.

The website was judged on several factors, including design, navigability, structure and content. Comprehensive content/text for the site was written by Lisa Rowan, currently a master’s degree student in ecology at the University of North Florida.

To view the site, see Global Watershed.

by Jennifer Donovan, director, public relations
Published in Tech Today

Student Employees Sought at Process Improvement

The Office of Process Improvement is hiring two student process improvement coordinators. Direct your undergraduate and graduate students to this opportunity.

The start date for the year-round position is April. The hours are flexible but the students must be available for the summer.

See the details at NACElink. You must login using an ISO username and password.

For more information, contact Wendy Davis, manager of Process Improvement, at 487-3180 or at wmdavis@mtu.edu .

Published in Tech Today

Accelerated Master’s Degree Programs

The Graduate School announces the development of three new accelerated master’s degree programs. These fast-track graduate programs are now offered to undergraduate students in the fields of mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering and chemical engineering.

The new initiative allows Michigan Tech undergraduate students to accelerate their education and jumpstart their future research or career paths.

Tech undergraduate students can apply as early as their junior year and start taking graduate-level courses during their senior year.

Michigan Tech’s accelerated master’s allows for students to count up to six credit hours towards both their bachelor’s and master’s degree. Once students are admitted into the accelerated programs and complete their bachelor’s degree, they can finish their master’s degree within two semesters (one academic year).

Acceptance into these programs requires that students apply through the standard Graduate School application process and maintain undergraduate GPA requirements set by the individual programs. Students who are already enrolled in graduate programs may not retroactively enroll in accelerated master’s programs.

Other academic programs are encouraged to consider offering accelerated master’s options to Tech students.

For more information on developing an accelerated master’s program, contact Jacque Smith, director of marketing and advancement, Graduate School, at 487-1434 or at jacque@mtu.edu .

submitted by Jacque Smith, Graduate School
Published in Tech Today

2012 MSGC Awards Announced

Michigan Tech faculty, staff members and students received awards tallying $101,875 through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC), sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which includes 11 university members.

Michigan Tech received 18 percent of the available research seed grant funding, 24 percent of the undergraduate fellowship funding, 33 percent of the graduate fellowship funding and 41 percent of the precollege, public outreach, teacher training and augmentation proposal funding.

  • Six undergraduates received $2,500 for research fellowships.
  • Five graduate students received $5,000 for research fellowships.
    • Brenda Bergman (Forest Science): “Mercury movement through the earth systems: better understanding biotic controls over inter-system contaminant transfer while enhancing students’ motivation to engage in STEM and reduce atmospheric pollution”
    • Patrick Bowen (Materials Science and Engineering): “Exploring the effect of group IV elements on the mechanical and corrosion performance of magnesium”
    • Baron Colbert (Civil Engineering): “Using Nonmetals Separated From E-Waste in Improving the Mechanical Properties of Asphalt Materials”
    • Colin Gurganus (Atmospheric Sciences): “Exploring Cloud Microphysics in the Laboratory: Heterogeneous Nucleation Pathways”
    • Lauren Schaefer (Geology): “Multidisciplinary approach to volcanic hazard monitoring at Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala”
  • Two faculty received $5,000 in seed grants.
  • Seven faculty and staff received $5,000 or more for precollege, public outreach, teacher training or augmentation.

Tech’s representative for the program is Chris Anderson, special assistant to the president, Institutional Diversity. She says, “This recognition and support help keep Michigan Tech students, faculty and staff on the cutting edge of inquiry and research. The number of awards we receive annually in this competitive process is impressive and underscores the quality of our proposals.”

For a list of all the awards and award winners, see Space Grants.

NASA implemented the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program in 1989 to provide funding for research, education and public outreach in space-related science and technology. The program has 52 university-based consortia in the United States and Puerto Rico. As an affiliate of the Michigan Consortium, Michigan Tech has participated in MSGC for over fifteen years.

For more information, contact Anderson at 487-2474 or at csanders@mtu.edu , or visit the MSGC website at MSGC.

submitted by Lisa Wallace, Institutional Diversity
Published in Tech Today

Seminar on “Conflict of Interest”

The Office of Compliance, Integrity and Safety will hold an educational session, “Conflict of Interest,” from noon to 1 p.m., Tuesday, March 27. Registration ends at 5 p.m., March 25.

REGISTER FOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

An email confirming the reservation will include the location.

This session is designed to provide faculty, postdocs and research/program staff with an understanding of what conflict of interest means and how it relates to researchers and other employees of Michigan Tech.

Some of the topics covered will include:

  • Conflict of interest categories at Michigan Tech
  • Federal regulations
  • Situational understanding

Beverages and desserts will be available. Bring your lunch.

For more information, contact Carole Noonan at 487-1148 or at csnoonan@mtu.edu .

Financial Literacy – Seminar offered by Financial Aid

Financial literacy is more than

  • balancing your check book every month
  • keeping your credit at a manageable level
  • minimizing the amount of student loan debt that you incur while pursuing your college degree

According to universitybusiness.com’s Oct 2011 article titled “Dollars and Sense” financial literacy is a major part of a student’s overall well being. As with physical wellness, there are healthy steps that we can take to assure our financial wellness.

The Office of Financial Aid at Michigan Tech is offering informational sessions touching on four major areas of financial literacy: budgeting, credit, financial aid and long term saving.  Our goal is to improve students’ understanding of what it takes to enjoy a lifetime of financial wellness.

Attend a seminar on Tuesday, March 26th from 4-5-pm to learn more.  Please register online to reserve a seat and receive confirmation of the location.

Van Pelt and Opie Library to Offer EndNote Workshop for Graduate Students

Learn how Endnote can save you hours of time in the library research and document preparation process!

The Van Pelt and Opie Library is offering two, free EndNote Basics workshops for Michigan Tech graduate students on March 26 and March 28.  EndNote is citation management software which allows anyone to easily collect, organize and use their research references.

In this free library workshop participants will learn the basic skills for building a collection of citations, how to manage their collection and how to include the citations in their documents.  The workshop will also go over how to easily create bibliographies.

The sessions will be held:

  • Monday, March 26 @ 12:00 – 1:30 PM
  • Wednesday, March 28 @ 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Seating is limited. Please sign up today by sending and email to: libraryworkshop@mtu.edu