College of Engineering Blog

Month: January 2019

Judges Needed for Design Expo 2019

Published
By

Design Expo students by their posterWe invite you to register to be a judge at the 2019 Design Expo on Thursday, April 18. The Expo highlights hands-on projects from more than 1000 students on Enterprise and Senior Design teams.

Although special expertise is appreciated, judges are not required to be technological specialists or engineers. If you like engaging with students and learning more about the exciting projects they are working on, please consider judging.

Who should judge?

  • Community members
  • Michigan Tech faculty and staff
  • Alumni interested in seeing what today’s students are accomplishing as undergrads
  • Those looking to network with Michigan Tech faculty and students
  • Industry representatives interested in sponsoring a future project

Design Expo is co-hosted by the College of Engineering and the Pavlis Honors College.

If you would like to serve as a judge at this year’s Design Expo, register as soon as possible to let us know you’re coming. Thank you for your continued support.

By Pavlis Honors College and the College of Engineering.

Continue Reading →

Dean’s Teaching Showcase: Paul VanSusante

Published
By
Paul van Susante
Paul van Susante

Each spring semester the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning works to recognize and reward contributions to teaching that may not be noticed or appreciated by students through the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Each Friday, the six academic Deans; Janet Callahan (CoE), Adrienne Minerick (SoT), David Hemmer (CSA), Dean Johnson (SBE), Lorelle Meadows (Pavlis Honors College) and Andrew Storer (SFRES) will take turns recognizing a total of 13 Michigan Tech instructors who have revised curriculum, created new courses and programs, assessed student work, helped meet accreditation requirements or provided exceptional instruction that’s innovative or foundational.

College of Engineering Dean Janet Callahan provides our first Deans’ Teaching Showcase member for spring 2019: Paul VanSusante, senior lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) Department. She chose VanSusante, simply because he has “worked hard to develop and use active learning strategies in his classes, and his students have benefited greatly. His dedication to his student’s learning is an inspiration to us all.”

Callahan’s choice to recognize VanSusante spans several criteria; he has contributed significantly to curriculum development, but also provides innovative teaching in a foundational context. According to Bill Predebon, ME-EM chair, VanSusante has been “instrumental in the development and coordination of Mechanical Engineering Practice 1 (MEP 1) in our newly revised ME curriculum. In MEP 1 Paul included reverse engineering, in which they take apart a consumer product or toy, go to the internet for buyers’ comments, take it apart, redesign it based on comments with the manufacturing process in mind.”

But as Callahan noted, VanSusante’s exceptional contributions don’t stop at curriculum development. Predebon continues: “Paul is also an innovative teacher. He really cares about student learning. His teaching style uses active learning and includes practical insight from his experience and research. He pushes his students to go beyond what is the topic of the day. He has them work in teams whenever possible, so that they can learn from each other. Everyone’s input is important and valued, no matter what their background.”

As part of the nomination, Associate Dean of Engineering Leonard Bohmann also highlighted VanSusante’s innovative teaching in his extensive involvement with MINE (the Mining Innovation Enterprise). According to Bohmann, VanSusante’s work there includes an “out of this world” NASA project that involves the extraction of water from gypsum on Mars.

VanSusante will be recognized at an end-of-term luncheon with other showcase members and is now a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Presentation Series (to be determined this summer) which further recognizes introductory or large class teaching, innovative or outside the classroom teaching methods and work in curriculum and assessment.

Continue Reading →

Tech Faculty and Staff Participate in KEEN Conference and Workshop

Published
By

KEEN logo Nancy Barr (ME-EM), Leonard Bohmann (CoE), Mary Fraley (EF), Thom Freeman (William G. Jackson CTL), Jonathon Leinonen (SBE), Amlan Mukherjee (CEE) and Mary Raber (Pavlis Honors College), attended the 2019 KEEN National Conference in Dallas, Texas.

KEEN partners with colleges and universities across the United States who are dedicated to transforming their undergraduate engineering programs through the integration of opportunities to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Michigan Tech applied to be included in the KEEN Engineering Unleashed Network in late 2018.

The conference was followed by the Integrating Curriculum with Entrepreneurial (ICE) Mindset Workshop where faculty can learn how to incorporate the entrepreneurial mindset into their courses. Thomas Freeman and Gretchen Hein (Engineering Fundamentals) participated in the workshop and will be developing materials for their courses and other educational resources around this topic.

By Gretchen Hein.

Continue Reading →

Engineering Alumni Activity Spring 2019

Published
By
Megan Krieger
Megan Krieger

Michigan Tech alumna Megan Krieger ’09, was featured in several articles nation wide. Krieger, a mechanical engineer in the U.S. Army, led a team that 3D printed a 32-foot-long reinforced concrete footbridge. Kreiger, who lives in Champaign, Illinois, became aware of 3D as a graduate student at Michigan Tech. The story was covered by Engineering News-Record, 3Dprint.com and 3Ders.org. She became aware of 3D printing at Michigan Tech, where she ran the 3D printing lab during graduate studies in material science and engineering. She joined the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in February 2015.

Jeff Stauffer
Jeff Stauffer

Michigan Tech alumnus Jeff Stauffer ’93, has been named a regional Utility Sales Director for Boarder States Electric. At Michigan Tech, Stauffer earned degrees in electrical engineering and business administration and served as the business manager for the Lode student newspaper. The story was covered in TED Magazine.

