College of Engineering Blog

Category: Chemical Engineering

Head of the Pack: A Conversation with Associate Deans Amy Landis and Audra Morse

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From left, Audra Morse and Amy Landis pose at a desk in the College of Engineering Dean’s Office. Morse wears a charcoal blazer, black turtleneck sweater, and jeans and Landis wears a gray blazer and dress.
Associate Deans Audra Morse, left, and Amy Landis support the College’s mission as new members of its administrative leadership.

When Dean Michelle Scherer arrived at Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, she brought with her a new vision of engineering education excellence. Known for its hands-on, practical approach, the College of Engineering under her leadership would train collaborative and imaginative engineers from all backgrounds to develop, test, and build real solutions to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

This summer, Dean Scherer welcomed two new associate deans to the College’s administration who will work closely with her to deliver on that vision of world-class education, research, and leaders

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From Co-op to Career: Michigan Tech Chemical Engineering Alum Shares His Story

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Students and employers mill around by booths and in aisles as hundreds attend Michigan Tech’s Fall Career Fair in the multipurpose room of the SDC in 2024.
Michigan Tech’s fall Career Fair is the first of two offered to all students each academic year to make connections for co-ops, internships, and full-time jobs.

As Huskies gear up for Michigan Technological University’s Fall Career Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 23, they’re looking for on-point advice to land co-ops, internships, and full-time jobs. 

Cody Woodbury ’20 has got them covered. Woodbury is a process engineer at Koppers, a global leader in the development of progressive wood treatment technologies. He’s one of the many Michigan Tech students who did a co-op with the company and went on to be hired full-time. 

In this Q&A,  the chemical engineering grad shares practical advice for students on topics like why it’s important to ask prospective employers questions, how to understand what success looks like during a co-op, and how to make the most of your time at Tech.

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Patrick Pinhero Named Department of Chemical Engineering Chair

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-STEM Building exterior during a sunset with green grass and trees on campus.
Patrick Pinhero, former professor of chemical engineering at the University of Missouri, has been named chair of Michigan Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering.
Patrick Pinhero
Patrick Pinhero, former professor of chemical engineering at the University of Missouri, has been named chair of Michigan Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering.

Patrick Pinhero has been named chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering, effective July 1.

Pinhero joins us from the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at the University of Missouri, where he was a professor of chemical engineering for 18 years. He served as department chair and co-chair, as well as the director of research for the University of Missouri’s nuclear engineering program. He is a leading researcher in understanding how material interfaces control and regulate chemical processes. 

“We are so very fortunate to be welcoming Patrick to our Husky pack to lead our Department of Chemical Engineering!” said Michelle Scherer, dean of the College of Engineering. “The department is recognized nationwide for its research and innovative course design and safety practices and I’m thrilled to have someone with Patrick’s track record of administrative and research leadership joining us.”

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SWE at Michigan Tech Attends WE Local Conference

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Twelve members of SWE at Michigan Tech pose together in front of a SWE backdrop.
At WE Local 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, members of SWE at Michigan Tech received scholarships, presented workshops, and networked with other SWE collegiate members. (All images courtesy Michigan Tech SWE)

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.

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Jon Herlevich Selected for Deans’ Teaching Showcase

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John Herlevich
Jon Herlevich ‘94 ‘97, a Michigan Tech College of Engineering alumnus, has been selected for the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

College of Engineering Dean Michelle Scherer has selected Jon Herlevich ‘94 ‘97, professor of practice in the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE), for the Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

Herlevich will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other spring showcase members and is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

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Consumer Product Manufacturing Team Shares Enterprise Success Story

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Three students from the CPM Enterprise Team.
From left, Zoe Kumm, Madeline Johnson, and Jacqui Foreman in their Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise OneTumbler team photo in spring 2024. (Photo courtesy CPM Enterprise)

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.

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Interdisciplinary Health Research Engineered to Benefit Communities

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Caryn Heldt in front of the Husky Statue.
Caryn Heldt and other researchers at Tech are working on cross-disciplinary approaches to achieve impactful breakthroughs for improved public health. This photo was taken before completion of the new H-STEM Complex on campus, which has further accelerated opportunities for collaboration.

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.”

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College of Engineering Welcomes New Faculty Members

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Dean Michelle Scherer in a group with the sixteen new faculty.
Earlier this semester, Dean Michelle Scherer welcomed 16 new faculty members to the College of Engineering.

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:

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Chemical Engineering Dedicates CITGO Senior Design Studio

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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.


Read more on Alumni Stories

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From Michigan Tech to Mars: First-Year Engineering Lecture Speaker Ready to Inspire Huskies

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Jessica Elwell in front of the Mars Curiosity Rover mockup at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The rover is in the same class as the Mars Perseverance Rover, which carried the experimental device MOXIE aboard to successfully convert carbon dioxide to oxygen.
(All images courtesy Jessica Elwell)

A chemical engineer who almost chose music as a major and went on to work on a project that was named one of Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2023 has been selected as speaker for the First Year Engineering Lecture Series. 

Her talk takes place at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26, in Michigan Tech’s Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts.

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