Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering News

Category: Outreach

New Faculty Spotlight: Ishi Keenum

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Ishi Keenum is a bioinformatician, an engineer, and an environmental microbiologist.

Assistant Professor Ishi Keenum comes to Michigan Tech from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where she completed her postdoctoral research. She earned a BS in at the University of Michigan, and an MS and PhD at Virginia Tech, all in Environmental Engineering. She serves as the lead of the bioinformatic working group for the International Microbiome and Multi’omics Standards Alliance (IMMSA). 

What drew you to Michigan Tech?

My hometown is Knoxville, Tennessee but with lots of family in Houghton. I grew up coming here for the summers! When I visited the CEGE faculty were incredibly welcoming and I was really drawn by the people who would be my colleagues. I also love the accessibility to the outdoors and the water!

What is your primary area of research and what led you to it?

My focus is on the dissemination and treatment of antibiotic resistance through our wastewater and water systems. More broadly, I examine the microbiology of water systems. I got involved in environmental biotechnology as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Michigan. I was drawn to this type of work because I like to think of how a better understanding of environmental microbiology in engineered systems can help prevent exposures to things like opportunistic pathogens and antibiotic resistance. I really like that my work has a close public health benefit. 

“I am passionate about creating safe water for human consumption.”

Dr. Ishi Keenum

Can you share a little more about your research and what you like about it?

I examine how our wastewater treatment systems and agricultural systems currently address antibiotic resistance throughout the treatment process. I also work on generating standards for how we make measurements of microbial communities. I get to use a variety of different microbial methods to try to answer these questions. I like the diversity of methods I use in my work. It means we can answer a variety of different questions about our engineered systems.
I also love that I get to work on some of the most pressing world problems facing our society. For instance, waterborne disease and antibiotic resistance cost millions of dollars in the US to treat at healthcare facilities, and we need to better understand where people are exposed.

Ishy Keenum collects a water sample into a plastic bottle at a water treatment plant.

What do you consider an important long-term goal for your research, teaching, or outreach?

I am looking forward to building and joining a strong environmental microbiology program at Michigan Tech. I am looking forward to understanding the microbiology and challenges in our surrounding community and am hoping to get involved in both outreach and research.

What do you hope to accomplish, as an educator, over the next few years?

I am looking forward to connecting with Michigan Tech students as a teacher and faculty member. I hope we can have fun and engaging classroom discussions around issues we all currently face working in the field of environmental engineering.

“Try getting involved in student organizations that do what you’re interested in doing.”

Advice to incoming students, from Dr. Ishi Keenum

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love running and hiking and I’m excited to get into cross country skiing! You can also find me with my dog, Monty!

Any advice for incoming students?

I am here to help. I want to work with you to be successful!

Dr. Keenum did her postdoc at NIST. Michigan Tech recently entered into an agreement with NIST, as a NIST PREP University.
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New Faculty Spotlight: Bo Xiao

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Bo Xiao

Assistant Professor Bo Xiao comes to Michigan Tech from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he worked as a research assistant professor. He earned his BEng in Civil Engineering, at Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology in China, his master’s degree from Concordia University in Canada, and his PhD at the University of Alberta, Canada. Dr. Xiao and his team conduct research in his Computing and Construction Robotics Lab (CaRC) at Michigan Tech.

What drew you to Michigan Tech?

Michigan Tech’s Tech Forward Initiative attracted me. My long-term career goal is to build autonomous and intelligent systems in the construction industry. I believe Michigan Tech is the place where I can achieve my dream. Houghton is also a place of four-season recreation, with picturesque scenery—all the numerous lakes, forests, and rolling hills. As an outdoor enthusiast, I look forward to trying it all—hiking, fishing, boating, and skiing.

What is your primary area of research and what led you to it?

My primary research goal is to advance the digital transformation of the construction industry by adopting automated technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and digital twinning. Automation, digitalization, and robotics technologies are the key success factor for the fourth construction industry revolution (aka Construction 4.0). I believe it has the potential to enhance the efficiency, productivity, accuracy, and safety of the construction industry, and help solve some of the complex problems surrounding our cities, environment, and the planet. 

