Category: Enterprise Spotlight

Innovative Global Solutions: The Project That Changed My Life.

By Riley Dickert, Innovative Global Solutions

two students and a white van
Emma Kantola (left) and Riley Dickert (right)

Thud!

With one final toss, our last suitcase was out of the van and onto the long Kenyan grass.

The almost 10-hour journey by car was long, but nothing a Tech student wasn’t used to – at least not usually.

As we drove through herds of cattle, sheep, and goats, my mind was overwhelmed with the novelty of my surroundings. If the constant honking at livestock wasn’t enough, throw in some Baboons and Zebras, and the whole experience was straight out of a fever dream.

My teammate Emma and I were in Kenya to implement an aeration system our project team had developed for a local aquaponics facility. Aquaponics is a method of agriculture where fish farming (aquaculture) and soil-less plant farming (hydroponics) are combined into one recirculating system. If done correctly, the practice can use much less water and produce less waste than either of the component agriculture styles. Over the past year, we worked with staff from the aquaponics facility to learn about design constraints, develop engineering empathy, and get constant updates on facility conditions. Our two-week trip in Kenya was just the conclusion of hundreds of hours of international communication, research, and prototyping of our idea to help improve the new aquaponics facility. If everything went as planned, we could implement and test our aeration prototype.

When I first started at Michigan Tech, I came in as a physics major with my heart set on studying the universe! I realized in my third year that I had no good idea of what I really wanted to study within physics and (more importantly) that I wanted to avoid being in school for seven more years to find out. I had taken some other courses for my free electives; maybe I could pivot? What I found out the hard way is that it was difficult to find a job in engineering… especially if you weren’t an engineer. So midway through my third year, I was looking for ways to make myself more appealing as a job candidate. That’s when I stumbled upon a project that really caught my eye: an enterprise was doing a project on sustainable agriculture (I had just watched the documentary “Kiss the Ground,” which is definitely worth a watch), and I was curious to find out more. I reached out to the President of the Innovative Global Solutions (IGS) Enterprise and went to the first project meeting I was invited to. I didn’t know what enterprise was all about, but I needed experience, which seemed like an exciting way to get it. 

Despite our best efforts to stay up to date with the project site in Kenya, there was some information our sponsor hadn’t known. The facility manager had been offsite, and the facility had been critically vandalized in the week leading up to our visit. The fish in the pond (the life force of the system) had been taken, the pump that brings water to the crops was stolen, the plants had died, and the electrical systems had been scavenged. Given the facility’s status, our two-week trip dedicated to testing our prototype looked impossible. We would unlikely have even one day to test our prototype, much less two weeks. Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t always go as planned.

Starting with the IGS enterprise in my fourth year as a Physics major and taking over the reins of project lead meant many novel responsibilities were put on my plate. Luckily for me, the past lead was really supportive. During the summer, I was told we would need regular sponsorship meetings to learn about project expectations, site conditions, and the team in Kenya we would be working with. Then, when it got a bit closer to the school year, I was told that I needed to make something called a ‘Gantt Chart’ and plan the entire semester out. The first couple of meetings were time-consuming to prepare for but went great. Despite not being an engineering major, I was starting to feel like this was a space in which I could gain some valuable skills. The only problem was that this project was complicated – many moving parts, open-ended questions, and timelines. It didn’t take long before I felt overwhelmed by how many things I had to get done for my first ‘real-world project.’

Preventing further vandalism, repairing the facility, and testing our prototype was a really intimidating list to check off in two weeks – our testing was initially planned to take up the whole two weeks alone. After seeing the site conditions firsthand, I could tell that making this all work would be a big stretch. But at the same time, what else could we do but try to make the impossible happen?

When the responsibilities of being a project lead first hit, my initial reaction was to back away. I had always been a pretty good student, but when it came to project work, I felt like I had a knack for getting lost in the big picture and psyching myself out.

Instead of giving up, I did my best to figure out how to lead an effective team. Not being too hands-on while not being too hands-off. Holding team members accountable while remembering we’re all busy people. Being in charge… is surprisingly tricky. But I started to learn that often the most significant barrier to success was my own head. It seems like it’s much easier to solve big problems when you break them down into smaller pieces. Kind of like when you want to solve for the area under a curve (which looks pretty tricky), you break it down into infinitely small components and then summate over the bounds and… yeah… calculus.

So, to solve our big problem, we took it one step at a time.

