Graduate School Newsblog

Category: News

Interesting stories about and for our students.

Graduate Student awarded Predoctoral Fellowship

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Patrick Bowen, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering, has been awarded a Predoctoral Fellowship from the American Heart Association.

Bowen will receive $52,000 over two years to support his research on the development of bioabsorbable, zinc-based stents. Stents are typically made of magnesium and are inserted in blood vessels that are blocked or nearly blocked to restore blood flow.

Professor Jarek Drelich (MSE) is Bowen’s advisor, with Associate Professor Jeremy Goldman (Biomedical Engineering) proving additional direction to his research.

Published in TechToday

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Tech Celebrates World Usability Day

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Thursday was Usability Day around the world, and this was the fifth year Michigan Tech was involved. The event celebrates usability, when technologies or procedures make sense to us and when we can learn–and remember–how to use them, make few errors and feel satisfied with our experiences.

We caught up with a couple of projects taking place at Tech.

The Human Interface Design Enterprise was showing off their driver simulator in Rekhi Hall.

It was one of a couple of major projects the group has taken on, according to Margo Woller-Carter, a PhD student in applied cognitive science and human factors.

“We are using a Uconnect system from Chrysler to test for driver distraction,” she said. “We designed this driver simulator to use with it, and we will also be doing some eye-tracking for them.” Uconnect was a multimedia system on steroids: entertainment, phone, navigation, voice command, controls, and wifi: perfect for testing for distractions. The Enterprise was in the second year of a three-year contract with Chrysler.

And on this day, there was plenty of distraction going on: radio playing, Uconnect with lots of buttons to play with, a road ahead on the computer screen, and many people walking in and out of the room. Students took turns behind the wheel of the 60 mph simulation. Some did a little off-roading and even off-globing.

Woller-Carter said they also have some work with the HVAC folks at Chrysler, including a smartphone app for adjusting temperature from anywhere in the car.

One key to all their app work is to keep them user friendly. “There are so many bad apps today,” said second-year computer engineering major Andrew Timmerman. He, too, took a turn on the simulator, exploring some of the features of the Uconnect: estimated time to complete the required number of laps at 60, various gauge settings, including temperature, etc.

The eye-tracking will be an interesting undertaking, the assembled students thought. Eye-tracking is a method employed in usability studies where sensors record where humans’ eyes are focused. Currently, eye-tracking uses six sensor points on the face and it loses accuracy when you move your head. That has important ramifications when you are analyzing distractions.

The HIDE plan might include adding more sensor points to prevent data loss, Woller-Carter said.

“Or we might just come up with a whole new system,” she said.

She also said it was important for the two teams (design and evaluation) to see the whole design process, to not just design or test.

Read more in Tech Today
by Dennis Walikainen, senior editor

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Huntoon Named to AGI Executive Committee

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Jackie Huntoon, dean of the Graduate School and associate provost for graduate education, has been named to the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) executive committee.

Huntoon joins new members Berry H. (Nick) Tew, Jr., state geologist of Alabama and director of the geological survey of Alabama; and Dorian Kuper, cofounder and president of Kuper Consulting LLC. The new members of the AGI Executive Committee will be installed at the Friends of AGI Reception during the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to AGI, Huntoon, “through her work as dean and at numerous geoscience societies and agencies, has helped increase diversity and strengthen the geosciences as a whole.”

Founded in 1948, the American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists.

Published in Tech Today

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Students Named to National, Regional SWE Posts

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Two members of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section at Michigan Tech, Kaitlyn Bunker and Alicia Walby, have been elected to regional and national positions within the organization.

Bunker, an electrical engineering PhD student, is the new collegiate director of SWE and sits on its national board of directors. The collegiate director is the only student who sits on the board, and Bunker is responsible for giving the collegiate members a voice. “I’ll be the first graduate student in the position in quite a while. I also come from a smaller, but really active section, so I can bring a new perspective,” she said.

Bunker was the president of the Michigan Tech section for two years and served on a national-level committee focused on leadership coaching for SWE sections.