“Learn outside the classroom.”

Dr. Bo Xiao’s advice for incoming students.

Can you share a little more about your research and what you like about it?

Specifically, my research focus is divided among two fields. The first involves using robots to build modular homes. Modular construction offers significant time savings compared to traditional on-site construction methods. Since the building components are fabricated in a controlled factory environment concurrently with site preparation, construction timelines can be significantly reduced. This faster construction process allows for quicker project completion, reduced financing costs, and faster occupancy or utilization of the building. I am developing robots that can build modular components automatically. Robotics allows for the precise and accurate assembly of these components, leading to higher quality and consistency in the final product and better fitting and alignment of modular elements. My second research focus involves vision-based monitoring of construction sites. Construction video footage contains important information about safety, productivity, and site planning. By using computer vision and generative AI to analyze construction sites, efficiency and safety can be improved.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My favorite pastimes are playing basketball and downhill skiing.

Any favorite spots on campus, in Houghton, or in the UP?

Copper Harbor is my favorite!

Copper Harbor is just about an hour’s drive from the Michigan Tech campus.

Any advice for incoming students?

Learn outside the classroom. Classroom learning provides a foundation of knowledge, but real-world experiences will allow you to apply that knowledge in a practical context. You’ll see how concepts and theories translate into real-life situations. This will enhance both your understanding and your problem-solving skills.

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New Faculty Spotlight: John Bean

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John Bean

John Bean joins Michigan Tech as a visiting professor of practice in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering. He hails from a small town in central New Hampshire called Hopkinton, located just west of Concord. He earned an MS in Civil and Structural Engineering at the University of Connecticut and a BS in Civil Engineering at the University of New Hampshire. He also earned a graduate certificate in Surveying Engineering at the University of Maine.

What drew you to Michigan Tech?

The reputation of the school and, believe it or not, the weather! My partner, Susan, and I both love the snow. We have two sled dogs (from Iditarod kennels) who can’t wait for it to start snowing!

What is your primary area of research and what led you to it?

I enjoy providing surveying, mapping and database support to engineering field-based research projects. I love being involved in interesting projects, especially those in interesting places. I like that I can assure project managers that I and/or my students will get them good, reliable, and complete data to support their needs. I also love practicing what I teach. Research projects, especially, tend to stretch my existing knowledge and often require unique approaches to obtaining the necessary data.

What do you consider an important long-term goal for your research, teaching, or outreach?

I want to get students excited about the field of geospatial engineering by involving them in projects and outreach.

John spent time in Antarctica.

What do you hope to accomplish, as an educator and as a researcher, over the next few years?

Continual improvement in everything I do,  and to help grow the geospatial engineering program. I would also like to reach out to the Native community here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Too much! Dog mushing, hiking, kayaking, exploring, photography, playing guitar (poorly), skating, snowshoeing, ski-joring, golf, tennis, reading, listening to music; the list goes on and on.

What’s your favorite book, movie, or piece of art?

My favorite books:  “Educated: A Memoir,” by Tara Westover; “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” by Susan Cain; and “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark,” by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. My two favorite movies: Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Good Will Hunting. My favorite bands/performers are: R.E.M., Indigo Girls, and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

“Choose a major that excites you. You will spend a long time in the working world; spend it doing something you love.”

John Bean’s advice for incoming students

Any favorite spots on campus, in Houghton, or in the UP?

Well, I’ve only been here for a month or so, but my favorite places so far are Mackinaw City (I know that’s technically not in the UP), the MTU campus, The Pier (the park and walkway that runs along the waterfront in Houghton). Also the Hancock Dog Park, Good Times Music, and the KBC.

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Environmental Engineering Students at the COP27 Climate Conference

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COP27 Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt 2022

Keweenaw Now published a blog post written by Kendra Lachcik ‘23 (environmental engineering) about presentations given by Michigan Tech’s delegation to the COP27 climate conference, held in November in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. MTU students Anna Kavanaugh (environmental engineering, sustainability science and society), Rose Daily (environmental engineering) and Alexis Pascaris (environmental and energy policy) were quoted in the article about their experiences at the conferences.

