College of Engineering Blog

Commencement Graduate Student Speaker Found His Way ‘Back Home’ to Michigan Tech

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Man in a gray sweater stands confidently in a modern office lobby with brick walls and comfortable seating areas.
Houssein Yassin ’23, who returned to Michigan Tech to earn his PhD, will address the audience as graduate speaker at Spring Commencement ceremonies on April 24.

Although Michigan Tech is thousands of miles from his upbringing in South Lebanon, Houssein Yassin ’23 began thinking of the University as home long before he ever set foot on campus. Now a PhD student in mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics, Yassin will take the podium as the 2026 Spring Commencement graduate student speaker on April 24.

“I used to watch YouTube lectures from Professor Gordon Parker, and with every lecture, Michigan Tech felt less like a university far away and more like a place where I belonged,” said Yassin. “There was a warmth in the way he taught that made me feel this was the kind of place where I could grow, be challenged, and truly shine.”

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Marathons and Water Towers: Undergraduate Commencement Speaker Talks Discipline, Service, and Community

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Undergraduate commencement speaker Caelan Mead-O’Brien stands in front of a sunny window in the DOW atrium. He is wearing a jacket and button-up shirt.
Spring ’26 undergraduate commencement speaker Caelan Mead-O’Brien focused on community and service during his time at Michigan Tech, all while learning to protect crucial natural resources, training for marathons, and more.

Caelan Mead-O’Brien, the undergraduate student speaker for the 2026 spring commencement, was enabled to come into his own personally, professionally, and academically during his time at Michigan Tech. As he prepares to graduate with a degree in environmental engineering, Mead-O’Brien recalls his first impressions of Michigan Tech, and the way his time in Houghton has helped him to learn, grow, and lead.

Though he was originally hesitant to move so far from his hometown of Okemos, Michigan, Mead-O’Brien quickly found his place in the Keweenaw.

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Distinguished Professor Adrienne Minerick Inducted into the AIMBE College of Fellows

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Portrait of Adrienne Minerick wearing a black shirt and grey blazer in front of an academic lobby with tables and chairs.
Distinguished Professor Adrienne Minerick has been inducted into the AIMBE College of Fellows, a top honor for medical and biological engineers.

Adrienne R. Minerick ’98, distinguished professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has been inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers. The AIMBE College of Fellows represents the top two percent of engineers in these fields and honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering and medicine research, practice, or education.

Minerick was elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for pioneering dielectrophoretic detection of molecular expression of cells and for international leadership in engineering education focused on engagement and inclusion. She was inducted along with 175 colleagues into the College of Fellows Class of 2026 on April 13, 2026, at the AIMBE Annual Event in Arlington, Virginia.

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Yun Hang Hu Receives Morris Cohen Award for Pioneering Contributions in Materials Science

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Yun Hang Hu stands in a hallway lined with windows showing snow-covered hills wearing a blue shirt.
University Professor Yun Hang Hu has received the TMS Morris Cohen Award for his contributions to the field of materials science.

Yun Hang Hu, University Professor and the Charles and Carroll McArthur Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, received the prestigious Morris Cohen Award for outstanding contributions to the science and/or technology of materials properties. Awarded by The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), the Morris Cohen Award honors one individual worldwide each year and is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished honors in the field.

“The previous recipients of the Morris Cohen Award are distinguished pioneers whose groundbreaking contributions have profoundly shaped the field,” said Hu. “I am deeply honored to join their ranks in receiving this prestigious award.”

Two individuals stand on a stage holding a triangular glass trophy under a sign that reads “The World Comes Here, TMS 2026, Annual Meeting and Exhibition.”
University Professor Yun Hang Hu received the Morris Cohen Award at the 155th TMS Annual Meeting on March 18, 2026. (Photo courtesy TMS)

In Michigan Tech’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hu teaches courses in thermodynamics and conducts extensive research on a wide range of topics, including superstructure materials, nanomaterials, electrocatalysis, biodegradable plastics, advanced energy devices, and more. Hu is also an affiliated professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Hu’s previous awards and honors include more than 20 national and international accolades. In 2017, Hu was the first MTU faculty member to receive both the Michigan Tech Research Award and the Bhakta Rath Research Award in the same year.

He has been elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering and is a fellow of six major professional societies:

Hu, who is also a past recipient of the Rudolf A. Erren Award from the International Association for Hydrogen Energy, expressed his gratitude to those who have contributed to his latest career achievement.

“This recognition would not have been possible without the dedication of my graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and the unwavering support of my wife and children.”

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MTU Alumna Teresa Karjala Elected to the National Academy of Engineering

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Black Michigan Technological University sign that reads “Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building” surrounded by yellow daffodils in bloom.
Chemical engineering alumna Teresa Karjala ’87 has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Teresa Plumley Karjala ’87, a Michigan Tech chemical engineering alumna, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Karjala is recognized for her leadership in the field of polyolefin production development, production, and commercialization. The NAE Class of 2026 will be formally inducted at the NAE Annual Meeting this fall.

