Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Category: Engineering Management

My Engineering Management Co-op Experience

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This summer, engineering management major Mitch Watters participated in a co-op at Greenheck. The third-year student completed real-world work assignments related to his major while being simultaneously enrolled in a course requiring online discussions, written assignments, evaluations, and a final report. 

Q: Where are you doing your co-op?
MW: I am doing my co-op at Greenheck, which is a supplier of air movement and air control systems. I grew up in the same Wisconsin town Greenheck is located in, so when I saw a co-op job posting on LinkedIn, I applied right away.

Q: What are your responsibilities there?
MW: I am a test engineer at the dampers lab. I am responsible for performing tests and carrying out test plans. To set up tests, I perform air-leakage tests on our products; other times I make modifications or adjustments to our products and test how they perform. I collect data and communicate test results to our product development engineers. I also help brainstorm and make recommendations for our tests.

Student Mitch Watters in a test oven

Q: Who do you work with?
MW: In the lab I work with our lab supervisor and test technician. A lot of the testing I do comes from our engineering team and product development engineers. I spend most of my time working with our product development engineers.  

Q: What are you learning?
MW: I learned how engineering teams work together and how my role assists the sales team. I learned the importance of effective and efficient communication.

Q: Favorite co-op memory?
MW: Some of the best parts of my co-op were when I traveled for field issues. I was able to see the application for our product in the field and how to maintain a professional level of communication with our customers.

Student Mitch Watters

Q: What will you take away from this experience?
MW: My co-op experience helped shape my future career by giving me the engineering experience needed for my degree. As an engineering management major I need an understanding of both the engineering and business side of the company. Next summer I hope to do an internship where I can gain hands-on business experience. Overall, I am even more certain that I will really enjoy an application engineer position.

About the College of Business
The Michigan Tech College of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting, construction management, economics, engineering management, finance, management, management information systems, and marketing, as well as a general business option. Graduate degrees include the TechMBA®, a Master of Engineering Management, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Master of Science in Applied Natural Resource Economics.

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My First Year at MTU: Marco Marquez

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MTU student Marco Marquez stands at a podium
Having grown up in Detroit, Michigan, Marco Marquez felt ready for the natural, rugged beauty of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The unique location, along with Michigan Tech’s STEM focus, led him to enroll in engineering management.

Since starting at Michigan Tech in the fall of 2019, Marco has adjusted and loves his second home. At first, he wasn’t sure what to expect and found it difficult to leave behind access to shopping, family, and friends. However, he says that meeting new friends and exploring the Upper Peninsula made the transition to college easier than expected. 

Marco has enjoyed getting to know students from other cultures and connecting through language. As a bilingual student, Marco finds language to be a starting point in learning about other people. Of his new connections, meeting a fellow Husky from Spain in Intro to Finance has been one of the most rewarding. He finds that collaborating on homework in Spanish to be a helpful way to continue using his second language.

Joining student organizations has also helped Marco gain new perspectives. One impactful experience was visiting Chicago with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to speak with pre-college students in primarily Hispanic schools. The group encouraged students to think about their lives after high school and the opportunities that are available to them in STEM and college. Marco also traveled to Minneapolis with the Accounting Club, which prompted his decision to switch majors to accounting and finance. He is also a member of the Society of African-American Men, which participates in community service activities on campus. 

In his first year at Michigan Tech, Marco’s vision for his future has evolved. Initially, his goal was to get a degree and a well-paying job to help support his family. Since then, he has learned to aim even higher. Marco now aspires to create his own company in the automotive industry, where he will work to make travel easier, faster, and more affordable. He would also love to use his passion for language to connect with others while undertaking this journey.

Marco credits his growth to the encouraging culture at MTU, and wants to let other students know that stepping outside their comfort zone just might change their perspective for life. 

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They Can See Clearly Now: Couple Donates Washer Fluid for Student Travelers

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By Mark Wilcox, University Marketing and Communications

Roger Woods (engineering management faculty) and Teresa Woods (Math) often travel during the holidays. For a while now the Woods have been looking for a way to make a donation related to residential life, when the idea of helping students traveling home for the holidays came to mind.

Drone photo of campus and Portage Canal

“In our various Thanksgiving and Christmas travels we have always gone through gallons of washer fluid heading downstate or to Wisconsin,” Roger Woods says. “We recognize that most Tech students do the same but may not have factored washer fluid into their plans. We came up with the idea of donating cases of washer fluid to the residence halls for whomever needs it.”

