Geological and Mining Engineering and Science News

Day: November 19, 2025

Congratulations Graduates!

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Celebrating Our Fall 2025 MS & PhD Graduates

GMES is proud to announce and celebrate the accomplishments of our Fall 2025 graduates. These dedicated students have conducted research, completed rigorous coursework, and made meaningful contributions to our academic community. Their hard work and perseverance have prepared them to take the next step as professionals and researchers in the fields of geosciences, mining, and engineering. Please join us in congratulating the following graduate students:

A moment from the MTU 2024 spring graduate commencement, captured by Kaden Staley.

Sananda Ray, PhD, Geophysics

Rolla Asiedu, MS Geology

Elijah Dosapati, MS Mining Engineering

Seth Farmer, MS Geology

Kudakwashe (Kuda) T. Mutanga, MS Mining Engineering

Akintunde (Stephen) Samakinde, MS Geological Engineering

We are incredibly proud of each of these graduates and look forward to seeing the impact they will make in their careers and beyond. Congratulations to the graduate student class of 2025!

Congratulations to Our Fall 2025 Bachelor of Science Graduates!

GMES is proud to celebrate the achievements of our Fall 2025 Bachelor of Science graduates—students who have built the skills and knowledge to become the next generation of geoscientists and engineers. Please join us in congratulating:

Matthew Keebaugh, BS Mining Engineering

Luke Mariuzza, BS Geological Engineering

Carl Rich, BS Geology

Kiera Watson, BS Geology

Kaden Staley documents the joy of MTU’s 2024 spring graduate commencement.

Honoring our award and scholarship recipients:

Graduate Certificate in Geoinformatics

  • Kudakwashe (Kuda) T. Mutanga

Outstanding Scholarship Award

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award

Finishing Fellowship Recipients

  • Gabriel Ahrendt, Ph.D. in Geophysics
  • Xinzhu (Sabrina) Li, Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences
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GMES Expands into Drone-Based Geophysics: A New Frontier for Education and Research

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(left to right) PhD candidate Gabriel Ahrendt, undergraduate researcher Miah Mol, and MS student Samuel Jensen from the Earth and Environmental Magnetism research group are gearing up our drone-based geophysics platform for its next test flight.

The Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES) at Michigan Technological University is always looking for opportunities to expand our education and research into new, forward-looking areas. Drone-based geophysics is one such area—an emerging field that is rapidly transforming how we investigate and understand the subsurface.

Drone-based geophysics offers remarkable potential for geoscience and engineering practice. By
combining unmanned aerial systems with advanced geophysical sensors, we can safely and efficiently
collect high-resolution data in challenging or previously inaccessible environments. These capabilities
are reshaping mineral exploration, environmental assessment, hazard mapping, and infrastructure
monitoring.

To provide our students with this increasingly sought-after skill set — valued across industry, government agencies, and research organizations — we have launched the development of a new drone-based geophysics curriculum. To support this initiative, the department has acquired a high-capacity Aurelia X6 Pro V2 drone paired with a Geometrics MagArrow II magnetometer, one of the most advanced airborne magnetic systems available. This effort is currently led by Professor Aleksey Smirnov, chair of GMES, together with MS student Samuel Jensen. Both have recently completed comprehensive training and earned professional unmanned aerial vehicle pilot licenses, ensuring safe and compliant deployment of these systems in research and instructional settings.

Sam Jensen and Aleksey Smirnov prepare a drone for its first outdoor flight, with tall trees in the background.
Sam Jensen and Aleksey Smirnov are preparing for the first flight of the Aurelia X6 Pro drone equipped with the Geometrics MagArrow II magnetometer.

Our vision is to develop a suite of drone-based geophysics courses covering not only airborne data acquisition but also advanced data processing and visualization. Students will use the state-of-the-art Seequent Oasis Montaj geophysical software — recently acquired to support the Applied Geophysics program — to work with real flight datasets, learn industry-standard workflows, and build strong practical expertise.

Our future research directions include a wide range of potential applications, such as high-resolution magnetic mapping of Precambrian rocks in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, critical minerals and geological hydrogen exploration, surveys of mine tailings and legacy mining landscapes for environmental and safety assessments, geologic mapping of fault zones and structural features, and magnetic mapping for archaeological investigations.

We are also actively seeking collaborations with other departments and research centers at Michigan Tech, as well as partners outside the university, to broaden the impact and interdisciplinary reach of this developing program.

Looking ahead, we plan to expand our toolkit with additional drone-compatible geophysical methods, including electromagnetics and ground-penetrating radar, further enhancing opportunities for education and research.

We are excited about the hands-on learning and research possibilities that drone-based geophysics will offer, and we hope that this work will inspire more students to join GMES and contribute to the continued success of the department. Stay tuned for updates…

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PE Limited’s $6.5M Contribution Revolutionizes GMES Teaching and Research

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MOVE, a geologic modeling software, provides a full digital environment for best-practice structural modeling to reduce risk and uncertainty in geological models.

Michigan Technological University’s Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
(GMES) has received a generous donation from PE Limited, a global leader in petroleum engineering
software. The $6,564,992.28 contribution consists of ten licenses for the state-of-the-art MOVE suite
and ten licenses for the IPM suite of products. This innovative software will be critical in advancing
education and academic research by enabling cutting-edge structural modeling and minimizing risk in
geological models.

“This generous donation from PE Limited is a game-changer for our department,” said Dr. Aleksey
Smirnov.

GMES will install the MOVE and IPM software in a computer lab and integrate it into the curriculum,
transforming structural geology education for undergraduate and graduate students. Courses like
GE3050 Structural Geology, a requirement for GMES undergraduates, GE4610 Formation Evaluation and
Petroleum Engineering, and graduate-level classes will leverage this powerful tool to enhance learning
outcomes. Furthermore, MOVE will play a vital role in academic, non-commercial research on tectonics
and structural geology, including mapping Michigan’s iconic Keweenaw Fault and other complex systems
in the Upper Peninsula. The IMP Suite will support our ongoing and future research activities in the
areas of critical mineral extraction, subsurface fluid-flow modeling, and geomechanics.

Dr. Aleksey Smirnov, Chair of the GMES Department, believes in the donation’s transformative impact.
“This generous donation from PE Limited is a game-changer for our department,” said Dr. Aleksey
Smirnov. It empowers our students and researchers to work with industry-leading tools, elevating their
education and research to the next level.”

Since its founding in 1990, PE Limited has been developing software solutions for the oil and gas
industry. PE Limited supports accredited universities offering advanced geology and petroleum
engineering programs through its educational licensing program, fostering the next generation of
industry innovators.

Learn more about the MOVE and IPM suite of products and its role in shaping geologic modeling
excellence.

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