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2017 SURF Awards to Eight Engineering Undergraduates

Published March 28, 2017

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program will fund 20 students from across the University with funds from the office of the Vice President for Research. Previous SURF award recipients have included Goldwater Scholarship and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipients. Since 2002, SURF students have co-authored 71 peer-reviewed publications. This year’s recipients, project titles and advisors are listed on the SURF webpage.

Kaylie Butts, Rachel Schlicker and Quelyn Bekkering received Honorable Mention.

By Will Cantrell.

2017 Award Recipients in Engineering Programs

Student Name	Student’s Major	Advisor/Department	Project Title
Jessica Benson	Biomedical Engineering	Jeremy Goldman / Biomedical Eng.	Evaluating Biodegradeable Zinc Stent Materials
James Gooding	Chemical Engineering	Shiyue Fang / Chemistry	Digital History of Historic Mineralogical Instruments at the A.E. Seaman Museum
Amanda Kautzer	Biomedical Engineering/Eng. Management	Rupak Rajachar / Biomedical Eng.	Multi-arm PEG-based Hydrogels for Tendon and Ligament Repair
Darian Reed	Civil Engineering	Pasi Latula / Civil & Environmental Eng.	Evaluation of Methods to Record Head Orientation in Driving Simulator and In-Vehicle Study Environments
Marissa Schorr	Geology	Chad Deering / Geological & Mining Eng.	Filling in the Gaps: Finding the Missing Detrital Zircon Puzzle Pieces to the Magmatic Evolution of the Mt. Princeton Batholith, Colorado
Luke Weidner	Geological Engineering	Thomas Oommen / Geological and Mining Eng.	Validation of a Landslide Susceptibility Model Using Ground Movement Image Correlation in Parwan Province, Afghanistan
Travis Wigstrom	Chemical Engineering	Shiyue Fang / Chemistry	A Novel Carboxylic Acid Protecting Group Deprotectable Under Mild Neural Conditions
Aubrey Woern	Mechanical Engineering	Joshua Pearce / Materials Science	Techno-Economic Analysis of Flexible Filaments Used in 3D Printing vs. Traditional Manufacturing

Engineering Students Participate in URS 2017

Published March 21, 2017

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Winners Announced!

Brian Flanagan
Computer Engineering
The Effects of Uncertain Labels on Damage Assessment in Remotely Sensed Images
SECOND PLACE WINNER

Drew Hanover
Mechanical Engineering
Building-to-Grid Predictive Power Flow Control for Demand Response and Demand Flexibility Programs
THIRD PLACE WINNER

Trevyn Payne
Chemical Engineering
Separation of Individual Components from Lithium-Ion Batteries
HONORABLE MENTION

Hannah Marti
Biomedical Engineering
Psychophysiological Effects of Acute Mindfulness Meditation
HONORABLE MENTION

Several undergraduate students in engineering disciplines participated in Michigan Tech’s Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) on March 17, 2017, in the Rozsa Lobby. Hosted by the Pavlis Honors College, the URS highlights the amazing cutting-edge research being conducted on Michigan Tech’s campus by some of our best and brightest undergraduate students.

READ THE ABSTRACTS

Participating engineering students included:

Dakota Anderson
Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering
Improving Upper-Body Muscle Conditioning While Training at Low Intensities

Alicia Ball
Chemical Engineering
Effect of pH & Mineral Chemistry on Settling of Mineral Particles

Erica Coscarelli
Environmental Engineering
Impact of Dissolved Organic Matter & Its Transformation to Ultraviolet Photolysis Process in Engineered Water & Wastewater Treatment Systems

Aaron Dean
Mechanical Engineering
Effectiveness of Using SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study Data to Analyze Driver Behavior at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

Mary Elizabeth Galbraith
Chemical Engineering
Unconventional Rare Earth Element Resources

Rebekka Guyon
Geological Engineering
Production of Biocementation from the Stimulation of Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria to Mitigate Dust Susceptibility

