Category: News

CDC Funding of Coal Mine Dust Monitoring Project

Lei Pan
Lei Pan

Lei Pan is Principal Investigator on a project that has received a $293,614 research and development contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The project is entitled, “Temporal and Spatial Characterization of Respirable Coal Mine Dust Using Area Monitoring Devices and X-Ray CT.” This is a potential two-year project.

By Sponsored Programs.

Chemical Engineering Convocation 2019

Chair's Award
Chair’s Award
(L) Summer Oley

Chair’s Award

Dr. Pradeep Agrawal presented this award to Summer Oley.

The Chair’s Award for Outstanding ChE Senior recognizes a particular student in the graduating class whose actions embody excellence. Excelling in academics is expected, but the recipient must also exhibit the traits of character, leadership, and service–to-others that are valued to the department.

Kimberly Clark Communication Award
Kimberly Clark Communication Award
(L) Sarah Boyd

Kimberly Clark Communication Award

Dr. John Sandell presented the award to Sarah Boyd.

This award recognizes the winner of the Award for Excellence in Communication from the Department of Chemical Engineering for the academic year.

Kimberly Clark Professional Ethics Award
Kimberly Clark Professional Ethics Award
(L) Charlie Biyong

Kimberly Clark Professional Ethics Award

Dr. John Sandell presented the award to Charlie Biyong.

This award recognizes a student who has exhibited exemplary ethics and admirable professional conduct during Plant Design and Unit Operations experiences, and throughout their academic career at Michigan Technological University.

PAWS Award
PAWS Award
(L-R) James Sutton, Adam Schmidt, Noelle Eveland, Sarah Boyd

Prevent Accidents with Safety (PAWS) Award

Dr. Julia King presented awards to James Sutton, Adam Schmidt, Noelle Eveland, and Sarah Boyd.

Bredekamp Award
Bredekamp Award
(L-R) Madison Paul, Nicholas Olson, Logan Piegols, Kayla Furmanski, Robert Dupont

Dow Chemical Marriot W. Bredekamp Award

Dr. Julia King presented awards to Madison Paul, Nicholas Olson, Logan Piegols, Kayla Furmanski, and Robert Dupont.

This award recognizes outstanding technical skills in the laboratory, outstanding teamwork and professionalism, effective oral and written communication, and strong adherence to process safety practices as recognized by your peers and supported by the faculty of the department. This award is in memory of Dr. Mariott W. Bredekamp.

Patton Award 1st Place
Patton Award 1st Place
(L-R) Madison Peggs, Laura Nitz, Amelia Henrickson, Maggie Evans

John Patton Senior Design Team Award—1st Place

Maggie Evans, Amelia Henrickson, Laura Nitz, Madison Peggs

Patton Award 2nd Place
Patton Award 2nd Place
(L-R) Andrew Watson and Michael Verbeke

John Patton Senior Design Team Award—2nd Place

Michael Verbeke, Andrew Watson, Missing: Zachary Oldenburg, Sam Root

Patton Award 3rd Place
Patton Award 3rd Place
(L-R) William Otto, Keegan Kroening, Seth Kriz, Bailey Mohrenweiser

John Patton Senior Design Team Award—3rd Place

William Otto, Keegan Kroening, Seth Kriz, Bailey Mohrenweiser

Professor of the Year
Professor of the Year
(R) Dr. Jeana Collins

Professor of the Year

Dr. Jeana Collins

Research Mentors of the Year
Research Mentors of the Year
Dr. Caryn Heldt, Dr. Faith Morrison, Dr. Timothy Eisele

Research Mentors of the Year

Dr. Caryn Heldt, Dr. Faith Morrison, Dr. Timothy Eisele

VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY

EPA Awards Student Team to Solve End-of-Life Lithium-Ion Battery Challenge

Lithium ion batteryThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced more than $450,000 in funding for six Phase II student teams as part of the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant program. These teams, made up of undergraduate and graduate students from across the country, are building upon their successes in Phase I of the P3 grant competition where they designed innovate solutions to real-world environmental and public health challenges. With Phase II funding, the teams will now further develop those projects and designs to ensure they can be sustainably implemented in the field.

