Chemical Engineering News

Category: Students

Faith Morrison Recognized by Fraternities and Sororities

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Faith A. Morrison
Faith A. Morrison

Last Sunday (Jan. 24), more than 160 computer screens of students, faculty, staff and community members gathered for the 15th Annual Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony held via Zoom.

In addition to the many student awards presented, Order of Omega, the Fraternity and Sorority Life Honor Society that coordinates the awards, took the time to recognize some exceptional faculty and staff members.

There are more than 460 students in fraternities and sororities at Michigan Tech, and Order of Omega wanted to emphasize that these awards were coming directly from the students.

The following faculty and staff members were nominated by members of the Greek community and recognized at the 2021 Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony (winners are in bold type):

Faculty

  • Gordon Parker (Mechanical Engineering)
  • Faith Morrison (Chemical Engineering)
  • Glen Archer (Electrical & Computer Engineering)

Staff

  • Alan Turnquist (Waino Wahtera Center for Student Success)
  • Jessie Stapleton (Student Leadership & Involvement)

Advisors

  • Laura Bulleit (Dean of Students)
  • Alyssa Fredin (Student Financial Services)
  • James Schmierer (Forest Resources & Environmental Science)
  • Jannah Tumey (Center for Educational Outreach)
  • Jeannie DeClerck (Instructional Design & Assessment)
  • Joe Cooper (Interim VP for Student Affairs and Dean of Students)

These nominations were written by individual students and were supported by an entire fraternity or sorority. Congratulations to all of these faculty and staff members who were nominated and thank you for inspiring and motivating students. A complete list of all the award winners can be found on the Student Leadership and Involvement web page.

by Fraternity and Sorority Life

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Chemical Engineering Convocation 2020

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The Chemical Engineering Department recently celebrated the success of its graduates through a Virtual Convocation on April 13, 2020. The guest speaker was Michael Cleveland (’82) who shared some tips on “How to Become Invaluable During Uncertain Times.”

Keynote Speaker

Michael J. Cleveland

Michael J. Cleveland ’82

Mike Cleveland serves as the vice president and general manager for UOP LLC, based in the Des Plaines, Illinois Lifecycle Solutions and Technology business at Honeywell UOP.

UOP is a leading international supplier of process technology, catalysts, engineered systems, and technical and engineering services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.

Since joining UOP in 1982, Mike has held key positions within UOP, spanning research and development, manufacturing, and business management. Mike was critical in the commercialization of new hydrocracking catalysts, isomerization catalysts, and on-purpose propylene process technology.

Before being named to his current post in 2019, Mike served as the General Manager for UOP CH based in Rolle, Switzerland within the Catalyst, Adsorbents, and Specialties business.

Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1982 and began his career with UOP upon graduation. Mike is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Michigan and Illinois. He is an active member the Michigan Tech Alumni Association.

Students were recognized with the following awards:

Prevent Accidents with Safety (PAWS) Award

Daniella Kyllonen

Dow Chemical Marriot W. Bredekamp Award

Ellie Bruckner, Bryce Evan, Nate Giem, and Kate Schaaf

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.

Kimberly Clark Communication Award

Nate Giem

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

Clara Peterson

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.

Davis W. Hubbard Outstanding Rising Senior Award

Tanner Shehan

Chair’s Award

Jacob LeBarre

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.

John Patton Senior Design Team Awards

1st Place

Abigail Hendrix, Ben McKenzie, Korey McKinley, Collin Mitchell

2nd Place

Ryan Knoll, Hunter Osgood, Bronson Wood, Cody Woodbury

3rd Place

Christen Calanayan, Zach Hancock, Brenden Presnell, Stephan  RhodeHumphries, David Scherzer

Student Leadership Awards

  • AEE: Jacob Zuhlke
  • AIChE: Jacob Luchenbill
  • CMLC: Jacob LeBarre
  • CPM: Nick Vlahos
  • OXE: Erin Parker
  • SAB: Nate Giem

AIChE Awards

Teacher of the Year Award

Dr. Faith Morrison

Research Mentor of the Year Award

Dr. Caryn Heldt

Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Award

Utkarsh Chaudhari

Undergraduate Grader of the Year

Liz Hoekstra

Staff Making a Difference Award

Katie Torrey

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Daniel Kulas to Present at NAMS 2020

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Conference location.

Graduate student Daniel Kulas has been awarded the prestigious 2020 NAMS (North American Membrane Society) Elias Klein Travel Supplement Award to present his comprehensive experimental work on the rejection mechanisms of the four most significant PFAS molecules: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and PFHxS by Nanofiltration membrane NF270.

The presentation will be at the conference in Tempe, Arizona on May 16-20, 2020. Kulas was nominated by his research mentor Andre Da Costa.

