Electrical and Computer Engineering Newsblog

The Power of Hands-On Learning: MTU EE Students Share Their Passion for Electronics at Superior Makerfest

Published March 19, 2026

Katelyn Spolnicki and Alex Ossenheimer with a student in a gymnasium using electrical equipment — Katelyn Spolnicki and Alex Ossenheimer spent the Pi Day at Superior Makersfest.

This past Pi Day, a group of students from the Michigan Tech IPC & Electronics Student Chapter headed to Houghton High School. Senior Katelyn Spolnicki, second year-student Alex Ossenheimer, and third-year Sam Freye spent the day at Superior Makerfest, hosted by Superior Fab Lab. They taught attendees of all ages—some as young as five—the essential skill of soldering.

The three electrical engineering students taught attendees how to solder a mini flashlight. The flashlight kits–—boards, components, and a ruler – multifunctional PCB engineering scale printed circuit board ruler measuring tool—were donated by the Electronics Foundation.

Logo for Superior Fab Lab’s MakerFest 3.14.26, Pi(e) Day Edition — a circular pie chart styled as a pie crust, with six slices depicting different maker materials: LEGO bricks (yellow), wood grain (brown), woven fabric (blue), diamond-plate metal (gray), circuit board (green), and the Superior Fab Lab logo on red. The text “MakerFest 3.14.26” arcs across the top and “Pi(e) Day Edition” along the bottom, with π symbols on both sides.

“It was amazing to see people of all ages get excited about learning to solder,” says Katelyn Spolnicki.

“Being part of the IPC student chapter has been one of the best parts of my college experience. It’s given me hands-on experience, industry connections, and a community of people who share the same interests,” she adds.

Her advice to anyone interested in electronics or electrical engineering? “Get involved early, try new things, and take advantage of opportunities like IPC.”

Spolnicki will graduate from Michigan Tech in just a few weeks. In the short term, she hopes to keep encouraging more students to explore electronics on campus. “Long term I want to work in the electronics industry on meaningful projects, and eventually mentor others entering the field.”

“I’m grateful I had the chance to help at Makerfest,” adds Spolnicki. “Events like this really show how fun and welcoming the electronics community can be.”

I really enjoyed meeting all the kids who stopped by our table to learn about electronics assembly and hand soldering,” adds Ossenheimer.

“I’m a relatively new member of the IPC & Electronics student chapter. It’s been a fulfilling and refreshing experience to be a part of this group, to have the chance to experience the different facets of electronics and semiconductor engineering and manufacturing firsthand,” he says. “It’s something I plan to keep doing throughout my time at Michigan Tech.”

Alex Ossenheimer helping a student build a mini flashlight — Alex Ossenheimer teaches a student to solder a mini flashlight at the Superior Makerfest.

Ossenheimer is majoring in electrical engineering with a concentration in photonics. Similar to electronics, which involves the control of electrons, photonics deals with the control of photons in terms of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy.

His advice to a younger person interested in electronics: “Start by experimenting with the plethora of free tools out there—websites like Circuit Lab and Multisim Live for simulating circuits, and CAD software like KiCad for designing PCBs and schematics. YouTube is a good resource, too. A lot of people are making amazing videos on a wide variety of topics related to electronics.”

Whether you’re a student, job-seeker, veteran, or a professional, there’s a place for you in the electronics community. Feel free to reach out to ECE Professor Christopher Middlebrook for more information at the Michigan Tech Electronics Hub for ongoing workforce development opportunities in Michigan and beyond.

Three Electrical Engineering Students Earn High-Tech Honors

Published February 26, 2026

By Kimberly Geiger

Michigan Tech electrical engineering students Emily Daley, Rishin Patra and Katelyn Spolnicki have each earned scholarships from the Electronics Foundation.

Established by the Global Electronics Association, the Electronics Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to developing the next generation of electronics industry professionals. It connects students with industry leaders and supports STEM education through hands-on experiences, scholarships and educational resources.

From Michigan Tech to Taipei: A Journey of Firsts

Published February 26, 2026

By Kimberly Geiger

Global Electronics Association Board of Directors Meeting

Growing up in Byron, Michigan, watching her father as an electrician, Emily Daley knew someday she would study electronics. “In elementary school, I began to dream of building my own robot. I could see the mechanical side of things, but electronics held some sort of magic behind them that I wanted to understand.”

