The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Salary Impact ranking lists schools in order of their impact on graduates’ salaries and how this relates to the cost of attending the college. Michigan Tech was ranked 12th overall, and 2nd among public universities.
Read more here: https://www.wsj.com/rankings/college-rankings/salary-impact-2024
Marty Lagina will deliver the First-Year Engineering Series Lecture to Michigan Tech’s incoming engineering majors this Monday, October 2 at 6 pm. The lecture will take place on campus at the Rozsa Center Auditorium.
Lagina is CEO of Heritage Sustainable Energy. He is also a winemaker, and an executive producer of the long-running reality TV show, The Curse of Oak Island, now in its 11th season on the History Channel—and, he is a Michigan Tech engineering alumnus.
The title of Lagina’s lecture is “I’m Not Here to Give You Advice.”
“The First-Year Engineering Series Lecture provides an exciting opportunity for our students to hear from some of the nation’s most innovative engineering leaders,” says Mary Raber, chair of the Department of Engineering Fundamentals. “It gives them a sense of the many different career paths that are open to engineering graduates—career paths that allow them to positively impact the world,” she adds.
Throughout his life, Lagina says his engineering education has given him the confidence to try new things. “I was thinking of going to law school, and my father told me: ‘You would make a better lawyer if you knew how things worked.’ So I went to Michigan Tech to study engineering and I liked it. And it prepared me very well for what turned out to be a very multifaceted career.”
Lagina graduated from Michigan Tech with his mechanical engineering degree in 1977, then took a job as a petroleum engineer for Amoco. Then, a few years later while attending law school at the University of Michigan, he worked as an independent petroleum engineer consultant, hired by various Michigan corporations regarding petroleum exploration and production.
“I was a law student, putting together oil deals, working out of a room the size of a walk-in closet,” Lagina recalls. “We drilled 14 dry holes in a row until we finally drilled a decent oil well. It put us in business.”
Lagina’s partner in that first consulting business was Craig Tester, another Michigan Tech mechanical engineering alumnus. They were former college roommates. Once Lagina earned his JD, the two founded Terra Energy to pioneer the exploration and development of the Antrim shale natural gas resources of Michigan, which they did—successfully developing over $3 billion of oil and natural gas resources.
“My education at Michigan Tech is what gives me the confidence for innovation.”
When he turned 40, Lagina decided to change course. He formed Heritage Sustainable Energy, a renewable energy provider. Heritage has successfully developed a series of wind and solar projects in Michigan, which in the aggregate, can power the equivalent of 57,000 average Michigan homes.
In 2006, Lagina started doing some unusual exploring to solve a 228 year old mystery. Featured on the History Channel, Lagina, his family and friends attempt to solve “The Curse of Oak Island,” based on the long, complicated history of treasure hunting on a Nova Scotia island.
It turned out to be a VERY difficult engineering project.
Part National Treasure, part Indiana Jones, the hit docu-series, now in its 11th season, follows their exploits as they attempt to—literally—get to the bottom of the ‘money pit’ on the island that has given up some clues, booby traps, bizarre hints and puzzle pieces. Theories of what is buried include treasures from Solomon’s temple, the Holy Grail, the Knights Templar and numerous other sources.
First, they had to purchase a controlling interest in the North Atlantic island. “And everything is difficult,” Lagina says. “There have been shafts and tunnels installed by previous searchers for 200-plus years, so you need to figure out if you are discovering something from the original works or not.”
Tester, an expert on drilling, resistivity, and more, also appears on The Curse of Oak Island.
Born in Kingsford on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Lagina has spent nearly all his life living in Michigan. His background is in engineering and the energy business, but with family ties to one of Italy’s premier winegrowing areas, a passion for wine is in his blood.
He founded Mari Vineyards in 1999 (the same year he was inducted into Michigan Tech’s ME-EM Academy). His goal: to make world-class red wines in northern Michigan but with a nod to the Italian style of his ancestors.
The winery’s namesake is Lagina’s Grandmother (Nonna), an Italian immigrant who settled in the Iron Mountain area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Lagina has fond memories of her fermenting wine in the basement of her home.
