College of Engineering Blog

Tag: CEE

Stories about Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering.

2018-19 Michigan Space Grant Consortium Awards

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Michigan Space Grant Consortium logo

Michigan Tech faculty, staff and students received awards tallying $73,675 in funding through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC), sponsored by NASA for the 2018-19 funding cycle.

Engineering undergraduates receiving $2,500 research fellowships:

  • Alex Oliver (BME): “Evaluating Biodegradeable Zinc Stent Materials,” with Jeremy Goldman
  • Katie Bristol (Applied Geophysics): “Investigation of the Solar Nebula’s Magnetic Field Strength from the Allende Meteorite Chondrules,” with Aleksey Smirnov

Engineering graduate Students receiving $5,000 research fellowships:

  • Erica Coscarelli (CEE): “Reaction Mechanisms for the Degradation of Trace Organic Contaminants through Advanced Oxidation Processes,” with Daisuke Minakata
  • Sanna Mairet (GME): “Investigating the Relationship between Volcanic Sulfur Dioxide Concentrations and Human Population and Land Use Changes through Geographic Visualization,” with Simon Carn
  • Brandi Petryk (GME): “The Origin of an Archean Batholith – Michigan’s Upper Peninsula,” with Chad Deering
  • Emily Shaw (CEE): “Mapping the Co-Distribution of Mercury and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Lakes,” with Noel Urban

Engineering faculty and staff members receiving $5,000 or more for pre-college, public outreach, teacher training, faculty seed and/or augmentation programs include:

  • Joan Chadde (CEE): “STEM Career Explorations for Detroit High School Students” (includes augmentation) Pre-college program
  • Brian Doughty (CEE): “Technology and Outdoor Learning” Pre-college program
  • Adrienne Minerick (COE): “Microfluidic Dynamic Cell Concentration Tuner for Medical Diagnostics” Faculty Seed Program

NASA implemented the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program in 1989 to provide funding for research, education and public outreach in space-related science and technology. The program has 52 university-based consortia in the United States and Puerto Rico.

As an affiliate of the Michigan Consortium, Michigan Tech has been an active participant in MSGC for approximately 20 years. MSGC funding is administered through MTU’s Pavlis Honors College. For more information, contact Paige Hackney in the Pavlis Honors College, call 7-4371, or visit the MSGC website.

Original story by Pavlis Honors College.

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Dean’s Teaching Showcase: Kris Mattila

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Kris G. Mattila
Kris G. Mattila

Dean Wayne Pennington of the College of Engineering has selected Kris Mattila, associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), as the second member of the Spring 2018 Deans’ Teaching Showcase.

CEE Chair Audra Morse nominated Mattila because “every student remembers Kris Mattila as a positive influence on their success at Michigan Tech and their career.” She calls Mattila a “highly skilled and innovative teacher,” and praises his unique ability to “connect with and challenge every student, in large or small classes.”

In addition, Morse wanted to recognize the leadership roles Mattila has taken in curriculum development and assessment, especially in courses related to professional practice.

Pennington echoes Morse’s sentiments, saying “Dr. Mattila stands out as a dedicated teaching professor—one who has made a determination to excel in student support and mentoring, and who has volunteered to take on additional challenges in undergraduate education. His work enables students to enter the workforce with a greater knowledge of their potential avenues to success in the ‘real world,’ with a firm foundation in the principles of construction and its practice. We are fortunate to have Kris leading the charge for excellence in teaching in this discipline.”

Mattila’s success as an instructor has made him a member of the Michigan Tech Academy of Teaching Excellence and a five-time recipient of the Howard E. Hill Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award. He has also been recognized for his contributions in construction engineering education, including an American Society for Engineering Education Outstanding Educator Award.

Mattila’s ability to focus on each student is, perhaps, the reason his teaching has been so well received. Morse, when asked to provide more detail about how Mattila connects with students, says: “Kris doesn’t see students in his class. Rather he sees people with individual needs he seeks to fulfill so that they are successful in his class and in our program. He learns students’ names and other details, and he weaves this information into the material he is teaching. He cares about students and increases their self-efficacy. Because he is open and caring, the students reciprocate, ensuring a high positive rapport is created in the classroom.”

