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Engineering Faculty Among Those Recognized by Fraternities and Sororities

Published April 17, 2017

On April 9, more than 320 students gathered for the 11th Annual Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony held in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

In addition to the many student awards presented, Order of Omega, the Greek Life Honor Society that coordinates the awards, took the time to recognize some exceptional faculty and staff members.

There are more than 560 students in fraternities and sororities at Michigan Tech, and Order of Omega wanted to emphasize that these awards were coming directly from the students.

When writing a nomination for the Outstanding Faculty Award, students were asked to consider faculty who:

are dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed academically
demonstrate a passion for teaching and/or research
utilize innovative teaching methods
promote academic integrity among students

When writing a nomination for the Outstanding Staff Award, students were asked to consider staff who:

are dedicated to supporting students and helping them succeed both inside and outside the classroom
demonstrate a passion for working with students
promote and inspire the Michigan Tech Values of Community, Scholarship, Possibilities, Accountability and Tenacity

The following faculty and staff members were nominated by members of the Greek community and were recognized at the 2017 Fraternity and Sorority Life Awards Ceremony:

Faculty:

Evelyn Johnson (HU)
Scott Miers (ME-EM)
David Hand (CEE)
Noel Urban (CEE)

Staff:

Laura Bulleit (Dean of Students Office)
Rochelle Spencer (Student Activities)

These nominations were written by individual students and were supported by an entire fraternity or sorority. In the end, the Outstanding Faculty Award was presented to Evelyn Johnson and the Outstanding Staff Award went to Laura Bulleit.

Advisor of the Year was also awarded to a staff member, Heather Simpson (Wahtera Center). Congratulations to all of these faculty and staff members who were nominated and thank you for inspiring and motivating students.

A special congratulations to Jessie Stapleton, director of student activities, for winning the first-ever Unsung Hero Award. She was recognized for all of her hard work and dedication to the students in the Greek community.

By Student Activities.

Michigan Tech Design Expo is Thursday, April 13, 2017

Published April 10, 2017

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VIEW THE PHOTO ALBUM

What do a satellite tag anchoring system for humpback whales, a pandemic ventilator for third-world countries, a 793 mpg supermileage vehicle and an innovative, low-cost avalanche beacon have in common?

They’re all student projects on display at Michigan Tech’s 17th annual Design Expo from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday (April 13, 2017) in the Memorial Union Ballroom. The event is free and open to the public.

At the Expo, you’ll have a chance to explore the breadth and depth of undergraduate project work with more than 1,000 students from Michigan Tech’s Enterprise and senior design programs participating.

Projects and posters will be on display throughout the day. A panel of judges comprised of corporate representatives and University faculty and staff will critique the projects. Many of the projects are sponsored by industry.

Design Expo event sponsors include ITC Holdings, Black & Veatch, American Transmission Co, Code Blue, Kimberly-Clark, Miller Electric, as well as Michigan Tech Career Services, the University’s Office of Innovation and Industry Engagement and the Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship.

Michigan Tech’s innovative Enterprise program is open to all majors and facilitates interdisciplinary learning, leadership development, and team-based project work. Diverse teams of first-year through graduate-level students develop products, processes, and services within their market space, with multiyear participation.

Senior Design challenges teams of highly dedicated senior-level students to explore and address real-world design challenges in their final year. The program connects students and industry sponsors through open-ended projects where teams follow the complete design process from ideation to realization.

For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit the Design Expo website.

Deans’ Teaching Showcase: Martin Auer

Published April 10, 2017

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Upon the recommendation of Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair David Hand, College of Engineering Dean Wayne Pennington has chosen Martin Auer (CEE) as his final spring 2017 Deans’ Teaching Showcase member.

Pennington selected Auer for his ability to influence the career trajectory of both graduate and undergraduate students, as well as his extensive commitment to K-12 outreach programs. Pennington credits Auer’s teaching for “transforming the lives of graduate and undergraduate students and influencing them to pursue careers in environmental engineering related to surface water quality.”

