Michigan Tech College of Business Newsblog

Category: Students

Students Win Second Place in Associated Schools of Construction Competition

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Michigan Tech students and FHP staff at the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Great Lakes Region Heavy Civil Division Competition this October. Pictured (left to right) are Joe Scarpelli, Executive VP of FHP, Sam Fitzpatrick (civil engineering), Troy Pape (civil engineering), Jack Schall (construction management), Evan Deimling (civil engineering), Caitlyn Schmitt (construction management), Christo Short (construction management), and Mia Dadian, FHP college recruiting manager.

Michigan Tech students won second place in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Great Lakes Region Heavy Civil Division Competition this October. The team competed against Milwaukee School of Engineering.

“We received great feedback from the division sponsor, F.H. Paschen (FHP) Contractors,” says Andrea Andres, professor of practice in civil, environmental, and geospatial engineering. “They were extremely impressed with our team’s final presentation.”

Andres adds that FHP praised the team’s thorough approach to their safety plan and quality plan. FHP gave the team advice and shared industry insight on how to improve their estimate and schedule in the future.

“Overall, the first and second-year students did an excellent job, especially considering that they haven’t yet had any courses in estimating or scheduling,” says Andres. “But, most importantly, the team had a great time, learned a lot, and they are all interested in returning next year.”

Next year, the students plan to compete in the Commercial division, as well as the Heavy Civil division.

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Ola Ayeni Named 2025 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Finalist

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Academic Office Building, Michigan Tech College of Business

Michigan Sea Grant has announced that Master of Engineering Management candidate Ola Ayeni has been named a finalist for the 2025 class of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.

The Knauss program matches graduate students and recent graduates with host agencies in Washington, D.C., such as congressional offices, the National Marine Fisheries Service, or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For one year, fellows work on a range of policy and management projects related to ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources. Fellows can be placed in the federal, legislative or executive branches.

After spending six years as a network infrastructure engineer and another six as an environmentalist and circular economy practitioner in Nigeria, Ayeni wanted to strengthen her skills in sustainability and leadership. This led her to pursue a master’s in engineering management at Michigan Tech — a program where she could combine her technical expertise with managerial insights.

In addition to being a graduate student, Ayeni is also the founder of a social enterprise called Hopcyku, which won the Social Impact Award during the 2024 Bob Mark Pitch Competition. Hopcyku’s work focuses on waste diversion and pollution prevention through the principles of the circular economy.

Ayeni’s passion for sustainability and waste management perfectly aligns with broader environmental conservation goals, which inspired her to apply for the Knauss Sea Grant Fellowship. She is honored to join over 1,680 fellows who have, over the program’s 45-year history, significantly contributed to environmental policy and management, building impactful careers in national policy making.

Ayeni is also deeply thankful to Sarah Isaacson (GS) for providing unwavering guidance and support throughout the Knauss Fellowship application process. Isaacson’s commitment ensured Ayeni had everything she needed to succeed. She would also like to express her gratitude to Robert Hutchinson (COB) for his recommendation and ongoing support throughout her time in Houghton.

Read more in the Michigan Sea Grant press release.

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Houghton-based startup wins ‘Most Investable Company’ at Demo Days in Detroit

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The start up company Integrated Molecular Innovations (imi) has been awarded the People’s Choice Award and judged the Most Investable Company at a Demo Days competition in Detroit this month.

Owned by Michigan Tech biomedical engineering major Rourke Sylvain, imi is a biosensing venture that empowers individuals to take control of their health through innovative, non-invasive, and continuous monitoring technology.

Sylvain is active in the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO), a student organization supported by the MTU College of Business. In recent CEO-affiliated pitch competitions, including the Rice Business Plan Competition and Central Michigan University’s New Venture Challenge, imi was awarded thousands of dollars.

Sylvain’s awards were the subject of a recent A TV6 News story, which appears below.

Houghton-based startup wins ‘Most Investable Company’ at Demo Days in Detroit

From TV6 News; by Audrey Stetson; published: Aug. 29, 2024
Read the original story.

UPPER MICHIGAN (WLUC) – A Houghton-based startup has big plans to revolutionize health care.

Integrated Molecular Innovations just won two awards. IMI is designing a bio-wearable device that could predict health problems before they happen.

IMI Founder Rourke Sylvain says the quality of peoples’ lives could be drastically impacted by this new technology.

“This health care system that we’re in right now is these reactive diagnostics,” Sylvain said. “We wait to get sick and then we go figure out why we get sick. It’s really critical that we have these technologies that can provide us this information before we even get sick.”

He compares it to the Apple Watch but with better technology for providing users with more precise insights to their health. The device continuously monitors molecular information in sweat.

“Now, our early products will be glucose and lactate sensors,” Sylvain said. “We’ll be targeting endurance athletes that need to monitor their energy levels and their exercise intensity. As the technology advances, we’ll disseminate the product to the masses.”

The MTEC SmartZone hosted its first ever 16-week Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Program Accelerator over the summer. Five groups, including IMI, learned about the early stages of business.

It culminated in a Demo Days competition in Detroit. There, the audience voted for IMI to win the People’s Choice Award and a panel judged the startup as Most Investable Company, based on a variety of factors.

“What does the growth look like for this?” AMMP Accelerator Co-Director Katie Kirsch asked. “How big is the market size? Does the team actually have a very logical and coherent plan in order to meet those milestones with whatever money they would receive?”

IMI will reinvest the $5,000 it won into product development. Kirsch says it was exciting to showcase what innovative technologies can come out of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

This innovation may someday improve our health.

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131 Huskies Honored for Academics by D2 ADA

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LEVELAND – A number of College of Business students are among 131 student-athletes that received an Academic Achievement Award from the Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) for the 2023-24 academic year. The Academic Achievement Awards, in its 17th year, recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the NCAA Division II level. The College of Business students are below.

For the second straight year, there were more than 19,000 student-athletes recognized (19,774) from 192 institutions for the 2023-24 Academic Achievement Awards. This year’s total is the highest in the program’s history. In total, 167,396 student-athletes have been recognized since the inception of the awards program.

“The goal of this program since inception has been to showcase the amazing student-athletes, coaches and staff, across our Division II landscape. We are fortunate to recognize such deserving individuals on an annual basis,” said Mike McFarland, director of athletics at Bloomsburg University and current D2 ADA President. “We couldn’t be prouder of the work that these individuals put into their craft. Our industry will be a better place as these student-athletes head out into the real world.”

To qualify for this honor, the following must occur:

  • The Athletic Director MUST BE a CURRENT dues-paying member of the D2 ADA.
  • Student-athletes must have …
    • a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale
    • have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college-level work 
    • have been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year

All Huskies Honored:

About D2 ADA: The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of Division II athletics directors. For more information about the D2 ADA, please visit www.div2ada.com. The D2 ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 59th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.

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Olivia Laven ’24 (BS in Engineering Management) Named to All-America Team

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College of Business graduate Olivia Laven ’24 BS in Engineering Management, was named to the CSC Academic All-America At-Large Team this July. Laven, from Stockholm, Sweden, skied for the Michigan Tech Women’s Nordic Skiing team from 2019 to 2024.

CSC–College Sports Communicators –is a 4,100+ member national association for strategic, creative and digital communicators across intercollegiate athletics in the United States and Canada.

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