First, we needed to figure out how to solve the vandalism problem. We learned that many issues could be solved by always having someone on-site and creating a sense of community ownership of the project. We worked with village leaders to set up a community day where we could talk with locals about what the facility was there for and how it could improve their access to food. We needed to incentivize neighbors of the facility to prevent any damaging activity from going unnoticed and to have them work as the first defense against vandals.

Second, while local leaders worked to set up the community day, my teammate and I worked with our sponsor and the site staff to repair the facility. Over the next few days, we gained an intricate understanding of how business and contracting in Kenya function and worked alongside local contractors to repair the facility and build some new additions. Every day, we met with our site team to discuss the work to be done that day and where we were in the process. We headed out around 8 am and got home around 9 pm every night. The days were so long and full of new experiences that sometimes it was hard to remember what day it was. To keep me busy during our 3-4 hours of daily driving, I wrote down ideas and journaled about our experiences.

Finally, after a little over a week of work, we had made some significant progress: the site’s essential components were back online, a fence had been built around the fishpond, a dwelling had been built for a full-time resident at the facility, and new seeds were planted in the greenhouse. On our last day at the site, the stage was set. We got ready to test our prototype in the system. Unfortunately, it was during that last day when we finally did the thing we had planned the longest for that we had both the most go wrong, and the most go right simultaneously. The pump was not pulling water properly, adjustments for the international electric grid were not looking right, and a major structural issue in the prototype made success look unattainable yet again. Our team didn’t have access to many of the traditional tools and supplies we needed to make everything work, but we did have a new network of local tradesmen and contractors that we had been working with for the past couple of weeks. Through our combined efforts, we worked through the prototype’s issues and got our system up and running in just one day.

There are times when approaching big problems and projects will be intimidating – there’s just no way around that. But the best way to get good at approaching big problems is through experience in doing so. Being a project lead, going to Kenya, and becoming President of an enterprise are experiences I never could have imagined myself having even two years ago. 

The time I got to test out leading a project and an enterprise not only gave me good experience but also helped me gain a better understanding of what I wanted to do. After being a leader for the past year and a half, I realized that I want to be a project manager or high-level decision-maker, specifically for teams that solve big complicated problems. Without my time in the program, I genuinely don’t know where my future would be aimed. I guess that’s just how life goes – the river doesn’t always take you where you think it will. As long as you’re willing to try new things and follow what interests you, eventually, the path forward might just hit you head-on.

Thud!

Aerospace Enterprise: Dedicated To Advancing Space Technology

By The Aerospace Enterprise

Group photo (left to right): Kyle Bruursema, Matthew Carey, Will Jenness, Evan Melucci, Kjia Moore, Brian Johnson, Will Galvin, Collin Uchida, Nolan Pickett

The Michigan Tech Aerospace Enterprise describes itself as a collection of research, development, and educational laboratories dedicated to advancing U.S. Space Technology. Their current projects include the Auris and Stratus CubeSats. At the end of this summer, nine members embarked on a trip to Logan, Utah, to attend the Small Satellite Conference (SmallSat). They showcased the Auris mission, explored many company booths, and got opportunities to talk with industry professionals.

The SmallSat Conference is a week-long conference held each year in Logan, Utah, and is internationally recognized as the premier conference on small satellites. Or, as Matthew Carey described, “a massive conference for anyone excited about space!” Six team members who attended SmallSat this past summer share their experience at the conference and their learnings or takeaways from the trip.

Kyle Bruursema showcasing the Auris CubeSat to a vendor from DHV Technologies, a small satellite company out of Spain. The team will be purchasing parts from DHV Technologies for the Auris solar panels.

All team members who shared their insights about the conference are graduating in Spring 2023 and pursuing Mechanical Engineering majors with various minors. Brian Johnson, Kjia Moore, Nolan Pickett, and Will Jenness are all pursuing Aerospace Engineering minors. Pickett and Jenness are also pursuing a second minor in Electrical Engineering. Matthew Carey is pursuing a second major in Electrical Engineering, and Will Galvin is pursuing a minor in Physics.

Pickett, the current Aerospace Enterprise Program Manager, said, “one of the most incredible opportunities the conference offered was igniting a passion in each of the nine attending members.” Those present at SmallSat include industry professionals considered the best minds in the small satellite community, the most well-known companies in the industry, vendors the Aerospace Enterprise team works with, and other universities and students interested in space technology and the aerospace industry. For example, Jenness attended because he wanted to get a better feel for where the industry is today and found that “the learning experience it [SmallSat] provides is indispensable. There is no other place where I could have been exposed to so much so quickly.” 