Mari Vineyards is situated on 60 acres in Traverse City. The winery is largely carbon neutral and built from UP dolomite stone, dug from the bases of wind turbines. “Winemaking is an art, but it’s also highly technical,” he adds.
“Engineering school teaches you how things work, and also to know what you don’t know,” says Lagina.
When choosing to go forward with a new venture Lagina makes sure it meets all of these criteria: “It must be interesting; look like there could be some fun; must be legal and ethical; needs to have a good chance to make money AND (bonus points awarded) if it provides extra benefits for society.”
“It must be interesting; look like there could be some fun; must be legal and ethical; needs to have a good chance to make money AND (bonus points awarded) if it provides extra benefits for society.”
Rachel Store recently joined the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET) as an assistant teaching professor. She earned her BS and MS at Michigan Tech, both in Mechanical Engineering.
It all started when I was in high school. My parents moved back to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula after a 25-year military career. They were living in Escanaba. I knew I wanted to study engineering; I wanted to play varsity soccer; and I wanted to be close enough to my family that I could see them within a day. Michigan Tech was honestly the only school that fit that bill—so it was an easy decision. It was also the only campus I visited. But I fell in love with Tech. So much so, that after I finished my undergrad, I went for a victory lap masters degree—Tech has a fantastic accelerated masters program! And I loved the campus, the community, and the Keweenaw. Houghton truly is a special place.
After graduating with my Master’s degree, I got a job in Milwaukee. I still found myself coming back to Houghton several times a month to see my boyfriend. He’s really what brought me back to Houghton. As soon as I could, I started looking for jobs back in the Houghton area (spoiler, we’ve been married for four years and are blessed with two wonderful children).
I was delighted when I found work back at Michigan Tech, in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. I actually had several offers from local companies that I passed on because I wanted to be part of the Tech community again. I was in the ME-EM Department for 5 years. Now, I am super excited to move into a more student-focused position in the MMET Department.
“Get out and talk to people. Talk to your classmates, talk to your professors, talk to the locals. The best thing about Houghton and MTU are the people.”
My background in industry was manufacturing and quality. I really enjoy teaching the topics where you go from a design or theory into making something physical, for example, a product or a lab sample. I enjoy additive manufacturing and especially forming processes. My research right now is focused on materials manufacturing with friction stir processing. I am working with Dr. Scott Wagner (MMET) and Dr. Vinh Nguyen (ME-EM) on a project right now. I am hoping to earn a PhD in a few years. In the meantime, I want to continue to develop as a teacher.
I’ve been spending a lot of time lately thinking about teaching—how to teach, why it matters, and how I can help make my students the best future employees that they can be. A lot of students see the class, the grade, the degree as an end goal. But really those are just the starting points for the rest of their lives. This is my first year in a full-time instructor role, so I know I still have a lot to learn myself.
Fun question! I have two and a half year old twins, so spare time at my house is more like ‘how do I multi-task!’ We live just south of Chassell on a little hobby farm (I’m a bit of a crazy chicken lady). And now my kids are starting to pick that up too. They love collecting the eggs with me, or going to the garden and looking for vegetables. We do a lot of stuff on our property—apple cider, maple syrup, gardening, foraging.
I also really enjoy being creative. I quilt and make soap, or sometimes I like to bring that creativity to the kitchen and cook fun meals. I am always excited for a welding, construction, or repair project. And I love the outdoors. That includes hunting, camping, kayaking, snow sports, and hiking (or snowshoeing!) especially.
“I need a quota of ‘tree time’ as I call it every week, and the Keweenaw is such a great place to soak it in!”
The Princess Bride and Finding Nemo are two movies that come to mind. I like the stories about doing whatever it takes for someone that you love.
Anywhere on Lake Superior, but I am partial to the Black Creek Trail. It’s where my husband and I met. I also really love the Gratiot River Park. I think is so cool how the mouth of the Gratiot River changes every year depending on how the ice and snow was that winter.
Get out and talk to people. Talk to your classmates, talk to your professors, talk to the locals. The best thing about Houghton and MTU are the people. It is such a rich community. Also, get out and play in the snow. I always tell people new to the area and snow that you have to find ways to play in the snow.
