Category: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Meeting for the Center for Novel High Voltage/Temperature Material and Structures

GLRCME-EM to Host Advisory Board Meeting

NSF I/UCRC Industrial Advisory Board Meeting for the Center for Novel High Voltage/Temperature Material and Structures begins today.

Today and tomorrow, ME-EM is hosting the semi-annual NSF I/UCRC Industrial Advisory Board meeting for the Center for Novel High Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures (HVT) at the Great Lakes Research Center. The meeting is organized by Site Director Greg Odegard (ME-EM) and Co-Directors Julie King (CHE) and Paul Sanders (MSE).

Expected at the meeting are 40 faculty, graduate students and Industrial Advisory Board members from Michigan Tech’s ME-EM, Chem Eng and MSE departments; University of Denver, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne; Bonneville Power Administration, CTC Global, General Cable, Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Tri-State Generation and Transmission.

The mission of the HVT Center is to develop and evaluate new materials and structures for a range of HVT technological applications, particularly for the power transmission and aerospace industries.

The HVT Center has entered its third year of operation; this meeting is focused on the review of the current projects, proposals for future research and discussions on directions for Center growth. The Center is jointly funded by NSF and the Industrial Advisory Board member companies.

By ME-EM.

Unscripted—Be Aware: Cybersecurity

CybersecurityCybersecurity in cars made several headlines last summer. Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek’s carhacking research made for a viral WIRED article when they remotely took over a Jeep Cherokee on the highway; Bloomberg Business covered these vulnerabilities in a video interview at the Def Con hacking convention. At Michigan Tech, cybersecurity is an integral part of many researchers’ work. Steven Goldsmith, a research professor in mechanical engineering, started a new graduate course on automotive cybersecurity this fall and spoke with me about his work.

Read more at Unscripted: Science and Engineering Research, by Allison Mills.

2016 Lake Superior Water Festival

2016 Lake Superior Water Festival
2016 Lake Superior Water Festival

VIEW THE PHOTO ALBUM

More than 1,000 students in grades 4-8 in 34 classes from 13 schools in Houghton, Baraga, Gogebic and Ontonagon counties will flood Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center from 8:45 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday (Oct. 12) for the 5th Annual Lake Superior Water Festival “October will be a Splash!”

Students from the following schools will participate: Baraga Middle School, CLK Elementary, Chassell Elementary, Elm River School, Hancock Middle School, Jeffers Middle School, L’Anse Middle School, Lake Linden-Hubbell Middle School, L.L. Wright Middle School (Ironwood), Sacred Heart School, South Range Elementary and Washington Middle School (Calumet).

More than 30 different sessions will be offered throughout the day, presented by Michigan Tech scientists, staff and students, with help from Keweenaw Land Trust, Keweenaw National Historical Park, U.S. Coast Guard, SOAR students from Dollar Bay High School, Ottawa National Forest, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and NECi Superior Enzymes. Presenters come from the following departments at Michigan Tech: CEE, SFRES, GMES, ME-EM, Bio Sci, Chem, Physics, Sustainable Future Institute and VPA.

The Water Festival provides an opportunity for students to learn about and celebrate our most precious natural resource—the Great Lakes. A wide variety of topics from science and engineering to history and music will be presented. Students attend four 35-minute activities. Some of the topics include: Remotely-Operated-Vehicles, Isle Royale Wolves and Moose, Leave No Trace Outdoors, cleaning wastewater and touring the U.S. Coast Guard vessel.

The 2016 Water Festival is made possible with funding from Michigan STEM Partnership, Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society and the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative. The Festival is coordinated by the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative and hosted by Michigan Tech’s Great Lake Research Center.

Schedules and descriptions of each session will be available in the GLRC lobby upon arrival.

For more information, contact Joan Chadde or Lloyd Wescoat at 7-3341.

By Joan Chadde.

