Alumni Archives | Page 2 of 20 | College of Engineering Blog

Jeana Collins Named First Recipient of Gary Sparrow Endowed Faculty Fellowship

Published October 9, 2023

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.

Michigan Tech ranked 12th for Salary Impact by the Wall Street Journal

Published September 29, 2023

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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

Screen shot from https://www.wsj.com/rankings/college-rankings/salary-impact-2024

Marty Lagina to Deliver First Year Engineering Series Lecture at Michigan Tech on Monday, October 2

Published September 29, 2023

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“Engineering school teaches you how things work, and also to know what you don’t know,” says Marty Lagina.

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.”
Marty Lagina

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.

Heritage Sustainable Energy’s projects include 84 Wind Turbines and 6 Solar PV Array facilities, all in Michigan. And sheep!

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 11^th 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.

Pictured above: Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, August 1931. Format: glass plate negative.

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.

Read about the extensive and innovative sustainability practices at Mari Vineyards.

“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.”
Marty Lagina’s criteria when choosing to go forward with a new venture.

New Faculty Spotlight: Rachel Store

Published September 27, 2023

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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.

What first drew you to Michigan Tech?

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.”
Advice to incoming students, from Rachel Store.

What do you consider an important long-term goal for your teaching, research, and outreach?

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.

What do you hope to accomplish, as an educator and as a researcher, over the next few years?

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.

Aerial view of the Black Creek Nature Sanctuary. Credit: visitkeweenaw.com

What do you like to do in your spare time?

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!”
Rachel Store

What’s your favorite book, movie, or piece of art?

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.

Any favorite spots on campus, in Houghton, or in the UP?

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.

Any advice for incoming students?

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!”
Rachel Store

Engineering Alumni Activity Fall 2023

Published August 29, 2023

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Alumni
News

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.

Join Professor Brad King at MTU Alumni Reunion Friday, August 4

Published July 12, 2023

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Brad King portrait — “Small satellites are changing the way humans do business and science in space,” says Professor Brad King.

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.

Watch:

106: Aerospace

Husky Bites on PAWS for Fall 2023

Published July 11, 2023

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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.

MTU Blizzard Baja Team Succeeds at Baja SAE Competition

Published May 25, 2023

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“It’s only up from here,” wrote Michigan Tech’s Blizzard Baja team after their success in Oshkosh. Follow the team on Instagram. They’re also on Twitter and Facebook.

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.

In addition to a steering arm failure, the pit team also had to deal with mud build up during the race.

“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.”

The team raced with their newest vehicle, the Matador.

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.

MTU Blizzard Baja hosted friends from Brazil, team Fei Baja, during the competition.

“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.”
Prof. Kevin Johnson, Blizzard Baja faculty advisor

“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!”
Gregory Jowett, Blizzard Baja president

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.

Learn more about the team online at https://baja.mtu.edu.

Michigan Tech ARES Team Competes in Tuscaloosa

Published May 25, 2023

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The Michigan Tech ARES team is ready to roll.

A student engineering team from Michigan Tech is competing this week in the Robotic Mining Challenge, hosted by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Michigan Tech team prepares ARES for competition. Go Huskies!

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.

Michigan Tech’s ARES robot takes part in at test run at the 2023 Robotic Mining Challenge.

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.

Thought-provoking, Intriguing and Sweet: Huskies Remember One of their Own

Published May 14, 2023

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round disc-shaped chocolate with gear or wheel shape on top — The winning design, close-up!

Zachary stands on a stone, in front of a roaring waterfall — Zachary’s legacy of kindness and integrity lives on at Michigan Tech.

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:

3D CAD Model—Utilizes sketches fully constrained with parametric features
Originality—Unique and innovative design representative of Michigan Tech
Quality—Uniformity, strength and surface finish
Manufacturability—Ability for chocolate to be easily formed in mold
Detail—The chocolate conforms to the mold intended design

And the winner is…Michael Havens! He won a $1,000 scholarship!

Cathy and Michael stand arm in arm. — Congratulations to Michael Havens!

A plate with a single chocolate on a table, with the mold and 3d print. — Michael’s work: note his 3D printed pattern (black), and his silicon mold (blue).

Michael looks at large computer screen with picture of his wheel-shaped chocolate 3d design — Michael Havens presents his design to the judges.

Justin Hannah earned Second Place and a $500 scholarship.

Justin stands between Cathy and Richard holding his silicon mold. — Congratulations to Justin Hannah!

three chocolates on a white plate with Justin Hannah sign nearby — Justin’s wonderful designs.

David Watkins earned third place and a $250 scholarship.

David Watkins between Cathy and Richard, holding his 3rd place certificate — Congratulations to David Watkins!

Plate of chocolates, plus molds, 3d prints and cookie cutters on a table. — David’s winning work in both white and dark chocolate!

According to the Podkul’s, everyone was a winner!

The Podkul’s also gave gift certificates to the other three MET student who submitted entries: Beaumont Ujlaky, Teresa Hoving, and RJ Slater.

Cathy sits at a table and looks at the judges with her 3dDesign on a big screen behind her. — Teresa Hoving presents to the judges.

Five-sided chocolates on a plate plus a stuffed Husky dog toy and some cookies in cellophane and a blue silicon chocolate mold. — Teresa’s wonderful design

RJ sits at a table with Bryant in the background. Chocolates on a plate in the foreground. — RJ Slater presents his design to the judges.

Beaumont stands and holds his blue chocolate silicon mold with Cathy and Linda on either side — Beaumont Ujlaky, with Cathy Podkul and her sister, Linda Daleo

oval-shaped chocolate on a plate with a Keweenaw peninsula design on the top. — Just one of Beaumont’s chocolates. He designed several.

Nick holds a section of gray 3d print on a piece of plexiglass while Linda looks on. — Linda Daleo, Zachary’s aunt, was on hand for the event. Here she learns about the Stratasys Fortus 400 MC in the Michigan Tech’s AM Lab with MMET Professor of Practice Nick Hendrickson

Bow of cellophane wrapped frosted cookies with cookie cutters on a table. — Cathy kept the student-designed cookie cutters from the 2022 ZRP Memorial Challenge. She hired a professional baker to make delicious cookies using the cutters to share at the event. (Does that mean we’ll enjoy both cookies *and* chocolate at next year’s award ceremony??!!)

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.”

The family is at home by an open closet door with board games on the shelf behind them. — Zachary with his mom, Cathy, and sister, Gabby

Zachary wears his cap and gown and has his arm around his father's shoulder. — Zach and his Dad

“Zachary’s best times were his college days here at Michigan Tech.”
Cathy Podkul

A table with Zachary's diploma, and other photos and mementos. — Loving memories of Zachary

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 group stands against a white-painted brick wall. — L to R: Richard Podkul, Bryant Weathers, Cathy Podkul, Linda Daleo, and John Irwin

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.

Category: Alumni