When it comes to recruiting talented doctoral candidates, Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering is starting with our own students!
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.
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!”
More than 600 College of Engineering students will take part in Michigan Technological University commencement ceremonies on Friday and Saturday. While their time on campus is coming to an end, they know they’ll be Huskies forever.
As they prepare for graduation, engineering students are reflecting on their time at Tech, sharing their dreams for the future, and offering advice to the next generation of Huskies.
Michigan Tech’s section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) attended their WE Local 2025 conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in mid-March. Through the generous support of their corporate sponsors, SWE at Michigan Tech was able to send 12 students to attend professional development sessions, network with industry professionals and members of other SWE sections, and bond with their fellow Michigan Tech Huskies.
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 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:
Professors Bruce Lee (BioMed) and Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) are co-authors of a new paper published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
The paper is titled “Utilizing Rapid Hydrogen Peroxide Generation from 6-Hydroxycatechol to Design Moisture-Activated, Self-Disinfecting Coating.”
The paper describes the use of a novel biomimetic coating that could be activated to generate disinfectant when wetted, such as by moisture found in respiratory droplets. This moisture-activated coating was demonstrated to disinfect various strains of bacteria and viruses and can potentially be used as a self-disinfecting coating to limit the spread of various types of infections.
Ph.D. student Fatemeh Razaviamri (biomedical engineering) is the lead author of this paper. Additional co-authors are Sneha Singh ’23 (M.S. Chemical Engineering), postdoctoral researcher James Manuel (BioMed), Ph.D. student Zhongtian Zhang (biomedical engineering) and laboratory technician Lynn M. Manchester (ChE).
Fatemeh Razaviamri, Sneha Singh, James Manuel, Zhongtian Zhang, Lynn M. Manchester, Caryn L. Heldt, and Bruce P. Lee
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2024, 16, 21, 26998–27010
Publication Date: May 15, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c00213
A diverse, multitalented group of Michigan Tech students and faculty have been awarded fellowships and grants totaling an impressive $71,728 from the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) for its 2024-25 cycle.
The MSGC, which consists of 52 consortia, is sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The MSGC promotes awareness, research and education in “space-related science and technology in Michigan.” To achieve this goal, the organization not only funds fellowships and scholarships for students pursuing STEM careers but also financially supports curriculum enhancement and faculty development.
Michigan Tech Undergraduate Students Who Received $4,000 for Faculty Led Fellowships
- Grace Hoeppner (biomedical engineering): “Effects of Microgravity on Predisposing Factors for Atrial Fibrillation Thrombosis Risk”
- Grace Murray (social sciences): “Cultivating Healthy Communities: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Female Eponyms in Heirloom Plant Varieties and their Impacts in Community Food Networks”
Michigan Tech Graduate Students Who Received $5,000 Graduate Fellowships
- Alexander Apostle (Chem): “Improved Synthesis and Application of Human Telomeres”
- Matthew Beals (ME-EM): “Advancing Adaptive Aerostructures: Utilizing Steady-State Traveling Waves for Drag Reduction and Sustainable Aviation”
- Grady Boyle (CFRES): “Using High Resolution Multitemporal Imagery for Ash Inventory and EAB Invasion Mapping in the Upper Great Lakes Region”
- Jacob Jackson (BioMed): “Cell-Specific Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation in the Subthalamic Nucleus of a Parkinson’s Rat Model”
- Benjamin Mohrhardt (ECE): “Investigating and Predicting the Formation of Toxic Nitrogenous Byproducts from Phenolic Compounds in the Presence of Nitrate under Far-UVC Irradiation from KrCl* Excilamps”
- Ian Norwood (Physics): ”Constraining Frictional Charging on Coarse-Mode Atmospheric Dust Particles”
- Eleanor Serocki (CFRES): ”Estimating Trace Gas Flux Dynamics in Boreal Wetlands”
- Tanner Sether (Physics): ”Toward a Deep Learning Approach for Fast Galaxy Catalog Generation”
- Matthew Sisson (MSE): ”Micromagnetism of Self-Assembled FeSi2 Nanoislands”
- Caitlyn Sutherlin (SS): ”Community- and Nature-Led Adaptation in El Salvador”
- Kyle Wehmanen (KIP): ”Human Powered Locomotion on Variable Terrain: a Continuing Investigation for how to Move on Mars”
Michigan Tech Faculty and Staff Members Who Received $5,000 or More for Hands-On NASA-Oriented Experiences for Student Groups (HONES) or Research Seed Grants
- Paul van Susante (ME-EM): HONES — “NASA Lunabotics Competition”
The Graduate School is proud of these students for their outstanding scholarship. These awards highlight the quality of students at Michigan Tech, their innovative work, their leadership potential and the incredible role played by faculty in students’ academic success.