STEM Outreach During Fall 2016 at Michigan Tech

Brimley Area School Students Visit Michigan Tech

Thirty middle-school students, plus two science teachers, and two chaperones from Brimley Area Schools visited Michigan Tech and the Keweenaw Peninsula from Sept. 28-30, 2016. The outreach event was hosted by Ted Bornhorst, Executive Director, A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum, and Joan Chadde, Director of the Center for Science & Environmental Outreach. The Brimley Area Schools student population is 54 % Native American and 51 % low income. Students participated in a half-day of STEM activities on campus with Brian Barkdoll and “Kiko” de Melo e Silva, faculty and research scientist, respectively, in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Sarah Sun in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics.

“We were pleased to provide this unique opportunity for the Brimley students that may spark their interest to pursue a STEM degree at Michigan Tech,” explained Bornhorst.

“This was a great group of students,” observed Chadde. “We plan to work with them to make this an annual visit.”

Brian Barkdoll and Brimley Area Schools Students
Brian Barkdoll and Brimley Area Schools Students
Kiko de Melo e Silva and Brimley Area School Students
Kiko de Melo e Silva and Brimley Area School Students
Sarah Sun and Brimley Area School Students
Sarah Sun and Brimley Area School Students

SIS & SAAM Hold Annual Meeting

The students of SIS (Society of Intellectual Sisters) and SAAM (Society of African American Men) alumni participated in several STEM activities just like their parents did at Tech! Joan Chadde facilitated several Family Engineering activities for the students, who ranged in age from 3-17 years. A favorite activity is the “Hot Chocolate Machine where students stack 10-15 cups to let gravity do its thing and mix the milk power and cocoa powder—and Voila! Hot chocolate!”

Hot Chocolate at SIS and SAAM Meeting
Hot Chocolate at SIS and SAAM Meeting

Robin Johnson-Cash Will Be a Social Justice Speaker

Robin Johson-Cash
Robin Johson-Cash

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion has announced the seven speakers for their Social Justice Lecture series.

Among the speakers is the first African-American woman to graduate with a PhD from Michigan Tech’s Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Department.  She will return to Houghton to lecture at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 14, 2017, in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge.

Robin Johnson-Cash will speak about her experiences as a minority engineer at the Ford Motor Company. Her appearance at Michigan Tech is part of the University’s observance of Black History Month.

All of the events are free and open to the public.  For more information, contact Zack Rubinstein or visit the CDI Facebook Page.

Read more at Tech Today, by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

New I/UCRC Funding on Novel Materials

Greg Odegard
Greg Odegard

Gregory Odegard (ME-EM/MuSTI), is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $40,000 research and development contract from Colorado Seminary-University of Denver.

Paul Sanders (MSE) and Julie King (ChE) are Co-PIs on the project “I/UCRC: Novel High Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures.”

From Tech Today, by Sponsored Programs.

NOAA Partnering with Michigan Tech for Lake Superior Research

Andrew Barnard
Andrew Barnard

WJMN TV-UP Matters (CBS) and WLUC TV6 (NBC) broadcast stories on Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes research on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) vessel.

From Tech Today.

Michigan Tech pairs with NOAA for Lake Superior research

Andrew Barnard, an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MTU, said, “As a mechanical engineer, I’m interested in making loud things quieter and one of the things we’re looking at making quieter is research vessels that specifically deal with fish or marine mammal wildlife so that they can affect the environment less when they’re going to do their work.”

Read more and watch the video at WJMN TV-UP Matters.

NOAA to work with MTU scientists out on Lake Superior

“Today, we’re laying some hydrophones which are under water microphones under the water and we’re doing some boat bypasses to baseline the sound coming from our research vessels and from the NOAA 5501,” said MTU Mechanical Engineer, Dr. Andrew Barnard.

Read more and watch the video at WLUC TV6, by Aleah Hordges.

Engineering Alumni as New Alumni Board Directors

The following alumni will begin their six year Director terms at the Reunion meeting Thursday and Friday (Aug. 4-5).

  • Daniel Batten ’88, ’90 Mechanical Design Engineering Technology and Business Administration from Jenison, Michigan
  • Derek Chapel ’05 Electrical Engineering from Petoskey, Michigan
  • Joseph Gallo ’11 Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering from Midland, Michigan
  • Jenna Joestgen ’10 Biomedical Engineering from Appleton, Wisconsin
  • Kristin Kolodge ’95 Mechanical Engineering from Harrison Township, Michigan
  • Emily McDonald ’12 Environmental Engineering from Ferndale, Michigan
  • Dennis Sage ’86 Scientific and Technical Communication, Arlington Heights, Illinois
  • Andrew Burton ’97 (SFRES)-new faculty representative

Read more at Tech Today, by Brenda Rudiger.

