Alumni News

West Michigan Event Report: Summer 2023

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Alumni and friends in the West Michigan area have been enjoying a variety of events, from the annual Spring Dinner to baseball games, and sending off new Huskies to Houghton! If you’d like to follow along with what is happening in the West Michigan area, check out the West Michigan Alumni Facebook Page.

Spring Dinner — April 2023

Michigan Tech alumni in the West Michigan area attended the annual Spring Dinner at the Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada. The evening featured two distinguished keynote speakers: K&A Founder Mark Kieser ’88 and Mike Foster ’11 ’20, who is working for K&A on the Mona Lake cleanup project. K&A is an environmental science-engineering firm focusing on water resources. The two gave an engaging presentation on the Mona Lake cleanup and shared how they are taking it “From ick to awe”. Emily Rounavaara, assistant director of Alumni Engagement, awarded door prizes based on trivia questions that included tuition and room and board costs in 1974 and the year when Dave Cox ’76 attended Michigan Tech. Jim Mitchell ’65 also contributed to the evening by sharing a history of Tech coaches, providing a fascinating glimpse into the University’s past.

Whitecaps Baseball Game + BBQ — June 2023

Michigan Tech alumni gathered at LMCU Ballpark for a barbeque before the Saturday night game between the West Michigan Whitecaps and the Great Lakes Loons. Thirty people enjoyed a great buffet and had the opportunity to win MTU-branded door prizes, courtesy of the Michigan Tech Office of Alumni Engagement. The West Michigan Whitecaps compiled 14 hits while the pitching staff dominated for a much-needed win and 10-0 shutout of the Great Lakes Loons in front of 7,902 fans—a season high in attendance.

New Student Send-Off — August 2023

West Michigan alumni helped send off first-year students to Houghton at Millennium Park. Kona Ice served gourmet shaved ice and Schmohz Brewery provided root beer. Tom Hampton, regional admissions manager, organized the event that drew 46 incoming students and their family members. There were several alumni and existing students present to share their stories with new students. Each of the new students had the opportunity to introduce themselves and share something about their field of interest, and what they are looking forward to at Michigan Tech. Following introductions, the students came together for a group photo that marked the beginning of their exciting adventures at the University.

Welcome to Michigan Tech, Class of 2027!

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Paying It Forward: Seel Gives Back Through Time & Talent

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After retirement, Tom Seel is entering his next chapter through mentorship and meaningful connections.

Graduating from Michigan Tech in 1985 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, Tom Seel spent 35 years dedicated to a successful career in the automotive industry. Seeking a way to share his expertise and prepare current students for the evolving worlds of industry and academia, he found the perfect avenue to fulfill this purpose through the Time & Talent (T&T) initiative at Michigan Tech.

Tom Seel
Tom Seel ’85

“My career was completely rewarding and absorbing. Upon retirement, I realized that I now had time and relevant knowledge,” Seel said. “From my perspective, that time and knowledge came with a responsibility to share. Tech started my career with a well-rounded pragmatic engineering education. Logically the place to share is where it started. The mission of the Time & Talent initiative was a perfect match.”

The impact of alumni involvement in higher education extends beyond the classroom, especially at Michigan Tech. T&T creates opportunities for alumni engagement by connecting talented Michigan Tech alumni to current students, faculty, and staff through guest lectures, presentations, and learning opportunities.

Efforts from T&T volunteers like Dan Green ‘83 and Jenny Johnson help unlock the potential of a program like Time & Talent. Leveraging alumni networks for student success, Johnson reconnected with Seel to discuss his interest—the timing couldn’t have been better.

“As an alumni, Time & Talent is about building relationships with students and professors. I can honestly say I gained new insights from the students with each guest lecture I gave,” Seel said. “Thank you is due to the professors who were willing to give up some of the valuable class time with students. It was clear to me that these professors understood the value of adding some industrial perspectives into the classroom. Tech is a special place and it is great to see and contribute to programs like Time & Talent.”

