College of Engineering Blog

Category: Chemical Engineering

Jeana Collins Named First Recipient of Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellowship

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Jeana Collins, Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellow

Jeana L. Collins, an associate teaching professor of chemical engineering at Michigan Technological University, has been named the first recipient of the Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellowship. Collins is recognized for her exceptional teaching and pedagogy.

A gift of $2 million from Gary Sparrow, a Michigan Tech alumnus and retired chemical engineer, funds the new fellowship and also supports the Chemical Engineering Learning Commons. Sparrow grew up in Orchard Park, New York.  He earned his BS in Chemical Engineering at Tech in 1970, and went on to work in chemical processing at several manufacturing companies in Ohio.

“I am honored to be the first recipient of the Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellowship,” says Collins. “Every interaction I have had with Gary has shown how much he cares about this department and the undergraduate education we provide.”

At Michigan Tech Collins is highly regarded for her student-centric style of teaching. She makes a serious effort to keep the students engaged throughout her lectures. 

“Dr. Collins is an indispensable member of the department,” says Michael Mullins, chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering. “She has made a strong, positive impact on the educational experience of our undergraduate students from the moment she set foot in the door.” 

As the Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellow in Chemical Engineering, Collins will provide leadership in education and scholarly activities at Michigan Tech. Those activities include developing new teaching pedagogies, engaging in publications and presentations at national conferences, and embarking on special projects—including writing her first books. The first of those books will be about the capstone senior design sequence, in collaboration with Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Tony Rogers. The second will focus on her computer-aided problem-solving course. 

Collins assumed the responsibilities as advisor for Michigan Tech’s AIChE Student Chapter, rejuvenating the Chapter with her engaging style, energy, and enthusiasm.

“Dr. Collins recognizes that laboratory courses must be taught differently,” adds Mullins. “An extra layer of complexity is involved in motivating students while they work on teams, either in the UO Lab, or for a capstone senior design project, and this is an area where Dr. Collins truly excels.”

Collins earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2012 and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 2018, advised by Professor Adrienne Minerick.

Collins first started working the department full-time as a chemical engineering lecturer in 2016. She was promoted to the rank of Associate Teaching Professor in July 2021. She was selected as one of the faculty members for the Dean’s Teaching Showcase in spring 2023.

She currently chairs the Department of Chemical Engineering Curriculum Committee, in addition to serving on its Executive, Computer, and Student Awards committees, and both its Chair and Faculty search committees. Collins also serves as advisor for the Michigan Tech Dance Team,  and is involved with the Consumer Product Manufacturing student Enterprise team.

Read More:

Dean’s Teaching Showcase: Jeana Collins

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Michael Mullins Named Chemical Engineering’s Interim Chair

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Chemical Engineering Professor Michael Mullins

Michael Mullins has agreed to serve as interim chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering. He will officially start July 1, taking over from chair and faculty member Pradeep Agrawal.

Mullins, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has previously served as department chair. He has extensive experience leading the Michigan Tech University Senate, and also won a Fulbright award, the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Alternative Energy Technology, to spend the 2015-16 academic year on sabbatical at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.

“The department is in a strong growth curve of research, and I know that Michael will only help accelerate this as we add additional faculty to the department and also search for the department’s next Chair,” said Dean Janet Callahan.

“Having been in the department for over 35 years, I am pleased to serve as interim chair as we go through the transition period of finding our next chair and hiring additional faculty,” said Mullins. “Until that time, we will continue to promote excellence in education and research, and stay connected to our alumni and industry stakeholders.”

Agrawal came to Michigan Tech in 2017 to serve as chair after nearly 40 years at Georgia Tech. He will soon be returning to Atlanta upon retirement, where he will enjoy winters without anywhere near as much ice or snow!

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Engineering Students Interviewed About Design Expo 2023

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Two students seating outside near the waterfront next to an off-road vehicle.
Mechanical engineering students in the Blizzard Baja Enterprise.