Mattila will be recognized at an end-of-term luncheon with 11 other showcase members. He is now eligible for one of three new teaching awards to be given by the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning this summer recognizing introductory or large class teaching, innovative and outside-the-classroom teaching methods, or work in curriculum and assessment.

By Michael Meyer, Director, William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning.

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Michigan Tech Researchers Honored for their Contributions in 2017

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Researchers in the lab

At the Research Development Day held Jan. 11, 2018, the following individuals were recognized for their research contributions in calendar year 2017.

College of Engineering

Top research expenditures: Jeff Naber (ME-EM), Greg Odegard (ME-EM), Paul Sanders (MSE)

Related:

Michigan Tech Automotive Energy Efficiency Research Receives Federal Award of $2.8 Million from US Department of Energy

NASA Taps Tech Professor to Lead $15 Million Space Technology Research Institute

Chemical Engineering

Lei Pan received his first external funding as a principal investigator at Michigan Tech.

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Hui Yao (formerly CEE) received his first external funding as a principal investigator at Michigan Tech.

David Watkins received an award of more than $1 million.

Related:

Household Sustainability: Consuming Food, Energy, Water

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Jeremy Bos, Lucia Gauchia, and Tony Pinar each received their first external funding as a principal investigator at Michigan Tech.

Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences

Snehamoy Chatterjee, James DeGraff, Mark Kulie, and Matthew Portfleet each received their first external funding as a principal investigator at Michigan Tech.

Materials Science and Engineering

2017 Michigan Tech Research Award: Yun Hang Hu

Bhakta Rath Research Award: Yun Hang Hu and Wei Wei

Joe Licavoli received his first external funding as a principal investigator at Michigan Tech.

Related:

Yun Hang Hu Wins Both Research Award and Bhakta Rath Award

Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

Parisa Abadi, Chunpei Cai, Hassan Masoud, and Ye Sun each received their first external funding as a principal investigator at Michigan Tech.

Jeff Naber and Greg Odegard each received awards of more than $1 million.

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Tech Students Learn Home Sustainability

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From left, Cooper Mineheart, Hannah McKinnon, Mina Kukuk, Rose Turner and Thomas Richter.
From left, Cooper Mineheart, Hannah McKinnon, Mina Kukuk, Rose Turner and Thomas Richter.

HOUGHTON — For five Michigan Technological University students this year, their homework includes their actual home.

This is the first year for Tech’s Sustainability Demonstration Home, where the students are tracking their energy and waste, as well as carrying out projects on how to reduce energy use.

“This semester, we’re kind of working side by side,” said Rose Turner, a fourth-year environmental engineering student and the only of the house’s residents on the Enterprise team.

Cooper Mineheart, a second-year mechanical engineering student, has learned what he can and can’t recycle.

Thomas Richter, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, said his consciousness of how small changes add up will stick with him after he leaves the house.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese.

Related:

Ho Ho Home (Sustainably) for the Holidays

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Where rubber becomes the road—Testing sustainable asphalt technologies

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Zhanping You research team
A Michigan Tech research team led by Zhanping You tests a new, cooler way to make rubberized asphalt.

Over 94% of the roads in the United States are paved with asphalt mix. Each year, renovating old highways with new pavement consumes about 360 million tons of raw materials. It also generates about 60 million tons of old pavement waste and rubble.

Zhanping You, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Zhanping You, Civil & Environmental Engineering

Recycling these waste materials greatly reduces the consumption of neat, unmodified asphalt mix and lowers related environmental pollution. But blending recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) with fresh asphalt mix presents several challenges, potentially limiting its usefulness.

Not to Michigan Tech researcher Zhanping You. “One noticeable issue of using RAP in asphalt pavement is the relatively weaker bond between the RAP and neat asphalt, which may cause moisture susceptibility,” he explains. “Modifying the asphalt mix procedure and selecting the proper neat asphalt can effectively address this concern.”