William Hughes
Mechanical Engineering
Investigation of Fuel Injection Systems- Fundamental Nozzle Cavitation Studies

Emily Hunt
Materials Science and Engineering
3D Printed Super-Bainitic Steel

Michelle Kelly
Environmental Engineering
Within-Reach Variation in Nitrification and Denitrification Rates in Lake Superior Tributaries

Ami Kling
Biomedical Engineering
Determination of the Effects of Hyperthermic Ablation on the Microstructure of Type I Collagen

Allysa Meinburg
Biomedical Engineering
Sensorized Suture Anchor for Real Time Monitoring of Tensile Loads

Alex Miltenberger
Applied Geophysics
Multiple-Point Geostatistical Simulation of Fracture Networks Using Secondary Ground Penetrating Radar Information

Zachary Oldenburg
Chemical Engineering
A Preliminary Economic Feasibility Study for the Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries

Emily Petersen
Materials Science and Engineering
Emergence of Home Manufacturing in the Developed World: Return on Investment for Open-Source 3-D Printers

Denada Planaj
Geological Engineering
Modeling Shallow and Deep Seated Landslides in Wayanad District, Kerala, India

Violet Thole
Materials Science and Engineering
Structure Property Relationships in Next Generation Ballistic Fibers

Ben Updike
Chemical Engineering
Preliminary Quantum Chemical Investigations on the Designing of Effective Catalysts for the Haber Process

Travis Wigstrom
Chemical Engineering
A Better Approach to Tritylation of Alcohols

Erica Anderson
Geological Engineering
Modeling the Potential Travel Paths of Post-Wildfire Debris Flows

Yani Beeker
Materials Science and Engineering
Open-Source Parametric 3-D Printed Slot Die System for Thin Film Semiconductor Processing

Katie Bristol
Applied Geophysics
Rock Magnetic Investigation of Carbonaceous Chondrules from the Allende Meteorite

Jeffrey Brookins
Materials Science and Engineering
Prototyping & Characterization of Zinc-Based Bioabsorbable Vascular Ligating Clips

Andrew Bruning
Mechanical Engineering
Generating Monodisperse Oxidized Methacrylated Alginate Microbeads with Specific Encapsulation Factors

Derek Burrell
Electrical Engineering
Performance Analysis of Stationary Hadamard Matrix Diffusers in Free-Space Optical Communication Links

Elisha Earley
Biomedical Engineering
Evaluating Novel Biodegradable Stent Materials

Simon Eddy
Materials Science and Engineering
Tungsten Disulfide as a Counter Electrode in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Meghan Friske
Biomedical and Electrical Engineering
Characterization of Electrospun Nanofiber Scaffold for Wound Healing Applications

Samuel Gaines
Civil Engineering
Structural Health Monitoring Using UAV’s & Kinect Sensors

Jackie Harris
Chemical Engineering
Investigation into the Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Novel Nitroxide Derivatives

Carly Joseph
Biomedical Engineering
Development of a Novel Injectable Nitric Oxide Releasing Fibrin Microgel Composite Hydrogel for Tendon Repair

Ryan Kibler
Environmental Engineering
Understanding Lake Superior Warming Through Observational Data & Model Results

Jeremy Luebke
Environmental Engineering
Changes in Tropospheric Ozone Formation With a Reduction in PM Over China

Mary Kate Mitchell
Chemical Engineering
Predicting the Rejection Efficiencies of Toxicologically Relevant Organics in Reverse Osmosis of Wastewater Reclamation Processes

Charles Newlin
Materials Science and Engineering
The Effects of Nano-Sized Particles in Ultrahigh Carbon Steels

Thomas Page
Mechanical Engineering
Linear Traverse Design Project for Research Applications in the Cloud Chamber

Emily Praznik
Environmental Engineering
Macroinvertebrates in Hammel Creek

Hao Qin
Materials Science and Engineering
Synergistic Effect of Graphene-Oxide-Doping and Microwave-Curing on Mechanical Strength of Cement