Michigan Technological University opens Design Expo to underclassmen

Briana Tucker and Nagesh Hatti (Enterprise) were quoted by WZMQ 19 News in coverage of Michigan Tech’s 2023 Design Expo, held Tuesday (April 18) at the Van Pelt and Opie Library and Memorial Union Building.

The Michigan Tech Baja Racing Team showcased their new car at the expo as well. This year they’ve been mandated to build a four-wheel car in order to compete and the team says they use the tools from class in every cylinder of their project.

Read more at WZMQ 19 News, by Mitchell Rife.

Michigan Tech University holds 23rd annual Design Expo with wide project variety

Tucker, senior Ryan Peckham (electrical engineering) and first-year engineering student Andrew Brenner were interviewed for a WLUC TV6 broadcast segment, and first-year chemical engineering students Ethan LeGrave, Veronica North, and Bailey Wright were mentioned in the accompanying story.

The Wireless Communications Enterprise (WCE) team showcased several of their projects.

Read more at WLUC TV6, by Colin Jackson.

Feats of innovation

The Daily Mining Gazette also covered Expo, mentioning students Breanna Gorman and Cade Meyer.

Breanna Gorman, president of the Enterprise team and fourth-year electrical engineering major showcased a portable battery pack intended for military backpacks.

Cade Meyer, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student was part of the Velovations Enterprise team. They focus on bicycle design projects.

Read more at the Daily Mining Gazette, by Aidan Reilly.

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2023 Student Leadership Award Recipients Announced

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Outstanding students, staff and alumni were honored Friday (April 14) during Michigan Tech’s 29th annual Student Leadership Awards Ceremony in the Memorial Union Building Ballroom. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating their achievements!

Congratulations to all of the 2023 winners:

Cayton Scholz
Cayton Scholz

Keynote speaker Jessica L. Thompson ’12 (BS, Biological Sciences) was also recognized as the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

More information about the awards and the recipients can be found on the Student Leadership Awards webpage. We also invite the campus community to save the date for the 30th annual Student Leadership Awards Ceremony, which will be held April 12, 2024, in the MUB Ballroom.

By Student Leadership and Involvement.

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Department of GMES Shines at the 2023 Annual SME Conference and Expo in Denver

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The 2023 Annual Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) Conference & Expo, held February 26–March 1 in Denver, Colorado, was a huge success for the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES) at Michigan Tech. A large group of students and faculty representing the mining engineering and geological engineering programs attended the event, including eight BS students, five MS students, and a PhD student, along with two faculty members. They presented their research, received awards, and connected with alumni and industry.

The students in attendance were Michael Carly, Kolby Carpenter, Leanne Daanen, Jack Hawes, Jake Maxon, John Myaard, Jared Searl, Max Stange, Charles Addai, Ian Gannon, DharmaSai Eshwar Reddy Sirigiri, Enoch Nii-Okai, Emmanuel Wolubah, and Abid Danish.

Research Presentations

Associate Professor and Witte Family Endowed Faculty Fellow in Mining Engineering Snehamoy Chatterjee, delivered an oral presentation titled “Workers’ Compensation Data Analysis to Characterize Injury Severity in the Mining Industry,” based on his ongoing NIOSH-funded research.

Dr. Chatterjee’s MS student DharmaSai Eshwar Reddy Sirigiri gave an oral presentation titled “Modeling the Number of Days Lost from a Mining Accident by a Two-Stage Hierarchical Machine Learning Approach and MSHA Accident Data.”

Dr. Chatterjee’s PhD student Abid Danish presented a poster titled “Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning-based approach for clustering analysis of mining accident narratives.”

Recognitions

Dr. Nathan Manser, professor of practice in mining engineering and the chair for the Upper Peninsula Section of SME, accepted the Miners Give Back Award on behalf of the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin SME local sections. This award is given annually and recognizes extraordinary achievements in community service and the advancement of the strategic objectives of SME during the past year by the local section membership. The focus of their work involved a collaboration with 4H to promote geosciences to middle-school-aged children in the region.

