Interesting stories about and for our students.
Michigan Tech held its Midyear Commencement this past Saturday, with the Board of Control granting 292 bachelor’s degree, 85 master’s degrees, and 24 doctorates.
Two of these students, Casey Rudkin and Josh Carlson, were featured in the Daily Mining Gazette. Casey earned her doctorate in Rhetoric and Technical Communication, and Josh earned his doctorate in Chemical Engineering.
His thesis, “Objective Metric for Assessing the Perceived Annoyance of Impulsive Sounds” developed a new method to objectively quantify the overall sound quality of electro-mechanical devices. This method could improve the design process for these devices by replacing current subjective sound evaluation methods, which are typically expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to quantify.
The four won the best paper in the nanotechnology division, one of 18 categories, and the prestigious Paul A. Siple Award for the overall outstanding technical paper presented at the conference.
The lead author on the paper is Tech alumnus Mark Griep, who earned a PhD in mechanical engineering in 2008. Griep now works at the Army Research Laboratory at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. The paper was based on research he did at Tech for his PhD and during summer research for the Army.
Griep’s advisor, Professor Craig Friedrich, who holds the Robbins Chair in Sustainable Design and Manufacturing, is a coauthor of the paper. Friedrich is also associate chair and director of graduate studies in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics.
Other coauthors include Shashi Karna, a senior scientist at the Army Research Laboratory and a member of the ME-EM External Advisory Board; and alumnus Eric Winder, who earned a PhD in biological sciences in 2010 and is now a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest Laboratory near Seattle. Winder was advised by Friedrich and retired professor John Adler.
The paper, which was singled out among more than 800 abstracts submitted, is titled “Nanoscale Bioelectronics for Real-Time Target Sensing.” It describes the integration of biological materials with electronics to create a sensor that could be up to three times more optically sensitive than current technology. Such systems are envisioned for sensors small enough to be carried by a small projectile fired by a soldier or dropped from an unmanned aerial vehicle to determine the possible presence of chemical or biological materials. Because protein can activate individual transistors, a small electronic chip containing thousands of transistors could sense multiple toxins. A real-time, electronics-based biosensor will have a wide array of military and civilian applications, potentially leading to extremely sensitive, small, low-power, stand-alone, sensing arrays.
One potential application: They may also be useful for bio-solar cells.
These award-winning papers were selected for originality of subject matter, relevance to the scientific discipline and the Army, potential impact on current and future soldiers, soundness of scientific methodology, and clarity of the presentation. The Siple Award recognizes the accomplishments of Army scientists and engineers. It is named after Paul A. Siple, a scientist, intellectual and scientific attaché. The ASC conference attracted more than 1,500 representatives of government, academia and industry from the US and 25 countries.
For more information about the conference, visit: http://armyscienceconference.com/.
Published in Tech Today.
The Daily Mining Gazette is publishing a cookbook, and it invited readers to submit recipes for consideration. A panel of judges at the newspaper has chosen finalists from more than 100 recipes submitted, and Tech international student Komal Tayal’s tandoori chicken was one of the top three selected. She and the other finalists will cook their dishes for a taste-off at the Gazette next week. Winners will have their recipes, photos and stories included in the cookbook.
Tayal is a graduate student in mechanical engineering. She cooked tandoori chicken for Khana Khazana last week.
Published in Tech Today.
Student chefs from Thailand and India will cook for the final Khana Khazana (food treasure) before winter break, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, in the Memorial Union Food Court.
The international lunch will feature pad Thai cooked by Parawee Pumwongpitak, a graduate student in materials science and engineering, and mutter paneer, naan and kesariya doodh, prepared by Sahil Thakkar, an undergraduate in electrical engineering technology. Mutter paneer is a curry made with green peas and Indian cheese, served with Indian bread called naan. Kesariya Doodh is a milk beverage with saffron and nuts. Pad Thai is a Thai favorite made with stir-fried noodles, bean sprouts and shrimp.
A full meal costs $6. The entrees (pad Thai and mutter paneer with naan) are available a la carte for $3. The beverage is available by itself for $2.
