Engineering Fundamentals News

Category: Academic

My Story: Ryan Schwartz, MTUengineer

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Ryan Schwartz ’24, mechanical engineering

Ryan Schwartz grew up in Saline, Michigan. He’ll earn his BS in mechanical engineering this spring, and plans to earn an MS in engineering management, too. Ryan works as a LEAP Leader in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals, as a good role model, effective mentor, and learning coach—all rolled into one.

As a LEAP Leader, I lead a group of roughly 20 students through the First-Year Engineering courses at Michigan Tech. I am with my students in the classroom—along with other groups and their LEAP Leaders—while they work through projects and assignments. I also lead a class once a week with just my students to reinforce the concepts taught that week in a new and interactive way.

When I was a student in the First-Year Engineering courses, I had a fantastic LEAP Leader that made my experience fantastic. I wanted to be able to provide that same experience to others, so I became a LEAP Leader.

“The thing I enjoy most about being a LEAP Leader is helping my students grow and find their place here at Michigan Tech.”

Ryan Schwartz
Ryan has seen the Northern Lights during his time at Michigan Tech
“I love exploring the Keweenaw. My friends and I will often go out adventuring and have great times along the way.”

In my future career, I want to do something in the realm of sustainability and alternative energy. I don’t know yet what form that will take, but I want to do my part to reverse climate change.

I also want to be a manager and leader, wherever I may end up. I’ve developed strong leadership skills, many by serving as a LEAP Leader, that I would love to apply throughout my career.

“Classes are only a part of college.”

Advice to incoming students, from Ryan Schwartz, LEAP Leader

The best advice I can give is that classes are only a part of college. College is also about discovering yourself and making friends and memories along the way. Michigan Tech is a great place to do that while getting a quality education.

I am currently the Vice President and a Captain for the MTU Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Club – DiscoTech. My first year at Michigan Tech, I made literally every single one of my friends on Walker Lawn throwing a frisbee, and then our whole group joined the Ultimate team.

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Michigan Tech LEAP Leaders: Assist Fellow Students

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New Faculty Spotlight: Gabriel Draughon

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Dr. Gabe Draughon

Assistant Teaching Professor Gabriel Draughon grew up in Metro Atlanta. He comes to Michigan Tech from the University of Michigan, where he earned an MS and PhD in Civil Engineering (Intelligent Systems). He earned his BS in Biosystems Engineering at the University of Kentucky. “I keep moving more north!”

What drew you to Michigan Tech? 

I was drawn both by the area and by the University—specifically the Michigan Tech Department of Engineering Fundamentals, where the energy and passion for making engineering more welcoming and less daunting for first year engineers is unmatched!

What is your primary area of research and what led you to it?

My research area involves Smart Cities, and how sensing technologies in urban settings help us better understand how people move through, interact with, and derive benefits from social infrastructure.

I love working with sensors and smart infrastructure, which led me to the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems (LIST) at University of Michigan during my graduate studies. More importantly, I was drawn to the idea of how incorporating sensing technologies could improve the lives of people and better manage our resources. 

“We live in a shared world.
How can we make it better?”

Gabriel Draughon

Can you share a little more about your research and what you like about it? 

Specifically I focus on social infrastructure (public parks, squares, markets, bus stops, etc.). I write deep learning-based software to ingest image streams taken by cameras in public parks to autonomously generate usage reports, in order to quantify performance of the space. Where people are entering/exiting? Which assets do they interact with most? What activities are they engaged in? How social is the space? This helps park managers, owners, and operators better design, manage, and plan their spaces. It enables data-driven decision making. With this data park owners can understand where to invest funds, what assets drive social interactions, and when to run different social programs. 

I like writing the software and working with cool things like convolutional neural networks, but most importantly I like the application. When I am “out in the field” I am usually in public parks—which is quite nice! I also am drawn to the idea of understanding how our infrastructure can help build a community’s social capital and impact community members’ mental and physical health. 

What do you consider an important long-term goal for your research, teaching, or outreach?

I would like to engage undergraduate students with my research and show them the types of impact we can have as engineers. Specifically I hope to engage students from under-represented groups in STEM (first generation students, minorities, women). I want to help build students’ sense of self-efficacy. Measurable long-term goals would be to increase retention rates of underrepresented groups.

What do you hope to accomplish, as an educator and as a researcher, over the next few years?