This year, 12 MTU delegates, including 2 undergraduate students, 7 graduate students, 1 MTU alum, and 2 faculty members, attended the conference as observers under the Research and Independent Non-Governmental Organizations (RINGO) constituency.

MTU delegates were also representing the Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education Network (YEAH Network), a transdisciplinary, multi-institutional global network that is a charter of the National Science Foundation.

Read more at Keweenaw Now, by Kendra Lachcik.

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UP Students Wowed by Lake Superior Youth Symposium

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Group of students sitting on a deck outside.

The 23 students in grades 8-12 who attended the Lake Superior Youth Symposium could not say enough positive things about their experience. The 4-day symposium took place April 20–23, 2023, at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.

Here’s what some of them had to say:

“I never knew how beautiful our area is until now! Thanks a million!”

10th grade student, Houghton High School

“Coming to this symposium has been one of the most fun things I have ever done! I learned a lot about the Lake we call home.”

8th grade student, Houghton Middle School

“I have been able to talk and learn from people of other cultures that I would not have able to otherwise.”

12th grade student, Dollar Bay-TC High School

“It was good learning about Lake Superior and meeting others who love it, too!”

11th grade student, Houghton High School

Students enjoyed field trips to the Red Cliff Fishery, Copper Falls State Park, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Sea Caves, organic food production and composting, Ashland art and murals by bike, how to slow stormwater runoff on campus, and plant foraging, plus a Friday evening LaCrosse game with students from the nearby Bad River tribe.

“Everything was so fun here! I learned what a watershed is and that I really do have a place in it!”

10th grade student, Houghton High School

“This trip made me realize the importance of protecting Lake Superior!”

8th grade student, Ewen-Trout Creek School

“I was able to learn so much about looking at things from other perspectives and will be able to use that throughout my life.”

12th grade student from Dollar Bay-TC High School

“This was such an eye opening experience into my future and how much I Iove the place I live!”

10th grade student from Houghton High School

“I loved learning about Ojibwe culture and how important it is to protect the lake’s fish to benefit the native culture.”

10th grade student from Ewen-Trout Creek School

Students attending the symposium came from Lake Linden-Hubbell, Dollar Bay-TC, Houghton-Portage, Ewen-Trout Creek and Ironwood School Districts, Community Alliance for Progressive Education (CAPE), and Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC).

The following donors made it possible for Western UP students to attend:

  • Friends of the Land of Keweenaw (FOLK)
  • The Nitrate Elimination Co, Inc
  • Private Individuals and Community Organizations through the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative: Patricia Heiden, Sally Santeford, Sarah Green,
  • Copper Country Trout Unlimited
  • MiSTEM Network grant through the Michigan Department of Education
  • Michigan Tech University Center for Science and Environmental Outreach
  • National Science Foundation grant to MTU Award# 2136139

The following also helped to make this opportunity available to local students:

  • Copper Country Intermediate School District
  • Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative
  • Western UP MiSTEM Network
  • Participating School Districts: Houghton, Lake Linden-Hubbell, Ewen-Trout Creek, Dollar-Bay Tamarack City, and Ironwood Area Schools

Learn more about the 2023 Symposium. The next symposium will be in May 2025 at University of Minnesota Duluth.

For more information contact Joan Chadde, jchadde@mtu.edu, 906-369-1121, or Emily Gochis 906-482-0331.

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Elsa Meyer Interviewed on America’s Morning Headquarters

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Two women interviewed in front of a Michigan Tech backdrop.
Elsa Meyer (right) and Cassy Tefft de Muñoz (left) are interviewed on America’s Morning Headquarters.

Cassy Tefft de Muñoz (CEO) and undergraduate student Elsa Meyer (civil engineering) were virtual guests last Thursday (March 23, 2023) on “America’s Morning Headquarters.” Tefft de Muñoz and Meyer talked about the Michigan Tech Mind Trekkers traveling STEM festivals and demonstrations, and explained the popular banana piano demo while host Jim Cantore tried it out.

Split view of a banana apparatus on a table and the pair of interviewees.
Elsa explains the popular banana piano demonstration.
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Western U.P. STEM Fair and Festival 2023

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Students engage in activities.

