College of Engineering Blog

Wayne Pennington, chair of the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, has been named interim dean of the College of Engineering, effective May 13. His appointment is expected to end June 30, 2014, or until the search for the next dean is concluded and the dean appointed.

Pennington has been a professor of geophysical engineering at Michigan Tech since 1994 and became GMES department chair in 2003. Prior to coming to the University, he worked with Marathon Oil and was an assistant professor at University of Texas at Austin.

He has held numerous other positions during his career, most recently as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the US Department of State and USAID (Agency for International Development) and as president of the American Geosciences Institute. He was president of the American Geophysical Union Board of Heads and Chairs of earth and space science departments and was first vice president of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

During his appointment as a Jefferson Science Fellow, he worked in the Office of Infrastructure and Engineering within the Bureau of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade. After USAID’s Office of Science and Technology was created in 2010, he shared his appointment in that office.

Pennington received degrees in geophysics and geology from Princeton University (BA), Cornell University (MS) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD).

“I am pleased to have Wayne serving in this position,” said Provost Max Seel. “He has the strong support of the engineering department chairs to lead the College and move forward with the strategic plan.”

The news story “Student Engineers’ Skin Patch Warns When It’s Time to Get Out of the Sun” has received more than 104,000 views and numerous comments since it was posted April 30. Many people are asking when it will come on the market and be availablke in stores. The surge in views began after the story appeared on Reddit, an internet site where registered users share content.

Here is Expo on-the-spot interview video clip about Skin Patch Warns When It’s Time to Get Out of the Sun

The Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich., has signed a six-month, $1 million contract with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to conduct research in adaptive radar countermeasures. The contract could be extended to five years and be worth $9 million if all options are exercised.
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What’s a university education worth? That’s a question often asked by students, parents and legislators.

According to 2013 rankings recently released by PayScale, Michigan Technological University’s graduates rank 18th in the nation among 437 public universities in the return on investment (ROI) from their degrees. PayScale compares the cost of a college education to the salaries earned by graduates.

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Michigan Technological University is inviting anyone who thinks they might know the answer to enter the first 3D Printers for Peace Contest. More

Michigan Technological University ranks as the top Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) university nationwide for the eighth consecutive year. With 35 PCMI graduate students currently serving as Peace Corps Volunteers, Michigan Tech has earned the top spot in the 2013 rankings of PCMI and Paul D. Coverdell Fellows graduate schools. Tulane University placed second.

A steady stream of students flowed through double doors where dozens of interactive science demonstrations waited, each vying for attention with plumes of nitrogen gas, unexpected booms and even an occasional discharging electrical arc.
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Michigan Technological University is launching two major initiatives aimed at improving student success and providing faculty with new tools for enhancing student learning.

Both efforts are made possible through generous gifts from alumni. An $876,000 bequest from the estate of Waino Wahtera, who earned a BS in Chemistry from Michigan Tech in 1942, will fund the Wahtera Center for Student Success. The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning is supported by an outright gift of $1 million. The president of CableAmerica, William G. Jackson graduated from Michigan Tech in 1958 with a BS in Electrical Engineering.
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When Leslie LaLonde first heard about the RISE internship program, she thought, “I’m all over this.”
She wasted no time in applying to the competitive Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program and recently received word of her acceptance for summer 2013. The program offers undergraduate students from the United States, Canada, and Europe the chance to work with researchers at Germany’s top research universities and institutions
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In 2012, more than 3 million people had stents inserted in their coronary arteries. These tiny mesh tubes prop open blood vessels healing from procedures like a balloon angioplasty, which widens arteries blocked by clots or plaque deposits. After about six months, most damaged arteries are healed and stay open on their own. The stent, however, is there for a lifetime.

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