“Being elected to the National Academy of Engineering is a great honor, and I am truly humbled to be elected to such an esteemed organization,” said Karjala. “This recognition reflects not only my individual contributions but also the collective efforts of the teams, collaborators, and mentors I’ve had the privilege to work with throughout my career.”

Portrait of Teresa Karjala wearing a white shirt, black jacket, and black and silver necklace.
After receiving her BS in chemical engineering from Michigan Tech in 1987, Teresa Karjala earned her PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware in 1992 and began her career at Dow.

Karjala is a Senior R&D Fellow in the Packaging and Specialty Plastics division of the Dow Chemical Company. She graduated from Michigan Tech in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and received her doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware in 1992.

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MTU’s College of Engineering Presents Pathway to PhD Awards to Strengthen Doctoral Pipeline

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Zachary Elmore, Zander Worm, Purity Angwenyi and Seth Eacker pose together in front of windows with views of snowy campus.
This year’s Pathway to PhD cohort includes, from left, Zachary Elmore, Zander Worm, Purity Angwenyi, and Seth Eacker. (Not pictured: Abhilash Arjan Das and Elijah Sierra)

When it comes to recruiting talented doctoral candidates, Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering is starting with our own students!

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Michigan Tech SWE Students Travel to World’s Largest Conference for Women in Engineering

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Dean Michelle Scherer and 22 Michigan Tech students and alumni pose together at an event as part of WE25. The group is wearing name tags and conference lanyards and business casual attire.
Michigan Tech SWE student members, alumni, and College of Engineering Dean Michelle Scherer, far right, gather at WE25, the Society of Women Engineers’ annual conference.

Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is celebrating 75 years of providing a robust network of advocates for any and all looking to support women engineers and their unique place and voice within the engineering and technology industry. At Michigan Tech, our award-winning SWE section is going above and beyond to help members connect with peers and industry around the world. 

This October, Tech’s SWE section traveled with 17 students to WE25, the organization’s national conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. The annual conference is the world’s largest gathering dedicated to forwarding the progress of women in engineering and technology. 

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Head of the Pack: A Conversation with Associate Deans Amy Landis and Audra Morse

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From left, Audra Morse and Amy Landis pose at a desk in the College of Engineering Dean’s Office. Morse wears a charcoal blazer, black turtleneck sweater, and jeans and Landis wears a gray blazer and dress.
Associate Deans Audra Morse, left, and Amy Landis support the College’s mission as new members of its administrative leadership.

When Dean Michelle Scherer arrived at Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, she brought with her a new vision of engineering education excellence. Known for its hands-on, practical approach, the College of Engineering under her leadership would train collaborative and imaginative engineers from all backgrounds to develop, test, and build real solutions to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

This summer, Dean Scherer welcomed two new associate deans to the College’s administration who will work closely with her to deliver on that vision of world-class education, research, and leaders

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From Co-op to Career: Michigan Tech Chemical Engineering Alum Shares His Story

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Students and employers mill around by booths and in aisles as hundreds attend Michigan Tech’s Fall Career Fair in the multipurpose room of the SDC in 2024.
Michigan Tech’s fall Career Fair is the first of two offered to all students each academic year to make connections for co-ops, internships, and full-time jobs.

As Huskies gear up for Michigan Technological University’s Fall Career Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 23, they’re looking for on-point advice to land co-ops, internships, and full-time jobs. 

Cody Woodbury ’20 has got them covered. Woodbury is a process engineer at Koppers, a global leader in the development of progressive wood treatment technologies. He’s one of the many Michigan Tech students who did a co-op with the company and went on to be hired full-time. 

In this Q&A,  the chemical engineering grad shares practical advice for students on topics like why it’s important to ask prospective employers questions, how to understand what success looks like during a co-op, and how to make the most of your time at Tech.

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College of Engineering Welcomes New Faculty Members

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16 new faculty and staff gather for a group portrait in the lobby of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. All wear the same black t-shirt that reads “MTUengineering” and stand in front of large windows.
New members of the College’s faculty and staff were welcomed to Michigan Tech prior to the start of the school year at a get-together in Tech’s Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

The Michigan Tech College of Engineering welcomes 13 new faculty members across six departments for the 2025-2026 academic year. These new researchers and educators bring a wealth of experience and expertise in fields including computational fluid dynamics, autonomous machines and vehicles, artificial intelligence, freshwater management, and more. 

“Tomorrow needs every engineer and we need thoughtful, dedicated faculty to educate and inspire them,” said Michelle Scherer, dean of the College of Engineering. “I am thrilled to welcome this phenomenally talented group to help train the next generation of Husky engineers. Exciting things are ahead!”

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