School of Technology Newsblog

Epsilon Pi Tau, in conjunction with the CNSA program and the School of Technology, is pleased to announce the Spring Semester 2012 hours for the CNSA Learning Center.

Tuesday evenings — 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday evenings — 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Thursday evenings — 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

The CNSA Learning Center coaches will be available in EERC 328 during the times listed above.  For further information, contact Evan Hendrick at erhendri@mtu.

The Upper Peninsula Road Builders’ (UPRB) Scholarship Fund Committee has announced the recipients of scholarships for the 2011-2012 academic year. Scholarships are provided annually to students demonstrating the dedication and desire to complete their studies and receive a degree in Civil Engineering or Surveying Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

These scholarships are presented to undergraduate survey students who are in their second to fifth year of study and enrolled at Michigan Tech in the bachelor’s degree program for Civil Engineering or Surveying Engineering. Michigan Tech scholarship recipients are Ethan Richmond (Eben Junction) and Mark Jakubik (Whittemore).

“This year the scholarship committee received thirty applications and is able to provide 12 scholarships,” UPRB Scholarship Fund President Kevin Harju said. “We are excited to see so many bright and talented young people seeking a career in civil engineering and are honored to support their educational development.”

Since 1956, the Upper Peninsula Road Builders’ Memorial Scholarship Fund has encouraged men and women to study civil and environmental engineering, acquiring the tools necessary to pursue careers in Michigan’s construction industry and beyond. Unlike most undergraduate scholarship programs that support students in a four year course of study, the UPRB scholarships are intended to support fifth year civil engineering students who often do not qualify for scholarship aid to finish their studies.

“The young people receiving scholarships exemplify the work ethic and commitment of students at Michigan Tech in pursuit of their education and goals,” Harju said. “We congratulate them on their scholarship.”

The Upper Peninsula Road Builders’ Scholarship Fund is funded by private donations from the men and women who work in Michigan’s road building industry. Those wishing to help the fund sponsor future scholarships are encouraged to send contributions to the Upper Peninsula Road Builders’ Memorial Scholarship Fund, Box 239, Hancock, MI 49930.

As part of a $269,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, two faculty in the School of Technology (SOT) are embarked on an effort to bring academia abreast of industry.

The principles involved are Associate Professor Nasser Alaraje, who is chair of the electrical engineering technology program, and Assistant Professor Aleksandr Sergeyev. The two just conducted an intensive, two-day workshop on Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) and Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

Representatives from seven institutions in six states (Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Georgia) engaged in the hands-on learning experience, working with both the software and the hardware. read more »

A new minor in data acquisition and industrial control begins this semester in the School of Technology.

The focus: an understanding of the electrical and electronic systems that control modern industrial processes.

“Engineers need this experience,” said Dean Jim Frendewey, “and it will help them and us.”

Associate Professor Nasser Alaraje, chair of the School’s electrical engineering technology program, put together the new minor. He said, “It’s a valuable skill that is highly marketable, highly respected, and highly desired by industry. There is great interest.”

The minor addresses gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data as a component of designing and conducting experiments and industrial functions.

Alaraje said the capability is ideal for engineers of every discipline being offered on campus. “It’s the basis for collaboration on multidisciplinary projects, because most real-world work involves several disciplines.” The specialty, he added, brings together electrical systems, computing, sensing hardware, data acquisition software and control systems.

The minor, the first in the School, entails 16 credits. All of the required and elective courses are already being taught on a regular basis by existing faculty.