Bunker is enthusiastic about developing her leadership skills as SWE collegiate director. “I’m most excited about the connections and new people that I’ll meet from around the country. I’ll also be able to help guide the society forward as it develops its new strategic plan. This is a great opportunity for me to give back to SWE because I’ve gained so much from being a part of it.”

Walby, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major, was elected one of the new regional collegiate representatives (RCRs) for Region H, which encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It is the largest SWE region, with more than 2,800 members. She was inspired to serve as an RCR during her tenure as communications editor for Region H last year. In her new position, Walby now maintains the flow of information between the sections in her region and the national organization. Walby also works with sections that are not in good standing to help them get back on their feet.

Walby is looking forward to working with the presidents of the collegiate SWE sections in Region H. “There are so many great female leaders, and it’s awesome to see what kinds of things they’re doing with their sections. It’s motivation for me to keep pushing them to make their sections even better.”

Like Bunker, Walby has benefited from her involvement in SWE. “I’ve gotten to know so many people from around the nation from attending conferences. It’s great to go to a regional conference be able to say ‘Hey, how have you been?’ to some of the professional members,” she said.

Gretchen Hein, one of the SWE advisors, says that Bunker and Walby’s positions will benefit the SWE section at Michigan Tech. “This will increase our visibility, both at the regional and national levels over time. I also hope that their involvement will inspire other members to apply for regional and national positions as well.”

SWE focuses on the advancement of women in engineering, but the section at Michigan Tech is open to both men and women of all majors. The section meets every other Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Chemical Sciences and Engineering 101. More information about the SWE section at Michigan Tech is available at Michigan Tech SWE. To learn more about the national society visit Society of Women Engineers.

by Travis Gendron, student writer
Published in Tech Today

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Two Tech Teams Chosen for Clean Energy Challenge

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Two teams from Michigan Tech have been chosen to join in the Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge. Twenty-seven teams were chosen from 71 teams that applied from across the state. Through the challenge, teams will learn the skills needed to start a successful company, through classroom and hands-on learning. The teams will also meet regularly with their on-campus mentors and venture capitalists and have access to a micro-grant program offering up to $2,500 for each team to move their business forward.

The Tech teams are GreenedIt!, a web-based application for energy auditing, and Aquaponics, for healthy, local food in urban communities.

GreenedIt! team members are physics students Travis Beaulieu, an undergraduate, and graduate student Abhilash Kantamneni. The team traveled to East Lansing for their initial training this past weekend. “The training we received through the challenge was incredibly useful,” said Beaulieu. “The whole point was to try and get young entrepreneurs into the mindset of finding a customer need and forming the idea around the customer’s feedback. Thankfully this training worked for our team, and we had a complete pivot during the weekend.”

The other team, Aquaponics, features indoor farming using water instead of soil, with a fish tank providing nutrients to plants. Team members include Robert Handler, post-doctoral environmental engineer in the Sustainable Futures Institute; Josh Krugh, economics undergraduate; and Jacob Bray, chemical engineering undergraduate. “Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics,” Handler said. “And we want to examine the potential for this type of agriculture to expand as a business opportunity in urban communities throughout the state.”

On the final day of the venture challenge, all participating teams will present their results, and a few teams will be awarded additional prizes and investments totaling $50,000 or more. The six-month challenge is run by the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship.

Published in Tech Today.

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Inaugural Ada Lovelace Day Celebration at Michigan Tech

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Michigan Tech will hold its inaugural celebration of Ada Lovelace Day, an annual event held to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of women to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM fields.

Tech’s celebration will be a two-day series of events beginning at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in Fisher 139 as Professor Martha Sloan (ECE) and guest speakers Mary Long and Michelle Eggart discuss their experiences as women working in STEM fields.

On Wednesday, Oct. 17, from 8 to 10 p.m., in Fisher 135 there will be a film screening of “The Gender Chip Project” followed by a panel discussion featuring female faculty and graduate students from departments across campus, including Sarah Green, Nina Mahmoudian, Laura Brown, Patty Sotirin and Kaitlyn Bunker, who will discuss their experiences as women in STEM disciplines of academia.