In addition to having a career fair style set up where attendees can visit company and university booths to learn more about the projects those organizations are working on, the conference had technical presentations about space technology research by undergraduate, master, and Ph.D. students. Galvin noted that these presentations were one of his favorite memories of SmallSat and explained that “getting to see a diverse range of topics and expertise got me excited for my potential in higher education and career overall.” Johnson shared similar thoughts that learning more about the importance of diverse teams with different backgrounds and specialties helped him recognize “where I think I best fit into the puzzle.”

A view of the Northrop Grumman Rocket Garden (9160 UT-83, Corinne, Utah, 84307)

SmallSat isn’t just a place to learn about where the industry is today. It’s also a place to expand your network, meet new people, and share the work you’ve done. Between exploring the other activities at the conference, the team took turns at the MTU booth to share the Auris mission with anyone curious about their satellite and the space research they are doing. Moore was able to hand out her resume, meet tons of people, learn about many scholarship opportunities, and had interviews scheduled soon after the conference. She shares that “attending SmallSat resolidified my passion for aerospace.” Jenness also talked about his networking experience, saying, “I truly feel that I will get a job opportunity out of this experience.” Galvin collected a “large stack of business cards” that he plans to use during his upcoming career/job searches.

Although the primary purpose of this trip was to attend the conference, the team was able to fit more into their schedule to make the journey even more worthwhile. During the drive to and from Logan, Utah, they were able to take quick visits to Yellowstone National Park, tour the Northrop Grumman Rocket Garden, and see the sunrise over Badlands National Park. Once they arrived in Utah, they were greeted with open arms by Aerospace Enterprise alumni Marcello Guadagno, Sarah Wade, Steven Golm, Seth Mares, Ted Kretzmann, Cole Gringas, and Sam Baxendale. These alumni were excited to meet current members of the enterprise and wanted to help the team experience SmallSat by offering them a place to stay in addition to sharing career advice and their experience in the industry so far.

“All members of our crew came back to Michigan Tech with a new fire in their eye” is how Pickett summed up the trip’s success. Overall, this trip to SmallSat gave the team a wide-eyed look at the aerospace industry through technical presentations, company booth visits, and networking opportunities with industry professionals.

The team at Yellowstone National Park

The Aerospace Enterprise plans to attend the SmallSat conference every year, bringing a new batch of students and exposing them to the incredible technology in the space industry. Incoming Program Manager, Seth Quayle, will organize the team’s next trip to the conference.

Interested in joining Aerospace Enterprise? Like any enterprise, Aerospace is open to students of any major, and no prior experience is required. Students typically spend three to four years on a project and have opportunities to build their skills, help improve designs, and prepare for a career in the aerospace industry. The team’s number of open positions depends on current enrollment and varies from semester to semester. You can learn more about the team and the application details by visiting their website: http://aerospace.mtu.edu/.

H-STEM Enterprise’s Commitment to Promoting and Advocating for Health

By The H-STEM Enterprise

21 students standing on sidewalk outside of academic building
H-STEM students gathered outside of the Minerals and Materials Engineering Building (M&M).

The Michigan Tech “H-STEM” Enterprise is a new student-run, multi-disciplinary team committed to improving human health. H-STEM operates within the University’s Enterprise Program, an educational program that aims to develop students’ technical, business, and interpersonal skills through problem and project-based learning. The H-STEM Enterprise comprises 20 students from different majors, including mechanical, electrical, and biomedical engineering and robotics, biology, and biochemistry. The enterprise’s mission is to improve the community’s health and well-being through innovative science and technology. They do so by working on rehabilitation engineering, healthcare, and health promotion projects. For example, their current projects aim to 1) improve mobility for clinical populations (e.g., stroke, osteoarthritis, joint replacement surgery) and 2) develop cost-effective rehabilitation equipment.

A current project the team is working on is a body weight support treadmill designed to relieve pressure during normal walking/running motion. It has applications in physical therapy for lower extremity injuries, surgery, stroke, or general exercise. Another project is a knee recovery device that will determine the functionality of a knee joint and quadriceps muscles during rehabilitation compared to a healthy knee and muscles. It has application in physical therapy after an ACL or other ligament tear surgery and knee joint replacement surgery. The most recent project, which started this semester, focuses on prosthetics. The goal is to create a suspension system for a prosthetic socket to increase comfort and versatility for the patient in rehab.