Seel’s sentiments continued to express appreciation for the faculty involved, including Ruth Archer, Laura Connolly, James DeClerck, Darrell L. Robinette, and Manish Srivastava, representing Michigan Tech’s Enterprise Program, College of Business, Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, and Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology.

For economics professor Laura Connolly, Seel’s wealth of experience afforded the ability to connect what students learn in the classroom to their future careers, emphasizing how cross-disciplinary knowledge enhanced his career success by understanding both business and engineering aspects. Connolly saw firsthand the potential of alumni-student programming.

The Time & Talent program has the potential to create a lasting impact on many students. The program not only directly connects alumni with current students, but it also illustrates to students the benefits of giving back as they progress in their careers.

Laura Connolly

In the words of Joseph Kodwo Awuni, a graduate student studying mechanical engineering, the Time & Talent initiative creates practical benefits for students seeking guidance and preparation for their future careers.

“It really helps, definitely. Now that we are going into the field, we need some form of experience and then some form of guidance. Alumni are already exposed to some of these things,” Awuni said. “So, when they come around we are able to listen to their experiences. We are taught about current trends in the industry and it helps and prepares us to also think for ourselves as young engineers who are now entering the field.”

After a distinguished career, the Time & Talent initiative at Michigan Tech allowed Tom Seel an opportunity to share decades of experience with students and faculty. Through guest lectures and volunteer connections, the program not only bridges the gap between academia and industry but also highlights the importance of giving back.

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A Message from President Koubek

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Last week heralded a new beginning for nearly 1600 students starting their academic journey at Michigan Tech. Here are a few facts about this year’s entering class:

  • Applications for undergraduate and graduate education were both at all time highs with over 22,000 undergraduate applications and over 33,000 graduate applications.
  • Michigan Tech enrolled a freshmen class on par with the last two years, making these last three classes the largest since the early 1980s.
  • Female enrollment continues to grow, positioned to be the largest number of women in Michigan Tech’s history. This also holds true for domestic ethnicity/racially underrepresented students.
  • New undergraduate students come from 35 states with the largest out of state class Michigan Tech has ever seen. Illinois is now our second largest out of state population after Wisconsin. This is followed by Minnesota and Texas.
  • Academic credentials of this class are aligned with the last two years making these three classes the most academically talented in institutional history (as measured by GPA).

It’s no surprise that our excellent academic programs are driving unprecedented interest from our students at a rate outpacing national trends. This is certainly boosted by the latest Wall Street Journal rankings, which named Michigan Tech 16th overall among U.S. public universities on the WSJ’s list of Best U.S. Colleges 2024.

As our student population grows, so does our campus infrastructure. The H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex is nearing completion. Renovated space will be used as classrooms and learning labs. The addition will house high-tech, flexible laboratory spaces, teaching labs, offices, and common areas that will meet current industry standards for safe operation and the training of students.

And, soon we will break ground on a new 512 bed residential building located on the east side of campus. This is in addition to several renovation projects underway including classroom and teaching lab renovations, new gym equipment in the Student Development Center, and elevator replacements. We are also delighted to announce the addition of Alumni Way, thanks to the generosity of one of our donors.

Our corporate partners have also embraced this growth, proven by the unprecedented 391 companies that are registered to participate in Michigan Tech’s career fair later this month, and another 18 companies on the waiting list.

As companies look to make excellent hires at Michigan Tech, I have the honor of working with two excellent individual student leaders worthy of an introduction. Mason Krause serves as the 2023-24 undergraduate student body president and Karlee Westrem was elected to serve as the graduate student body president. I met them both and am excited to support their efforts this year.

I am delighted to work with them and the many other faculty, staff, alumni and donors who share the same passion for Michigan Tech. It’s through our shared commitment that we are able to achieve such remarkable results. Thank you for your support of our fine institution.

Sincerely,

Rick Koubek
President

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Celebrating the Parade of Nations

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Fall semester brings back many important traditions. On September 16, the 34th annual Parade of Nations and Multicultural Food Festival returns to Houghton. Since 1989, the local communities and campus groups have been celebrating the rich cultural diversity of the Keweenaw. The Parade of Nations is a cherished way to not only find common ground but also appreciate our differences. What is your favorite part of the celebration? Let us know in the comments or share a Parade of Nations memory!

