Adjunct Instructor Joshua Pearce (MSE) was quoted and Robert Handler (ChE/CEGE/SS) was mentioned by Ontario’s Western University in a story about the economic and environmental benefits of using sheep for vegetation management on solar farms. Their 2022 study highlighted how sheep grazing under solar panels provides a profitable revenue stream for farmers while reducing the need for herbicides and grass cutting.
Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) was mentioned by Lab Manager in a story previewing the 2025 Lab Design Conference, set for May 11-14 in Denver, Colorado. The article highlighted a session about Michigan Tech’s H-STEM Complex and its divergent lab concept, which promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and adaptability in lab design. Heldt was listed as a panel member.
Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) was interviewed by Technology Networks for a story exploring how new technology and workflows could enable more efficient purification of biotherapeutics. Heldt discussed the current state of the art for viral vector purification and new advances in purification technology.
The Vice President for Research Office (VPR) has awarded the following Century II Campaign Endowed Equipment Fund (C2E2) awards at the recommendation of the C2E2 Committee:
- Bo Chen (CS) — Developing an Autonomous Vehicle Testbed for Research and Education in Vehicle Security
- Terri Jo Frew (VPA) — Peter Pugger VPM-9SS Clay Pug Mill and Stand
- Robert Handler (ChE/BioSci) — Michigan Tech Aquaponics
- Parth Bhatt (CFRES) — Enhancing CFRES’s Research and Educational Capabilities through Acquisition of the DJI Mavic 3M Drone
- Matthew Moore (VPA) — Proposal for Making Improvements to the Rozsa Scene Shop Dust Collection System for a Safer and Healthier Environment
- Tan Chen (ECE) — Acquisition of a Humanoid Robot to Advance Multi-Disciplinary Research and Strengthen Robotics Engineering Education at Michigan Tech
Thank you to the C2E2 Committee members and the deans and department chairs for their time spent on this internal research award program.
For additional information on the C2E2 opportunity, visit the C2E2 website.
Michigan Tech research crosses disciplines — and crosses the globe. “International partnerships are really key to expanding your research network, research ideas, and to be able to have your research out into industry and be applied,” said Professor Caryn Heldt (ChE), who directs the University’s Health Research Institute.
In the Heldt Bioseparations Laboratory, research team members are collaborating to apply their work in ways that can be adapted for best use in countries throughout the world. Bellicia Kamwanya, a research biologist in the Democratic Republic of Congo, teamed up with award-winning MTU researcher Vaishali Sharma in Heldt’s lab as part of the U.S.-Africa Frontiers fellowship program.
Hear from Kamwanya in a video on the College of Engineering Blog.
This fall, the College of Engineering welcomed 16 new faculty members across eight departments, including three in the Department of Chemical Engineering. These new faculty members bring a wide range of specializations in microfluids, electrokinetics, cancer tissue engineering, sustainable water and energy systems and much more.
Read more about the new faculty members on the College of Engineering blog.