“The winters are long. And they can be hard. But if you don’t find ways to seek joy in the snow, you have the same amount of snow and much less joy!”
The Oakland County Times in a press release from the city of Farmington Hills, Michigan, announced Karen Mondora ’96 (B.S. Environmental Engineering) as the new assistant city manager. Mondora held positions in both the public and private sector, specializing in storm water management and municipal engineering. She participated in the Women’s Municipal Leadership Program through the Michigan Municipal league, aimed at training and preparing women for leadership positions in local government.
The Daily Mining Gazette and WNMU-FM mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about a $1 million scholarship fund for L’Anse graduates established by Franklin St. John ’60 ’99 (B.S. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Hon. Ph.D. Engineering). St. John went to Michigan Tech and worked as a metallurgist, then founded a company that manufactures botanical extracts, herbal formulas, and tea.
Lansing’s WLNS 6News and more than 130 outlets worldwide ran stories about Ken Engquist ‘93 (BS Mechanical Engineering) being named to the board of directors of Intrepid Metals. Engquist oversees the de-risking and advancement of mining projects from early-stage exploration through start-up and operations of surface and underground mines.
Newswise mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the first histotripsy device approved by the FDA to treat liver cancer. The device, named Edison, was developed by Eli Vlaisavljevich ’10 (B.S. Biomedical Engineering) in collaboration with the University of Michigan and private medical device company HistoSonics. Histotripsy, a novel therapeutic technique, targets and destroys diseased tissues. Vlaisavljevich and his team are currently leading large projects to advance histotripsy for the treatment of other cancers.
WLUC TV6 published a tribute story remembering Ray Kestner ’55 (B.S. Civil Engineering), who died Nov. 7. Kestner was a recipient of MTU’s Distinguished Service Award in 1988. He met his wife Janet at Tech, and their seven children were Huskies as well. He is credited as being the visionary responsible for the revitalization of Houghton which resulted in the city receiving the Community of Excellence Award from the State of Michigan.
Building Design+Construction included Robyn Niss ’06 (B.S. Civil Engineering) among their 40 Under 40 Class of 2023. Niss is the vice president of engineering firm Kimley-Horn of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Robyn is most proud of her firm’s work designing five schools simultaneously for Norfolk Public Schools. She has contributed to more than 50 K-12 projects, including new schools, significant modernizations, and sizable expansions.
CULTURS Magazine and Stellantis Media profiled Aurora White ’16 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering), who was selected by the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) as its 2023 Most Promising Engineer. White, currently a torque calibration security engineer for Stellantis, is an active member of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. White was a member of AISES, Engineering Ambassadors and Women’s Leadership Council while attending Michigan Tech.
Julie A. Fream ’83 (B.S. Chemical Engineering) was appointed to the board of directors for Blue Bird, a manufacturer of electric and low-emission school buses. Fream is the founding chair of the Board of Directors for Corewell Health, a $14 billion healthcare system formed in 2022. From 2011 to 2018, she served an eight-year term as a governor-appointed trustee for Michigan Tech. From 2014 to 2016, Fream served as chair of the Michigan Tech Board of Trustees.
Civil Engineering alumnus Ryan Sherman ’07 recently presented the prestigious 2023 Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture on “Evaluation of Steel Additive Manufacturing Experimental Results.” The Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture is a significant honor, recognizing Sherman’s outstanding contributions to structural engineering, particularly in the domain of steel bridge research. Currently an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, specializing in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, his work involves large-scale laboratory testing, field monitoring and instrumentation projects on steel bridges and related highway structures throughout the United States.
Circuit Assembly mentioned a presentation by HongWen Zhang ’06 (Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering) at the SMTA Empire Expo & Tech Forum September 26, 2023, in Syracuse, New York. Zhang is the principal research metallurgist and an R&D manager at Indium Corporation. Zhang’s research focus is on the development of Pb-free solder materials and the associated technologies for high-temperature and high-reliability applications. The title of his talk is titled A Bismuth-Free In-Containing Lower Temperature Lead-Free Solder Paste for Wafer-Level Package Application that Outperforms SAC305.