The H-STEM Enterprise is also committed to promoting and advocating for health on campus and in the community. . For example, last year, they assisted with the COVID-19 testing clinic on campus and also participated in the U.P. COVID-19 Community Townhall, where they spoke alongside healthcare professionals and other community experts. Most recently, the H-STEM Enterprise presented at the Michigan Tech Global and Community Engagement Conference, where they talked about their current projects that aim to improve the health of the U.P. community as identified in the recent 2021 UP Health Needs Assessment Report.

It is an exciting time for health education and research on campus. Michigan Tech’s new H-STEM Engineering and Health Technologies Complex is scheduled to be constructed in early 2024. The new building will provide state-of-the-art teaching and research labs to advance learning, develop new technologies, and prepare a skilled workforce for tomorrow. For more information about the H-STEM Enterprise, potential sponsorships, and/or collaborative opportunities, please contact Steven Elmer, the H-STEM advisor, via phone (906-487-2324) or email (sjelmer@mtu.edu).

Built World Enterprise Takes Third Place for the 2021-2022 TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs

Four students standing for picture
Students pictured left to right: Greg Porcaro, Clark Fadoir, Mary Ollis, and Drew Vega

A Michigan Tech Enterprise Team, Built World Enterprise, earned third place in the 2021-2022 Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs. 

The four-member team from the Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering Department placed in the Runway Safety/Runway Incursions/Runway Excursions Including Aprons, Ramps, and Taxiways category. Their design is titled Thermal Detection System for Mitigating Runway Incursions at Non-Towered Airports. The student members of the team are Clark Fadoir, Mary Ollis, Greg Porcaro, and Drew Vega.  Dr. Audra Morse served as faculty adviser.

This year, the prestigious competition encourages students to design innovative solutions to airport challenges. The competition requires students to work with a faculty adviser and reach out to airport operators and industry experts for advice and to assess their proposed solutions. The Virginia Space Grant Consortium of Hampton, Virginia, manages the competition on behalf of the ACRP. Funding for the competition is provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Volunteer panels of airport industry and academic practitioners, as well as FAA representatives, selected the winning submissions from among the proposals submitted by 21 student teams. Winning teams receive $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, $1,000 for third place, and $500 for honorable mentions.

The names of all winners and copies of designs receiving place awards are available at https://www.trb.org/ACRP/ACRPDesignCompetition.aspx.

New guidelines for the 2022-2023 academic year competition will be available on the competition website by early August 2022.

The Airport Cooperative Research Program is an industry-driven, applied research program that develops near-term, practical solutions to airport challenges. The program is managed by the Transportation Research Board, which is a program unit of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. The National Academies operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln. For more information, visit https://national-academies.org.

Tell Your Story – An Inside Look into CinOptic Communication and Media Enterprise

CinOptic Communication and Media is a student team in the Enterprise program that focuses on creating photography, video, and sound in communicative media products for clients. They specialize in filming, editing, lighting, acting, and other aspects of media production. The team uses technology to “tell your story,” as advertised on their website. They focus on clarity and creativity in their projects while allowing student members to grow in their skills. Located in the Humanities Digital Media Zone in the Walker Arts and Humanities Center Building on Michigan Tech’s campus, CinOptic has access to computing equipment, photography devices, editing software, etc., for their work. The team has grown to nine members within the past year, including three team leaders and a faculty advisor, Dr. Erin Smith. Additional information on the team can be found at https://cinoptic.hu.mtu.edu/.

From left to right: Brisson, Humbecke, and Mehki working on their projects in the HDMZ

Team Leader Matthew Brisson opened up on his experience with the enterprise: “CinOptic has been the most important part of my collegiate experience so far. Without the exposure to hands-on equipment usage and real-world clientele, I would not feel comfortable on my current path. Michigan Tech doesn’t have a lot of options for Humanities students, but CinOptic has been the perfect organization for honing the skills I hope to use after graduation.” 

Julianna Humbecke, Team Leader for the biology educational series, describes CinOptic’s project selection process: “Dr. Smith looks over a project proposal, then presents it to the team to make the final decision.” She noted the freedom the team has in terms of who they work with.

One of Humbecke’s current projects is creating a series of educational and promotional videos for Biologist Dr. Erika I. Hersch-Green. She explained, “We accompany her in her greenhouse, lab, or mini-internships to record the processes that are undergone and the research she gathers. We then host interviews with her so she can further explain the procedure, and we can edit an accurate description to accompany the visuals.” Julianna mentioned that the National Science Foundation funded the project to promote Dr. Hersch-Green’s research. It’s meant to follow her progress in research and garner interest in biology and research from high-school students. 

