Author: College of Engineering

There will be six after-school science and engineering classes held for grades 1-8 at Michigan Tech. The classes will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 24 through Dec. 7. There will be no sessions during Thanksgiving week.

These classes offer hands-on explorations taught by Michigan Tech science and engineering students in the GLRC.

Grades 1-2: “Forest Fun!” Wednesdays

Students will engineer seed get-aways, investigate animal tracks, play bird migration games, examine leaf characteristics and create leaf art, and discover the many ways that animals survive the winter.

Grades 3-5: “Wild About Michigan Wildlife!” Mondays

Explore bats and spiders, follow a salmon upstream, investigate the characteristics of wolves and discover what an owl eats by dissecting a little regurgitation.

Grades 6-8: “Investigating Chemistry” Tuesdays

Find out how chemistry affects our daily lives as you delve into food reactions, tie-dye fabrics, crime scene investigation and designing the best bubble solution to create the longest lasting bubble.

Cost is $75 per student. Register by Friday (Oct. 21). Payments can be made by credit card by calling 7-2247. Your space is not reserved until payment has been received.

A Houghton school bus will drop off students at the GLRC by 3:45 p.m.

Contact Joan Chadde at 7-3341 with questions.

By Joan Chadde.

Water and the City of Flint have garnered plenty of headlines this year. This week, 13 teachers from the Flint area are on the campus of Michigan Tech for a four-day teacher institute focused on water and water issues.

The special interdisciplinary teacher institute will focus on three specific areas: Flint River Watershed; Drinking Water Treatment; Wastewater Treatment. The event is coordinated by the Ride the Waves program, Martin Auer (CEE) principal investigator and the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.

Read more at Tech Today, by Joan Chadde.

Flint Teachers visit U.P. to learn about good water quality

Flint’s population continues to try and recover from their water crisis and these lessons will help deal with those lingering issues. Hamaday Middle School Science Teacher Arleatha Bryant said, “I’ve had at least seven children tell me they were tested positive for lead, and so we’ve been doing a lot of research on different foods you can eat and things you can do to try and alleviate some of the issues that may occur with this situation.”

And most importantly to educate people so such a situation doesn’t happen again. MTU Civil & Environmental Engineering Professor Martin Auer said, “These are the people that are going to change the lives that need to get this work done over the next several decades. If we can reach these teachers, then we can stimulate a process that’s going to engage the young people and that’s where the future is.”

Read more and watch the video at ABC 10 UP.