Michigan Tech students Handy Chandra (ECE), Spencer Allen (ECE), Shane Oberloier (ECE), Nupur Bihari (MSE/ECE) and alumnus Jephias Gwamuri (MSE) co-authored a paper with Joshua Pearce (MSE/ECE), “Open-Source Automated Mapping Four-Point Probe” in the journal “Materials.”
The second annual Consumer Products Day Finals at Michigan Tech were held Saturday. Nineteen teams of Tech students were given 20 hours and a box of materials provided by Kimberly-Clark, Amway, DOW or 3M to create, design and pitch a new consumer product. Two teams representing each company advanced to the finals, resulting in eight final products being pitched to the company reps, judges, technical review panel and audience.
A total of $7,000 was awarded to the top three teams.
1st Place: $3,300. Jade Scientific — Kimberly-Clark
Team Members: Abbey Senczyszyn, Emil Johnson, Sarah Lorenz, Josh Leon, Dominic Oldani
2nd Place: $2,400. Student Athlete Engineers — The DOW Chemical Company
Team Members: Josh Rzeppa, Keith Lemely, Quinn Kaspriak, Corey Zetizus, Sophia Farquhar
3rd Place: $1,300. Engineering World Health — 3M
Team Members: Paul Shelcusky, Anna Isaacson, Michael Gazdecki, Brett Opel
The Crowd Pleaser Award — Amway
Team Members: Nick Minarich, Ayla Vaughn, Vincent Padget
Company reps included Tech Alumni Aaron Schroeder ’12, Katie Rohlfs ’16 and Joe Gallo ’12 from The DOW Chemical Company; Kevin Madson and Ryan McInnis ’15 from 3M; Chris Heiting ’14 and Nicole Barna ’09 from Kimberly-Clark; and Sam Soyka ’12 and Andy Davies ’03 from Amway. Tony Rogers, Glen Archer, Joe Thompson, David Shonnard and Tim Eisele made up the technical review panel with Mike Morley, Brian Lagalo and Komar Kawatra serving as judges.
The event was hosted by Career Services. Student teams received additional support from the Consumer Products Manufacturing Enterprise, Makerspace, Brad Turner, Magann Dykema, Mary Raber, Ethan Beavers and Michael Norman.
By Career Services.
Design Expo 2017 will be held Thursday, April 13 in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Save the date.
Design Expo highlights hands-on, discovery-based learning at Michigan Tech. More than 600 students on Enterprise and Senior Design teams showcase their work and compete for awards. A panel of judges, made up of distinguished corporate representatives and Michigan Tech staff and faculty members, critique the projects. Many team projects are sponsored by industry, which allows students to gain valuable experience through competition, as well as direct exposure to real industrial problems. Design Expo is co-hosted by the College of Engineering and the Pavlis Honors College.
If you would like to serve as a judge at this year’s Design Expo, register as soon as possible to let us know you’re coming. Thank you for your continued support.
By Pavlis Honors College.
College Factual, a website that provides ranking, academics and outcomes information on colleges and universities, has ranked six Michigan Tech degree programs top picks for veterans.
The website ranked Tech’s mechanical engineering and environmental engineering in the top 10 nationwide, listing chemical engineering, civil engineering and computer engineering in the top 20. Electrical engineering was ranked in the top 40 in the nation.
By Jenn Donovan.
Michigan Tech was selected by the US Department of Transportation as one of the seventeen Beyond Traffic Innovation Centers (BTIC) in the nation. According to the DOT, “These Centers will be recognized by the DOT as forward-thinking and influential institutions that are capable of driving solutions to the challenges and trends identified in Beyond Traffic 2045, the US DOT’s report on current and future issues in transportation. The centers will contribute by “convening decision-makers in their megaregion and coordinating related research, curriculum, outreach, and other activities.” The Michigan Tech Center was selected as one of the three universities to serve the rural areas of the United States.
The proposal, led by the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI), collaborated with multiple centers and institutes on campus, including: Advanced Power Systems Research Center (APSRC), Center for Technology & Training (CTT), Keweenaw Research Center (KRC), Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), Rail Transportation Program (RTP), Sustainable Futures Institute (SFI) and the Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP). Additionally, numerous individual campus researchers provided information for the submission.
