Author: College of Engineering

Sue Hill is the Digital Content Manager for the College of Engineering.

Ellis Publishes on Social Interactions of Beginning Teachers

STEM Teaching VideoJoshua A. Ellis, Assistant Professor of STEM Education, has published “Investigating the social interactions of beginning teachers using a video annotation tool” in Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education this month. The article can be read in its entirety online. Dr. Ellis will be discussing this study in the Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors forum on November 9, 2015, at 2:00 pm.

Community Outdoor Nature Programs

Outdoor ScienceThe Michigan Tech Center for Science & Environmental Outreach is coordinating a monthly outdoor program for families and children. Two programs focused on nature exploration are planned each month through December—Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons. There is no need to register and no cost to attend; all are welcome.

Attendees can expect a variety of presenters who will lead each program focused on a different topic. Events are designed to engage parents and children in nature outdoors in a various locations. Information on the events are as follows:

  • Sept. 26, 2 p.m. at Brown Nature Sanctuary—Collecting and identifying of aquatic insects at Lake Perrault and Nature Hike with Joan Chadde, water resource specialist
  • Sept. 28, 6 p.m. at Nara Nature Center—”How do insects prepare for winter?” with Jim Bess, entomologist
  • Oct. 10, 7:30-11 a.m. at Marsin Nature Center—Trappings and observations of birds and small mammals with Jesse Knowlton and Dan Haskell (SFRES)
  • Oct. 12, 6 p.m. at Nara Nature Center—Apple cider making (bring your own apples and jugs) with Chris Hohnholt (SFRES)
  • Nov. 7, 2 p.m. at Maasto-Hiito Chalet—Leaf and needle ID: “Do you know what’s growing in your backyard?” with Denise Landsberg, outdoor science educator
  • Nov. 16, 6 p.m. at Nara Nature Center—Sensory night hike; discover your senses coming alive at night, with Marcy Erickson, outdoor science educator
  • Dec. 7, 6 p.m. at Nara Nature Center—Luminary night walk at the Nara Boardwalks with Marcy Erikson, outdoor science educator
  • Dec. 12, 2 p.m. at Nara Nature Center—”Finding your way: Compasses and treasure hunts” with Denise Landsberg, outdoor science educator

As with any outdoor event—dress accordingly for the weather. For more information call 7-3341 or visit wupcenter.mtu.edu.

From Tech Today.

Dare Publishes on Physics Education Research

Emily Dare
Emily Dare

Emily Dare, Assistant Professor of STEM Education in Cognitive and Learning Sciences, has an article in press cited as:

Dare, E. A., & Roehrig, G. H. (in press). “If I had to do it, then I would”: Understanding Early Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Physics and Physics-Related Careers by Gender. Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research.

Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research (PRST-PER) is a peer-reviewed online open-access journal sponsored by the American Physical Society (APS), the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the APS Forum on Education.

2015 Lake Superior Water Festival

Water Festival

2015 Lake Superior Water Festival
Great Lakes Research Center
Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Registration is open! Teachers can now register their high school classes to attend an exciting array of activities that will increase students’ knowledge of Great Lakes science, engineering, history, careers, and more! During each half-day session, students attend four 35-minute activities.

Learn more at the Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education.

Lake Superior Water Festival

Nearly 500 high school students, in 19 classes from 11 schools in Houghton, Baraga, Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties will flood Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center today, September 30, 2015. The GLRC will be a hopping place on from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. today for the Fourth Annual Lake Superior Water Festival. More than 15 different sessions will be offered throughout the day, presented by Michigan Tech faculty, staff, students, community organizations, government agencies, authors, artists and photographers.

The Water Festival provides an opportunity for students to learn about and celebrate our most precious natural resource – clean, fresh water.

The 2015 Water Festival is made possible with funding from Earth Force, Michigan Tech Center for Water & Society, the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, and Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative.

From Tech Today, by Joan Chadde.

Jeon Co-organizes Two Workshops on Driving Interactions

AutomotiveUI 2015Myounghoon “Philart” Jeon (CLS/CS) co-organized two workshops; Workshop on Practical Experiences in Measuring and Modeling Drivers and Driver-Vehicle Interactions and The Third Workshop on User Experience of Autonomous Driving, with international collaborators at the Seventh International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (AutomotiveUI15), in Nottingham, UK, which began Monday and concludes today. The workshops were partly supported by The Michigan Tech Transportation Institute.

From Tech Today.

Injury Risk Estimation Work Published

Injury RiskRecent PhD graduate Erich Petushek (CLS; MSU College of Human Medicine), Associate Professor Edward Cokely (CLS), Assistant Professor John Durocher (Bio Sci), Paul Ward (University of Huddersfield, UK), Sean Wallace (Illinois Institute of Technology) and Gregory Myer (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center) published the paper “Injury Risk Estimation Expertise: Assessing the ACL Injury Risk Estimation Quiz,” in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015 43: 1640-1647.

From Tech Today.

Register for End of Summer Science Camp

Nara Nature TrailRegistration for the End of Summer Science Camp is open until Aug. 24. Camps take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 1-3.

Grades 1-3: Nature at the Nara Center

Enjoy time outdoors at the Nara Nature Center exploring trails, wildlife and plants. Make nature observations, play games and do nature crafts as a fun way to end summer vacation. Drop off at the Nara Nature Center.

Grades 4-6: Science and Nature Explorations in the Great Outdoors

This group will spend the 1st day at the Great Lakes Research Center engaged in forays around campus. On Day 2 & 3, they’ll explore the Keweenaw Land Trust’s Marsin Nature Area with bug, wildlife and aquatic experts. There will be time to play games, read stories, write poetry, daydream and record observations in journals. Weather permitting, there will be water activities. Drop off at the Great Lakes Research Center. A Michigan Tech van will transport students to Marsin Center on Wednesday and Thursday. Please note on the registration form if you will drop off your student at the Nara Nature Center at 9:30 a.m. and pick up at 3:30 p.m.

The number attending is limited to 20 students for Grades 1-3, and 15 students for Grades 4-6. Cost is $135 per student and attendees must bring their own lunch. You can register online or by contacting wupcenter@mtu.edu. For more information, call 7-3341.

From Tech Today, by Center for Science and Environmental Outreach at Great Lakes Research Center.

Science teachers design a sustainable future

Designing a Sustainable Future

HOUGHTON — Since Monday, these 9 middle and high school science teachers have been learning how to use energy productively and efficiently at the Designing A Sustainable Future Teacher’s Institute.

“Well everyday we’ve had different themes,” says local science teacher Heather Bradway. “Monday was solar, today we’re going to learn about sustainable food systems. So it covers many different aspects,” says Bradway.

Read more and watch the video at Upper Michigan’s Source, by Aleah Hordges.