Michigan Tech is a recipient for the project Separation and Recovery of Individual Components from the End-of-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Read more at EPA News Releases.

Extract

The principal investigator is Assistant Professor Lei Pan.

Lithium-ion battery technology has become a state-of-the-art energy storage solution for consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy. Because these batteries are expected to last only 2-10 years, they will enter the waste stream after reaching the end of their life cycles. The objective of the phase II project is to scale up the Li-ion battery recycling process from the bench scale that has been completed in the phase I project to a small-scale production prototype.

This project will provide approximately five undergraduate research assistant positions to students of diverse background at Michigan Technological University. These students will gain hands-on experience and interact with industrial partners. In addition, undergraduate students will be given opportunities to attend national and local conferences to present their research. The team will develop a mini mobile lab for high-school and middle-school teachers to teach engineering in their classrooms.

Jerry Norkol Excels Behind the Scenes

Jerry A. Norkol
Jerry A. Norkol

At an awards program in the Memorial Union Ballroom Wednesday (Jan. 9, 2018), staff members were honored with the Staff Council Making a Difference Award.

The Behind the Scenes Award was given to Jerry Norkol, master machinist, Chemical Engineering.

As one letter of support states “Jerry has always been available to help with various tasks in my lab or office, most things you would never notice. Whether it is helping hang things on the concrete walls, installing a rug, assembling furniture, installing laboratory equipment, making modifications to equipment and materials that accommodate my experiments, ordering parts or finding gas regulators, Jerry is efficient and helpful.”

Read more at the Staff Council blog.

DOE Highlights Bioenergy Research

Rebecca G. Ong
Rebecca G. Ong

Work by Rebecca Ong (ChE) and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan State University was highlighted by the Department of Energy, Biological and Environmental Research (BER).

The work compared experimental fuel yields from five different potential bioenergy feedstocks and determined that a lignocellulosic ethanol refinery could use a range of plant types without having a major impact on the amount of ethanol produced per acre.

Diverse Biofeedstocks Have High Ethanol Yields and Offer Biorefineries Flexibility

Evidence suggests that biorefineries can accept various feedstocks without negatively impacting the amount of ethanol produced per acre.

Refineries to convert biomass into fuels often rely on just one feedstock. If the refineries could accept more than one feedstock, it would greatly benefit refinery operation. Scientists at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center investigated how five different feedstocks affected process and field-scale ethanol yields.

Read more at the BER.

I-Corps Funding for Lei Pan

Lei Pan
Lei Pan

Lei Pan (ChE) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $50,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The project is titled “I-Corps: Non-Destructive Separation Technologies for Li-ion Battery Recycling.” This is a six-month project.

By Sponsored Programs.

Extract

The proposed innovation minimizes the use of raw materials from mining, enables the long-term material availability, stabilizes the supply chain, and reduces the life-cycle cost. Additionally, recycling Li-ion batteries using the proposed innovation generates zero secondary wastes and thus minimizes environmental footprint.

The proposed technology separates and recovers valuable materials while preserving their original functional integrity. The upcycled active battery materials can be reused in new Li-ion batteries. The proposed solution is much more energy efficient and cost effective compared to the existing processes, for which both processes involve a conversion of active cathode materials to metal alloys or metal ions in solution.

Read more at the National Science Foundation.

Sustainable Living Open House

Sustainability Demonstration House
Sustainability Demonstration House

Interested in sustainable living and green architecture? Do you desire to reduce your personal impact on the earth? Come check out Michigan Tech’s Sustainability Demonstration House (SDH) from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018.

Sustainable features that have been added to the house over the past year include an 8.6kW solar array system, Wifi-controlled LED bulbs, an aquaponics system, composting, waste output tracking, low-flow faucets and shower heads, induction cooktops and so much more.