The Woods reached out to Auto Value of Houghton which sold them 100 gallons of washer fluid at cost. The washer fluid will be available beginning today at the desks of each residence hall.

Joseph Cooper, director of Student Financial Services, is also interim director of Residence Education and Housing Services. He applauds the Woods for their creative donation. “Many of us have been in the predicament where we’re struggling to get to the next gas station to fill up on washer fluid. This is an incredibly generous idea and we appreciate Roger and Teresa supporting our students in this unique way.”

Gallon bottles of washer fluid are available for students on a first-come, first-served basis along with a wish for safe travels from the folks who donated them. “From your fellow road trippers, R & T Woods — Be safe.”

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School of Business and Economics Announces New Fall 2019 Programs

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The Academic Office Building on Michigan Tech's campus is featured

To better serve and provide opportunities for STEM students, the School of Business and Economics (SBE) now offers a minor in business as an attractive addition for students of any major who will go on to work for a company or organization or start their own enterprise. The content allows graduates to differentiate themselves with a foundation of business skills.

In addition, our recently approved master’s degree in engineering management, a hybrid engineering-business degree, focuses on managerial knowledge, business literacy, and other relevant skills critical for successful operations in various engineering/technology-intensive industries.

Finally, to infuse technology into our accounting curriculum, new courses and content have been created resulting in the new concentration in data analytics. This fall, students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting with also be able to earn an 18-credit concentration in data analytics. Those seeking to earn the Master of Science in Accounting degree will also be able to earn a graduate certificate in accounting analytics or forensic examination. “The concentration and certificate programs leverage accounting, information systems, and math coursework to help students acquire a valuable skill set encompassing databases, data cleaning and visualization, statistical programming, and analytical methods,” says program director and professor of practice, Joel Tuoriniemi. 

According to Dean Johnson, dean of the School of Business and Economics, these new offerings leverages SBE’s strengths as a business school embedded in a technological institution.

To learn more about any of our programs, please email business@mtu.edu.

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Business Huskies Place Second and Third in State Project Competition

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Earlier this month, Michigan Technological University’s School of Business and Economics (SBE) sent two teams of undergraduate students to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to compete in the final stage of the eighth-annual THE Project Competition, an annual collegiate project management competition hosted by the Western Michigan Project Management Institute Chapter.

From L to R: Keaton Thames, Erica Austin, Giselle Ulep, Skyler Nelson-Makuch, Sarah Koerber, Quinn Trumbower

Roger Woods, SBE faculty member who leads the opportunity each year, says that the experience engages Huskies in the practice of project management, develops their leadership skills, and provides them with a platform to demonstrate their abilities to business and community leaders.

Michigan Tech has competed in all eight of the competitions, placing third in 2018 and first in 2017.

THE Project scenario for 2019 was to develop a project plan to renovate an existing building on campus to LEED standards. Teams worked with subject-matter experts and stakeholders to develop a project plan using the Project Management Body of Knowledge published by the Project Management Institute. They are assigned a mentor and are judged by professionals at four different stages or “gates.”

Students faced competition from five other Michigan schools including Cornerstone, Ferris State, Grand Valley, Hillsdale, and Western Michigan.

“THE Project is probably the best college experience I have had outside of an internship for my future career in the project management industry,” says first-time competitor and Michigan Tech senior, Connor Green.

A group of five Michigan Tech students pose at competition.
From L to R: Amanda Vermeer, Amanda Sabol, Megan Twork, Connor Green, Hannah Badger

Team Extreme Makeover Tech Edition–comprised of Erica Austin (management, Sterling Heights, MI), Sarah Koerber (engineering management,Grand Blanc, MI), Skyler Nelson-Makuch (supply chain and operations management, Kalamazoo, MI), Keaton Thames (engineering management, Highlands Ranch, CO), Quinn Trumbower (engineering management, New London, WI) , and Giselle Ulep (engineering management, Beverly Hills, MI)–went from last place to the top spot in their division throughout the four competition gates, securing a position in the final three.

Huskies LEED the Way–a team, which included Hannah Badger (engineering management, Plymouth, MI), Connor Green (engineering management, Sandusky, MI), Amanda Sabol (engineering management, Utica, MI), Megan Twork (engineering management, Ravenna, MI), and Amanda Vermeer (engineering management, Sterling Heights, MI)–led their division from start to finish, also securing a spot in the final three.

Final: Huskies LEED second; Extreme Makeover third.

 

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