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Pete Kero ’94 Helped Turn Old Iron Range Mining Lands into a Bike Park

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Pete Kero
Pete Kero

Pete Kero is one of the first handful of Michigan Tech graduates in environmental engineering, earning his degree in 1994. He has spent 29 years doing environmental engineering consulting in the Upper Peninsula and northern Minnesota. Kero was the visionary behind the award-winning Redhead Mountain Bike Park in Minnesota which repurposed iron mining landscapes into recreational acreage. 

Recently, he wrote his first book titled Minescapes: Reclaiming Minnesota’s Mined Lands, which was released by the Minnesota Historical Society Press in May 2023.

Following is a Q&A with Kero on his ties to Michigan Tech and book.

Where are you from and how did you decide to come to Tech?
I grew up in Negaunee, and the short road to Michigan Tech was a well-beaten path for my family. My dad was a mechanical engineering graduate. My brother-in-law earned a civil engineering degree. My sister is a chemical engineering grad. I also have uncles who went to Tech.

What did you study?
I was part of Tech’s second-ever environmental engineering class in 1994. We were housed largely in civil engineering (now known as the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering). The department has grown and grown since I was there. It was a great choice for me.

Were there any memorable professors or academic stories?
Alex Mayer was the advisor for my environmental engineering design team. He was so patient with us as a rag-tag group of students. He took us to Las Cruces, New Mexico for a competition. I remember dodging tornadoes on the drive down. It was a really memorable capstone experience, and I appreciated that opportunity.

Talk about activities outside class while you were at Michigan Tech.
I loved skiing on the Nordic trails and mountain biking, even though there were no formal trails at the time. We’d bike the back roads and skid roads of the Keweenaw. One great memory is that my roommate and I had a competition to see how many Mondays in a row we could keep swimming in Lake Superior once the school year started. We made it to the middle of November. The last week we did it, there were people wearing snowmobile suits fishing on the shore.

Pete Kero biking

How has your career progressed?
I’ve spent 29 years in environmental consulting, working for public projects, mining, and manufacturing. I got my start working in the U.P. at Sundberg Carlson and Associates. I moved to Minnesota and worked for various companies before joining Barr Engineering. What I like about consulting is there’s a different challenge every day. I see unique problems that don’t already have a stock solution.

How did Michigan Tech prepare you for your career?
Tech was a great school to prepare you for the real world—both the ups and downs. Tech was pretty hard, but work can be pretty hard. Tech taught me how to push through challenges and how to work with people and systems.

Have you been involved with Tech as an alumnus?
I make it back to campus from time to time and stay in touch with several professors, some of whom are former colleagues at Barr. I always follow with interest what’s going on at Tech. As I was writing this book one of the post-doctoral students from Tech contributed to my understanding of early tailings management on the Mesabi Range.

What advice would you give to current Tech students?
Slow down and enjoy your time. I blasted through college in four years, but a little breathing room gives you some time to sink your teeth into more things. It helps you be able to approach and understand the materials much better.

Minescapes book cover

What spurred you to write the book?
I was personally involved as a volunteer and professional in this vast mine-disturbed territory in northeast Minnesota. It’s around 140,000 acres that have been flipped like a pancake to provide the iron ore that has built this country. Our goal was to see if there was anything we could do to attract people to this area. I volunteered to help create the Redhead Mountain Bike Park. We had to overcome so many roadblocks, including changing state law and changing perceptions about why people would be attracted to these old mined landscapes. So from my time volunteering working on the project, I had lots of notes. I wanted to set the story straight on how the bike park came to be. In order to properly tell the story, you have to go back in time. It’s really a history book. It tells the story of not only the bike park, but five generations of mine reclamation and repurposing in the area, told in a nonfiction narrative. 