Alumni Connections

Michigan Tech alumni have always had strong representation within SME. Most notably, Marc LeVier (MTU BSMY ’71, MS ‘77) became the 2023 SME President on March 1 at the conclusion of SME Annual Conference & Expo.

As part of the week-long activities at SME, the GMES department hosted an alumni engagement event in the Hyatt Regency Downtown. About 66 guests attended the two-hour social event, including alumni from several MTU departments such as GMES and the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering.

The attendees came from classes in the mid-1980s through our most recent graduates, showcasing the vast network of connections alumni have, especially in the geoscience and minerals industries. A few members of the Industrial Advisory Board for Mining Engineering at MTU attended the event to rekindle connections with students and alumni. Our special thanks to Julie Marinucci for helping with the event organization! The event was a great opportunity for everyone to network and catch up with old friends. Overall, the alumni engagement event was a success, and plans for the next meeting in Phoenix are already underway. We are grateful to all the alumni who attended and look forward to seeing even more of them at future events.

Five people standing at a table in a large room.
GMES alumni event: (left to right) Luis Sierra (BSMG ‘05), Katie Robertson (BSMG ‘04), Trent Weatherwax (BSMG ‘03), John Uhrie (PhD ‘96), Theodosia Uhrie (BS STC ‘91). Photo credit: Julie Marinucci.
Six people standing at a table in a large room.
GMES alumni event: (left to right) Amol Paithankar (MSMG ’17; MS PhD ’20); Abid Danish (Mining Engineering PhD student); Bowen Li (Research Professor, Materials Science and Engineering); Charles Addai (Mining Engineering MS Student); Emmanuel Wolubah (Mining Engineering MS Student); and Enoch Nii-Okai (Mining Engineering MS Student). Photo credit: Julie Marinucci.
Four people standing near the wall in a large room.
GMES alumni event: (left to right) Richard Saccany (MTU BSMG ‘71), Don Larsen (MTU BSMY ‘79), Komar Kawatra (MTU Chemical Engineering), Mike Onsager (MTU BSEE ‘76). Photo credit: Julie Marinucci.
Four people standing in a large room.
Michael Carley (BSGE ‘23), Jake Maxon (BSMG ‘23), Nathan Manser (BSMG ‘01), and Kurt Doran (MTU ‘04). Photo credit: Julie Marinucci.

Fun

The MTU Student Chapter of SME participated in the Komatsu Student and Professor event at the conference, a dueling-piano themed event with over 300 attendees from schools worldwide.

Group of 15 people cheering and holding a Night on Bourbon Street from Michigan Tech sign.
The GMES group at the Komatsu student night event. Upper row, left to right: Kolby Carpenter, Charles Addai, Emmanuel Wolubah, Jack Hawes, Max Stange, Snehamoy Chatterjee, Nathan Manser, Dharmasai Eshwar Reddy S. Lower row, left to right: Abid Danish, John Myaard, Jake Maxon, Enoch Nii-Okai, Michael Carly, Ian Gannon, Leanne Daanen.

Other SME Activities

Director of MTU Mine Safety Program (hosted at GMES) Matt Portfleet, joined by mine safety trainers Marisa Roerig, Ron Gradowski, and Jake Drenth, also attended the SME conference. They had great opportunities to meet others within the mining industry and to exchange ideas. Michigan Tech Mine Safety also had the privilege of taking a two-hour private tour of the Colorado School of Mines “Edgar” mine. This is strictly an educational and research mine, which is operated by the school to provide students with hands-on experience and a location for research projects.

Says Matt Portfleet: “It was great to hear firsthand from our graduate student tour guides about the activities taking place there. Following this, we visited the Capitol Prize gold mine to experience some of the history of the area.”