Both events are free and open to the public, and concessions will be provided free of charge for the film screening. To view the event flyer, visit Ada Lovelace.

In addition, there will be a display on the first floor of the J. R. Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library featuring books and articles by women in STEM.

For information about upcoming diversity-related events, contact Renee Wells at rrwells@mtu.edu to subscribe to the weekly Diversity Programs listserv.

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Homecoming 2012 Blends Old with New

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We are in the midst of Homecoming Week at Michigan Tech, and the venerable favorites have been joined by some new events that organizers hope will become traditions, too.

Rachel Wussow, associate director of student activities, says the new items resulted from student input. “Kickball has replaced powderpuff football for the women and football for the men,” she said. “We are getting more teams, as we feel it is more inclusive, especially for the international students.” Kickball began Sunday and the championship games are tonight at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m. at the softball fields. Window painting has changed, too. “We decided to paint the windows at the SDC, to add more spirit for the athletes,” Wussow said. “They came out really nice.”

To view a complete list of all of this week’s activities and events, see Homecoming.

“We’ll have shuttle buses running to help alleviate the congestion, especially with Family Weekend,” Wussow said.

Also part of the festivities is the induction of seven new members into the Huskies Sports Hall of Fame, Friday night. Allison Bailey (Bottoms), Kurt Coduti, Paul Kerrtu, Sandy Johnson, Robert Peterson and Bill Steele are joined by Tech’s first national championship team–the 1961-62 hockey squad. Many members from that team will be on hand for the induction and reunion for the 50th anniversary of their NCAA title.

Saturday includes Huskies football at 1 p.m., with Northwood in town. The king and queen will be announced at halftime. The hockey Huskies face Lake Superior State Saturday night at 7:07 p.m., with the all-important broomball battle for the Alumni Cup following the game.

Published in Tech Today by Dennis Walikainen, senior editor.

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ESC Graduate Travel Grants Awarded for Fall

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The Ecosystem Science Center is pleased to announce the eleven graduate student travel grant awardees for fall travel to conferences within the United States and Canada.

  • Ruth Bennett (SFRES) awarded $500 to attend a workshop on the Winter Habitat Conservation of the Golden-winged Warbler in Washington, DC, Oct. 27–31 (Joe Bump, advisor)
  • Ashley Coble (Bio Sci) awarded $500 to present a talk at the American Geophysical Union Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., Dec 3-7 (Amy Marcarelli, advisor)
  • Stacy Cotey (SFRES) awarded $500 to give a poster presentation at the Wildlife Society Annual Conference in Portland, Ore., Oct 13-18 (Audrey Mayer, advisor)
  • Ram Deo (SFRES) awarded $500 to give a poster presentation at the Silvilaser Conference in Vancouver, B.C., Sept 16-18 (Mike Falkowski, advisor)
  • Anna Hess (SFRES) awarded $500 to present a talk at the Entomological Society of America Annual Conference in Knoxville, Tenn., Nov 11-14 (Andrew Storer, advisor)
  • Lilli Kaarakka (SFRES) awarded $500 to give a poster presentation at the Society of American Foresters in Spokane, Wash., Oct 24-28 (Andy Burton, advisor)
  • Bryan Murray (SFRES) awarded $500 to present a talk at the Wildlife Society Annual Conference in Portland, Ore., Oct 13-18 (Chris Webster, advisor)
  • Nan Pond (SFRES) awarded $500 to present a talk at the Society of American Foresters in Spokane, Wash., Oct 24-28 (Robert Froese, advisor)
  • Karl Romanowicz (SFRES) awarded $500 to present a talk at the American Geophysical Union Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., Dec. 3-7 (Erik Lilleskov, advisor)
  • Luis Verissimo (SFRES) awarded $500 to give a poster presentation at the Silvilaser Conference in Vancouver, B.C., Sept 16-18 (Mike Falkowski, advisor)
  • Anio Virtanen (SFRES) awarded $500 to give a poster presentation at the Society of American Foresters in Spokane, Wash., Oct 24-28 (Audrey Mayer, advisor)
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