The STEM Fair and Festival was held on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at the Memorial Union Ballroom on Michigan Technological University campus in Houghton, Michigan. More than 50 students presented their projects highlighting the results of weeks of work on a science or engineering investigations.

Students from Houghton, Baraga, Keweenaw, Ontonagon, and Gogebic Counties in grades 4–8 were invited to participate in the STEM Project Fair. Students prepared and presented on a science investigation or an engineering design project.

The 2023 participants and winners are posted on the MiSTEM Network.

Tom Oliver, director of Michigan Tech’s Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, coordinated the fair. For the first year after the pandemic, he’s thrilled with the number of kids and parents who came in and checked things out.

“You can see kids everywhere are having fun, which is entirely what we want to do,” he said. “We want them to have fun doing science, technology, engineering and mathematics, because those are things that lead them to what they want to do with their careers.”

Read more at the Daily Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese.

Kinley Lyons is a 4th-year chemical engineering student at MTU now, but she participated in the STEM Fair years ago as a grade schooler. Lyons and her partner constructed a hovercraft as their project, using an old street sign, a tarp, and a leaf blower.

“It didn’t work that well, but it did work,” she said with a laugh. “It is one of the things that got me into engineering, and here I am now.”

Read more at the Copper Beacon, by Joshua Vissers.

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STEM Outreach Partnership Delivers Programs to Detroit schools

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By Joan Chadde, co-PI/co-author/coordinator Family Engineering Program, retired

students conducting experiments

Squeals of delight could be heard from students and adults alike, as they tackled one engineering challenge after another. Students worked in family “engineering teams” to design and construct the tallest tower using only spaghetti and marshmallows that could withstand hurricane-force winds (fans at top speeds!). Students worked as civil engineers to design a bridge using a single sheet of copy paper that could span two books six inches apart. One team’s bridge held more than 100+ pennies between the books!  In yet another engineering challenge, parents and their kids became marine engineers and designed a boat from clay that could hold the most cargo (pennies) before sinking. Another activity was a biomedical engineering challenge of designing a prosthetic hand in 20 minutes that could be used to write with a pencil and pick up a cup of water.

These events were made possible by a partnership between the Michigan Tech Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering and OHM Advisors (Livonia office).  Family engineering events were held after school at Neinas Dual Language Learning Academy (Detroit), Blackwell Institute (Detroit), and Livonia Elementary Schools. OHM’s support provided the program at no cost to the schools, including two event facilitators from Michigan Tech, all of the activity supplies, a free pizza dinner for participants, and a copy of the Family Engineering Activity & Event Planning Guide for each school. In addition, a half dozen OHM staff volunteered to assist with each event—setting up activities, interacting with families, encouraging students, and serving as role models.

Host Schools for Family Engineering Events Attendance
Neinas Dual Language Learning Academy 6021 McMillan St., Detroit 90 Total39 Adults51 K-6 Students
Blackwell Institute1981 McKinstry St, Detroit 35 Total15 Adults 20 K-8 Students
Livonia Elementary Schools8900 Newburgh Rd., Livonia 90 Total39 Adults51 K-6 Students

Parents had lots of positive comments after attending one of the three Family Engineering events held in early December in SE Michigan:

  • Thanks for a great event!
  • My daughter was engaged and had a lot of fun.
  • My sons and I had a wonderful time
  • This was an excellent event! It gave my kids lots of ideas!

When asked what their family learned about engineering, responses included:

  • There are many different types of engineering
  • Engineering helps in everyday life
  • How engineers design inventions
  • Nature inspires engineers to invent new things
  • Engineering is an important part of the world
Students conducting experiments