Polaris published an employee spotlight interview with alumna “Korinne C.,” rider safety manager for off-road vehicles and snow, in “People Behind Polaris”. Korinne earned her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at Tech. She worked as a powertrain project engineer and ATV instructor, as well as helping to establish and develop the SxS training program for employees. Korinne mentioned using Michigan Tech’s snowmobile parking lot, which allowed her to ride her Polaris Edge 600 to class. The experience grew her passion for riding and working in powersports.
WLUC TV6 aired an interview with entrepreneur Jacob Soter ’19 ’20 (B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering, MBA), founder of SwimSmart. The company’s initial product—a traffic light-esque beach warning system to communicate water safety—was the subject of a 2021 Michigan Tech News story. The technology uses a multi-colored warning system to connect with the National Weather Service to create a safe and reliable environment in both community and remote beaches.
MLive featured a story on the incoming director of the Washtenaw County Road Commission: Matthew MacDonell ’98 (B.S. Civil Engineering). With some 17 years of experience in the Washtenaw County transportation agency, MacDonell will transition into the role in October. MacDonell joined the road commission in 2006 as a supervisor in the engineering department, which he now oversees, including managing design and construction, permits, traffic and safety and geographic information systems.
Special Guest: Dr. Brad King
R.L. Smith Bldg., Room 111
Friday, August 4, from 3-4 p.m.
Please register to join in person or via Zoom.
Join Dr. Brad King during Michigan Tech’s annual Alumni Reunion to learn about the role of engineering as it relates to maneuvering satellites in orbit. The title of his presentation is “Michigan Tech is Propelling the Small Satellite Revolution.”
Not on campus? You’re invited to join via Zoom. No Zoom or alumni reunion registration is required. Your presence will be anonymous to other attendees. All are welcome. You’ll find the direct Zoom link here (just scroll down to see it).
Dr KIng is the Richard and Elizabeth Henes Endowed Professor (Space Systems), Mechanical Engineering- Engineering Mechanics. He also serves as director of the ME-EM Space Systems Research Group. He founded Orbion Space Technology in 2016 to develop and manufacture revolutionary plasma propulsion systems for small satellites.
Orbion Space Technology is one of only a few companies in the brand-new propulsion system market. The company was conceived at Michigan Tech and established its base in Houghton.
Dr. King is the founder and faculty advisor of Michigan Tech’s Aerospace Enterprise team, where he empowers undergraduate students to design, build, and fly spacecraft, too. One of the team’s student-built satellites (Oculus) is now in orbit; their second small satellite (Stratus) is due to launch in 2022, and a third (Auris) now in progress.
“Small satellites are changing the way humans do business and science in space,” says King. “The cost to build and launch a small satellite is now about the same as the cost to build and launch a software app. With the cost barrier removed, innovative students and start-up companies are building small satellites to provide capabilities that my generation has never even dreamed about. Michigan Tech is on the forefront of this movement.”
To attend this event in person at the R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building, register for Alumni Reunion 2023. The event is free, but a ticket is required to attend. The deadline to register is midnight Sunday, July 23, 2023.
Origins of Orbion: When Preparation Meets Opportunity
Brad King: Bite-sized Satellites Changing the World!
Brad King: Space, Satellites and Students
Enterprise at MTU Launches Spacecraft—and Careers
Husky Bites, the College of Engineering’s free interactive Zoom webinar series is on “paws”. Please stay tuned for updates.
To browse and view past session recordings and blogs, visit mtu.edu/huskybites.
Michigan Tech’s Blizzard Baja team took home an 8th place finish at the recent Baja SAE North American Competition in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in May.
“Our 8th place finish was sealed by a 4th place finish in the final 4-hour Endurance event Sunday morning,” says team faculty advisor, Assistant Teaching Professor Kevin Johnson. “We were in 2nd place in the Endurance event for a long time until we had a steering arm failure on the car. The team quickly replaced the steering knuckle in the pits and got back on the track with a half hour remaining in the race. Regardless of this setback we were able to finish in 4th place.”
Earlier in the race, the team received a black flag, due to their car numbers not being visible due to mud buildup. The team had to enter the pit to clean them off, which set them back a bit, as well.