David Ross
Biomedical Engineering
Covalently Bonded Collagen Coating on PDMS Improved Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sheet

Philip Staublin
Materials Science and Engineering
Modeling Biocorrosion of Zinc Alloys in Endovascular Environment

Valeria Suarez
Geological Engineering
Risk Assessment and Slope Stability Modelling of a Transportation Corridor in Hindu Kush Range

Brendan Treanore
Materials Science and Engineering
Substrate Active Cooling for Weld Based 3D Printing

Engineering Students Perform Well at 2017 Graduate Research Colloquium

Published February 22, 2017

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The 2017 Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC) was held on February 15-16 in the Memorial Union Ballroom. There were oral and poster presentation. The banquet was held on the evening of February 16.

VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY

Following is a complete list of winners:

Oral Presentation Competition

1st Place: Kevin Sunderland, Department of Biomedical Engineering
2nd Place: Teresa Wilson, Department of Physics
3rd Place: Andrew Chapp, Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
Most Attended: Muraleekrishnan Menon, Department of Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics
Most Attended: Niranjan Miganakallu, Department of Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics

Poster Presentation Competition

1st Place: Matthew Kilgas, Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
2nd Place: Brian Page, Department of Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics
3rd Place: Zichen Qian, Department of Biomedical Engineering
People’s Choice: Mugdha Priyadarshini, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Graduate Student Service Awards

Gorkem Asilioglu, Department of Computer Science
Hossein Tavakoli, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Kate Glodowski, Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
Erin Pischke, Department of Social Sciences

The GRC is held each year by the Graduate Student Government at Michigan Tech.

New ideas, cutting edge research and innovative solutions coming from U.P.

HOUGHTON — New ideas, cutting edge research, innovative solutions. ABC 10’s Keweenaw Bureau Reporter Rick Allen has more on the latest research projects by Michigan Tech graduate students.

Underwater researchers will be interested in a less costly, more maneuverable glider that can be used in Lake Superior.

MTU Mechanical Engineering PhD Student Donna Fard said,

They are shallow–water gliders, meaning that we can use them in the lake. What we have so far, they’re all ocean–going gliders.

Michigan Tech Celebrates National Engineers Week

Published February 16, 2017

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HELP US CELEBRATE EWEEK 2017!

National Engineers Week celebrates the positive contributions engineers make to society and is a catalyst for outreach across the country to kids and adults alike. For the past 60 years, National Engineers Week has been celebrated each February around the time of George Washington’s birthday, February 22, because Washington is considered by many to be the first US engineer.

Tech’s events during Engineers Week, (Feb. 18-25), are again sponsored by Tau Beta Pi, the local chapter of the Engineering Honor Society.

National Engineers Week, also known as Eweek, begins on a sweet note at Michigan Tech with an ice cream social from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 18) in the Wadsworth Dining Hall.

Things get rolling at noon Monday, (Feb. 20) with the pep band in front of the Husky statue. The iconic statue will be dressed in a lab coat and bow tie all week. The Green Campus Enterprise will have a rocket stove demo from 12:45 to 3 p.m. outside of Fisher Hall. The Mind Trekkers will be in the Dow Atrium from 1 to 3 p.m. with hands-on demonstrations. From 6 to 7 p.m. the Blue Marble Security enterprise will present a heart rate circuit board.

Questions? Contact Morgan Herzog, Tau Beta Pi public relations officer, and/or Julia Zayan, president.

