College of Engineering Blog

All aboard! Michigan Tech’s Rail Transportation Program is Leading the Way

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Railroad tracks curving around a green hill with shrubs on either side.
Michigan Tech’s Rail Transportation Program (RTP) has been a leader in rail education and technology for nearly 20 years.

For over 15 years, Michigan Tech’s Rail Transportation Program (RTP) has been committed to developing tomorrow’s leaders in rail engineering. As part of the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI) and Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE), RTP has served as a beacon of research, education, and innovation for rail enthusiasts from high school students to expert faculty and everyone in between.

Michigan Tech’s one-of-a-kind program was founded in 2007 by Pasi Lautala, then a recent Michigan Tech doctoral graduate, now long-time faculty member, who serves as director of both RTP and MTTI. Since its inception, the program’s goal has been three-fold: education, research, and outreach.

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Michigan Tech’s Clean Snowmobile Team Takes First Place in SAE International Competition

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A Michigan Tech-branded snowmobile is driven by an SAE Clean Snowmobile team member in the annual challenge in Eagle River, Wisconsin.
The SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge team took home first place in the sparked ignition snowmobile challenge. (Images courtesy of Michigan Tech Advanced Motorsports Enterprise)

Michigan Tech’s sparked ignition (SI) team took home first place overall as well as first place in the design phase of competition in the SAE International annual Clean Snowmobile Challenge earlier this month. Michigan Tech’s Clean Snowmobile Challenge team entered two sleds in this year’s competition at the World Championship Derby Complex in Eagle River, Wisconsin: one in the SI category and one in the compression ignition diesel utility snowmobile (CI) competition. 

The Michigan Tech team came in second in the CI category, which is being phased out. This year’s challenge included 14 teams from the United States and Canada. 

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Jon Herlevich Selected for Deans’ Teaching Showcase

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John Herlevich
Jon Herlevich ‘94 ‘97, a Michigan Tech College of Engineering alumnus, has been selected for the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

College of Engineering Dean Michelle Scherer has selected Jon Herlevich ‘94 ‘97, professor of practice in the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE), for the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Herlevich will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other spring showcase members and is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

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Design Expo Seeks Judges for 25th Anniversary

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Overhead photograph of the atrium in the Van Pelt Opie Library with student project presentation on display
Design Expo is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Be a part of the historic event and become a judge!

Since it began in 2000, Michigan Tech’s Design Expo has been a nexus of student innovation and industry collaboration. This year’s event marks the 25th anniversary of more than 1,000 Enterprise and Senior Design students showcasing their designs and demonstrating their real-world problem-solving skills to the community, industry partners, and Michigan Tech faculty and staff. The Enterprise Program is looking for individuals to volunteer as distinguished Design Expo judges.

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Kerri Sleeman Selected for Deans’ Teaching Showcase

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Kerri Sleeman with campus in the background.
Kerri Sleeman ‘95 ‘08, a Michigan Tech College of Engineering alumna, has been selected for the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

College of Engineering Dean Michelle Scherer has selected Kerri Sleeman ‘95 ‘08, professor of practice in construction engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering (CEGE) and the College of Business, for the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Sleeman will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other spring showcase members and is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

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Shane Oberloier Selected for Deans’ Teaching Showcase

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Shane Oberloier with a Van De Graaf generator and a yellow explosion graphic that says “ZAP!”
Shane Oberloier’s enthusiasm for the maker community engages students in the classes he teaches, the Makerspace he directs, and beyond! (Photo courtesy Shane Oberloier)

College of Engineering Dean Michelle Scherer has selected Shane Oberloier, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, for this spring’s Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Oberloier will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other spring showcase members and is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

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Jason R. Blough Named Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department

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Jason Blough standing next to the Husky Statue.
Jason R. Blough, distinguished professor and MTU alum, has been named the chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Distinguished Professor Jason R. Blough has officially been named the chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), effective Jan. 6. Blough has served in the role since July 2022.

Blough is a full professor in the department whose distinguished career includes a thriving research group and many honors in recognition of his work. He was named a distinguished professor at Michigan Tech in 2021.

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Sustainability and Collaboration Motivate Midyear Commencement Undergraduate Student Speaker

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: Aliyah Maxwell-Abrams in their graduation gown standing in front of Dillman Hall
Aliyah Maxwell-Abrams is ready for their next challenge thanks to the Michigan Tech community.

On the road to graduation, Aliyah Maxwell-Abrams left their mark on the Tech community, just as the Tech community left a lasting impression on them.

This December, they are graduating with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a minor in mathematics, and will address fellow graduates at Michigan Tech’s mid-year commencement.

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Midyear Commencement Graduate Student Speaker Knows Her Strengths

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Mehnaz Tabassum was inspired by the Keweenaw landscape and is looking to inspire the next generation of engineers. (Images courtesy of Mehnaz Tabassum)

Mehnaz Tabassum scored just 25 percent on her first midterm as a PhD student in electrical and computer engineering at Michigan Technological University. She was understandably worried when her instructor for the course, Zhaohui Wang, asked Tabassum to come to her office hours following the exam. Tabbassum assumed Wang would be upset with her. 

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SWE at Michigan Tech Receives Awards, Honors, and Job Offers at Annual Conference

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Gretchen Hein ‘96, Skyler Brawley, and Amanda Smies ‘18 pose with their awards from SWE’s annual WE24 conference.

In the final weekend of October, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) hosted WE24, the world’s largest conference for women in engineering and technology. SWE at Michigan Tech supported the travel of 19 students to the conference in Chicago, Illinois where they attended sessions, participated in the career fair, and met with Michigan Tech alumnae from the Chicago area and SWE at large.

The WE24 Career Fair is the largest career fair for women in the world. This year, students in attendance had 17 interviews and 4 internship offers just from participating in this event. Most of the students who interviewed will be hearing in the next few weeks regarding internships and full-time offers.

As part of the conference, WE24 held a robust awards ceremony where engineers from Michigan Tech received awards for their achievements and contributions.

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