I want to instill a passion in our student base for using their skills to help others. We live in a shared world; how can we make it better?

What do you like to do in your spare time?

 Lots of things! Outdoor: Mountain biking, hiking, and rock climbing. Indoor: Video games, movies, and board games.

One great spot to relax near Michigan Tech: the shore of Lake Superior.

What’s your favorite book?

“Lord of the Rings,” by JRR Tolkien.

Any favorite spots on campus, in Houghton, or in the UP?

Mine are the Tech Trails, KC Bonkers, and the Porkies (Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park).

“Try not to get overwhelmed with school work and be sure to set aside time to invest in friends, family, and hobbies.”

Dr. Gabriel Draughon’s advice for incoming students

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Feedback on Michigan Tech’s Online Teaching Training

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Michelle Jarvie-Eggart
Michelle Jarvie-Eggart

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart (EF), Thomas Freeman (CTL), Janet Staker Woerner of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, PhD student Mary Benjamin (environmental engineering) and MiCUP undergraduate researcher Luis Fernandez-Arcay of Grand Valley State University surveyed the faculty who completed Michigan Tech’s online teaching training from 2019 through 2021 to determine how that training changed their approach to the design of a course, a lesson and their teaching in general.

The group’s work, published in the Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, found that the training provided essential pedagogical and instructional design education absent in most PhD programs, resulting in self-reported improvements in both online and in-person instruction. Additionally, the experience of learning online increased faculty empathy for students.

Jarvie-Eggart, M., Freeman, T., Woerner, J. S., Benjamin, M., & Fernandez-Arcay, L. (2023). Learning to Teach Well in Any Format: Examining the Effects of Online Teachers’ Training on University Faculty Teaching. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v23i2.5808

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Late Drop a Class

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After the last day to drop a class (Friday, Week 10), students who have extenuating circumstances must appeal to the Dean of Students office for a Late Drop.
Late drops are NOT given because:
1. You forgot to drop the course, or you were not aware of the policy;
2. You spent too much time on University extracurricular activities;
3. You wish to avoid a poor grade;
4. You are changing your major or transferring to another school; or
5. You do not need the course to graduate.
See the instructions for requesting a Late Drop.

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Summer Classes

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Some students take summer classes at Michigan Tech to replace a grade, to lighten the credits of a future semester(s), or for a great excuse to enjoy the Copper Country summers. Summer 2016 course offerings at Michigan Tech are now available at: www.mtu.edu/registrar/students/registration/prepare.
When you are scheduling, please note that some courses run the full summer semester and some run the first or second half of the semester. The dates the course will run are listed on-line when you register. Keep in mind a half-semester course requires the full amount of work in half the time (i.e., the course is taught at an accelerated pace).

If you do not want to stay at Michigan Tech for the summer, but would like to take courses, there are two other options. You can take Michigan Tech courses on-line, or you can take classes at another college and transfer them back to Michigan Tech (see transfer information below). Before taking a class at another college or university, you should check with the Michigan Tech Transfer Office to be sure that it will transfer as the course you need.

Transfer Information:

If you are going to take classes elsewhere, make sure that the course(s) will transfer to Michigan Tech as the course(s) you need BEFORE you take the class.

1) Check for the course on the Transfer Equivalency System.

2) If the course you want is NOT on the Transfer Credit Equivalency list, you may request to have it evaluated by sending information to the Michigan Tech Transfer Services Office.

Required Information for Transfer Evaluation

  • University or college name
  • Course ID and title
  • Course Catalog Description

Additional information may be required

  • Syllabus including
    • Textbook(s) used
    • Detailed Description
    • Course Outline

3) Transferring:

  • a) Register for the course (for other Michigan colleges, use the Guest Application),
  • b) Earn a grade of “C” or better (the grade will not transfer, but the credit will), and
  • c) Have your official transcripts sent to Michigan Tech.
    • Office of Student Records & Registration
    • Admin Bldg 130
    • 1400 Townsend Avenue
    • Houghton, MI 49931-1295

4) Prereqs: If any course you plan to take off campus is a prerequisite for your next semester on campus, you will need to notify Transfer Services (transfer@mtu.edu). They will then enter an IS – in session code which to prevent prerequisite scheduling issues.

5) On-line courses may sound easier since you can approach the class in your own time. Though this is true for some classes, on-line classes also require self-motivation and a time commitment on your part. Before taking the class, check into the course requirements, including internet access, exam proctors, etc.