The SDH team and current tenants will be at this event to answer any questions you may have regarding energy efficient housing designs and sustainable living practices. Refreshments will be served. The address is 21680 Woodland Rd, Houghton. Contact the Alternative Energy Enterprise with any questions.

By the by Alternative Energy Enterprise.

Da Costa Cited in National Publication

Diversity in Materials Science and Engineering cover graphicAndre Da Costa (ChE) was featured in an article in the MRS Bulletin published by the Materials Research Society in partnership with Cambridge University Press.

The article, “Professional societies and African American engineering leaders: Paving pathways and empowering legacies,” was included in the special feature “Diversity in Materials and Science Engineering.”

Da Costa was featured in section three of the article “Diversity committees within professional societies are community incubators that seed ideas for change.”

Authors Christine S. Grant and Tonya Peeples noted De Costa’s “rare career move,” transitioning from being a successful industrial leader to an academic position at Michigan Tech.

De Costa was quoted regarding his support of minorities integrating and participating in the leadership of mainstream institutions.

Read the full article.

MRS Bulletin, Volume 43, Issue 9 (Data-Centric Science for Materials Innovation)
September 2018 , pp. 703-709
https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2018.225

Michigan Tech Alumnus, Benefactor and Friend, Frank Pavlis dies at 101

Frank Pavlis
Frank Pavlis

Michigan Tech and the honors college that bears his family name are mourning the passing of Frank Pavlis. The alumnus, benefactor and friend of the University died Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, at Legacy Place Cottages in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was 101.

Pavlis was raised on a farm in northern Lower Michigan and was the first in his family to graduate from college. He finished at the top of his class with a degree in chemical engineering from what was then the Michigan College of Mining and Technology. Pavlis’ success in Houghton led to a fellowship from the University of Michigan where he earned a master’s degree.

Following college, Pavlis turned down a job offer from Shell Oil to become the first employee of a small new Detroit Company called Air Products. Pavlis was tasked with the design and construction of a prototype processing plant to separate oxygen from atmospheric air. The project was completed a year later with Pavlis as the chief engineer. Air Products was credited with making a significant contribution to Allied success in World War II. Today, Air Products and Chemicals Inc., now headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, has more than 19,000 employees in 55 countries with annual revenues of about $10 billion.

Pavlis rose through the ranks, joining the company’s Board of Directors in 1952 and serving as vice president for engineering and finance before retiring in 1980 as vice president for international/world trade. He is said to have traveled around the world five times in his lifetime.

Throughout his professional success, he never forgot Michigan Tech. The University responded by presenting him with an honorary doctorate of philosophy. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009 and is a member of the University’s McNair and Hubbell Societies. He was the principal benefactor of the Pavlis Honors College which began in 2014.

Lorelle Meadows, dean of the Pavlis Honors College, reflected on what Frank Pavlis means to Michigan Tech.

“Frank was a visionary, foreseeing the value of a global education for the college graduate of the 21st century,” Meadows says.

“He so generously gave of his time and resources to encourage our students to reach outside of their comfort zones and challenge themselves to attain their full potential as professionals and citizens of the world.”

Pavlis was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Ethel, in 2002. The couple had no children.

Funeral services for Frank Pavlis will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Macungie, Pennsylvania. Contributions in his memory can be made to Jah Jireh Homes of America – Allentown, 2051 Bevin Dr., Allentown, PA 18103. Donations received will be used to fund charitable care at Legacy Place Cottages.

Pavlis will be laid to rest in the small Michigan cemetery where his wife, parents, grandparents, brother and sister are buried.

“We will all miss Frank greatly,” Meadows says. “But his legacy will live on as we continue to put his vision to work to graduate students who will go out—ready and empowered—to make their unique contributions to society with understanding, vision and a commitment that honors his life.”

By Mark Wilcox.