Khana Khazana is a collaboration of international students and Dining Services. It is open to the campus and the community.
Published in Tech Today.
Congressman Bart Stupak will address nearly 300 graduates at Midyear Commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 11. A total of 242 students will be receiving bachelor’s degrees. In addition, 26 master’s degrees and 18 doctorates will be awarded.
Stupak will receive an Honorary Doctorate in Environmental and Energy Policy. He is retiring in January after 18 years of service to Michigan’s 1st Congressional District. He is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and, as the ranking Democrat, chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. Before his election in 1992, Stupak was a Michigan state representative and worked as an Escanaba police officer and Michigan State Police trooper. He also practiced law. A graduate of Gladstone High School, he earned an associate degree from Northwestern Michigan College, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northern Michigan University and a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing.
Health care has been a priority for Stupak since he was elected to Congress, when he pledged not to accept the insurance that members of Congress receive until all Americans could have access to that same quality health care. He has been a leader in the international effort to ban the sale and diversion of the Great Lakes and opposed the drilling for oil and gas beneath the Great Lakes. Stupak founded and cochaired the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, a bipartisan organization that provides the law enforcement community with an avenue to participate in the legislative process. He has been a leader in homeland security, particularly in connection with programs to train and equip local law enforcement officers and other first responders. In addition, Stupak cochairs the Congressional Northern Border Caucus.
Published in Tech Today.
A ballet/dance performance of “A Christmas Carol,” featuring a cast of many Tech students, will be at the Calumet Theatre at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 3, and at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 4.
Donna Armistead, of International Programs and Services, is the choreographer.
These students will perform:
Scrooge will be played by John Griebel ’09 (MS, Industrial Archaeology).
As well, the dance will feature children of faculty and staff.
The University Transportation Center for Materials in Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure (UTC‐MiSTI) has selected Darrell Cass as its 2010 “Student of the Year.”
Cass will receive a $1,000 award, travel and registration expenses to attend the 90th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Conference in Washington, DC, and a certificate from the US Department of Transportation.
The TRB conference annually attracts more than 10,000 participants, including university researchers and students, government officials and industry professionals.
Cass received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Tech and will complete his master’s degree in May 2011.
His past research included sustainability applied to construction practices and transportation infrastructure. His current research involves quantifying greenhouse gas emissions associated with highway construction and rehabilitation for the Michigan Department of Transportation. This work will help develop tools to support transportation agencies in making more sustainable decisions in managing transportation infrastructure systems.
Cass, who is advised by Assistant Professor Amlan Mukherjee (CEE), has presented his research at the 89th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in 2010; the 2010 Construction Research Congress; the 2010 National Local Technical Assistance Program Association Annual Conference; and the International Conference on Sustainable Concrete Pavements. In February of 2011 he will present his work at the Louisiana State Engineering Conference.
The Ecosystem Science Center has announced the recipients of its 2010 Fall Graduate Student Travel Grants. Following is the list of recipients and their advisors.
Michigan Tech’s MBA Online, offered by the School of Business and Economics, is mentioned in the Bloomberg Business Week Business School Rankings and Profiles.
The Tech MBA Online is one of 50 listed in the distance learning section, and the site says, “Advances in educational technology have made distance learning programs a viable alternative to attending bricks-and-mortar campuses.”
“We are pleased to see the online program getting this well-deserved attention,” says Darrell Radson, dean, School of Business and Economics.
School officials said the two-year Tech MBA Online focuses on technology and innovation management. The degree incorporates a solid foundation of fundamental business disciplines, including a global perspective. Training professionals to be ethical leaders who manage financially sound but sustainable organizations is also a program goal. The degree program includes two weekend residencies and a weeklong international residency.
“The uniqueness of our program centers on its connection to technology,” according to Radson. “We are using the expertise of our university and our business school to train students to take new ideas and concepts and move them into new products and new businesses.”
For more information about the Tech MBA Online, call Ruth Archer, graduate program director, at 487-3055, or visit www.mbaonline.mtu.edu .
Published in Tech Today.