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.
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.
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.
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.
The Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET) has a new PhD program and will be accepting applications for enrollment in spring semester 2025. The Manufacturing Engineering PhD program will emphasize research of the most viable and efficient processes used during fabrication, shaping, machining, and assembly and will provide an ability for students with an MS degree to further their domain knowledge and expertise in the field.
MMET professor and chair John Irwin is excited for the first PhD program in this department. “Research in the manufacturing engineering field has potential for talented people to propose innovative solutions, including tech-enabled sustainability initiatives,” says Irwin. “It is exciting to be department chair during this historic time of growth and change.”
No matter the industry, manufacturing engineering designs share the end goal of producing a better product at a lower cost. The new degree is applicable across traditional engineering disciplines, including material science, mechanical, electrical, robotic, biomedical, and chemical engineering in order to make advancements in processes for forming, joining, casting, molding, producing composites, micromachining, and additive methodologies.
It’s predicted that 35,600 new jobs will need to be filled by 2029. The 1.36 percent annual increase in job demand over the next few years means more faculty holding PhD degrees will be needed to prepare students for their careers. The job increase also translates to a need for research engineers with 14 percent growth expected in manufacturing engineering jobs through 2030 who are equipped to continue accelerating the growth of innovative technologies.
For more details on course and credit requirements, check out the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology blog.
Michigan Tech Enterprise Teams lead to industry partnerships and the kind of experience that employers are looking for. In the case of a Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise (CPM) team, the research they conducted led to publication and fewer single-use beverage containers on campus.
CPM enterprise works on multiple projects for multiple years, with the group breaking out into subteams. For their project, the CPM OneTumbler team partnered with campus housing to give all first-year Huskies in 2023’s incoming class a Michigan Tech OneTumbler, as a way to promote sustainability on campus.
Chemical Engineering Professor Caryn Heldt exemplifies how research at Michigan Tech crosses disciplines—and crosses the globe. The James and Lorna Mack Chair in Continuous Processing, Heldt is also an affiliate professor in biological sciences at Michigan Tech, and directs the University’s Health Research Institute.
Aside from the benefit to communities, internships and similar collaborations benefit Michigan Tech researchers, said Heldt. “International partnerships are really key to expanding your research network, research ideas, and to be able to have your research out into industry and be applied.”
The Michigan Tech College of Engineering is pleased to welcome 16 new faculty members across eight departments this year. These new faculty members bring a wide range of specializations in robotics, geomechanics, cancer tissue engineering, snow hydrology, and more. These brilliant educators and researchers join us from all over the world, including five Michigan Tech College of Engineering alumni. Welcome Huskies!
Read more about our new faculty:
It all started with a geology course. After graduating high school, Michigan Tech alumnus Caleb Kaminski wasn’t sure what to study, but he knew it would be STEM-related. While working towards his associate’s degree at West Shore Community College, Kaminski tried it all, from aquacultural science to computer science to physics. “But everything clicked when I stumbled upon an introductory geology course,” says Kaminski. “I was hooked instantly!”
Even then, Kaminski knew he wanted his academic career to include more than just geology. “When I discovered Michigan Tech offered a degree in geological engineering, I was sure I found the right path to embark on. It combined my newfound love for geology with the challenging engineering component I was eager to be challenged by. And just like that, I found my perfect academic match!”
Michigan Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering, along with representatives of CITGO Petroleum Corporation, dedicated a new space for students in the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building on Friday, September 27. The CITGO Senior Design Studio will give students a facility with state-of-the-art computing technology to collaborate and work on projects.
The CITGO-Michigan Tech partnership came about through Carlos Jordá, CEO and president of CITGO, who is a 1971 chemical engineering graduate of Michigan Tech.
CITGO representatives Phil Pribnow, Lemont GM of Engineering and Business Services, and Brett Wiltshire, Lemont Manager of Human Resources, were present for the ribbon cutting of the new facility. Also present was Professor Emeritus Bruce Barna ’70, who was a long-time instructor and mentor for students in senior design.