You tests a variety of recycled materials to improve asphalt pavement performance. Crumb rubber, made from scrap tires, is one such material. “Crumb rubber used in asphalt reduces rutting and cracks, extends life, and lowers noise levels. Another plus—building one mile of road with crumb rubber uses up to 2,000 scrap tires. Hundreds of millions of waste tires are generated in the US every year,” he adds.

Adding crumb rubber to asphalt mix has its own share of problems. “When crumb rubber is blended into asphalt binder, the stiffness of the asphalt binder is increased. A higher mixing temperature is needed to preserve the flowability. Conventional hot-mix asphalt uses a lot of energy and releases a lot of fumes. We use a foaming process at lower temperatures that requires less energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.”

“Building one mile of road with crumb rubber uses up to 2,000 scrap tires. Hundreds of millions of waste tires are generated in the US every year.”

—Zhanping You

You and his team integrate state-of-the-art rheological and accelerated-aging tests, thermodynamics, poromechanics, chemical changes, and multiscale modeling to identify the physical and mechanical properties of foamed asphalt materials. With funding from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, they have constructed test sections of road in two Michigan counties to monitor field performance.

Another possible solution is asphalt derived from biomass. You’s team used bio oil in asphalt and found it improved pavement performance. They’re also investigating nanomaterial-modified asphalt. “Soon we’ll have mix recipes to adapt to all environmental and waste supply streams,” he says.

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Working Luncheon, MDOT Call For Research Ideas

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MDOT PavementThe MDOT Office of Research is soliciting research priority ideas for their upcoming funding years FY19/20/21. This is a great opportunity for Michigan Tech researchers from various departments to expand their research portfolio into transportation topics.

The topics are very versatile, from hard core pavement engineering to water and environmental aspects, life cycle cost engineering, even workforce development. Details on MDOT research priorities can be found here.

In the past, Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI) has submitted Tech’s research ideas to MDOT as a combined package for a stronger, unified presence. Our plans are to do so again.

From noon to1 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 9, 2017), in Dillman 309A, MTTI will be hosting a lunch meeting for discussions, gathering of ideas and to provide a setting for collaboration on the research idea topics listed. We will also share a couple of past ideas that were later turned by MDOT to RFPs and we’ll provide some insight from discussions with MDOT.

We’ve created a spreadsheet to gather information on topic ideas you’re interested in providing to MDOT. Email Pam Hannon to get a link to the spreadsheet. Contact Pam also, if you’d like to join us in the meeting by Tuesday (Nov. 7).

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Lake Superior Water Festival 2017

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Lake Superior Water FestivalThe 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 creative writing will be presented. Students attend four 35-minute activities. Some of the topics to be presented include Remotely-Operated- Vehicles, Leave No Trace Outdoors, cleaning wastewater, U.S. Coast Guard careers, Lake Sturgeon ecology, atmospheric research in a cloud chamber, and more.

2017 Water Festival Presenters and Descriptions

Lake Superior Water Festival Haiku

Haiku: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables

The beautiful five Great Lakes
Sparkling below the sky.
Nothing else compares.		 Lake Superior
A gentle breeze and waves
Brings back memories.
Over on the shore
I see the waves crashing in
I feel the cold breeze.		 Lake Superior
Causing sailors to fall below
Greatest of all lakes.
Rushing and foaming
Dangerously storming now
Lake Superior		 The cold moving water
Crashing on the rocky shore
Icy gray water.

Water study: Students spend day learning at Lake Superior Water Festival

HOUGHTON — High school students from five Upper Peninsula counties learned more about the Great Lakes and the research being done on them at the sixth annual Lake Superior Water Festival Wednesday.

The goal is to get students thinking about Lake Superior in an interdisciplinary way, said Joan Chadde, director of the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach at Michigan Technological University.

Held at Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center, the day included 15 sessions led by Tech researchers, students and staff as well as members of organizations such as the Keweenaw Land Trust and U.S. Coast Guard.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese.

Lake Superior Water Festival at Great Lakes Research Center

HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) – High school students from across the Western UP got a new perspective on Lake Superior today.

The Great Lakes Research Center hosted their 6th annual Water Festival today. Nearly 500 high school students learned about a variety of challenges and careers surrounding Lake Superior.