What was the timeline and process for completing the book?
The book took four years. It started with a phone call to the Minnesota Historical Society Press. I expected to have them tell me no, but they encouraged me to propose the book and were fantastic to work with. Shannon Pennefeather helped me shape it, and many other people reviewed and edited the book. It was a journey that wasn’t easy, but it was gratifying.

What do you hope people take away from reading the book?
I hope they take away that there can be a full circular life to mine lands. The land can go through the creation of mine, active mining, and reclamation. It can be made valuable again through techniques that we used. Mining is a divisive topic, but just about everybody is in favor of mineland reclamation. It can be unifying and shine a spotlight on environmental operators and pioneers for this work.

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Fight Tech Fight!

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Michigan Tech’s campus is in the last quiet moments of summer—another Alumni Reunion is in the books and a new class of first-year students prepares to arrive for Orientation Week. Before you know it, the rhythm of a new semester will bring vibrant energy back, along with the cream of the Keweenaw and the pride of Pasty Land… the Huskies Pep Band! Here is a glimpse back to the Pep Band spreading school spirit in the fall of 2009. Do you remember the fight song, or have another favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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First Female Mechanical Engineering Grad Reflects on Time at Michigan Tech

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Marian Smith Scott

Immediately following World War II and as the Cold War was beginning, Marian “Smitty” Smith became the first female mechanical engineering graduate at Michigan Tech. The year was 1948.

Seventy-five years later, Marian Smith Scott is 95 years old living in Gaylord, MI.

After completing junior college in 1946, Marian chose to continue her education at Michigan Tech. Given her strength in math, she thought engineering was a good path for her. “I understood that engineering required a lot of math, so I decided on mechanical,” she said. “I have to admit… I really didn’t know what engineering was!”

When Marian Smith started at Tech, she recalls there being around 400 students—only 20 of whom were women. Enrollment blossomed after World War II bringing the total to 1,789 students at the Houghton branch (and 384 in Sault Ste. Marie). While there were few women before her who graduated with different degrees, only three others were pursuing mechanical engineering. Since they were younger than her, Marian, who was well known by the nickname “Smitty”, rarely had any other women in her classes. Despite facing challenges and discrimination during her time as a student, Marian never lost sight of her goal.

One professor was particularly challenging, believing that women didn’t belong in engineering. As Marian explained, “I distinctly remember our professor giving us a quiz with three questions. I got the final answer correct but forgot to do the last step on the third question. The guy next to me didn’t even answer it, and he got a better score than me. That really irked me! I still ended up with a B in the class. I should have had an A, but he couldn’t do anything to give me less than a B and that made me happy.”

Having 40 hours of class each week and homework didn’t leave much time for hobbies, but “Smitty” still managed to have some fun. A member of Alpha Phi Omega, there were many formal parties and dances, so she was always busy sewing another new dress. She fondly recalls watching a young man sprint towards her from across campus to ask her to go on a date with him to a dance that was a month away. “There weren’t many women there. You had to get your dates early!” She also met her future husband Bill Scott at Tech, who graduated at the same time with the same degree. Three months after graduation, the two were engaged.

After graduating from Tech, Scott started her career at General Motors. She later became an editor for Design News—a technical magazine. After Design News moved to Denver, Scott secured a job at Bendix (now known as Allied Signal, Inc.) where she became the first female to have a supervisor role outside of the factory. “It might have been a big deal,” she said, “but nobody made anything of it. They didn’t give me much more money!”

“When I got out of school, people didn’t really believe that I had an engineering degree,” Scott said when asked about the public perception of a woman in engineering at the time. “People would still ask me silly questions like what you would get in 12th grade physics. Many of the employers were skeptical, which wasn’t very fair.” She continued, “I think some people thought I had two heads. But I got a job, and I did the job.”

Marian “Smitty” Scott encourages all women in engineering to be confident and know that they are as good and as capable as the men in the same field.

“I’ve always felt my decision to go to Michigan Tech was a good one,” she said. “I went back for my 50th reunion in 1998, and I saw the improvements they made. I wished I were going to school then! It was, and is, a very good school.”

