Joan Chadde, coordinator of education programs for the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, and Professor Brad Baltensperger, chair of cognitive and learning sciences, have been named among the 25 top education professors in Michigan. The list of top education professors was just released by a nonprofit organization called StateStats, whose mission is to advance education through the use of technology and information tools. StateStats provides education resources online, including lists of professors they have researched and nominated as the best in their profession.
David Ferryman, Vice President System Engineering for Canadian National Railway visited Michigan Tech on Tuesday, April 2nd, and led a discussion concentrating on “CN Engineering Challenges”. CN is one of the greatest supporters of Michigan Tech’s Rail Transportation Program and Mr. Ferryman visited Michigan Tech to review the facilities and to discuss future collaboration and activities with students and faculty.
Civil Engineering Graduate Seminar, Thursday, April 4, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, Room 642 Dow
Speaker: Aaron Mazeika, PE, SE, AIA, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Topic: Design / Construction of a 413 meter highrise building at Kuwait City Sculpted High-Rise – The Al Hamra Tower
Abstract: With a roof height of 413m, the Al Hamra Tower in Kuwait City is amongst the tallest buildings in the world. Setting it apart from other super high-rise buildings is its unique sculpted form. An example of architectural expression through structural form on a grand scale, the structural system and exterior form were developed in a symbiotic digital design process. The building geometry is generated by a spiraling slice subtracted from a simple prismatic volume. The resultant spiraling building form generates a dramatic cantilevered office wing that wraps around an exterior coutyard. The two resultant cut surfaces are hyperbolic paraboloid reinforced-concrete walls, which extend the full height of the tower and participate in the lateral and gravity force resisting systems. Other noteable features include a Nervi inspired lamella structure bracing the tower columns which curve 24m throught the lobby space, and a spiralling roof geometry that extends 90m from low point to high point and encloses a 40m tall skygarden space.
The design of the Al Hamra Tower required consideration of challenging engineering issues complicated by both the height and form of the structure. Long-term creep and shrinkage of concrete was carefully studied to account for force redistributions and to develop an extensive program of displacement pre-corrections to be made during construction. The spiraling hyperbolic paraboloid ‘flared walls’ required for gravity load support of the cantilevered wing apply a torsional gravity load to the building core that necessitates consideration of both the long-term vertical and torsional deformations of the building structure.
Opened in late 2011, the Al Hamra Tower is a dramatic addition to the skyline of Kuwait City and is set to become a major destination for the city. This presentation will focus on both the technical design and construction challenges in the accomplishment of this complex project.
Civil Engineering Seminar: Thursday, March 28, 2013 4:00 pm, Room 642 Dow Bldg.
Speaker: Michael Billmire, Research Scientist, Michigan Tech Research Institute, MTRI
Title: The Mineral Occurrence Revenue Estimation and Visualization Tool, MOREV
Abstract: Under a cooperative project between MTRI and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, the MOREV tool was developed in order to effectively assess and communicate the value of mineral occurrences within regions of interest in Alaska, Yukon, and British Columbia. Intermodal optimal routing and carbon accounting modules help assess anticipated mineral development logistics and costs.
The Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society celebrated World Water Day on Thursday, March 21 with a student poster competition. The posters covered different topics in water research occurring at Michigan Technological University. Posters were displayed on the 1st floor of the Great Lakes Research Center; CWS Faculty presented a showcase of CWS research, followed by A dinner in the Atrium overlooking the lake.
2013 Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society Award Winners
Original Research Category:
1st – Miles Corcoran
2nd – Julie A. Padilla
3rd – Jade E. Ortiz and Martin Hobmeier (Tie)
Coursework/Informational:
1st – Nancy Auer’s BL4465 Biological Oceanography class:
After a catastrophic earthquake, minutes count. Dan Cerminaro hopes to shave hours off the time it takes to get help where it’s needed most.
Cerminaro, a senior majoring in civil engineering, is working to identify quake damage without setting foot in the danger zone, or even on the same continent.
Read more from the Michigan Tech Research Magazine 2013 article by Marcia Goodrich
Civil Engineering Seminar: Thursday, March 7, 2013, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, Dow 642
Professor William Sproule: “COPPER COUNTRY STREETCARS”
With the aid of photos, fables, 1/4 truths, 1/2 truths, and a few facts, Bill will take is back to the copper boom days and PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
Michigan Technological University environmental engineering PhD candidate Jennifer Fuller grew up dabbling in snowmobiling in her native Saginaw, where they have just a few inches of snowfall per year. So when she got to Houghton and Michigan Tech, she was hooked.
“I started with a local hill climb, found the Sledheads student organization and eventually moved on to the Midwest pro circuit,” she says.
Civil Engineering Graduate Seminar, Thursday, February 28, 2013, 4:00 to 5:00 pm, Room 642 Dow
Speaker: Hamed Pouryousef, Ph.D. candidate
Title: Railway Capacity and Evaluating the Results and Features of Two Capacity Simulation Tools on the Shared-use Corridors
ABSTRACT
The majority of passenger rail services in the United States (U.S.) operate on the shared-use corridors with freight rail. These types of operations tend to be challenging due to high heterogeneity, particularly in terms of reliability of service and capacity availability. The projected growth in demand for rail transportation is likely to exacerbate the situation. Similar to the U.S., the European passenger rail services are generally operated on shared-use corridors, but the infrastructure conditions and the operational priorities and patterns typically allow more reliable and higher speed passenger operations in comparison to the U.S. trains.
Both continents use capacity and simulation software to analyze capacity allocations and operational limitations. However, the effects of the software selection haven’t been investigated. This research reviews two common simulation tools developed in the U.S. and Europe, Rail Traffic Controller (RTC) and Railsys, respectively. The paper reviews the structure and the main components of these two simulation tools. It will also present the outcomes of running RTC and Railsys through a given segment of shared-use track based on the same rolling stock, operation and signaling characteristics and analyze the similarities and differences between the outcomes of RTC and Railsys.
The Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC) was held on Feb 21-22, 2013. GRC was organized by the Graduate Student Government (GSG). Graduate students from all departments at Michigan Tech presented their research and ideas to other students and faculty in the form of oral or poster presentations. A group of judges that consists of faculty (and/or some invited members of industry) evaluated student’s presentations to award prizes to the best 1st, 2nd and 3rd presentations from each session (oral and poster). There are also three honorable mention awards given in both oral and poster presentation sessions.