Michael Erickson, an alumnus and now the senior vice president for ARACADIS confirms this, saying “Sometimes you can look back to when someone lifted us to view a horizon we could not see. Dr. Auer did that after singling me out for a high score on a tough modeling exam. His words realized my potential to excel. That triggered a shift in my thinking, gave confidence to shoot higher and opened a graduate school opportunity.”

Another alumnus, Steven Tomaszewski, who is now the director of global facilities at GM and a member of Michigan Tech’s Board of Trustees, credits Auer’s teaching for much of his work worldwide. “My technical base is highly influenced by his teachings. I often leveraged Dr. Auer’s technical and ethical standards while negotiating permits to construct new assembly plants in Russia, India, Mexico, Brazil and Korea. From a small classrom in Houghton, Michigan, his influence has had global ramifications on these billion dollar investments. I suspect that he doesn’t realize the reach of this teachings, but it is far greater than he would have ever expected, and one that I’m proud to be part of.”

Auer has gone above and beyond his graduate and undergraduate teaching responsibilities by spearheading the outreach component of the Great Lakes Research Laboratories. According to Hand, this program “brings in thousands of K-12 students from the local area and under-represented urban areas to learn about the importance of environmental stewardship and lake ecosystems.”

Auer’s leadership includes research trips to Isle Royale with Native American students and seminars for teachers from Flint to learn about water quality and how to educate their students. But perhaps the most influential outreach experience is Auer’s leadership in the GM sponsored “Ride the Waves” program.

In describing Auer’s role, Tomaszewski says “Utilizing a research vessel (the Agassiz) as the platform, Dr. Auer choreographed a program offering students from low-income areas a world class STEM experience. Students and educational institutions that would never have the means to touch the water are now performing experiments with some of the best scientists in the Great Lakes region. In the last four years, this passion for water quality research has brought more than 3,000 students to Michigan Tech. A researcher with marketing skills is a rare combination and one that is sought by many universities. Michigan Tech and General Motors are proud to have his leadership driving this initiative.”

Hand wraps up his recommendation by saying, “Martin Auer is truly deserving of being recognized for his commitment to teaching on a grand scale.”

Auer will be recognized at an end-of-term luncheon with 11 other showcase members, and 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 or outside-the-classroom teaching methods, or work in curriculum and assessment.

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

Tech Enterprise Wins ASME Award for Advances in Mechanical Engineering Education

Published April 5, 2017

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The Michigan Tech Enterprise Program has been selected to receive the Donald N. Zweip Innovation in Education Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

The award recognizes mechanical engineering/engineering technology and closely related programs/departments for exceptional and innovative engagement in and fostering advances in mechanical engineering education, particularly those who have demonstrated exemplary contributions to the advancement of mechanical and multi-disciplinary project-based engineering education.

Donald N. Zwiep, a pioneer and champion of project based learning in mechanical engineering, showed the value of real-world projects and collaborative learning as an exceptional pedagogy. A long-serving mechanical engineering department head at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a dedicated ASME member and past president, he was uniquely positioned to strengthen the bonds between the Society and the engineering departments through outcomes based accreditation, project based learning, and engagement of both students and faculty in their professional society.

Michigan Tech’s Enterprise Program will receive their award during the Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. The ceremonies are part of the ASME Mechanical Engineering Education Leadership Summit, April 18-19 in Washington, DC.

The award includes a $2,000 Honorarium and Certificate to the program and travel support to the conference.

The Enterprise Program will give a 10-15 minute presentation during the awards luncheon.

Engineering Graduate Students Excel at ACS 2017 Student Research Symposium

Published March 29, 2017

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Ameya Narkar received first prize for his poster presentation at the 2017 Upper Peninsula American Chemical Society Student Research Symposium, which was held Saturday, March 25, 2017, in Marquette.

The title of the poster was “Effect of Addition of Acrylic Acid (AAc) on the Wet Adhesion Properties of Mussel-inspired Hydrogels at Multiple pH Values.” Narkar is a PhD student working in the research lab of Bruce Lee.

Muxue Zhang, a graduate student in environmental engineering, was awarded third place at the symposium.

Zhang, a second-year master’s student, presented on her thesis work about predicting the reverse osmosis (RO) rejection of toxicologically relevant organics for direct potable reuse application in wastewater reclamation processes.