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section at Michigan Tech had 16 students attend the SWE WE23 Societal Conference in Los Angeles, California, with Gretchen Hein, SWE advisor. The students greatly enjoyed and benefited from the conference sessions. They also met with MTU alumni from L.A. and engaged with several MTU SWE alumnae. They especially enjoyed hearing stories about Tech and how campus has changed.
The SWE WE23 Career Fair is the largest career fair for women in the world. This year, SWE members had 20 interviews and one job offer from participating. Most will hear back on internships and full-time offers in two weeks.
The conference took place over three days, October 26–28, inviting attendees to Live Without Limits.
SWE thanks our corporate sponsors for their generous support, which enabled us to fund 100% of the students’ travel!
- Grace Moeggenborg, junior (applied ecology and environmental science): “The conference celebrated all women and minorities in the workplace and helped me redefine being a woman in STEM.”
- Kelsey Jensen, junior (biomedical engineering): “Attending the WE23 conference was such an amazing experience that furthered my career and inspired me to strive for positions in my career that I originally wouldn’t think of going for.”
- Rixlie Fozilova, second-year master’s student (environmental engineering): “This was my first time at the SWE national conference and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
- Katherine Baker, junior (chemical engineering): “My favorite part of the conference was attending an exclusive networking event through the SWE Collegiate Leadership Institute, which I’ve participated in for two years.”
- Skyler Brawley, senior (computer engineering): “I look forward to the conference all year for the amazing lessons I learn at the sessions and the great career opportunities presented at the career fair.”
- Olivia O’Brien, senior (electrical engineering): “I’ve come out of this conference a more motivated, driven and ambitious engineer!”
- Kathryn Krieger, junior (environmental engineering): “I hope to carry the knowledge and connections I made this weekend throughout my career.”
- Aerith Cruz, senior (management information systems): “It’s incredible how the Michigan Tech network extends beyond Houghton.”
- Victoria Berger, senior (materials science and engineering): “I was able to grow my professional network through the career fair and various networking activities.”
- Emma Quinn, senior (materials science and engineering): “This conference reaffirmed my love for engineering and allowed me to envision my career path.”
- Carissa Best, second-year (mechanical engineering), SWE section president-elect: “I am leaving this conference with the knowledge and tools to become an engineer who isn’t afraid to live life without limits!”
- Tory Cantrell, second-year (mechanical engineering): “Attending the WE23 conference meant so much to me because I was surrounded by so many other women in STEM who all want to strive to be the best they can and help others succeed just as much.”
- Marisa Mathews, first-year (mechanical engineering): “I attended 12 different informational sessions and learned more about engineering, leadership and industry than I imagined could be possible in two days.”
- Talia Olson, senior (mechanical engineering): “I was able to attend a multitude of informative sessions, and one that stuck out to me was learning about how companies are trying to bring more neurodivergent individuals in the workforce.”
- Amanda West, senior (mechanical engineering), SWE section president: “It is incredible that 16 of us were given a chance to network, interview with and learn from these amazing women and leaders.”
- Maci Dostaler, junior (software engineering): “As I continue to grow as a leader, I will strive to use all the advice given to me — by some very impressive people — to good use.”
By Jaclyn Johnson and Gretchen Hein, Advisors, Society of Women Engineers at Michigan Tech.