Michigan Tech Wins Awards for Diversity Efforts in Engineering Education

wepan-logoMichigan Tech’s efforts to increase the numbers and diversity of women in engineering have been recognized by Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN), a national network of women engineers, engineering educators, universities, corporations and non-profits who are working together to develop a diverse and innovative engineering workforce.

Michigan Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics received the WEPAN President’s Award for what the organization described as “outstanding accomplishments” in the National Science Foundation-funded engineering diversity initiative, TECAID (Transforming Engineering Culture to Advance Inclusion and Diversity).

In addition, WEPAN recognized the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), which won the WEPAN Strategic Partner Award. ASEE was honored for its “Year of Action on Diversity,” a project conceived and designed by the ASEE Diversity Committee, led by Adrienne Minerick and Teri Reed. Minerick is associate dean for research and innovation in the College of Engineering and a professor of chemical engineering at Michigan Tech. Reed is assistant vice president for research at the University of Cincinnati.

“These awards are a testament to the dedication, heart and trailblazing work our faculty and staff are doing to increase knowledge and awareness of the value of diversity and to cultivate environments that are inclusive of all individuals,” said Minerick. “These activities expand and strengthen the perspectives and education of all of our students such that they can engineer to present and future world demands and lead in a complex and changing society.”

President Glenn Mroz called the awards “a real honor for Mechanical Engineering and the entire university. We’ve been clear that it’s the responsibility of everyone at Michigan Tech to serve all students, regardless of gender or race, to have an impact on our world. This national recognition serves as evidence that people are taking that seriously, and it’s being noticed at the highest levels of our professions. The leadership that this team of people has shown is truly inspiring.”

Engineering Society of Detroit at Michigan Tech

IMG_4900 (1280x853)Tech Century, an engineering and technology news website published by the Engineering Society of Detroit, ran a lengthy article on editor Matt Roush’s Tech Tour interviews with Michigan Tech researchers and students. Michigan Tech sponsored this year’s Tech Tour.

Among the many people he talked to were: Adrienne Minerick, associate dean for research and innovation at MTU’s College of Engineering, Jodi Lehman, assistant director of research development, and Jason Carter, professor and chair of the department of kinesiology and integrative physiology, Feng Zhou, assistant professor in biomedical engineering, Guy Meadows, Great Lakes Research Center, Andrew Barnard, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Zhaohui Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, Dave House — Michigan native, Michigan Tech alumnus, Yun Hang Hu, Materials Science Engineering, Caryn Heldt, associate professor of chemical engineering, and Mary Raber, assistant dean of MTU’s new Paavlis Honors College.

See the whole article here.

Matt Roush with Michigan Tech's Jim Baker
Matt Roush with Michigan Tech’s Jim Baker

New Chapter of Engineering Society of Detroit

The formation of a student chapter of the Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) was reported on Tech Century, an engineering and technology news website published by the ESD. Undergraduates and graduate students in the College of Engineering were invited to join. For more information, visit the ESD website.

All Tech engineering students, undergrad and graduate, are invited to join ESD and gain the benefits of student chapter membership. The opportunity to network with professional engineers, successful alumni and other student chapters are among those benefits. Student ESD chapters also get an inside look at trends in engineering and a chance to participate in leadership and career-building events and programs.

Leonard Bohmann, associate dean of engineering,  Wayne D. Pennington, Dean of the MTU College of Engineering, ESD Executive Director Robert Magee, ESD Director of Membership Heather Lilley, and ESD Director of Communications and Public Relations Matt Roush
Leonard Bohmann, associate dean of engineering, Wayne D. Pennington, Dean of the MTU College of Engineering, ESD Executive Director Robert Magee, ESD Director of Membership Heather Lilley, and ESD Director of Communications and Public Relations Matt Roush