Tag: Electrical Engineering

IEEE Presidents’ Change the World Competition

Presidents’ Change the World Competition

The IEEE Presidents’ Change the World Competition recognizes and rewards students who identify a real-world problem and apply engineering, science, computing, and leadership skills to solve it. The contest offers students the perfect opportunity to have their ingenuity and enthusiasm for engineering and technology recognized by prestigious IEEE members around the globe.

Participants may compete as an individual or as a team.

Individuals: Individuals who compete must be IEEE Student Members [who are at least 18 years of age].

Teams: Teams must include an IEEE Student Member in a lead role, but may include non-members. [All team members must be at least 18 years of age.]  Teammates do not need to be from the same country or region. However, an entry may be submitted to only one region for judging.

Individuals or team members must be IEEE student members at the time their entry is submitted.

The students must play the primary role in the problem-solving; however, they may receive technical and financial assistance from others.

Please note that the intent and spirit of the competition is for the students, not others, to solve a problem. Persons acting as team mentors or in a mentorship role must limit the level of support provided to general guidance and must not contribute in any other form that might be considered original authorship, or in any way that may enable claims of rights or ownership to the submitted entries. In no case will work-on-behalf of teams or individuals be allowed.

Entries must be submitted using the form housed on the competition Web site at ieeechangetheworld.org.  Requirements include the following:

  • Project title
  • Description
  • Solution
  • Impact on humanity or community
  • Project testing/implementation status
  • Primary leader name and contact information, including:
  • First name
  • Last name
  • University
  • Home address
  • City
  • State
  • Country
  • Zip
  • Phone
  • Email

First In Series of Federal Funding Workshops – Sept 15th and 16th.

A federal fellowship/scholarship writing workshop will be held on Wednesday, September 15th  and Thursday, September 16th at 4:00 in Fisher 135.

You will only need to attend one of the workshops, as they are the same workshop, different days and time.

During the workshop we will review 3 samples of NSF GRFP personal statement essays. Tips will be given on how to organize your essay, utilize wording, and meet the merit criteria expected by reviewers

Prepare for the workshop by:

1. Understanding how NSF defines “broader impacts”

2. Brainstorming answers to NSF “personal statement” questions


    If you (or someone you know) plan on attending, please RSVP to Jodi Lehman (jglehman@mtu.edu).

    New Theses and Dissertations Available in the Library

    The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations from the following programs:

    • Civil Engineering
    • Electrical Engineering
    • Environmental Engineering
    • Environmental Policy
    • Forest Ecology and Management
    • Forest Science
    • Industrial Archaeology
    • Mathematical Sciences
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics

    are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library.

    New theses and dissertations in Library

    The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations from the following programs:

    • Applied Ecology
    • Applied Natural Resource Economics
    • Biological Sciences
    • Chemistry
    • Civil Engineering
    • Electrical Engineering
    • Environmental Engineering
    • Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
    • Geology
    • Mineral Economics
    • Rhetoric and Technical Communication

    are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library.

    Electrical Engineering Graduate Students Earn Silver Award

    Associate Professor Chunxiao Chigan, electrical and computer engineering, had two of her PhD students, Congyi Liu and Zhengming Li, win the 2010 ITS-Michigan (Intelligent Transportation Society) Student Paper Silver Award .

    Liu’s paper is “Reliable Structure-less Message Aggregation and Robust Dissemination in VANETs,” and Li’s paper is “On Resource-Aware Message Verification and Privacy Issues in VANETs.” Liu and Li presented their papers at the ITS-MI Annual Program May 13 in Dearborn.

    Published in Tech Today

    PCA Inducts New Members and Honor Students

    On Friday, April 16, nine alumnae were inducted into the Presidential Council of Alumnae (PCA). In addition to the nine new inductees, 30 PCA members were also on campus for their annual business meeting April 14-16.