“This year we had a very strong team with outstanding participation,” adds Johnson. “The team had two major obstacles; a working reliable 4 wheel drive system and a new larger Kohler engine to replace the Briggs that had been used for many years previously.”
Michigan Tech’s Blizzard Baja is one of 25 Enterprise teams, part of Michigan Tech’s award-winning Enterprise Program.
The Blizzard Baja team consists of numerous sub-teams. One of those, the 4×4 Senior Design team with members William Rivet and Alec Pominville, scrapped the 4×4 design from last year due to major issues. “They went through some iterations including a belt and a chain drive and finally ended up with a drive shaft, gearbox, and differentials design,” notes Johnson. “They put countless hours into design, manufacturing, and testing the last two semesters with help from a number of other students.”
This year, Michigan Tech served as host to Fei Baja, the SAE Baja team from Centro Universitário FEI, a university in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. “The team from Brazil contacted our team through social media asking if MTU Baja SAE would be willing to host them,” said Johnson. It turned out to be a fantastic experience for both teams.
“The best part of the competition was seeing all of our hard work pay off in the form of a top 10 finish,” said Gregory Jowett, a mechanical engineering student who serves as President of Michigan Tech’s Blizzard Baja SAE team.
“Whether someone was directly working on the vehicle, doing modeling or simulation, or making sure the trip ran smoothly, it’s incredibly rewarding to see everyone’s effort culminate in a successful experience like it did in Oshkosh,” he says.
“I am extremely proud of the entire team and feel they represented Michigan Tech very well.”
“Needing to modify our frame to pass technical inspections and breaking an a-arm during the endurance race were some of the larger setbacks we faced. In both cases, the team was able to efficiently work together to quickly solve both problems. Even after an early morning and 3.5 hours of racing, the team was able to replace the a-arm in the pits and get our driver back out on the track in less than 10 minutes.”
The success experienced by our team is a direct reflection of Blizzard Baja’s “work hard, play hard” culture,” adds Jowett. “We enjoy team bonding when we have free time, but when there are things to do, none of our members hesitate to selflessly step up and get things done.”
“Props to our pit crew!”
As for joining the team, the Blizzard Baja enterprise conducts interviews for prospective new members twice per year. For more information, students can visit the website at baja.mtu.edu or email the team at baja@mtu.edu.
A student engineering team from Michigan Tech is competing this week in the Robotic Mining Challenge, hosted by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
The event is designed to create solutions to problems faced on moon exploration missions, with 24 university teams from across the nation taking part.
Each team has spent the past year designing and building a robot that uses resources available on the lunar surface. During the competition, robots must autonomously navigate a lunar-simulated arena and excavate lunar soil, or regolith.
Michigan Tech’s robot, ARES, completed a 15 minute practice runs on Wednesday, May 24. ARES stands for Automated Regolith Excavation System. The name was selected after a brainstorm and voting, says Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Assistant Professor Paul van Susante, the team’s faculty advisor.
Ten of the Michigan Tech team’s 28 members are on site. That includes team lead Karson Linders (mechanical engineering and robotics engineering); Brian Geiger (mechanical engineering); Miranda Meyers (electrical engineering); Brenda Wilson (electrical engineering); Christi LeCaptain (mechanical engineering); Tanner Duncan (mechanical engineering); Collin Miller (mechanical engineering); Ian Giles (robotics engineering); Kyle Hintz (mechanical engineering); and Brendan McRoberts (mechanical engineering).
Many of the students are current or former members of MINE, the Multiplanetary INnovation Enterprise at Michigan Tech, which is also advised by Prof. van Susante. Several of the students recently graduated in April.
Throughout the week, teams will receive one 15-minute practice run and two competition runs. Practice runs will take place May 22-23 with the challenge beginning the afternoon of May 23 and continuing through May 26.
“We were overall pleased with our first competition run,” said van Susante. “Everything worked, but needed tweaking. “We have learned many things that we will improve today and all day tomorrow before our final competition run on Friday.”
Judges of the competition include industry professionals from Caterpillar, the Exolith Lab at the University of Central Florida and NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute.