Team Leader Riley Mehki
Team Leader Riley Mehki
Team Leader Matthew Brisson
Team Leader Julianna Humecke
Team Leader Julianna Humecke

Last semester, Humbecke traveled abroad to Germany. Fortunately, another team member could step in to finish up filming and capturing material until she returned. Humbecke described how the organization looks after its members, having members cover one another to help keep projects going. During their bi-weekly meetings, teammates communicate objectives and project progress. 

Team Leader Riley Mehki followed up on Humbecke, stating, “My favorite thing about CinOptic is that everyone has a specific role and knows exactly what to do at the end of each meeting.” One of his major projects was working with Isle Royale National Park to produce a video guide for visitors in the past few years. This included voiceovers recorded by a park ranger with footage from the island. For Mehki, projects like these are “… a great way to learn to work with equipment and real-world clients in a low-stress environment.”

Enterprise Team (as of March 2022)

If you’re interested in learning more about Enterprise at Michigan Tech, you can visit https://www.mtu.edu/enterprise/.

Don’t Lose Your Tenacity: Allysa Meinburg’s P&O Pathway

Allysa participating in a study wearing Free-EMG muscle sensors

Hi! My name is Allysa Meinburg. I am currently a first-year grad student in the Masters of Prosthetics and Orthotics at the University of Pittsburgh. Prosthetics and Orthotics is a specialty field in rehabilitation medicine that focuses on creating and delivering devices for those with limb deficiencies. This program applies biomedical engineering concepts but adds pathology and physical human care in a treatment plan. This specialty can be in both immediate post-op and long-term care.

I enrolled at Michigan Tech as a Biomedical Engineering major, and later I switched majors to Biology and graduated with a Human Biology major and minors in Pre-Health Professions and Enterprise. Having a strong engineering and biology background has really set me up to have a well-rounded understanding of my field.

I knew I wanted to be a prosthetics and orthotics practitioner since I learned about the field in high school and have been pursuing avenues to get there ever since. I participated in competitive robotics (FIRST Robotics Competition) and later mentored teams through my time at Mott Community College and at Tech. I enjoyed engineering and technical device design but realized I wanted to focus more on healthcare and human practice. I have worked in many healthcare positions as an ER Physicians Scribe, a Surgery Tech, and an Orthotics Technician. My education at Tech enriched my understanding of human biology, research, and design, but my work taught me patient management and healthcare systems technology.

While at Tech, I had participated in Dr. Ongs’ BME research lab but found my true passion on the AAA Prosthetic Enterprise Team. Over 4 years our team addressed the challenge of affordable accessible prosthetic devices. I used my 8 semesters of Enterprise research and design to publish 2 research posters and presented them at the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists national conference. The team I was a part of was made up of mostly engineers, but I found myself focusing on the overall functionality of the product and clinical interactions. With my history of patient care in mind, we designed an ankle prosthesis so it could be easily serviced by the individual with components that are replaceable when they wear out. Having a complete understanding and motivation in product design, I feel like we really created a breakthrough product.

 Allysa with her first upper extremity cast

I loved all that Michigan Tech has to offer- both academic and extracurricular! I conducted research in Dr. Ong’s BME research lab and published a paper with his team. On the Enterprise AAA Prosthetic team, we presented research posters at the American Association of Orthotists and Prosthetists conference twice. In my senior year, I was elected the President of the Enterprise Department and received the Outstanding Leadership Expo award. I was also a part of the medical honor society Alpha Epsilon Delta and served as a member and the President. For extracurriculars, I played Women’s Club Rugby, was a member of CRU, and loved(!) to play broomball. I would highly recommend joining AED, the national health honor society. This honor society offers great mentoring connections, volunteering, and philanthropy opportunities. I would also recommend conducting research in any department. I learned so much about how to design a research project, gather data, and implement changes. These skills are paramount in Evidence-Based Practice.

My biggest piece of advice for any Tech student is don’t lose your #tenacity! At the time, Tech didn’t have any prosthetics programs, so I created my own! Working with the Enterprise department we, myself, and the other team members expanded the AAA team and now it has an ankle and foot, prosthetic research team. Lots of the P&O background research and medical ISO preparation processes I am now learning in grad school- huge advantage! We sought funding by presenting to other foundations and departments. Ultimately, this spearheaded our traveling and publishing research at the AAOP conference. If you want to study something that doesn’t exist, it just doesn’t exist YET! Go and find what you love and stay #tenacious.