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Remembering Professor and Chair William W. Predebon

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Dr. William W. Predebon Sr., of Houghton, retired professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, at Michigan Technological University, died unexpectedly at the young age of 80 on July 21, at UP Health System-Portage Hospital in Hancock.

William W. Predebon

Bill was born in Trenton, New Jersey, to Walter and Josephine Predebon. After high school Bill attended the University of Norte Dame where he received his bachelor’s of science in Engineering Science.

While at Notre Dame, Bill boxed for the Bengal Bouts, founded by Knute Rockne, which was a charity event whose proceeds benefited the Holy Cross missions in Bangladesh. He competed in the 155 lb division and was the boxing champion at Notre Dame in 1964. Through his undergrad, he developed lifelong friendships, and it is where he met his future wife of 56 years, Mary Ann Montgomery. Bill was in the Army/ROTC as a commander of the Irish Moroder’s Drill Team. Upon graduation, Bill was commissioned as a Lieutenant and he would eventually be promoted to Captain later in life.

He received both his master’s and doctorate from Iowa State University. In 1967, while pursuing his degrees, he married Mary Ann and they were blessed with two beautiful children, Nadine and Bill Jr. Predebon. After his PhD, he was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. He then stayed on as a civilian after his military obligation was fulfilled. In 1975, Bill and his family moved to Houghton, Michigan, where he took a job as a Professor at Michigan Technological University (MTU).

Throughout his career at MTU, Bill earned recognition for advancing engineering education. He retired in June 2022, after 25 years as the Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) and nearing 47 years at the University. Under his watch, the department made great strides in conducting interdisciplinary research, growing the doctoral program, expanding research funding, and updating the curriculum and labs.

He led the ME-EM Department to rapidly evolve its educational methods, infusing into undergraduate and graduate curriculum the knowledge and critical skills to use big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in solving engineering design problems.

A Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Bill has received numerous additional honors at MTU, including membership in the Academy of Teaching Excellence; the Outstanding Service Award for his work with the student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers; the first annual Martin Luther King Award by the Black Student Organizations; and the Distinguished Teaching Award, the Honorary Alumni Award, and the Diversity Award.

Bill led efforts to create the Michigan Tech Learning Resource Center for Self-Paced Programmed Instruction, the ME-EM Engineering Learning Center, as well as a distance learning doctorate degree in mechanical engineering, and a Design Engineer Certificate program with General Motors in 2000. More than 600 GM employees earned the certificate.

He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Michigan Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and was inducted into the Pan American Academy of Engineering, which brings together engineers from across the continent of North America, South America, and Mexico—a total of 18 countries.

Throughout his life, exercise was an important part of his lifestyle; many may know he was a fixture at the MTU Student Development Complex’s gym. He was a huge supporter of the MTU sports teams; he was a season ticket holder to volleyball, basketball, football, and ice hockey. This also was evident outside of his duties at MTU, where he was known as “Coach Wally”. He enjoyed coaching his son and teammates from little league, senior league and legion baseball. Bill was also a figure on the alpine ski hill, supporting his children’s ski endeavors in the Central United States Ski Association and Houghton High School Ski Team.

Bill was passionate about whatever he did, whether it be his strong work ethic, his family, or his devotion to faith. Throughout his life, his curiosity fueled the continued pursuit of knowledge.

He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Walter.

Surviving him are His wife: Mary Ann Predebon; His daughter: Nadine (Jeff Beaupre) Predebon; His son: Bill (Sheri) Predebon Jr.; His grandson: Tyler (Sarah) Brooks; His granddaughter: Madison Brooks; His half-sister: Patty Davis; His feline companion: Poe.

The O’Neil-Dennis Funeral Home is assisting with funeral arrangements and the Celebration of Life Ceremony. To leave online condolences, please go to www.oneilldennisfh.com.

The Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 16, at 11 a.m., at the Isle Royale Ballroom in the Michigan Tech Memorial Union Building. There will be a buffet luncheon to follow. The celebration is open to the public and all are welcome to commemorate his life. Lunch will follow the ceremony, provided by the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you donate money to K-SNAG, the Copper Community Art Center, or your charity of choice.

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