Eighteen high school students from Detroit and across the Lower Peninsula are spending six days at Michigan Tech from July 22-27 to explore Natural Resources and Engineering majors and consider attending Michigan Technological University. The program is in its fifth year.
Students will investigate drinking water treatment, autonomous vehicles, forest management, and more, with Michigan Tech faculty from Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM), Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Electrical and Computing Engineering (ECE), as well as natural resource agencies, such as the US Forest Service. Students will participate in hands-on engineering explorations and enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, from kayaking to mountain biking and hiking at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
Some of the engineering-related explorations include:
- Value of STEM Careers with Dr. Janet Callahan, Dean of the College of Engineering
- Water Use and Cleaning Wastewater with Joan Chadde, Center for Science and Environmental Outreach (CSEO)
- Water Treatment and the Flint Water Crisis with Brian Doughty, CSEO
- Water Treatment Technologies with Ryan Kibler, Benjamin Cerrados, and Dr. Daisuke Minakata, CEE
- Demo of acoustic triangulation and underwater autonomous vehicles with Dr. Andrew Barnard and Miles Penhale, ME-EM
- Stream Lab and Green Land and Water Management Practices, with Dr. Brian Barkdoll, CEE
- Tour of Flood Damage in Houghton (and Detroit): Why does flooding occur and how can it be mitigated? with Dr. Alex Mayer, CEE, and Mike Reed, Detroit Zoological Society
- Self-Driving Vehicles with Dr. Jeremy P. Bos, ECE
The program is coordinated by Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, with funding from: Michigan Space Grant Consortium, Michigan Tech School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, College of Engineering, Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Admissions, Housing and Residential Life, Great Lakes Research Center, and the Michigan Space Grant Consortium.
For more information, contact: Joan Chadde at 906-487-3341/906-369-1121 or jchadde@mtu.edu.