The last day of our trip was again spent at the Colorado School of Mines, this time with Korky Vault, a 25-year veteran of mine safety training and specialist on cognitive impairments caused by sleep deprivation, substance abuse, and other influences. “This training provided us valuable knowledge and resources to share with our Mine safety trainees here in Michigan.”

Five people wearing hardhats and gear in a lighted mine shaft.
The MTU Mine Safety Program team explores the CSM’s “Edgar” mine.

Impact

We thank the Richard Saccany Mining Program Fund, the Robert Hendricks Mining Endowment Fund, and all our friends who contributed to the Mining and Material Processing Engineering Fund. Their contributions made it possible for our students to attend the SME conference and gain exposure to the latest advances in mining engineering research and practice, network with industry professionals, and explore future career paths.

As the department chair, I cannot overstate the importance of attending professional meetings for our students’ career development. The in-person attendance of the SME Conference & Expo was crucially important for building their professional networks and gaining valuable insights into the latest developments in the field. I believe that these experiences will contribute significantly to their success in their chosen careers.

One student attendee, John Myaard, shared: “I learned a lot and made some great connections with people in a diverse range of industries like mining, research, and mineral processing.”

Overall, the participation of our department in the 2023 SME Conference & Expo was a great success, and we look forward to participating in future events.

By Aleksey Smirnov, chair of GMES.

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MTU, MSU Collaborate and Build Foundations in Inaugural Research Symposium

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MSU Campus

On March 13, 2023, professors and research leaders from Michigan Technological University and the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University participated and presented at a collaborative research symposium titled “Engineering the Future of Human Health.” This inaugural event, hosted by MSU, was held at the Secchia Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The symposium was spearheaded by Michigan Tech Vice President for Global Campus and Continuing Education David Lawrence and planned by a joint MTU and MSU team. Melissa Kacos, events manager at MSU, used her superior organizational skills to make the symposium a success.

Twelve researchers from MTU and 12 from MSU delivered presentations during the event’s six sessions. The event also featured an 18-poster display from faculty, researchers and M.D. students.

MTU was represented by:

Representing MSU were Brian Johnson and Nureddin Shammakhi (Tissue); Erin Purcell and Jinxing Li (Biosensors); Taeho Kim and Bryan Smith (Biomedical); Aitor Aguirre and Tomasz Timek (Cardiovascular); Rebecca Knickmeyer and Shreesh Sammi (Neurological and Aging); and Anna Moore and Kurt Zinn (Cancer).

The purpose of this collaborative event was investigating areas of shared goals, mutual interests and possible research collaboration in crucial areas of human health. Or as Christopher Contag of MSU affirmed, the symposium “will help integrate the research aims of the two universities for a collective endeavor to develop the tools, technologies and knowledge that will impact human health across the state.”

Sean Kirkpatrick of MTU agreed, noting that the event marked “a good first step towards working across university boundaries and leveraging our unique individual strengths to improve the health of Michiganders.”

The next step will be developing these research aims and shared human health initiatives in a second collaborative symposium hosted by MTU on Oct. 27, which is timed to go along with the Upper Peninsula Medical Conference. In this symposium, researchers will elaborate on the theme of engineering the future of human health, but in these key areas: Big Data, Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Image Processing, Epidemiology, Human Factors and Neural Engineering.

Lawrence, Kirkpatrick, Cooke and Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) are MTU’s co-sponsors of this second symposium. Co-sponsors for MSU are Adam Alessio, Departments of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering; Biomedical Engineering; and Radiology; and Bin Chen, Department of Pediatrics and Human Development.

As the second symposium approaches, the Global Campus team will be sharing more details. Stay tuned for ways to attend or participate in this innovative event.

By Shelly Galliah, Global Campus.

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Engineering Students Sweep the Oral Presentations at the 2023 Health Research Institute Forum

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Gloved hand filling a tube from a pipette in a lab.