The Elias Klein Founders’ Travel Supplement program supports students needing limited financial assistance and will provide up to $500 in reimbursement for reasonable expenses (e.g. travel cost, registration, workshops) for attending NAMS 2020 to present their research (oral or poster presentation). This award program is named in honor of Elias Klein, whose vision and spirit guided the founding of NAMS in 1985.

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Chemical Engineering Convocation 2019

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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

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

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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.

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Sustainable Living Open House

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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.

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Chemical Engineering Convocation 2018

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Audra Thurston
Chair’s Award
Audra Thurston

Chair’s Award

Dr. Pradeep Agrawal presented this award to Audra Thurston.

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.

PAWS Award
PAWS Award
(L-R) Madison Diehl, Taylor Lindemann, Scott Kitzmiller, Ryan Oshe, and Christopher Moore

Prevent Accidents with Safety (PAWS) Award

Scott Wendt presented awards to Scott Kitzmiller, Taylor Lindemann, Chris Moore, Ryan Oshe, and Madison Diehl.

Phillip Cass and Lauren Keenan
Kimberly-Clark Professional Ethics Award
Phillip Cass and Lauren Keenan

Kimberly-Clark Professional Ethics Award

Dr. Sean Clancy presented the award to Phillip Cass and Lauren Keenan.

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.

Alexander Tangen
Kimberly-Clark Communication Award
Alexander Tangen

Kimberly-Clark Communication Award

Dr. Sean Clancey presented the award to Alexander Tangen.

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

Hubbard Award
Hubbard Award
(L-R) Anna Nelson, Alexis Fitzpatrick, and Lauren Keenan. Missing Anna Hohnstadt.

UOP Davis W. Hubbard Plant Design Team Award

Ms Jeana Collins presented awards to Alexis Fitzpatrick, Anna Hohnstadt, Lauren Keenan, and Anna Nelson.

This award recognizes an outstanding team in Chemical Engineering Plant Design during the academic year. Also, this award recognizes technical ability, consideration of the safety and environmental aspects of process design, outstanding written and oral communication skills, and overall teamwork and professionalism. This is awarded in memory of Dr. Davis W. Hubbard.

Bredekamp Award
Bredekamp Award
(L-R) Alexander Tangen, Meghan Pierce, Abigail Payne, and Audra Thurston

Dow Chemical Mariott W. Bredekamp Award

Mr. Scott Wendt presented awards to Abigail Payne, Meghan Pierce, Alexander Tangen, and Audra Thurston.

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.

VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY

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Caryn Heldt Collaborates on Awarded Paper

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Caryn Heldt
Caryn Heldt

Caryn Heldt (ChE) and her collaborators Christian Nwamba and Barbara Radecki from Wayne County Community College were awarded second place in the Best Paper Competition at the 2018 ASEE North Central Section Conference at the University of Akron on March 24. This work was based on Heldt’s NSF CAREER Educational Plan.

Heldt’s group presented “Environmental research to engage community college students.”

Extract: In order to better serve the students that desire a four-year degree and to increase their knowledge of job opportunities with different four-year degrees, a research project was created between a university and a community college. The community college students take weekly water samples over the course of a summer project and test the water for biological and chemical components. This is the first time these students have been exposed to an open-ended laboratory without known results.

Award Presentation
Award Presentation

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Chemical Engineering Convocation 2017

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2017 Communication Award
2017 Kimberly-Clark Communication Award

Kimberly-Clark Communication Award

Mark Mleziva presented the award to Julia Zayan.

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

2017 Bredkamp Award
2017 Dow Chemical Mariott W. Bredekamp Award

Dow Chemical Mariott W. Bredekamp Award

Dr. Julie King presented the award to Johnathan Coroneos, Dylan Johnsonj, Jeanette Kussow, and Magdaline Urben.

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.

2017 Hubbard Award
2017 UOP Davis W. Hubbard Award

UOP Davis W. Hubbard Plant Design Team Award

Mr. Chris Cosling presented the award to Caleb Korson, Whitney Niedzielski, Ryan Smith, and Guy Smith.

This award recognizes an outstanding team in Chemical Engineering Plant Design during the academic year. Also, this award recognizes technical ability, consideration of the safety and environmental aspects of process design, outstanding written and oral communication skills, and overall teamwork and professionalism. This is awarded in memory of Dr. David W. Hubbard.

2017 PAWS Award
2017 PAWS Award

Prevent Accidents with Safety (PAWS) Award

Dr. Julie King presented awards to Mary Kate Mitchell, Whitney Niedzielski, Austin Nyenhuis, Gregory Thelen, and Jason Saliga.

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