Graduate School Newsblog

Tag: Chemical Engineering

ESC/BRC Student Research Forum Winners Announced

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The Ecosystem Science Center and the Biotechnology Research Center announced award recipients of the Ninth Annual ESC/BRC Student Research Forum, held March 27.

For the graduate students, two Grand Prize Awards and six Merit Awards were presented. They were selected from among the 59 posters and abstracts submitted by graduate students conducting research related to ecology, the environment and biotechnology at Michigan Tech.  Posters will continue to be on display in the atrium of the Forestry building through April 12.

Graduate Research
$500 Grand Prizes
Biotechnology Research Center
Ramkumar Mohan (SBL) for, “miR-483, a Novel MicroRNA Expressed in Pancreatic Beta Cells but not in Alpha Cells,” Advisor: Xiaoqing Tang

Ecosystem Science Center
Adam Coble (FFS) for, “Comparison of Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) Leaf Morphology in a Closed-canopy and Canopy Gap,” Adviser: Molly Cavaleri

$100 Merit Awards
Biotechnology Research Center
Komal K. Bollepogu Raja (IBMB) for, “The Role of Toolkit Genes in the Evolution of Complex Wing, Thorax, and Abdominal Color Patterns in Drosophila guttifera,” Advisor: Thomas Werner

Maria Tafur (ECM) for, “Reduction of Porcine Parvovirus Infectivity in the Presence of Protecting Osmolytes, ” Advisor: Caryn Heldt

Ecosystem Science Center
Brian Danhoff (SBL) for, “Manistee River Tributaries as Potential Arctic Grayling Habitat,” Advisor: Casey Huckins

Anthony Matthys (SBL) for, “Estimating Physical Habitat Characteristics and Fish Habitat Preference within Streams: A Tool for Restoration Monitoring,” Advisor: Casey Huckins

James Olson (SBL) for, “Evaluating the Impact of Culvert Designs on Hydrologic Connectivity and Nutrient Uptake in Northern Wisconsin Streams,” Advisor: Amy Marcarelli

Julie Padilla (EEN) for, “An Evaluation of the Proposed MDEQ Water Quality Standard for Copper in the Upper Peninsula Using Two Multimetric Approaches,” Advisor: Noel Urban

Published in TechToday

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Michigan Tech Graduate Engineering Programs Climb in US News Rankings

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By Jennifer Donovan

Four Michigan Technological University graduate engineering programs rose in the latest US News & World Report graduate school rankings, released today.

Chemical engineering’s graduate program moved up to 60th in the nation, from 91st last year.  Electrical engineering’s ranking rose from 102nd to 89th.  Computer engineering was ranked 80th this year, compared to 91st last year.  And Materials engineering rose to 50th from 51st.

“Chemical engineering is definitely a program on the rise and it’s nice to get the external recognition we deserve,” said Komar Kawatra, chair of chemical engineering.

Dan Fuhrmann, chair of electrical and computer engineering was pleased with the higher rankings of both his programs. “We are delighted to see that our graduate programs in electrical and computer engineering are receiving this recognition,” he said. ” It is a reflection of our deliberate efforts over the past decade to increase the size and improve the quality and visibility of our graduate and research activity.  In particular, we are seeing renewed interest at the master’s degree level in our power programs, which have always been excellent.”

The new graduate school rankings place Michigan Technological University’s graduate engineering programs overall in the top 100 nationwide. The magazine’s latest rankings, released today, list Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering graduate programs at 89th

“This year’s rankings of Michigan Tech’s programs will help some of our programs get the national attention and recognition they deserve,” said Jackie Huntoon, dean of the Graduate School. “The increased ranking of chemical engineering and electrical and computer engineering are particularly notable. These rankings, while dismissed by some as highly imperfect measures of quality, are important because students and their families use the rankings to estimate the potential return on an investment in a Michigan Tech education.“

Michigan Tech’s other engineering programs are ranked as follows in the new report:

Tech’s Biomedical engineering graduate program was not ranked.

“We’ve seen some success in the short time that I’ve been here, and I’m glad for that,” said Bill Worek, dean of the College of Engineering. “The increase in some of the disciplines is encouraging, but there is more work to be done to further enhance the visibility of our graduate programs.”

US News says its rankings are based on two types of data: expert opinions about program excellence and statistical measures of the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. Graduate programs are reviewed annually in engineering, business, law, medicine and the sciences. This year, 199 engineering schools that offer graduate degrees were evaluated.