    The PCA advises the President on campus climate issues, provides suggestions for enhancing the University’s environment for students, and assists the President by identifying programs and activities that will benefit Michigan Tech. PCA works with the Office of Institutional Diversity, the Advancement area and the academic departments to help implement their ideas and support the University’s strategic plan.

    The inductees are as follows:

    • Nancy A. Auer (Arnold), Biological Sciences, ’95 (PhD Alumna Graduate)
    • Ellen M. Bauman (Barrett), Electrical Engineering, ’90 and ’93 (MS Alumna Graduate)
    • Elzbieta G. Berak, Civil Engineering, ’81, Engineering Mechanics, ’85 (PhD Alumna Graduate)
    • Michelle-Anne Christensen (Irmen), Geological Engineering, ’84, Civil Engineering, ’86
    • Kathleen Haselmaier (Calder), Computer Science, ’84
    • Wendy L. Kram (Davidson), Mechanical Engineering, ’91
    • Catherine A. Leslie (Kuchta), Civil Engineering, ’83
    • Barbara K. Lograsso (Kiiskila), Metallurgical Engineering, ’80 and ’82, Metallurgical and Materials Science, ’91 (MS, PhD Alumna Graduate)
    • Erin A. Zimmer (Atwell), Chemistry, ’98

    Another component of the PCA program includes the annual Women of Promise awards. This award recognizes current female students from each academic department who go above and beyond what is expected of them in terms of being a well-rounded student. The award goes to students who have demonstrated academic achievement, campus and community leadership, good citizenship, creativity and other characteristics of high-achieving individuals.

    The honorees are as follows:

    • Anne E. Aho, Social Sciences
    • Ashley N. Benjamin, School of Technology
    • Kaitlyn J. Bunker, Electrical and Computer Engineering
    • Danae N. Danen, Mathematical Sciences
    • Heather L. Dickey, Computer Science
    • Andrea Dixon, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
    • Roxane Gay, Humanities (PhD Alumna Candidate)
    • Krista M. Kasuboski, Exercise Science, Health and Physical Education
    • Chelsea R. Leighton, Visual and Performing Arts
    • Britta C. Lundberg, Material Science and Engineering
    • Amanda L. Malburg, Civil Engineering
    • Jaclyn E. Nesbitt, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (MS Alumna Graduate,  PhD Candidate)
    • Annie L. Putman, Chemistry
    • Leslie M. Sabbann, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (undergraduate)
    • Erin M. Scanlon, Physics
    • Alison J. Springer-Wilson, Chemical Engineering
    • Danielle M. Stoll, Biomedical Engineering
    • Anna A. Uhl, Biological Sciences
    • Donieka R. Walker, Cognitive and Learning Sciences
    • Katherine R. Waring, Environmental Engineering
    • Jill C. Witt, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (PhD Alumna Candidate)
    • Katie L. Wysocky, School of Business and Economics

    Published in Tech Today

    Online Power Engineering MS Marks 10th Anniversary

    A decade ago, Cooper Power asked Michigan Tech to provide its engineers with additional distance-learning training in power engineering. Since then, the electrical and computer engineering faculty have developed a full-fledged online MS in Electrical Engineering that focuses on power systems, as well as two certificate programs.

    Dozens of students, both on and off campus, are now enrolled, and many more have graduated. The program’s strength reflects a renewed awareness of the importance of electrical power, says Professor Bruce Mork, director of Michigan Tech’s Power and Energy Research Center.

    “Energy has become a national security issue,” he says. “It’s more important than ever to have infrastructure that is robust and reliable.”

    The full release is available at the Michigan Tech News site.

    New Theses and Dissertations in the Library

    The Graduate School is pleased to announce the arrival of new theses and dissertations from our recent graduates in the J. R. Van Pelt Library and John and Ruanne Opie Library.  The names of our graduates, their degrees, advisors, and titles of their research are listed below.