2017 Engineers Week_2 — National Engineers Week 2017

Upcoming E-week events at Michigan Tech:

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Tau Beta Pi
Ice cream social
Wadsworth Dining Hall

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20

12:00 PM – 12:15 PM
Pep Band
Husky Statue

12:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Green Campus Enterprise
Rocket stove demo
outside Fisher Hall

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Mind Trekkers
Dow Atrium

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Blue Marble Security
Heart rate circuit board
EERC 722

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Railroad Engineering & Activities Club
Fisher Lobby

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Advanced Metalworks Enterprise
Foundry demo
Husky Statue

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
AIChE, Chem E Car stop reaction demo
Fisher Lobby

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
American Society of Engineering Management
Company panel
Chem Sci 101

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Engineers Without Borders
Presentation & meeting
Fisher 328

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Formula SAE
Chassis demo
MEEM Lobby

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Engineering Fundamentals,
E-week cake, stop by for a piece!
Dillman 112

12:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Green Campus Enterprise,
Winterization demo
Dow A
trium

8:30 PM – 11:00 PM
Film Board, Apollo 13
Fisher 135

After School Science and Engineering Classes for Grades 1-8

Published January 11, 2017

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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 Registration Now Open

Published November 28, 2016

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Design Expo 2017 will be held in the MUB Ballroom on Thursday, April 13th. 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.

Registration is now open for Senior Design and Enterprise teams. Visit the Design Expo website to register before the deadline, Monday, Feb. 6.

We need faculty, staff, and professionals to serve as distinguished Design Expo judges. Interested? Register to be a judge or RSVP to let us know you’re coming.

By the College of Engineering and Pavlis Honors College.

IRES Denmark: Summer 2017 Research Opportunities for Students

Published November 22, 2016

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International Research Experience for Students (IRES)
Biosensor Development, Summer 2017

Aarhus University in Denmark and Michigan Technological University offer summer research opportunities in Denmark from May to July 2017.

Explore sensor development and biomarker discovery to improve detection of cancer, malaria, and more with this international research opportunity.

Students in all years are welcome to apply, however, research experience is desirable for applicants. Desired majors include chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, chemistry, biology, and biochemistry. Four undergraduate and one graduate student will be accepted into the program. Applications are due by February 17, 2017.

The program will last for a total of 8 weeks, beginning in May and ending in July. This includes a 1 week orientation at Michigan Tech. A $4500 stipend will be provided, along with housing and travel.

LEARN MORE.

Three Students named University Innovation Fellows

Published November 22, 2016

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Three Michigan Tech students are among 169 students from 49 higher education institutions worldwide to be named University Innovation Fellows.

The three Tech students are Rachel Kolb, Kyle Ludwig, and Adam Weber.

The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools. Fellows work to ensure that their peers gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to compete in the economy of the future and make a positive impact on the world. To accomplish this, the Fellows advocate for lasting institutional change and create opportunities for students to engage with innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking and creativity at their schools.

Fellows design innovation spaces, start entrepreneurship organizations, host experiential learning events and work with faculty to develop new courses.

Kolb says she is excited to be named a University Fellow as well.

It’s such a unique opportunity through which I can help induce change on the Michigan Tech Campus—something I now recognize as an important part of our success as an educational institution.

The third-year mechanical engineering major from Alma, Michigan described the process of becoming a University Innovation Fellow.

Michigan Tech Students to Compete in the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition

The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition is one of the largest business competitions in the country celebrating its seventh year highlighting the best and brightest early-stage business to regional investors. The competition continues to showcase the state as a powerhouse for business opportunity and the next generation of technology.

Out of the 27 semi-finalists that were selected to compete for up to $20,000 in cash prizes, two of the teams were from Michigan Tech and both have ties to the Pavlis Honors College. Kyle Ludwig, a University Innovation Fellow and PHC Custom Pathway student, is a member of the team of student founders for Tru, which is developing tools to enable healthy meal planning.

Tech Students Named University Innovation Fellows

Congratulations to Rachel Kolb, Kyle Ludwig, and Adam Weber who have been named University Innovation Fellows (UIF) by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). This global program trains student leaders to create new opportunities for their peers to engage with innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking and creativity.

Rachel, Kyle and Adam were sponsored by Pavlis Honors College Assistant Dean, Mary Raber. The Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship will fund the Fellows’ six week online training along with their travel to the annual University Innovation Fellows Silicon Valley Meetup in March of 2017.

