Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

Michigan Tech Graduate Students Win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

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Three graduate students have received Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Christa Meingast in environmental engineering and Gregory Hardy and David Diesenroth in mechanical engineering won the competitive fellowships. Benjamin Winter in civil engineering received an honorable mention.

“NSF Graduate Research Fellowships are one of the oldest, most prestigious and competitive programs nationally,” said Jodi Lehman, assistant director for research development at Michigan Tech. “It is the fellowship program that other federal programs such as the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy use as a benchmark,” she noted.

“The Graduate School is happy to see our students honored for their scholarship and achievements in and out of the classroom,” said Debra Charlesworth, assistant dean of the Graduate School and coordinator of the NSF Graduate Research Fellows program at Michigan Tech. “These prestigious awards recognize not only our students, but the faculty and staff who have provided opportunities and mentoring for them to reach their potential. They join an outstanding group of Michigan Tech NSF scholars who are conducting research around the world.”

Charlesworth herself is a former NSF Graduate Research Fellow.

“The recent awards and honorable mention demonstrate the quality of a Michigan Tech education at all levels and disciplines,” said Craig Friedrich, director of graduate studies for the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics and Richard and Bonnie Robbins Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering. “Our students are on par with the top research institutions in the US, and the support provided by Jodi Lehman helping students prepare fellowship applications continues to grow our success and recognition with the National Science Foundation and other agencies.”

Published in Tech Today by Jenn Donovan, director of news and media relations

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Grad student selected for Robert and Mary Buttle Scholarship

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Steven Sarich, MS student in social sciences, was selected as a recipient of the Robert and Mary Buttle Scholarship which will provide $4,000 toward tuition and other expenses. This is one among several funding opportunities provided by the Southwest Section of the American Ceramic Society which focuses on material science research of historic and modern ceramics.

Published in Tech Today.

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Deisenroth Receives NSF Fellowship

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David Deisenroth, a graduate student pursuing an MS in Mechanical Engineering, has received an National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute Fellowship to travel to Korea this summer to conduct research.

Deisenroth will conduct an in-depth study on the collision of a falling drop of water and a resting drop of water. He will film the drops at high speeds and observe their characteristics. The results can be used to further the understanding of thermal management systems, aerosols and fuel injection.

An EAPSI award provides science, engineering and education research experiences in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, or Taiwan; an introduction to the science, science policy and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture, and language. EAPSI awards help students initiate professional relationships to enable future collaboration with foreign counterparts.

Deisenroth’s award includes a stipend of $5,000 and travel expenses. His advisor is Jeff Allen, the John and Joan Calder Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics.

Published in Tech Today.

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Duan a finalist in the Student Paper Competition

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Ran Duan, a PhD candidate in engineering physics, has been named a finalist in the Student Paper Competition of the 2014 International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation, cosponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Antennas and Propagation Society and the Union of Radio Science.

As a finalist, Duan has been been invited to present a poster on his paper titled “Multiband Unidirectional Cloaking Based on Geometric Optics” at the symposium in Memphis, July 6-11.  He will also receive a $1,250 award to help him attend the symposium.

Duan won Michigan Tech’s Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award for the fall 2013 semester.

Duan’s research is on an invisibility cloak being developed by Associate Professor Elena Semouchkina (ECE/Physics).  An invisibility cloak is a device that allows electromagnetic waves such as microwaves or light to bypass objects, essentially making them invisible.

Published in Tech Today.

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Alumni Power at the Straits of Mackinac

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It’s a Michigan Tech electrical engineer’s dream: Connect the two Michigan peninsulas’ power grids using the latest technology in a massive project, the first of its kind. And Tech alumni are playing huge roles in it all.

A high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) device is being installed near St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula to control increased power transfers in the original but updated transmission system. American Transmission Company (ATC) owns the lines in the UP, and the International Transmission Company (ITC), owns the Lower Peninsula lines.

“It’s the fourth generation of HVDC technology using voltage source converters,” says Adam Manty, 2006 and 2008 Michigan Tech alumnus and special studies engineer for ATC (one of many alumni working there and on the project). “It’s the newest, latest and greatest, and it’s the first large-scale back-to-back configuration of its kind in the world.”

Read the full news story.

Published in Tech Today by Dennis Walikainen, senior content specialist
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New Fall 2014 Course: SU5050: Data Mining

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Data mining of text and pictures from social media, including natural language processing theory and geospatial applications.

Course focuses on:

  1. Open source programming and library development (Python)
  2. Develop and write research plan suitable for grant/internal research competition submission
  3. Proof-of-concept to demonstrate data mining techniques learned.

Course taught by scientists at  Michigan Tech Research Institute.

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2014 ACS Upper Peninsula Student Research Symposium

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On Saturday, March 29 the Upper Peninsula Local Section (UPLS) of the American Chemical Society hosted a research symposium at Northern Michigan University for undergraduate and graduate students across the UP. In total, 33 students presented research from Lake Superior State University, Northern Michigan University and Michigan Tech, and over 70 people attended the event.

Michigan Tech undergraduate student Daniel Beegle tied for the second place poster award for the Undergraduate Division and Michigan. Tech graduate students Suntara Fueangfung, Ashok Khanal and Melanie Talaga tied for first place in the Graduate Division.

Over $400 in awards were distributed to the best posters at the event, which was sponsored by ACS National, the Upper Peninsula ACS Local Section and Northern Michigan University. UPLS Chair Robert Handler (ChE/SFI) commented, “We were very pleased with the enthusiastic response of students from around the UP, and the UPLS is looking forward to hosting this event next year!”

Published in Tech Today.

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Great ROI, Starting Salaries

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Michigan Tech has been ranked as a university with one of the best returns on investment. The website Payscale announced their rankings, and Michigan Tech was 13th, in the nation for public in-state tuition and ranked 55th in the nation overall.

Michigan Tech ranked 10th among public universities in the nation for the highest average salaries, currently at $59,200.

http://www.payscale.com/college-roi/

Published in Tech Today
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