During a high-school tour of Michigan Tech, Daley fell for the rugged charm of the Upper Peninsula and went all-in on electrical engineering. Now, just months away from graduation, she’s reflecting on the defining chapter of her college career: serving as a Student Member Liaison for the Global Electronics Association Board of Directors.

Michigan Tech Team Shines at 2025 Bright Manufacturing Challenge

Published November 20, 2025

By Kimberly Geiger

A group photo of three students — L to R: Congrats to Emily, Peter, Rishin and Katelyn!

Michigan Tech undergraduates Emily Daley, Peter Kocour, and Katelyn Spolnicki, and graduate student Rishin Patra secured 3rd place at the recent 2025 Bright Manufacturing Challenge.

The 8-week, national competition is sponsored by EMAC, the Electronics Manufacturing and Assembly Collaborative. It’s an immersive, hands-on experience for student teams who design, fabricate, and test a custom printed circuit board (PCB) to serve as the control center for a robot. The multidisciplinary competition is open to any team of 2–5 members (current college students or recent grads). This year over a dozen teams from around the country took part, including Michigan Tech.

MTU Engineering Students Travel to Chicago for the Bright Manufacturing Challenge

Published October 22, 2025

By Kimberly Geiger

Electronics Hub

Students standing in front of blue letters that spell out "#SMTA" — ECE Professor Chris Middlebrook with MTU students and others at SMTAI 2025.

This week Michigan Tech ECE Professor Chris Middlebrook and four MTU students traveled to Rosemont, Illinois near Chicago this week to take part in the Bright Manufacturing Challenge and attend the SMTA International 2025 Conference and Expedition.

Group picture of the Michigan Tech Bright Manufacturing Challenge team — The Michigan Tech Bright Manufacturing Challenge team, L to R: Katelyn Spolnicki, Emily Daley, Peter Kocour, and Rishin Patra.

The Bright Manufacturing Challenge is an immersive, hands-on experience where student teams design, fabricate, and test a custom printed circuit board to serve as the control center for a robot. The challenge is hosted by the Electronics Manufacturing & Assembly Collaborative (EMAC). Any teams of 2-5 members can take part in the multidisciplinary, team-based competition, which simulates a real-world engineering product development cycle.

Michigan Tech ECE undergraduates Emily Daley, Peter Kocour, Katelyn Spolnicki, and ECE graduate student Rishin Patra took part in Round 1 (PCB Design) of the challenge back in July 2025. They earned a team prize of $1,000 and placed among the top 8 teams, securing their spot in Round 2 of the challenge (Fabrication DFM Review).

Next up will be Round 3, focusing on assembly, including planning and preparing for the circuit board population. The last phase is Round 4, which involves final integration–and features the grand finale of the competition: a robot challenge

Students at a table working on circuit boards — Hard at work during the Bright Manufacturing Challenge, Round 2

Daley, Kocour, Spolnickiu and Patra are all members of the Michigan Tech’s IPC and Electronics student chapter, advised by Prof. Middlebrook. The chapter focuses on industry connections, plant tours, conference attendances, and all other things to do with the printed circuit board (PCB) or electronics industries.

ORAU Junior Faculty Award for Tan Chen

Published June 10, 2024

Tan Chen (ECE) was mentioned by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) as the recipient of a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award for the 2024-25 academic year. A total of $175,000 was awarded to 35 junior faculty from ORAU member institutions.

The Powe recipients receive $5,000 in seed money for the 2024–25 academic year, matched by the recipient’s institution.

Chen’s research involves complex dynamics and applied control of robots, such as legged robots and manipulators.

“Each year, ORAU supports the research and professional development of emerging leaders at the universities who are members of our consortium.”
Ken Tobin, ORAU chief research and university partnerships officer

Michigan Tech at SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing 2024

Published May 3, 2024

Outdoor, night scene in National Harbor showing the water, ferris wheel, and city lights.

Tim Havens (CS/ICC/GLRC) and Steve Senczyszyn (GLRC) attended and presented at the SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing conference, held April 21–25 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Senczyszyn presented “Comparing performance of robot operating system (ROS) mapping algorithms in the presence of degraded or obscured depth sensors.” His co-authors include Havens; Tony Pinar (ECE); Adam Webb (MTRI); ECE undergraduate Mohamed Salem; ECE graduates Elizabeth Donoghue, Shelby Wills and Moira Broestl; and U.S. Army engineer Stanton Price.