The Robotic Mining Challenge Award ceremony takes place Friday evening. The Michigan Tech team will travel back to Houghton the next day.
This contest is separate from the NASA Lunabotics Competition, hosted at Kennedy Space Center.
Winners were announced on April 19th, Zachary Podkul’s birthday.
This year, for the Third Annual Zachary Richard Podkul (ZRP) Memorial Scholarship Challenge, Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) students honored their fellow Husky’s fondness for Michigan Tech, machine design, cooking—and of course, chocolate!
Six MET students in the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology rose to the challenge to design custom chocolates.
The students began their thought process on what to design late last year when the contest was announced at the end of fall semester.
They started out by creating a 3D CAD model of their design. Each chocolate could be no larger than 2”x2”x1”. Next, a 3D print of the model was created in the MMET Department’s Additive Manufacturing facility, using the Stratasys Fortus 400 MC, which uses Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) to extrude plastic filament.
The students then each built a flask from poster board strips. The flask held their 3D printed patterns (the positive). Food-safe silicone was poured over the top to cast a silicone mold (the negative).
Once set, students removed their silicone mold from the flask, filled the new mold with melted chocolate, chilled it all to delicious perfection, then popped out their chocolate confections to enjoy—and also to be judged as part of the challenge.
MMET faculty members judged the entries by the following criteria:
The Podkul’s also gave gift certificates to the other three MET student who submitted entries: Beaumont Ujlaky, Teresa Hoving, and RJ Slater.
Zachary’s family supports the ZRP Design Challenge and an MET student scholarship through their endowment. It’s intended to ease the financial burden for students who share his MTU experience and for those who live with chronic health conditions. Zachary will always be remembered by his Michigan Tech family and alumni.
Want to join the Podkul family in supporting the Zachary Richard Podkul Engineering Memorial Scholarship? Learn more here.
This year, the Podkuls were able to meet all of the students in person who participated. “We were amazed at their designs and the level of detail,” said Cathy. “And we especially enjoyed hearing the thought process that went into their designs.”
“Zachary’s best times were his college days here at Michigan Tech.”
During the Challenge award presentation, Cathy shared a bit more about her late son, Zachary, who was born eight weeks premature and fought for his health his entire life. He was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the young age of 10, and spent the next 15 years of his life battling the disease. He passed away in 2020.
“From the beginning Zachary had a mechanical mindset,” she said. “As a young boy, he was always inquisitive and curious about how things worked.”
With this passion for knowledge he enrolled in Michigan Tech and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology.
Cathy describes Zachary as quiet, conservative, intelligent, original, sensitive, and witty, with a great sense of humor. At times, he was strong-willed and determined, too, which of course made him all the more lovable.
“We miss Zachary so much. It’s such a rewarding feeling to support this and to be able to present the awards on his birthday (April 19). My husband and I are grateful to Dr. Irwin, Bryant Weathers, and the MMET faculty and staff for their time and dedication to making these challenges successful for three years in a row.”
The Podkuls plan to honor their late son Zachary with an MET Design Challenge every year. What will they come up with next? Details about the 2024 Challenge will be announced in about six months.
Return on Information-New Jersey posted a story about Teik Lim ’85 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) being awarded the Chinese-American Academic & Professional Society’s 2023 Distinguished Leadership Achievement Award. Lim is the president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Lim’s career has spanned from the private sector to university administration.
Northern Express featured a story about Coveyou Scenic Farm in Petoskey, Michigan, a five-generation farm run by David Coveyou (B.S. Engineering). While he pursued his engineering career, his parents were getting older and none of his siblings seemed interested in taking over the operation of the family farm. Coveyou’s innovations in energy efficiency on the farm were honored by Gov. Rick Snyder. One of the most popular aspects of the farm is the Open Market program.
Todd Contrell ’96 (B.S. Chemical Engineering) was named CEO Azelis Americas, a leading global innovation service provider in the specialty chemicals and food ingredients industry. Contrell has worked for some of the global leaders in the CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers) industry, his last position having been Managing Director Americas for a large European manufacturer. The Department of Chemical Engineering congratulates Todd Contrell on his achievements.
