Day: September 1, 2016

Unscripted Geoheritage: Stamping Through History

Stamp SandsThe rocks of the Keweenaw Peninsula are ancient: More than one billion years old, containing loads of native copper deposits. Mining them created a legacy seen throughout the region.

The nation’s first big mining boom certainly left its mark on the peninsula. It left icons like the Quincy Mine Hoist; it left massive deposits of mine waste, a fine material called stamp sands, outside Gay; it left a few problems, like a Superfund site in and around Torch Lake. As rich as the copper that people once mined here, the history of the Keweenaw is full of stories, insight, dilemmas, and opportunities. Call it geoheritage.

As part of ongoing geoheritage education, the annual Geotours are an effort to bring the earth processes and cultural legacy of the land to light. The program is run by Bill Rose, a professor emeritus of geology at Michigan Tech, and Erika Vye, a recent PhD graduate of the geology program. On Thursday, July 28, they took a boatload of people to the eastern side of the peninsula for an up-close and personal view of the Keweenaw’s industrial mining legacy.

Read more at Unscripted: Science and Research, by Allison Mills.

College of Engineering Named a Best Value School

Energy Day
Panel Discussion with Industry: Energy Day at Michigan Tech CareerFEST 2015

A web site called Best College Values has named 50 schools nationwide whose bachelor’s degree programs in engineering offer the best value education for their cost. Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering placed 24th on the list.

Best College Values calls itself an online resource for prospective college students who are seeking an education that is worth its cost. Programs chosen for this ranking must be of reputably high quality and affordable, providing a high return on investment.

“Michigan Tech carries above-average scores in each of our value ranking categories, which earns it its place as a top value Bachelor in Engineering school,” the web site says.

“It is encouraging to see our College of Engineering recognized by this established ranking system,” says Wayne Pennington, dean of Tech’s College of Engineering. “We know that our students perform extremely well in the job market and graduate studies, and this is reflected in the methodology that is employed for these rankings. Simply put, our students get good jobs that quickly repay their investment in their education. We are proud of that fact and continually strive to ensure that students are provided great value through sound, hands-on learning and the opportunity to participate at a meaningful level in a variety of projects as part of their Michigan Tech experience.”

The Best College Values web site explains the thinking behind its rankings: “While we believe that U.S. News and similar publications’ college rankings are valuable indicators of schools’ academic performance and reputations, we also believe that for the average prospective student seeking an education that will prepare them to enter the workforce, a number of other factors ought to be considered more heavily. Best College Values is thus dedicated to producing rankings built on composite scores based on affordability, financial outcomes after graduation and institutional reputation.”

See the rankings of the 50 schools here.

From Tech Today, by Jenn Donovan.

Faith Morrison Appointed Associate Dean of Graduate School

Faith MorrisonFaith Morrison (ChE) will serve Michigan Tech in the capacity of associate dean of the Graduate School beginning this semester. The position is half time, with Morrison continuing in her faculty role for the balance of her time.

Morrison will be involved in a number of projects in the Graduate School. A major project will be the development and implementation of university-level assessment of graduate student learning and graduate program review. She will also work to develop, implement and support efforts to attract and retain a diverse graduate student body and on other projects aimed at improving the graduate student experience at Michigan Tech.

Read more at Tech Today, by the Graduate School.