“The goal is for the students to get exposure to science and engineering challenges here in Lake Superior and its watershed, as well as to gain some background in history, communication skills and management,” said Joan Chadde, director of the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.

Read more and watch the video at TV6 FOX UP, by Mariah Powell.

Lake Superior Water Festival 2017

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Geology Field Trip and Tours for Brimley Area Students

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Copper HarborTed Bornhorst, executive director and professor, A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum and Joan Chadde, director of the Center for Science & Environmental Outreach, hosted a second group of students from Brimley Area Schools Sept. 20 to 22, 2017. Last year a similar special field trip organized by Bornhorst with Brimley teacher Mary-Beth Andrews was so successful that the Brimley school board funded a return visit. The student interest was twice as great this year with 45 eigth graders and 15 ninth and tenth graders participating, as compared to a total of 30 students last year.

The three-day field trip included an all-day geology field trip in the Copper Harbor/Eagle River area led by Bornhorst. In the evening, the group took a guided boat trip on the Isle Royal Queen, located in Copper Harbor, funded by the GM Ride the Waves program. Erika Vye, geoheritage specialist with the Center for Science & Environmental Outreach, was the tour guide on the boat. On campus, the group visited the mineral museum, did STEM tours/activities including presentations by Mark Rudnicki (SFRES) and Parisi Abadi (MEEM). The high school students did an exploration aboard the Agassiz led by environmental engineering students Aubrey Ficek and Marr Langlais. As part of their Keweenaw experience, the Brimley students did an underground tour of the Quincy Mine and took a visit to Keweenaw Gem and Gifts foundry.

By A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum.

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Railroad Night XIII is Oct. 3, 2017

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Railroad NightRegistration is now open for Railroad Night XIII. This year’s Railroad Night will take place from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 3, 2017, in the Memorial Union Ballroom. Students may meet industry professionals from 5 to 6 p.m. and participate in a social hour from 6 to 7 p.m. Dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Kevin Riddett, president and CEO of RailWorks, will provide the keynote address this year.

RailWorks is a leading rail industry company, offering infrastructure design and construction services, as well as signals and communication services, for both the freight and transit rail markets. Railroad Night provides a relaxed, dine-with-industry atmosphere, designed to encourage discussion of rail industry opportunities for students interested in the industry. Students, faculty, staff and interested community members are invited to attend. Registration for the event is open online.

We are charging a $5 fee to all participants, which will be used to fund door prizes for student participants. Students should use the Student Registration option, and faculty, staff and community members should use the Guest option. Contact David Nelson, or 7-1734 if you have questions.

By David Nelson.

Michigan Tech Rail Day and Student Expo

The Michigan Tech Rail Transportation Program (RTP) and Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC) will host a two-day event series for rail industry guests, community members, Michigan Tech students, faculty and staff. Everyone is welcome.

Railroad Night XIII runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m. today in the MUB Ballroom. The evening starts with an industry panel from 5 to 6 p.m. that is free and open to any and all students. From 6 to 8:30 p.m. is the ticketed Railroad Night, including a social hour, raffle prizes, dinner and keynote speaker Kevin Riddett, president and CEO of RailWorks Corporation. Dinner begins at 7:00 p.m. The event is sponsored by Herzog Railroad Services Inc. and RailWorks. There is a $5 registration fee for the Railroad Night event. Register here.

Rail industry representatives will participate in Rail Day Expo from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow (Oct. 4) on the campus mall. The campus community is invited to see the latest technologies in the rail industry. Students from all disciplines across campus can learn about jobs in rail communications, power systems, computers, construction, operations and more, as well as internships and co-op opportunities.

Companies attending include: Bergman Associates, BNSF Railroad, CN Railroad, Herzog Railroad Services, Kiewitt/Mass Electric Construction Company, Lake Superior and Ispheming Railroad, Quandel Consultants, Pettibone, Railworks, Remprex LLC, Schneider Logistics, Surveying Solutions, ViaRail Engineering and WSP.

“We’ve got a great line-up of rail industry representatives ready to demonstrate all that the industry has to offer in careers and internships. Come on out and see us!” says David Nelson, of the event organization team.

Learn more about the event here. Contact Nelson by email or call 7-1734 with any questions.