Business Wire, Yahoo! Finance and Semiconductor Today covered the appointment of Wayne Struble ’81 ’83 (B.S. M.S. Electrical Engineering) as senior vice president of advanced semiconductor technology at MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings Inc. The announcement was picked up by over 30 regional, business and tech industry outlets. Struble is an expert in radio frequency, microwave and millimeter wave integrated circuit design, semiconductor device modeling and testing, compound semiconductor process development, and wireless communication system design.
PR Newswire and Yahoo! Finance published a story about the new book “Demystifying IT: The Language of IT for the CEO” co-authored by Bhopi Dhall ’69 (M.S. Electrical Engineering). The story was picked up by more than 140 regional news outlets. Bhopi Dhall is the founder and CEO of CG Infinity. “IT is all around us, and the enormous potential to use it more proactively in every facet of business cannot be ignored,” Dhall said.
Near North Now of Newaygo County, Michigan, published a Q&A with former Husky and retired NFL lineman Joe Berger ’05 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering). This past Spring Joe Berger was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame, a fitting honor for the former Newaygo Lion who spent 13 seasons facing down the best defensive linemen in the world, primarily as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
Ryan Bauman, a 2007 civil engineering graduate, has been honored as one of Engineering News-Record’s Top 20 under 40 for 2023. As transit section manager at HDR Engineering Inc., Bauman emphasizes work-life balance, organizing events that involve coworkers, spouses and children. “Collaboration is at the core of what we do in our industry,” says Bauman.
AftermarketNews covered the promotion of Klynt Baker ’95 (B.S. electrical engineering) from vice president of operations to president of Sonnax Transmission Company. Baker brings to his new position more than 25 years of experience in the global automotive and aftermarket industries.
Attorney Intel included MTU alumnus Lars Taavola ‘96 (B.S. chemical engineering, engineering management), the general counsel of brands for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, in its 2023 list of the top 50 attorneys in New Jersey. Before joining Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Taavola was a senior patent counsel and head of IP at Amneal Pharmaceuticals.
Natalea Cohen ’23 (M.S. Geology) is the author of an entry in the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles. The article discussed new satellite communication technology being tested at Yellowstone monitoring stations and their impact on real-time data collection and transmission. Cohen is an intern at Earthscope Consortium, which is dedicated to transforming global geophysical research and education.
WLUC TV6 mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the promotion of Leigha Woelffer ’21 (B.S. Electrical Engineering) to the rank of first lieutenant in the U.S. Space Force. The Michigan Tech ROTC graduate works at Space Systems Command in Los Angeles as a Data Transport Technical Agent.
Hemmings Motor News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story written by Scott Overton (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) about his stint as a summer worker in Spokane, Washington, in 1966 as a third-year mechanical engineering student. Among other tasks, Overton developed a safety brace to install on an uplifted dump truck frame to protect anyone working under the dump bed.
The Iron Mountain Daily News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about Greg Ives ’03 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) visiting Norway Speedway last Friday (July 7) for an autograph session at the Auto Value Super Stock race. Ives graduated from Michigan Tech University and almost immediately moved down south with his engineering degree to begin his NASCAR career as a crew chief and chassis engineer. Ives is a NASCAR crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman.
WebWire mentioned Michigan Tech in a press release about the newly published textbook “Mathematical Methods for Engineering and Science,” co-authored by Merle Potter ’58 ’61 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering, M.S. Engineering Mechanics). The release was picked up by more than a dozen regional news outlets. The text introduces undergraduate students of engineering and science to applied mathematics essential to the study of many problems.
Virginia Tech News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about Eli Vlaisavljevich ’10 (B.S. Biomedical Engineering) being named the university’s Kendall and Laura Hendrick Junior Faculty Fellow. Vlaisavljevich is an associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics at Virginia Tech. Vlaisavljevich’s research and scholarship focuses on developing histotripsy as a noninvasive, high precision, and image-guided cancer ablation method.