MTTI Director Pasi Lautala (CEE) will serve as the Beyond Traffic Coordinator, participating in future events related to regional development with the USDOT. MTTI is also planning to use the Center as encouragement for faculty, staff and students interested in transportation issues to get involved in working toward solving our nation’s transportation issues.
Further information on Beyond Traffic, including a map of the selected centers, is located here. https://www.transportation.gov/beyondtraffic. For faculty, staff and students interested in getting involved with the center, please contact Pam Hannon (prhannon@mtu.edu), or 906-487-3065. For more information on MTTI, please visit our website.
By MTTI.
There will be six sessions of after school science and engineering classes for grades 1-8 from Jan. 23 to March 3, 2017. The sessions will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Room 104 of the Great Lakes Research Center.
These sessions offer hands-on explorations taught by Michigan Tech science and engineering students.
Class Offerings:
Gr. 1-2 Transportation and Engineering: Mondays
Students will design candy cars, a bridge to hold the most weight, a boat that floats, a brain helmet that survives a crash, planes, trains and more.
Gr. 3-5 Geology Playgrounds: Wednesdays
Beaches, waterfalls, lakes, sledding hills — discover how some of these favorite places to play were formed. Each week, we will explore different geologic activities which have created cool features and shaped our home — the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Gr. 6-8 Fascinating Plants: Thursday
Explore the amazing world of plants — visit a research greenhouse, conduct experiments on effects of road salt and acid rain, design a water treatment system using plants, try to make sugar like a plant, meet a botanist and find out how forest plant materials can replace plastics and provide medicine and food.
Cost is $75 per student. Register by Friday, Jan. 20. Pay by credit card by calling the Michigan Tech Cashier at 7-2247. Your space is not reserved until payment has been received.
Click on 2017 Winter MTU After School Classes January 23 – March 2 or wupcenter to register online.
Questions? Call 7-3341 or email Joan Chadde.
Note: Houghton school bus will drop off students at Michigan Tech by 3:50 p.m.
Coordinated by Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.
Design Expo 2017 will be held Thursday, April 13, 2017, in the MUB Ballroom.
Design Expo highlights hands-on, discovery-based learning at Michigan Tech. More than 600 students on Enterprise and Senior Design teams showcase their work and compete for awards. A panel of judges, made up of distinguished corporate representatives and Michigan Tech staff and faculty members, critique the projects. Many team projects are sponsored by industry, which allows students to gain valuable experience through competition, as well as direct exposure to real industrial problems. Design Expo is co-hosted by the College of Engineering and the Pavlis Honors College.
Registration is now open for Senior Design and Enterprise teams. Students should visit the Design Expo website to register before the deadline, Monday, Feb. 6.
By Pavlis Honors College.
Six new faculty members joined Michigan Tech on December 26, 2016. Two tenure-track faculty have joined the College of Engineering.
Daniel Dowden, PhD, PE, SE
Daniel Dowden joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as an assistant professor. He earned a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Buffalo, an MS in Civil Engineering at the University of Wyoming and a BS in Civil Engineering at Washington State University. He worked as a structural and test engineer, a graduate research assistant, adjunct instructor and teaching assistant at the University of Buffalo. His professional project experience includes structural design of the Central Washington University music building and assisted living facilities in San Diego and Studio City, California.
Umesh Korde, PhD
Umesh Korde joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics as a tenured professor. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Engineering from the University of Tokyo and a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur, India. He comes to Michigan Tech from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where he was a professor who held the Pearson Chair in Mechanical Engineering. Korde is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. His research interests involve dynamics and control.
By Jenn Donovan.
Feng Zhao and her research group were invited to review the current biomanufacturing approaches that utilize either native tissue or cell-derived natural extracellular matrix in the field of cellular and tissue engineering.
The paper discusses the existing challenges for translational application of extracellular matrix-based products and the potential resolutions.
Natural extracellular matrix for cellular and tissue biomanufacturing. Qi Xing, Zichen Qian, Wenkai Jia, Avik Ghosh, Mitchell Tahtinen, Feng Zhao F. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.
DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00235
Chemical Engineering
Rebecca Ong, PhD
Rebecca Ong joins Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering as an assistant professor. Ong received her PhD in Chemical Engineering at Michigan State University.
She has worked as an instructor in chemical engineering at Tech and as a research assistant professor at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center in East Lansing, Michigan. Ong is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and Phi Kappa Phi honor society.
Lei Pan, PhD
Lei Pan joins the Department of Chemical Engineering as an assistant professor. Pan received a PhD in mining engineering at Virginia Tech and also worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Advanced Separation Technologies there.
He received the Pratt Research Fellowship award at Virginia Tech, as well as the Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the Mining Department there. He worked as a reviewer for Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review and Minerals Engineering and as a lecturer at Virginia Tech.
Jeana Collins, PhD
Jeana Collins joins Michigan Tech’s Department of Chemical Engineering as a lecturer. She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering at Michigan Tech and has worked at Tech as a graduate teaching assistant as well as a mentor for current undergraduate researchers. Collins is a recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Student teaching award.
She is a member of Omega Chi Epsilon, a chemical engineering honor society, as well as Tau Beta Phi engineering honor society, the University of Minnesota-Duluth Alumni Association and Order of the Engineer. Collins also coaches Tech’s dance team and mentors students in time management, coursework and prioritization.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Hyungchul Yoon, PhD
Hyungchul Yoon joins Michigan Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as an assistant professor. He earned his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and received his certificate in foundation of teaching at the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning there.
Yoon has been a mentor at the Smart Structure Technology Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has had numerous publications in journals such as the Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering. He has also given oral presentations in Osaka, Japan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Stanford, California.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Christian Wagner, PhD
Christian Wagner joins Michigan Tech’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department as a visiting professor.
Wagner earned his PhD in Computer Science at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. He has served as the director of digital economy in the Digital Catapult Researcher in Residence Programme in London, UK. He also was an associate professor at the University of Nottingham and a consultant for Unilever Data Analysis.
Zhi Zheng, PhD
Zhi Zheng joins the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan Tech as a research assistant professor. She earned her PhD in Electrical Engineering at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she also obtained her certification in college teaching.
Zheng received the Best Paper Award at the 9th International Conference on Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction.
Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sajjad Bigham, PhD
Sajjad Bigham joins Michigan Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics as an assistant professor. Bigham earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida and has worked as a research assistant in nanostructure energy systems there.
Bigham has multiple patents and journal publications. He was the recipient of an outstanding honor student award for academic achievements.
Susanta Ghosh, PhD
Susanta Ghosh joins the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics as a research assistant professor. Ghosh received a PhD in Civil Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India, in 2008.
Prior to coming to Michigan Tech, Ghosh worked for the Department of Materials Science Engineering at the University of Michigan as a visiting research investigator. He also worked for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University. He has multiple journal publications and is the recipient of awards and fellowships.
Darrell L. Robinette, PhD, P.E.
Darrell L. Robinette joins Michigan Tech as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. Robinette received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics from Michigan Tech in 2007.
Prior to joining the Michigan Tech faculty, Robinette worked for General Motors as an advanced hybrid and electrification architecture engineer. He volunteers with FIRST Robotics and has received many awards and recognitions. He was the SAE Foundation Stefan Pischinger Young Industry Leadership Award nominee.
Trisha Sain, PhD
Trisha Sain joins Michigan Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics as an assistant professor. She earned her PhD in the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore India.
Prior to coming to Tech, she worked as an assistant professor at North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina. She was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She was a reviewer of grant proposals for the US Army Research Office and a consultant in the mechanics division of Honeywell Technology Solutions lab in Bangalore, India.
Zequn Wang, PhD
Zequn Wang joins Michigan Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics as an assistant professor. He earned a PhD in Industrial Engineering at Wichita State University in Kansas and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Integrated DEsign Automation Laboratory (IDEAL) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University.
Before coming to Tech, Wang was an instructor for the engineering design optimization iSIGHT lab at Northwestern. He has presented at the Ford Research and Development Center on validating dynamic engineering models under uncertainty.