    Brian Beachy
    Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Science
    Advisor: Andrew J Storer
    Dissertation title: Impacts of the Exotic Beech Bark Disease Complex in Michigan

    Jessica Beachy
    Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Science
    Advisor: Andrew John Storer
    Dissertation title: The Development of Trapping, Survey and Educational Tools for the Exotic Invasive Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilusplanipennis Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

    Luke Bowman
    Master of Science in Geology
    Advisor: William I Rose
    Thesis title: Community Perceptions of an NGO’s Impact on Disaster Preparedness in Los Planes de La Laguna, Santa Ana Volcano, El Salvador

    Venkat Donuru
    Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry
    Advisor: Haiying Liu
    Dissertation title: Design and Synthesis of Novel BODIPY Polymeric Dyes, and Redox-active Tetrathiafulvalene-Carbohydrate Conjugates for Potential Biosensing Applications

    Chad Fortin
    Master of Science in Applied Ecology
    Coadvisors: Christopher Raymond Webster and David James Flaspohler
    Thesis title: Floristic Quality as a Potential Driver of Vegetative Diversity-Productivity Relationships and Arthropod Habitat in Restored Grasslands

    Bryan Franklin
    Master of Science in Computer Science
    Advisor: Steven R Seidel
    Thesis title: Analysis and Performance of a UPC Implementation of a Parallel Longest Common Subsequence Algorithm

    Valerie Fuchs
    Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering
    Coadvisors: John S Gierke and James R Mihelcic
    Dissertation title: Nitrogen Removal and Sustainability of Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands for Small Scale Wastewater Treatment

    Alex Joseph Varghese
    Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
    Advisor: Paul L Bergstrom
    Thesis title: Fabrication of Piezo Resistive Strain Sensor for Orthopedic Fracture Implant System

    Jodi Lehman
    Doctor of Philosophy in Rhetoric and Technical Communication
    Advisor: Patricia J Sotirin
    Dissertation title: International Teachers in the American Classroom: Deposing the Myth of Monolingualism

    Ruben Otoniel Matias Gomez
    Master of Science in Geology
    Advisor: William I Rose
    Thesis title: Volcanological Map of the 1961-2009 Eruption of Volcande Pacaya, Guatemala

    Julian Mills-Beale
    Master of Science in Civil Engineering
    Advisor: Zhanping You
    Thesis title: New Test Procedures for Aggregate Specific Gravities and Absorption

    Srichand Pendyala
    Master of Science in Computer Science
    Advisor: Robert Louis Pastel
    Thesis title: Sketch Recognition through Shape Based Interaction

    Ratul Saha
    Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences
    Advisor: Susan T Bagley
    Dissertation title: UV Disinfection of Metalworking Fluids: Analysis Using Molecular Tools

    Steven Vormwald
    Master of Science in Computer Science
    Advisor: Steven M Carr
    Thesis title: Predicting Remote Reuse Distance Patterns in Unified Parallel C Applications

    Fuyu Xu
    Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology
    Advisor: Chandrashekhar Pralhad Joshi
    Dissertation title: Molecular Mechanism of Cellulose Biosynthesis in Plants

    New Theses and Dissertations in the Library

    The Graduate School is pleased to announce the arrival of new theses and dissertations from our recent graduates in the J. R. Van Pelt Library and John and Ruanne Opie Library.  The names of our graduates, their degrees, advisors, and titles of their research are listed below.

    Himanshu Bahirat
    Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
    Advisor: Bruce Mork
    Thesis title: Transient Recovery Voltages in Shunt Capacitor Bank Installations

    Shu Wei Goh
    Master of Science in Civil Engineering
    Advisor: Zhanping You
    Thesis title: Development of Specifications for the Superpave Simple Performance Tests

    Nicholas Peterson
    Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
    Advisor: Michael C Roggemann
    Thesis title: Pulse Polarization Radar for Determining Spatial and Material Information about a Target in Orbit