Experiencing WE16 (SWE’s Annual Conference)

Published November 3, 2016

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Participants respond to their experiences with WE16, the world’s largest conference and career fair for women in engineering and technology. The event took place October 27-20, 2016, in Philadelphia. Learn more about Michigan Tech’s involvement in the conference.

Mackenzie Brunet

Mechanical Engineering Major

The conference was a great way for me to experience what it is truly like to be a woman in engineering. Some of the sessions I went to really spoke to me in a way I hadn’t thought they were going to, but am very glad they did. It was neat to see that there are so many women out there who have the same drive and passion as I do. Overall I couldn’t be more appreciative of the experience I was given.

Hannah Cunningham

The greatest take away I got from conference was that I don’t have to have everything figured out now. Sure, I should have a loose idea of what I would like to accomplish in life, but I have no idea the opportunities that will be thrown my way years from now that will shape me and my choices. This conference reinforced my conviction to be open to new experiences in my professional and collegiate development.

Jessica Geroux

National conference is a wonderful experience that helps to not only inspire its attendees, but motivates them to change the world. Attendees get to meet women who have taken the world by storm, promoting women in engineering and women’s rights. This conference allowed me to not only meet my new role models, but also learn more about myself and my fellow Huskies who attended conference. I look forward to sharing the knowledge and skills gained from conference with our local section and attending WE17 in Austin, Texas next year.

Carly Gloudemans

There was one session that really stuck out to me..it was called something along the lines of ‘Women in Comics’ and it focused on how women’s roles in the comic industry are changing from eye candy to the hero, as well as more involvement and actual drawing of the comics in the offices/real-world side of things. One speaker was a mid-30s aged woman who originally got her degree in accounting and felt lost when she got to an age where she thought it was time to “enter the real world” and give up her comics. To adjust to this, she opened up her own comic store which doubles as a hang out spot for people to read the comics. The store features comic books with women in leading roles and also comics made by women. Her comic shop is also the meeting location for different groups (knitting, ukalele, etc.) in order to make it more laid back and seem like home to various types of people. The take away from her speech was that a lot of time, people (especially women in engineering) might feel uncomfortable trying to assume a role/career that might make them feel different than themselves. If you ever find yourself not fitting in or feeling uncomfortable, create that space for yourself where you DO fit in. Not everyone is going to fit into this cookie-cutter world of adult professionals and that’s okay, just find a place where you do “fit in” and can be yourself, like her comic shop, and also don’t lose who you are along the way of finding that comfortable place.

Stephanie Peterson

Collegiate Leadership Institute Participant

I really liked the variety of topics that were covered which ranged from networking to managing money. As somebody who is looking for a full-time job, I feel like I was able to obtain a lot of great advice that will help me to both land a job and build meaningful professional relationships.

Reagan May Drives for Diversity at NASCAR

Published November 1, 2016

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Fourth year mechanical engineering student Reagan May did a Snapchat Takeover with Michigan Tech for three days starting October 17, 2016. The event was the NASCAR Drive for Diversity (D4D) Combine at Daytona International Speedway. The D4D program aims to attract minority and female individuals to the sport. There were 17 people competing for the available spots.

Learn more about the event in Reagan May Racing in her Twitter feed and Facebook feed, as well as the Twitter feed of Rev Racing, which is the home of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.

Reagan May has distinguished herself on the racetrack many times. She sees herself as an automotive designer some day, in addition to making it as a NASCAR driver or car engineer.

VIDEO: Reagan May at NASCAR Drive for Diversity
VIDEO: Reagan May Thanks Sponsors at NASCAR Drive for Diversity

Closed captioning available.

Humans of Tech—Reagan

I started racing go-karts when I was 10, and I fell in love with the sport. I race super-late models throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. I have always loved working on cars, and what I learn in the classroom helps me understand how the car suspension works.

Reagan May's Racecar — Reagan May’s Racecar

NASCAR Driving for Diversity Combine 2016

Category: Students