Statistical data considered includes the ratio of students to faculty, acceptance rate, average Graduate Record Exam score, the school’s total research expenditure and research expenditure per faculty member, graduate enrollment and number of PhDs granted.

Peer assessment data comes from deans of engineering schools, program directors and senior engineering faculty.

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Fall 2012 Finishing Fellowships Announced

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce the recipients of the fall 2012 finishing fellowships. The fellowships were made available by the support of the Graduate School.

The recipients were:

  • Qi Gao, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
  • Pradeep Kumar, PhD candidate in Engineering Physics
  • Kenny Ng, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
  • Le Xin, PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering
  • Mimi Yang, PhD candidate in Chemistry
  • Xiaoliang Zhong, PhD candidate in Physics

Finishing fellowship applications for summer 2013 are due no later than 4pm on March 6, 2013. Application procedures and photographs of recent recipients can be found online.

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New theses available in the Library

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Policy
  • Geology
  • Industrial Archaeology
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Rhetoric and Technical Communication
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New theses available in the Library

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The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:

  • Biological Sciences
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering Science
  • Forestry
  • Geological Engineering
  • Geology
  • Geophysics
  • Industrial Archaeology
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Physics
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Enterprise Students Help 3M Build a Better Taillight

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Drivers of many new cars will have better taillights, thanks to a partnership between Michigan Technological University students and 3M.

Michigan Tech’s Consumer Products Manufacturing and Blue Marble Security Enterprise–teams of students that take on challenges faced by industry–tested 3M’s Uniform Lighting Lens (ULL), investigating the optical properties of the material. Four years later, that material is now on the market and will be debuting on more cars in the near future.

The project was “a good example of getting students involved with problems of interest to industry,” said Brett Spigarelli, a PhD candidate is chemical engineering at Michigan Tech and advisor to the Consumer Products Manufacturing Enterprise. on Mountain native, said. “It’s a lot of what you do when you get out there on the job,” explained Spigarelli, an Iron Mountain native who worked on the 3M project as an undergraduate at Michigan Tech.

ULL is designed to better disperse the light of LEDs (light emitting diode), increasing effectiveness while still enjoying the same energy savings compared to halogen bulbs. The challenge was in applying ULL, a film, in industrial applications and ensuring that it would hold up to the manufacturing process. This was where 3M asked Michigan Tech students to step in early in 2009.

For the full story, see taillight.

Published in TechToday by Kevin Hodur, creative writer

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BRC Graduate Travel Grants Awarded for Fall 2012

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The Biotechnology Research Center Announces the Recipients for its Fall 2012 Travel Grants

Graduate Recipients include:

  • Tayloria Adams (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Felix Adom (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
  • Zainab I. Alshoug (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Ran An (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Xiaochu Ding (SCH); POLY-ACS 9th Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium (poster)
  • Stephanie Hamilton (EBE); American Society of Biomechanics Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Sean Hopkins (EBE); BMES 2012 Annual Conference (poster)
  • Robert Larson (SBL); SLEEP 2012 26th Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Venkata Ramana R. Pidatala (SBL); ASA, CSSA and SSSA Annual Meetings (poster)
  • Aparupa Sengupta (SBL); Society for Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (poster)
  • Maria Tafur Agudelo (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
  • Khrupa S. Vijayaragavan (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (podium)
  • Shuaicheng Wang (SMAG); The Genetic Analysis Workshops (podium and poster)
  • Xu Xiang (SCH); 245th ACS National Meeting (poster)
  • Chungja Yang (ECM); 2012 AIChE Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Huan Yang (SBL); SLEEP 2012 26th Annual Meeting (poster)
  • Jingtuo Zhang (SCH); 244th ACS National Meeting (poster)

Published in TechToday

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NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program

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Recipients of the graduate scholarship will be awarded up to two years with a third year option based on academic standing and programmatic requirements.

Five graduate scholarships will be awarded annually.

Students awarded scholarships will be provided the opportunity for two 10 week internships performing aeronautical research at a NASA center during the first two years they are enrolled in the program.  List of Supported Fields

The scholarship award includes:

  • $35,000 annual stipend
  • Up to $11,000 awarded for each school year, to be used for tuition and other education related expenses
  • Two (2) $10,000 Summer internship at a NASA Research Center

Eligibility:

  • Graduate Students must have received or be on track to receive their bachelor’s degrees by Fall 2013, or they may be currently enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program but will not receive their degree until Spring 2015 or after.
  • All applicants must have at least two (2) years of full time study left to be eligible for the Program

To apply, https://nasa.asee.org/apply

Application deadline is January 15, 2013

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