She works with Daisuke Minakata (CEE). Her work is part of a funded water reuse project looking at the intrinsic interactions between a wide variety of organics and RO membrane using computational chemistry tools.

The purpose of the event is to provide a venue for students to present their research in chemistry, chemical engineering and related fields. This symposium is an excellent opportunity for students, faculty and the community at large to learn about the interesting research being conducted in the UP. It was hosted by the ACS Upper Peninsula Local Section on the campus of Northern Michigan University.

Gerdau Steel Tour 2017

Published March 29, 2017

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Steel Twenty-two Michigan Tech students returned from a three-day, all-expense-paid tour of Gerdau’s Long Steel North America facility in St. Paul, Minnesota yesterday. The trip was hosted by Career Services and made possible through a grant from the Association for Iron and Steel and Gerdau, a Michigan Tech corporate partner.

Gerdau is a leading supplier of long steel worldwide and the world’s largest automotive industry supplier. From process engineers to quality managers, Gerdau has a strong tradition of hiring Michigan Tech students for internships and full-time employment.

During the tour, students took a firsthand look at the steelmaking process and networked with Gerdau plant leadership and Michigan Tech alumni. Stacey Donnelly, experiential education and career development assistant in Career Services, accompanied the students on their trip.

Jessica Geroux, a mechanical engineering student, said,

The St. Paul Gerdau Mill graciously hosted us, sharing professional and personal insight from a panel of esteemed Tech alumni, while granting us an inside glimpse into the steel industry through an intensive, educational tour of the mill.

Story by Career Services.

2017 SURF Awards to Eight Engineering Undergraduates

Published March 28, 2017

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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

Michigan Space Grants for Guadagno and Oppliger

Published March 20, 2017

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Michigan Tech faculty, staff members and students received awards tallying $30,000 in funding through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC), sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the 2017-18 funding cycle. Award recipients within the College of Engineering include:

Undergraduate Marcello Guadagno (ME-EM) received a $2,500 research fellowship for “Stratus Meteorological CubeSat: Payload Integration and Mission Level Design” with Lyon Brad King (ME-EM).

Douglas Oppliger (EF) received $5,000 or more for “Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles for Teaching STEM Concepts” (includes augmentation).

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 Michigan Tech’s Pavlis Honors College.

For more information, contact Paige Hackney in the Pavlis Honors College at 7-4371 or visit the MSGC website.

Deans’ Teaching Showcase: Julie King

Published March 20, 2017

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In week nine, the new Deans’ Teaching Showcase member is from the College of Engineering. Dean Wayne Pennington has selected Julie King, professor of chemical engineering based on recommendations from co-workers, students and her chair.

Adrienne Minerick (ChE), associate dean for research and innovation, who was Julie’s student as part of her bachelor’s degree and is now a colleague, calls King a “highly influential role model for me” as well as for many other students.

More specifically, Minerick says “Julie consistently is recognized by her students for her personal interest, advice and interactions. She stays invested in student success after they leave her classes, approaching those teaching subsequent classes with insights and advocacy strategies. I’ve never met a stronger advocate for students.”

S. Komar Kawatra, chemical engineering chair, praises King for her dedication, especially in the demanding Unit Operations Laboratory, saying “She spends a great deal of time with students, and always takes on additional teaching duties at the time of need.”

Kawatra calls King a “model professor,” and indicates that she has received similar praise from the Mack family as the Lorna and James Mack Chair Professor in Continuous Processing.

King’s current students confirm her great mentoring, but also appreciate her passion for excellent teaching and continuous improvement. One student comment read “She continuously asks students what she can do to improve their hands-on learning experiences or what areas she can provide more practical examples of chemical engineering applications to prepare them for full-time positions. She actively listens to her students and genuinely considers their feedback for future lessons or experiments.”

This same student believes that King is “part of the reason why chemical engineers from Michigan Tech are some of the best in the world.”

King will be recognized at an end-of-term luncheon with 11 other showcase members, and 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 or outside-the-classroom teaching methods, or work in curriculum and assessment.

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

Tag: education

2017 Award Recipients in Engineering Programs

Winners Announced!