Havens presented “Synthetic augmentation methods for object detection in infrared overhead imagery.” His co-authors include Ashley Olson (MTRI) and Jonathan Christian and Jason Summers of ARiA.

Dylan Kangas (ECE) presented “Developing robust unmanned surface vehicles with ROS.” His co-authors include Havens, Senczyszyn, Pinar, Keven Li (ME-EM), ECE undergraduates Salem and Tyler Ryynanen, U.S. Army engineers Steven Price and Stanton Price, and Stephen Taylor and Timothy Murphy of the U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center.

Havens and Olsen are also co-authors of a presentation by Summers and Christian of ARiA titled “Generative EO/IR multi-scale vision transformer for improved object detection.”

Oberloier and Forney Celebrate Maker Fest 2024

Published March 26, 2024

Shane Oberloier (ECE), Ian Raymond (HU) and undergraduate student William Forney (robotics engineering) were quoted by the Daily Mining Gazette in a story about the 2024 Maker Fest, held March 23 at Houghton High School. This was the second year for the event, put on by Superior Fab Lab.

“It’s the chance to show off the tools we use in the enterprise, show how they can be used and generate interest in it that way.”
William Forney, robotics engineering undergraduate

The event celebrated the process of making and offered nearly 30 hands-on activities. Raymond let visitors engage in stop-motion filmmaking. Forney, an Open Source Hardware Enterprise member, offered 360-degree 3D scans of people’s heads. Also mentioned was the Society of Women Engineers, which ran a booth on building paper circuits.

Group of people in an auditorium engaging in activities. — Students and families attend Maker Fest 2024.

Presenter in front of screen with large group in the background. — Dr. Shane Oberloier gives a presentation on YouTube methods.

Aurenice Oliveira Receives IEEE Outstanding Branch Counselor Award

Published November 29, 2023

Aurenice Oliveira working in the mobility lab.

The IEEE Outstanding Branch Counselor and Branch Chapter Advisor Award is for the exceptional and dedicated efforts of Student Branch Counsellors and Branch Chapter Advisors.

This is an international award since the counselors are chosen from all the branches within all the IEEE regions within and outside the USA. The following is Dr. Aurenice Oliveira’s dedication:

“Dear Dr. Aurenice Oliveira,
It is with immense pleasure and great pride that I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on being selected as a winner of the prestigious IEEE Outstanding Branch Counselor and Branch Chapter Advisor Award for 2023. Your exemplary leadership, dedication, and significant contributions to your Student Branch have been recognized and celebrated.”
IEEE Member and Geographic Activities and Technical Activities Boards

The primary criteria for selection are the enthusiastic support of the Branch Counselor, or Branch Advisor, by his or her students, and the commitment he or she has made to the engineering profession by the fostering of activities that encourage the development of IEEE Student members. The award recipient receives a certificate and other items.

The Member and Geographic Activities and Technical Activities Boards sponsor the cash award to maximum of 20 Outstanding Counsellors and Advisors around the world. Winners are those individuals who, through their work as Counsellors and Advisors, exemplify the Institute’s commitment to the educational, personal, professional, and technical development of students in IEEE related fields of interest.

Durdu Güney on Superlensing

Published November 2, 2023

Durdu Güney in the lab. — Durdu Güney in the lab, captured with an optical lensing effect.

Durdu Güney (ECE) was quoted by IEEE Spectrum in a story about a study investigating a new method for “superlensing,” or seeing things smaller than the wavelength of light.

Australian researchers Boris Kuhlmey and coauthor Alessandro Tuniz used numerical calculations to regain high-resolution information needed to amplify a dim signal. The method was used instead of a physical superlens to image objects smaller than the wavelength of light.

The postprocessing central to the Australian approach is similar to techniques routinely used in other areas of microscopy, according to Durdu Güney who studies superlensing at Michigan Tech.

Although the application to imaging is new, Guney says, “conceptually, I think the idea is not very novel.”

His research has used similar techniques in higher optical frequencies, for which superlensing is more advanced. Güney also questions whether the approach will be effective for more complicated objects, some of the features of which may be overwhelmed by noise.

Durdu Güney is an associate professor in Electrical and Computing Engineering. His current research activities include photonic quantum computing, quantum manipulation of light with metamaterials and metasurfaces, magneto-optical metamaterials, and novel noise mitigation techniques for optical imaging. He is on the editorial boards of Opto-Electronic Advances, Journal of Quantum Information Science, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Applied Sciences, and Photonics.