Michigan Tech – On-line FAQs

6) Other Resources: Michigan Transfer Network – Always double check that the course transfers as your required course by contacting the Transfer Office.

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Confirm your classes will count toward graduation

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After you have registered for the next semester is a good time to review your Interactive Degree Audit. It will allow you to confirm you are registered for the correct classes.

  • Sign into MyMichiganTech
  • Select Current Students from the tool bar
  • Locate Academic Information on the page
  • Select Undergraduate Degree Audit
    • Run Audit for Latest will give your current major.
    • General/Undecided Engineering or students changing their major should use the drop down to select the new major. NOTE: this will show requirements for the current school year, which may be different from the requirements for the year you started.

If you have questions regarding your audit, please feel free to stop by 112 Dillman and meet with Amy Monte.

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Mid-term Grades on Banweb Monday, 8th week, 5pm

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All first-year students will receive mid-term grades for their classes; mid-term grades are viewable on Banweb Monday, 8th week, 5pm.

The purpose of mid-term grades is to help first-year students see how they are performing in their classes. If a student has questions regarding a mid-term grade for a class, they should meet with the instructor. Mid-term grades are defined as satisfactory (SA), unsatisfactory (UN), not applicable (NA), and missing (M). NA is used for courses where credit is not earned. M is used when an instructor does not submit a grade. Mid-term grades are temporary grades and will be replaced when the student has earned the final grade for the class. Therefore, no permanent record of the mid-term grade is kept.

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Registration Opens March 18, 2018

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Fall 2018 registration will be open March 18th through April 1st, midnight. If you have questions regarding what classes to take, you should make an appointment to meet with your academic advisor.

Registration typically opens each night at 10:00 pm. Due to the large number of students, some days will have two start times, 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm. To find out what day and time you register go to:

– Banweb: Student -> Registration -> Check Registration Status to see Time/Day and Permits and Overrides (aka waivers)

  • Priority is based on the number of credits earned at the time of registration. This does not include the number of credits the student is currently taking.
  • Students may register anytime on or after their scheduled day.
  • The web will be unavailable for registration from 2:00–2:30 am each day.
  • Registration closes at midnight Sunday, March 26th and reopens later that week.
  • Students with questions or problems should contact the Student Service Center at 487-2319 or e-mail schedule@mtu.edu.
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Need help with a class?

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As you are getting into your classes, you may find that you need extra help on a topic. If you have questions, go see your professor during office hours, or e-mail your professor to set up an appointment. Learning Centers are another resource on campus:

  • Chemistry: 208 Chem Sciences and Eng Building
  • Computer Science: 114 Rekhi Hall
  • Engineering Fundamentals: 208 Dillman Hall, Tuesday- Thursday, 7pm-9pm
  • Mathematics: 234 Fisher Hall
  • Multiliteracies Center (formerly the Writing Center): 107 Walker Arts and Humanities Center
  • Physics: 128 Fisher Hall
  • Visit the link for all Michigan Tech Learning Centers
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The last day to drop a class with a withdrawal (W) grade:

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The last day to drop a class with a withdrawal (W) grade:

  • Track A classes – Friday of Week 5 (February 16, 2018, 5pm)
  • Full semester classes – Friday of Week 10 (March 30, 2018, 5pm)
  • Track B classes – Friday of Week 12 (April 13, 2018, 5pm).

All first-year students must meet with their academic advisor and instructor to drop a class. This allows the student to discuss the ramifications before dropping a class. Therefore, do not wait until Friday to get signatures.

All students must go to the Student Service Center to drop classes after 1st week of classes.

After the last day to drop, students who have extenuating circumstances must appeal to the Student Affairs office for a Late Drop. See instructions for requesting a Late Drop.

“W” Withdrawal Information: When a student drops a full semester class between 1st and 3rd weeks, nothing appears on their transcripts. When a student drops a class between 4th and 10th weeks, a withdraw grade (W) appears on their transcripts. This indicates that the student took the class for a significant amount of time (more than 3 weeks) and then decided to drop the class. One W on a transcript is not a big deal (check with Financial Aid to see a W grade will affect your financial aid, scholarships, or loans). More than a couple of Ws will start to indicate to a potential employer that a student cannot complete what they set out to do.

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