OHM Advisors, with offices in five states and eleven locations in Michigan, works across multiple service areas, including architecture, engineering, planning, urban design and landscape architecture, surveying, and construction engineering, to create better places for people. An important initiative is increasing the diversity of the STEM pipeline and that means reaching down into elementary schools to introduce engineering to students and their parents. Parents play an important role in guiding and supporting their child’s learning and future career path.
The Family Engineering Program was created by Michigan Tech with partners The Foundation for Family Science & Engineering and the American Society of Engineering Education. A Family Engineering Activity & Event Planning Guide was published in 2011. The activity guide, with thirteen 30-40 minute engineering challenges and 21 short 3-5 minute engineering opener activities, is designed for K-6 educators and for engineers who work with elementary-aged students. It’s ideal for engineering professionals, informal STEM education programs, and STEM college students who want to do outreach in their communities and increase the diversity of the STEM pipeline. To learn more about the Family Engineering program, attend a training workshop, or purchase an activity guide, visit: https://www.mtu.edu/family-engineering/  or email Tom Oliver teoliver@mtu.edu

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Rail Transportation Program Offers Tracks to the Future During Summer Youth Program

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Students working at a bench under supervision in a classroom.
Photo – Peter LaMantia, Michigan Technological University

Michigan Tech’s Rail Transportation Program was mentioned by Progressive Railroading in a story about the Federal Railroad Administration-sponsored Tracks to the Future rail transportation and engineering summer youth program. The weeklong summer sessions, which began at Michigan Tech, have expanded to five other universities across the U.S.

As part of the Summer Youth Program at Michigan Tech, the Pathways Programs offer deep dives into particular fields of interest.

Tracks to the Future: Railroad Transportation & Engineering

For: All students grades 8-11

Dates: June 18-23, 2023 (Hybrid Program)

Railroads, the high tech and environmentally sensitive transportation mode! Don’t believe us? Come and learn why railroads remain the most energy-efficient transportation mode and what forms modern railroad track, equipment, and communications/control systems might take.

There will be six host sites this year: Michigan Tech University; Penn State University; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of South Carolina; University of New Mexico; and Fresno State University.

Read more and apply at Pathways Progams.

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Sustainability Film Series Spring 2023

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Films shown on the third Thursday of each month.

Location

G002 Hesterberg Hall, U. J. Noblet Forestry Building

Schedule

Hometown Habitat showing a flowering shrub.

Hometown Habitat (2016) January 19

Come watch Catherine Zimmerman’s journey traveling around the U.S. visiting hometown habitat heroes and filming their stories of community commitment to conservation landscaping. (90 min.) Facilitated discussion led by Catherine Zimmerman and Marcia Goodrich.

Sacred Cow with image of a cow in a field.

Sacred Cow (2020) February 16

“The case for (better) meat.” Sacred Cow probes the fundamental moral, environmental and nutritional quandaries we face in raising and eating animals, with a lens focused on the cow. (80 min.) Facilitated by Alan Turnquist, Director of Sustainability and Resilience at MTU.

Dark Waters with four people and a parking garage.

Dark Waters (2019) March 16

This drama/thriller film follows the story of a corporate defense attorney who takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company, exposing a lengthy history of pollution. (120 min.) Facilitated by MTU PhD student, Rose Turner.

The Plastic Program showing trash.

The Plastic Problem (2019) April 20

“By 2050 the oceans will hold more plastic than fish.” PBS NewsHour takes a closer look at this now ubiquitous material, how it’s impacting the world and ways we can break our plastic addiction. (54 min.) Facilitated discussion by Dave Shonnard and Brianna Tucker, owner of sustainable refillery Refill the UP.

Gather showing native Americans in the field.

Gather (2020) May 18

Native Americans on the front lines of a growing movement reconnect with spiritual and cultural identities that were devastated by genocide. (75 min.) Facilitated by Sierra Ayres, Walking the Path Together Program Coordinator, NMU, and Rachael Pressley, Regional Planner for the Western U.P. Planning & Development Region. (This will take place in 144 Noblet.)

Cost

FREE. $5 suggested donation per film to support the Sustainability Film Series is appreciated. Make donation online or in-person at the film showing

Cosponsored By

Michigan Tech Office of Sustainability and Resilience, Keweenaw Land Trust, Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, Friends of the Land of Keweenaw, MTU College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, MTU Department of Social Sciences Sustainability Science Program, MTU Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, Sustainability Demonstration House, MI Tech Great Lakes Research Center, Students for Sustainability, and Refill UP.

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