HRI Student Forum Winners Announced

by Health Research Institute

The Health Research Institute (HRI) held their 2023 Student Forum on February 24. The forum featured a poster session and an oral presentation session, which drew participation from 20 students in 10 departments. Judges selected the following winners from each category:

Poster Session

First Place: Gregory Miodonski, Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
Second Place (tie): Bianca Velez, Biological Sciences
Second Place (tie): Chen Zhao, Applied Computing
Third Place (tie): Emily Washeleski, Biological Sciences
Third Place (tie): Sherry Chen, Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology

Oral Presentations

First Place: Seth Kriz, Chemical Engineering
Second Place (tie): Brennan Vogl, Biomedical Engineering
Second Place (tie): Natalie Nold, Chemical Engineering
Third Place: Roya Bagheri, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Thank you to all of the participants and congratulations to the winners.

For more information on HRI’s student programs and resources, please visit the HRI Student Resources page.

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Dean’s Teaching Showcase: Jeana Collins

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Jeana Collins
Jeana Collins

Jeana Collins, associate teaching professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE), has been selected for spring 2023’s Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

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

Collins was selected for consistently applying what she has learned in a variety of professional development opportunities to continuously improve her courses. These include attending four National Effective Teaching Institute workshops, an Alan Alda Communication workshop and the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project. They provided Collins with the opportunity to learn a wide variety of teaching techniques and use them to tailor each course according to the subject and students. She especially appreciated the opportunity to interact with faculty from across the country to share experiences and brainstorm ideas for course improvements.

Examples of courses that have been positively impacted by professional development are the required second-year foundational courses. These are important for students to master, so making sure the content is engaging and providing students with multiple learning experiences is important to Collins. As one student said, “I think the way she goes through classes is very helpful, giving us some time to figure it out and also being there to support us if we have questions.”

Collins works with the students to improve courses, often making changes midsemester. Early-term surveys give students an opportunity to check in with how class is going. The follow-on discussion with the class on what can’t change and what can (and will) change is the part that Collins finds the most meaningful. And students appreciate it. One commented, “I really like how you took time out of class to stop and talk with us about how this class is running and ways to improve to make it better overall, thank you for doing this for us!”

“Dr. Collins’ teaching style is student-centric,” said Pradeep Agrawal, ChE’s department chair. “She makes a serious effort to keep students engaged throughout her lectures employing a variety of active teaching tools.”

Last fall, Collins was assigned a new course: CM3450 Computer Aided Problem Solving. Based on the knowledge and experience she gained, she restructured the course to focus on chemical engineering content; within the different content, she covered multiple computer programs. This means that the programs used are seen throughout the semester, showcasing different applications. This was an effective approach that students found very helpful. As one student said, “This class is amazing. I liked how sometimes we’d follow along, but also had independent working days. The assignments and projects were a great way to apply what we learned. So glad I enrolled in this course!”

“Having faculty members who choose to participate in workshops and courses in order to be more effective in the classroom is one of the reasons Michigan Tech graduates such high-quality engineers,” says Janet Callahan, dean of the College of Engineering. “Dr. Jeana Collins exemplifies this and strongly deserves this recognition.”

By the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning.

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It’s Engineers Week 2023!

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It’s Eweek 2023! Join us for some special events on campus at Michigan Tech.

We’re celebrating National Engineers Week (Feb. 19-25). Everyone’s invited to special events on campus sponsored by Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society student chapter at Michigan Tech.

Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, Eweek is celebrated each February around the time of George Washington’s birthday, February 22, because Washington is considered by many to be the first U.S. engineer.

At Michigan Tech, the week is celebrated with special events on campus all hosted by student organizations. Everyone is welcome! Please feel free to stop by and check out Eweek events as your schedule allows:

Ever wanted to try your hand in the Michigan Tech Foundry? Make something small, come pick it up later, after it cools!

Monday, Feb. 20
Metal foundry in a box with Materials United, 1-3 PM
M&M Engineering Building U109

Do you know Michigan Tech Mind Trekkers yet? If not, you must!