This blog is reposted from the Pre-Health Professionals Blog

Enterprise Spotlight: Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise

Consumer Manufacturing Enterprise Team
Consumer Manufacturing Enterprise Team

Consumer Product Manufacturing (CPM) Enterprise, one of 26 Michigan Tech Enterprise Teams, has been busy with several team projects this year. CPM is a multidisciplinary enterprise team that aspires to empower Michigan Tech students with the entrepreneurial, technical, and professional skills to conceive, develop, and market successful products in a company-like setting. In this guest blog, fourth-year chemical engineering major and Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise’s Chief Financial Officer and Co-President Seth Whiting shares more about CPM Enterprise, team projects, and how students and sponsors can get involved.

Seth Whiting
Seth Whiting

I decided to come to Michigan Tech after hearing people in the industry speak about how good of a school Michigan Tech is. I joined Consumer Product Manufacturing (CPM) Enterprise to get hands-on experience working on an industry-relevant project. The biggest highlight for me has been the opportunity to work on multiple different interdisciplinary teams. Working with individuals from different majors lends new perspectives that I wouldn’t have considered before.

About CPM Enterprise

We are one of the original enterprises at MTU and have been around for just over 20 years. CPM has multiple different teams working on multiple different projects, which fall under the broad categories of sustainable services, process improvement, and product creation. The Enterprise is open to all majors. Currently, the majority of our members are chemical engineering majors, however, we do have a number of biomedical engineering majors and mechanical engineering majors as well as a few others.

“One of the big aspects that makes CPM unique is the opportunity to meet and work with real-world industry sponsors.”

Seth Whiting, CPM Enterprise student

For over 20 years CPM has provided students a chance to develop a wide range of technical and professional skills. Whether it be by working with a sponsor to solve a real-world problem or creating an idealized solution to one of the many challenges that society faces, CPM provides opportunities for students to grow their skills and gain hands-on experiences. The goal of CPM is to help students develop entrepreneurial, technical, and professional skills and be able to practice them in an environment that is normally not provided in a typical class.

CPM Enterprise Projects

CPM is working on about 10 different projects at the moment, one of which is our shareable air virus mitigation system. The shareable air project was started as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re attempting to use hydroxyl radicals to eliminate airborne pathogens and mitigate the spread of diseases.

One of CPM’s previous projects worth mentioning is our nanomag project, sponsored by alumnus Dr. Robert Carnahan, and implemented into production by Shaggy’s. The project explored the use of a dampening agent in skis, utilizing a magnesium alloy developed by nanoMAG.

While I haven’t had a chance to work on this project myself, I would still have to say that I am most proud of CPM’s biogas project. The biogas progress is an attempt to convert food waste into methane that can then be used by MTU. The project has been running for a while now and has seen the creation of an anaerobic digester pilot plant on its path to completion.

CPM is a great way for students to gain experience working on projects, as well as a great resume builder. Anyone interested in learning more about CPM is free to contact me or visit the CPM website. To join, you can contact our advisor, Dr. Tony Rogers.

Get Involved With CPM Enterprise

CPM Enterprise is always looking for industry partners to sponsor a project for the student teams. This process is very straightforward and comes with excellent benefits like engaging students well in advance of graduation, finding new and unique solutions, and growing your organization’s presence at Michigan Tech. To learn more about participating, contact Chris Morgan cjmorgan@mtu.edu or visit mtu.edu/enterprise/giving/.

About the Enterprise Program

The Enterprise Program is a unique project-based curriculum and is available to students from any major. Students work in multidisciplinary teams on real projects, with real clients, in an environment that’s more like a business than a classroom. With coaching and guidance from faculty mentors, the Enterprise teams work to invent products, provide services, and pioneer solutions. 

Through Enterprise, students have the opportunity to build up their existing skills, and also add some new ones to their repertoires. Enterprise encourages:

  • effective time management
  • leadership, project management, and team-working skills
  • problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
  • adaptability
  • global awareness
  • business savvy
  • competence in written and oral communication
  • networking with industry leaders

Teams collaborate with industry sponsors, communities, and government organizations, and work closely with a faculty advisor. Students could work with organizations like 3M, General Motors, Kimberly-Clark, and the Department of Energy, among many others. Take a look at the Enterprise team listing to learn about existing teams. If you have questions about the Enterprise Program, please contact enterprise@mtu.edu.