Radio Results Network mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the new supervisor of the Hiawatha National Forest: Shannon Rische (B.S. Surveying Engineering). Shannon started her Forest Service career as a civil engineer, then spent eight years as the Forest Engineer on the Huron-Manistee National Forests before moving into a Staff Officer position for nine years on the same unit.
Composites World Magazine mentioned Michigan Tech in a story announcing Kevin Pageau ’81 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) as the recipient of the Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. Pageau, owner and president of International Marketing Alliance, has been a major contributor to the SPE Automotive Division Innovation Awards Program for many years.
The Mining Journal mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about Ishpeming Public Schools’ Halls of Excellence, created to honor former students, staff and others who have contributed honor and prestige to the school district. Gary Anderson ’67 (B.S. Chemical Engineering), who established a scholarship trust for IPS students at MTU, is one of the inaugural inductees. He spent his entire career at Dow Corning, becoming president, CEO, and chairman. He retired in 2004 after seeing the firm grow thirtyfold and be recognized as one of the nation’s top 100 companies to work for.
Carter Paprocki ’20 ’22 (B.S. M.S. Mechanical Engineering), a second-year doctoral student in acoustics at Pennsylvania State University, was named the recipient of the Rickover Fellowship in Nuclear Engineering, as announced by Penn State. As an undergraduate, Paprocki participated in Department of Defense-funded research with former Michigan Tech Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Andrew Barnard, including completing proof-of-concept work of a live scan sonar system for U.S. Navy SEAL scuba divers and a remote-controlled rescue device developed for dangerous rescues in Lake Superior.
Michigan Tech alums Jacob Smith ‘19 (mechanical engineering) and Hailey Bondy ‘19 (environmental engineering) were profiled in a story by the Daily Mining Gazette. The pair used their engineering backgrounds and other skills to convert a 1996 Chevy G30 bus into a moving home, which they’ve used to travel the country since September 2022 while on an extended honeymoon. “My education at MTU gave me the tools that I needed to maximize the small space that we were planning on living in, as well as incorporating new technologies that we built like our water filtration system, and heating and cooling systems in order to make it a comfortable living space,” Jacob said.
MLive.com mentioned Dean Rossell ’84 (M.S. Geology) in a story about estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey that the western Upper Peninsula could be home to substantial undiscovered nickel deposits. The story said a global nickel shortage is expected in 2026 due to increasing demand from the electric vehicle battery supply chain. Ted Bornhorst, a retired geology and mining professor at Michigan Tech, said Tesla supplier Talon’s geologist Rossell, a former student of his, is “one of the best.”
The Mining Journal mentioned Michigan Tech in a feature story about the newest members of the Upper Peninsula’s Sports Hall of Fame. Husky basketball and tennis player David Cvengros ’62 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) was one of this year’s inductees. A five-sport athlete at Wakefield High School, he earned 17 letters and teamed with UPSHF inductee Rom Gilbert to win two U.P. doubles titles in tennis.
Medical Buyer and GlobeNewswire ran a press release about the appointment of Kevin Ballinger ’95 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) to Shockwave Medical’s board of directors. Ballinger is CEO at Aldevron, a manufacturer of plasmid DNA, mRNA and proteins for use in advanced therapeutics. He is a recognized leader in the healthcare industry with over 25 years of professional experience.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) mentioned Michigan Tech in a story announcing university participants in a 2024 mission concept program. The program will be sponsored by AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate under the University Nanosatellite Program (UNP). Jesse Olson ’17 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering/Electrical Engineering), UNP manager of the directorate’s small satellite branch, was quoted in the story.
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education profiled Teik Lim ’85 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering), who just completed his first year as president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Diversity of thought and experience are crucial in a technical institution, which is why Lim is so pleased with the diversity of NJIT. He is committed to bringing more women and underrepresented minorities into the STEM disciplines and fostering a sense of belonging on campus so everyone can thrive.
Wausau City Pages mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about ultramarathoner Andrea Larson ’08 (B.S. Chemical Engineering). Larson, who competed in Tennessee’s grueling Barkley Marathons in March, ran cross country for the Huskies. While at Michigan Tech, Larson joined the cross country team. Michigan Tech was like a dream, she says, with world-class cross-country ski trails about a five-minute walk away.