By Career Services.

Rail pros offer students inside career advice

HOUGHTON — Michigan Technological University students thinking about pursuing a career in the rail industry got to hear about it from industry insiders Tuesday night.

A panel of 10 railroad representatives, including some Tech alums, answered moderator and student questions Tuesday.

Some questions delved into what jobs were open in the rail industry for specific majors. Others were more general, such as one about what the panelists would have liked to do in college that would have helped their career.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese.

Railroad Night XIII and Expo 2017 in Review

The Rail Transportation Program (RTP), in conjunction with the Railroad Engineering and Activities Club (REAC) and with support from the RTP Program Partner, CN Railway, were proud to host Michigan Tech’s 4th Annual Rail Expo and 13th Annual Rail Night on Oct. 3 and 4.

Dual showcase events, Railroad Night and Expo, bring together industry professionals and students interested in the industry. The unique blend of panel discussion, social hours, dinner, keynote and displays on the campus mall catalyzed relationships between the students of Michigan Tech and the Railroad Industry. These marquee events are a cornerstone of our mission to develop leaders and technology for the 21st century in railroad transportation.

Railroad Night XIII was held on the evening of Oct. 3, kicking off our showcase events where railroad industry professionals and Michigan Tech students mingled and discovered the possibilities of a career in the railroad industry. Starting out with a “Meet the Industry” panel of 10 industry professionals, a battery of questions from both the moderator and audience allowed students to discover the railroad industry, take advice and hear some interesting stories out of the industry.

Afterwards, students and professionals mingled for the social hour, which was a great opportunity for students and the industry to get to know each other further, with discussions about internships, full-time positions or points about the industry in general. This more relaxed atmosphere is always conducive to productive discussions in an industry-focused environment, a perennial favorite of Michigan Tech Students. Following the social hour was dinner and the keynote address by Kevin Riddett, the CEO of Railworks. Speaking of his career and experiences in multiple roles throughout various industries, Riddett imparted sage advice and plenty of stories to the audience over a dinner filled with more interaction between the industry and Michigan Tech students interested in a career in rail.

Special thanks to Railworks and Herzog Railroad Services, for sponsoring the Railroad Night XIII 4th Annual Rail Expo on Oct. 4. The fourth Annual Rail Expo was held on the Campus Mall, allowing the industry to demonstrate their companies and technologies, and to recruit Michigan Tech students.

For students, the event offered a great chance to discuss opportunities in the industry with representatives and recruiters, with more than a dozen companies on display and twice as many industry professionals ready to discuss who they are and what they do. While many Michigan Tech students are already interested in a career in rail, the Expo provides a catalyst for new students to get interested and involved within one of the nation’s most diverse and thriving transportation industries.

Exhibitors and sponsors included Canadian National Railway-RTP Program Partner, Herzog Railroad Services Inc, WSP, Quandel Consultants, Schneider, Railworks, Surveying Solutions Inc, Remprex Engineering Services, Bergman Associates, Via Rail Engineering, BNSF Railway, Kiewit & Mass. Electric Construction Company, Pettibone Traverse Lift, and Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad.

Every year, Michigan Tech’s Rail Night and Expo events culminate in a number of internships and full-time careers. With nearly 200 students passing through the Expo or attending Railroad Night, this year’s events continued the success initiated almost a decade ago.

We look forward to next year and continuing our mission to grow and develop students for careers in the railroad industry. We would also like to thank our sponsors and industry supporters for their generous contributions.

By Pasi Lautala.

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Steel Steals the Spotlight

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Steel DaySteel companies take center stage today, September 20, 2017, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. under the CareerFEST tent. Companies on campus include Nucor, Caterpillar, Arcelor Mittal, Gerdau, Steel Dynamic and Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.

The steel industry directly employs 2 million people worldwide and is the second largest industry in the world, next to oil and gas.

At today’s event, students can throw golf balls at steel and aluminum panels from Arcelor Mittal, take a virtual tour of the Nucor Hickman Facility, and see Caterpillar’s 938M wheel loader.

Tech’s Advanced Metalworks Enterprise and Materials United Student Organization will also be participating.

By Career Services.

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