Tuesday, Feb. 21
Demonstrations with Mind Trekkers, 11AM-1PM
Fisher Hall Lobby

Delicious cake from Roy’s Bakery – a great way to celebrate, relax for a while in the Engineering Fundamentals department, and add a treat to your day.


Wednesday, Feb. 22
E-Week Cake, courtesy of the Department of Engineering Fundamentals, 11AM-2PM
Dillman 112

The Tau Beta Pi “bent” is located on campus at Michigan Tech.

Thursday, Feb. 23
Tau Beta Pi Alumni Panel,
5-6PM
Dow Building, room 0642

Zoom: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/82536199550

Panelists:

Katelyn Ramthun BME/ME) – Product Engineer at Plexus
Jennifer Larimer (ChemE) – Research Scientist at Dow
Quinn Horn (PhD MSE) – Principal Engineer at Exponent
Tim Obermann (MSEE) – Director of Power Tool Technology at Milwaukee Tool

Learn how to solder your own circuit board—with students in the Blue Marble Security Enterprise, at the team’s headquarters on campus.

Friday, Feb. 24
Circuit Boards with Blue Marble Security Enterprise, 4-6 PM
EERC Building – 0738

One important goal: to motivate youth to pursue engineering careers in order to provide a diverse and vigorous engineering workforce.

Nationwide, Eweek is a formal coalition of more than 70 engineering, education, and cultural societies, and more than 50 corporations and government agencies. This year’s theme: Creating the Future. Dedicated to raising public awareness of engineers’ positive contributions to quality of life, Eweek promotes recognition among parents, teachers, and students of the importance of a technical education and a high level of math, science, and technology literacy. One important goal: to motivate youth to pursue engineering careers in order to provide a diverse and vigorous engineering workforce.

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SWE Students and Alumnae Host Girl Scouts Events

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Two girls construct cranes on a tabletop.
Junior Girl Scouts participate in crane design at Michigan Tech.

Michigan Tech’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section and two SWE alumnae hosted two Girl Scouts events for 69 youth Nov. 8 and 10, 2022.

On Nov. 8, Amy (Palmgren) Rokos ’08 (computer engineering) and Pam (Wolting) Seibert ’10 (civil engineering) hosted a Girl Scouts event for K-5 Scouts in Grand Rapids, Michigan, using activities and materials provided by the SWE section. For this event, Rokos and Seibert selected activities developed at Michigan Tech and received instructions on how to do them with youth. Thirty-nine Scouts participated in the event.

Rokos stated: “The event was a success! I think the girls had fun and the leaders really appreciated us putting on the event.”

Seibert commented: “This morning was fantastic! Thanks to the entire MTU team for these ideas and fantastic programs. (The Scouts) were engaged the entire time frame and came out more excited about engineering. Electrical and chemical engineering seem to be the leaders of interest. The ice cream was really simple too, almost easier than my machine at home.“

On Nov. 10, 30 Junior Girl Scouts in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula participated in a crane design, construct and test activity hosted by the MTU SWE section. This outreach event was unique because the local Girl Scouts came to Michigan Tech and completed the activity in one of the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology labs, while the other Scouts completed the event virtually.

We really appreciated hosting the Nov. 10 event in a Tech lab. When the Scouts were constructing their crane, they could look at an engine stand. The stand and crane have many similar parts. Some of the youth observed that the base of the stand was wider at the base and with this design, when the engine was supported by the boom, the stand did not tip over. These concepts were incorporated into their designs. The SWE members enjoyed working with the Girls Scouts and look forward to the Girl Scouts events we have planned for the spring semester.

By Gretchen Hein, SWE Advisor.

Group photo of girls and hosts.
Girl Scouts visit Michigan Tech.
Girls work with soapy materials at a tabletop.
Event hosted in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for K-5 Girl Scouts.
Several girls seated on a carpeted floor and using bags of material.
Girl Scouts engaged in activities in Grand Rapids.
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