John O. Hallquist
John O. Hallquist

Michigan Tech alumnus John Hallquist, who received a master’s and PhD in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics in 1971 and 1974 respectively, was featured in the article “John O. Hallquist, Ph.D., Celebrated for Innovations in Software Development,” in Business News Articlesand 24-7 press release.com. Hallquist was responsible for founding the Livermore Software Technology Corporation.

Kirk Fauri
Kirk Fauri

RS&H Vice President and Texas CEI Leader Kirk Fauri ’03 has been named to ENR Texas & Louisiana’s 20 Under 40 list, a recognition of the region’s top young professionals. Fauri holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Michigan Tech. He serves as the prime CEI consultant with TxDOT in 10 districts and four regional mobility authorities.

Mike Paddock
Mike Paddock

Mike Paddock ’87 volunteered with Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) to support volcano recovery in Guatemala. Mike, a 15-year veteran of EWB-USA, has spent the better part of six months in Guatemala responding to the Volcano Fuego disaster. He has a passion for Guatemala, and has contributed to the building of dozens of bridges, roads, schools and wastewater projects throughout the country, although volcano response is new territory for both Mike and EWB-USA. Paddock holds BS degrees in Surveying and Civil Engineering.

Gary Patterson
Gary Patterson

Drive Source International (DSI) announced that Gary Patterson has been named municipal market manager. Patterson holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, where he pursued the power option, specializing in rotating equipment and electrical power generation, transmission and distribution.

Grant Weidler
Grant Weidler

Michigan Tech alumus Grant Weidler ’90, has been appointed to the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners. Weidler received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tech and a master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The story was covered on Public Now.

Kevin Field
Kevin Field

Michigan Tech alumnus Kevin Field ’07, was featured in the article “Kevin Field: Developing Radiation-Tolerant Materials for Nuclear Power Systems,” in DOE News. He enrolled in a mechanical engineering program at Michigan Technological University only to discover he didn’t like mechanical engineering. He shopped for a new major and picked materials science and engineering. For his senior project, Field used simulation to redesign the casting of a differential bell housing [powertrain part] to optimize molten material flows and eliminate porosity.

Shannon Kobs Nawotniak
Shannon Kobs Nawotniak

Shannon Kobs Nawotniak is one of five Idaho State University faculty members receiving 2019 Outstanding Researcher Awards. Nawotniak, a physical volcanologist, is an associate professor of geosciences and director of the University Honors Program. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Ph.D. degrees in geology from Michigan Technological University and the University at Buffalo, respectively, and has been at ISU since 2011.

Ken Engquist
Ken Engquist

Michigan Tech alumnus Ken Engquist was the subject of the article “First Mining Announces Appointment of New Chief Operating Officer,” which ran in multiple media outlets including the Dallas Sun. Effective yesterday (April 29, 2019), Enquist ’93, is the new chief operating officer of First Mining Gold Corp. The company is based out of Vancouver, British Colombia. Ken holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and is a registered Project Management Professional.

Kaye LaFond
Kaye LaFond

Environmental engineering BS and MS alumna Kaye LaFond was awarded a Best Investigative Reporting Award from the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors for her work on “One Year After Bias Study, Black Grand Rapids Drivers Skeptical About Improvement.” LaFond covers covers science, the environment, northern Michigan, and stories that involve crunching a lot of numbers.

Continue Reading →

Design Expo 2019 Registration Now Open

Published
By

Design Expo studentsDesign Expo 2019 will be held Thursday, April 18 in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Please save the date.

Design Expo highlights hands-on, discovery-based learning at Michigan Tech. More than 1,000 students on Enterprise and Senior Design teams showcase their work and compete for awards.

A panel of judges made up of distinguished corporate representatives and Michigan Tech staff and faculty will critique the projects.

Many team projects are sponsored by industry, which allows students to gain valuable experience through competition, as well as direct exposure to real industrial problems.

Design Expo is co-hosted by the College of Engineering and the Pavlis Honors College.

Registration is now open for Senior Design and Enterprise teams. Students should visit the Design Expo website to review important instructions, deadlines and poster criteria. All Senior Design and Enterprise teams must register by Monday, Feb. 11, 2019.

By the College of Engineering and Pavlis Honors College.

Continue Reading →

College of Engineering Cross-Cutting Initiative: Stage 2 Seed Grants Awarded

Published
By

Campus in SummerFederal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health are funding research that involves experts from multiple disciplines to solve complex problems. “Growing Convergence Research” is among “Ten Big Ideas” highlighted in a recent NSF report. In 2019, the agency plans to invest $30 million in each one: “The grand challenges of today—protecting human health; understanding the food, energy, water nexus; exploring the universe at all scales—will not be solved by one discipline alone. They require convergence: the merging of ideas, approaches and technologies from widely diverse fields of knowledge to stimulate innovation and discovery.”

Back in September 2018, the College of Engineering offered seed funding to promote new collaborations between researchers focused on developing aggressively forward-looking, transdisciplinary research projects.

A team of individuals who are committed to working together to develop at least one full proposal submission within 18 months with at least one member in the College of Engineering were the only requirements. Otherwise, team members could be at Michigan Tech, across the nation or across the world.

The College of Engineering awarded ten Stage 1 seed grants in October. In November, the college received 15 Stage 2 proposals which were reviewed by a group of six faculty members representing interdisciplinary research across campus. Judging criteria included the funding track record of the PI/team, likelihood of funding and potential amount, interdisciplinarity/transdisciplinarity of the project and newness of the interdisciplinary team.

With the Stage 2 seed grants, the total awarded is over $200,000 this year. Stage 2 recipients are:

Continue Reading →