Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering News

Day: February 14, 2012

A Short History of Downtown Automated People Movers in U.S. Cities — An example of why technology alone cannot solve urban problems

Published
By

Thursday, February 16, 2012
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: DOW 642
Speaker: William Leder, Adjunct Professor and Roland A. Mariucci Distinguished Practitioner in Residence

In the early 1970s many automated guideway transit technologies and concepts were emerging, and numerous applications were proposed. One of the urban transportation initiatives of that era was the Downtown People Mover (DPM) Program, sponsored by the U.S government, in which support in the form of grants was provided to demonstrate automated guideway transit as a circulation system in downtowns. These systems were envisioned as important transportation links that would help to reverse urban decay. This presentation will provide a history of the Downtown People Mover (DPM) Program, a description of and current status of the three DPM systems that were built, and lessons learned.

More information: Civil Engineering Graduate Seminar-Bill Leder

Continue Reading →

Green Film Festival: “Addicted to Plastic”

Published
By

Are you addicted to plastic? Find out about society’s plastic addiction and what can be done about it at the next film in the Green Film Festival series at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16, in Forestry G002.

Called “Addicted to Plastic,” the film focuses on the worldwide production, use and environmental effects of plastic. Associate Professor Judith Perlinger (CEE) will lead a discussion after the showing.

The film is free, but a $3 donation is requested. Sponsors are the Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society, the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and the Keweenaw Land Trust.

Continue Reading →

SFHI Transportation Candidate Visits, All Evaluations are Due

Published
By

The Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative in Transportation presents a seminar by Jeffrey Lidicker, a PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, at 10 a.m., today, in Rekhi G06. Lidicker will speak on “Pavement Resurfacing Policy for Minimization of Life-cycle Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.”

The committee encourages faculty and staff to interact with the SFHI candidates and evaluate them.

The seminars are available for viewing on the SFHI website, where applications, abstracts and itineraries can also be reviewed.

Lidicker’s presentation completes the current set of SFHI Transportation interviews.

The SFHI Transportation Steering Committee requests that evaluations for this group of candidates be completed by Saturday, Feb. 18.

The committee will meet early in the week of Feb. 20 to select its recommendations for faculty hires. Evaluations by the campus community are an integral part of the the committee’s overall evaluation of the candidates.

For more information, contact Carol Asiala at 487-2033 or at
cjasiala@mtu.edu .

Continue Reading →

Webinar on Railroad Networks

Published
By

The Rail Transportation Program (RTP), a part of the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI), will host a webinar from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on “Optimal Fueling Strategies for Locomotive Fleets in Railroad Networks.” The presentation by Seyed Mohammad Nourbakhsh will be from 1 to 2:30 p.m., today, February 17th, in Dillman 315.

Continue Reading →

Railroad Engineering and Activities Club Meeting

Published
By

The Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC) will hold a business meeting from 6 to 7 p.m., Tuesday Feb 28, in Dow 875.

This Tuesday’s Rail Transportation Seminar presentation will be by Phil Pasterak, Sr. Vice President/Central Region Manager Rail & Transit for PB. The presentation title is:

“High Speed Rail Development in the US and Midwest”

REAC is open to members of any discipline who have an interest in finding out more about REAC activities and the rail industry.

Pizza and pop will be provided.

For more information, contact Pam Hannon, coordinator, MTTI, at 487-3065 or at prhannon@mtu.edu .

Continue Reading →

Scholarship Opportunities for Engineering Juniors, Seniors and Grad Applicants

Published
By

The Michigan Tech Sustained Support to Ensure Engineering Degrees (SSEED) program (funded by NSF S-STEM) is in its second year of four. In 2011-12, the program awarded 33 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to engineering juniors and seniors. The program awarded five fellowships of $8,000 each to first-year engineering graduate students.

The purpose of the undergraduate scholarships is to improve the retention of upper division engineering students who have financial need and other risk factors that make it difficult to complete their degrees. The purpose of the graduate fellowships is to improve the recruitment of women and minorities to graduate study in engineering.

In 2012-13, the program will again award up to 35 undergraduate scholarships and five graduate fellowships. The program also features mentoring and professional development opportunities. The application deadline is March 15 for undergraduate scholarships and May 1 for graduate fellowships. Share this information with qualified students.

For more information, see SSEED, or contact Michele Miller at 487-3025 or at mhmiller@mtu.edu .

Continue Reading →