A paper by Yun Hang Hu and graduate student Yan Huo was among the most-read articles in the Journal of Physical Chemistry during the second quarter of 2012. “Fast and Exothermic Reaction of CO2 and Li3N into C–N-Containing Solid Materials” showed that carbon nitride could be made in an exothermic reaction of carbon dioxide and a lithium compound. Read more about Hu’s discovery at Carbon Nitride.
Four Michigan Tech students have received graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Six other Tech students received honorable mentions in the competition. Nationwide, the NSF awarded 2,000 fellowships and 1,835 honorable mentions.
Mark Hopkins, (graduate student) mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics; Brennan Tymrak, mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics and Peace Corps Master’s International; Jennifer Fuller, civil and environmental engineering; and Liz Cloos, electrical and computer engineering, received NSF fellowships for graduate study. Bryan Plunger (graduate student, mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics), Alan Olds, Evan Lucas, Hilary Morgan (graduate student, geology), Byrel Mitchell (graduate student, mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics) and Patrick Bowen (graduate student, materials science and engineering) earned honorable mentions.
NSF graduate research fellowships recognize and support outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees. The fellows receive a $30,000 annual stipend for three years, plus international research and professional development opportunities and supercomputer access. Each fellow’s institution receives a $12,000 allowance.
“This group is exceptional and well deserving of the awards and honors,” said Jodi Lehman, coordinator of sponsored programs enhancement. Lehman worked closely with the NSF graduate research fellowship applicants. “Their success is also largely due to faculty and administrators who are committed to providing our students with the challenging academic experiences, innovative research, leadership training, and local and global outreach opportunities that make Michigan Tech applicants competitive.”
by Jennifer Donovan, director, public relations
Published in Tech Today
Michigan Tech faculty, staff members and students received awards tallying $101,875 through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC), sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which includes 11 university members.
Michigan Tech received 18 percent of the available research seed grant funding, 24 percent of the undergraduate fellowship funding, 33 percent of the graduate fellowship funding and 41 percent of the precollege, public outreach, teacher training and augmentation proposal funding.
- Six undergraduates received $2,500 for research fellowships.
- Five graduate students received $5,000 for research fellowships.
- Brenda Bergman (Forest Science): “Mercury movement through the earth systems: better understanding biotic controls over inter-system contaminant transfer while enhancing students’ motivation to engage in STEM and reduce atmospheric pollution”
- Patrick Bowen (Materials Science and Engineering): “Exploring the effect of group IV elements on the mechanical and corrosion performance of magnesium”
- Baron Colbert (Civil Engineering): “Using Nonmetals Separated From E-Waste in Improving the Mechanical Properties of Asphalt Materials”
- Colin Gurganus (Atmospheric Sciences): “Exploring Cloud Microphysics in the Laboratory: Heterogeneous Nucleation Pathways”
- Lauren Schaefer (Geology): “Multidisciplinary approach to volcanic hazard monitoring at Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala”
- Two faculty received $5,000 in seed grants.
- Seven faculty and staff received $5,000 or more for precollege, public outreach, teacher training or augmentation.
Tech’s representative for the program is Chris Anderson, special assistant to the president, Institutional Diversity. She says, “This recognition and support help keep Michigan Tech students, faculty and staff on the cutting edge of inquiry and research. The number of awards we receive annually in this competitive process is impressive and underscores the quality of our proposals.”
For a list of all the awards and award winners, see Space Grants.
NASA implemented the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program in 1989 to provide funding for research, education and public outreach in space-related science and technology. The program has 52 university-based consortia in the United States and Puerto Rico. As an affiliate of the Michigan Consortium, Michigan Tech has participated in MSGC for over fifteen years.
For more information, contact Anderson at 487-2474 or at csanders@mtu.edu , or visit the MSGC website at MSGC.
submitted by Lisa Wallace, Institutional Diversity
Published in Tech Today
The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations 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
- Forest Ecology and Management
- Geophysics
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Rhetoric and Technical Communication
The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Forestry
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics
Procter & Gamble’s Doctoral Recruiting Program is currently accepting applications for a limited number of internship opportunities for students pursuing PhDs in most Engineering (all disciplines), Chemistry (all disciplines), Life Sciences (all disciplines), Mathematical Science, Material Science, Veterinary Science, and Nutrition. The program is a paid, full time summer internship at our Cincinnati, OH or Boston, MA research facilities. The preferred period for the 10 to 12 week internship is June 1 to September 1. At P&G, Intern sessions are considered temporary employment, with a predicted ending point. No full-time employment commitments are made; however, depending on satisfactory completion of certain criteria, candidates may be considered for full-time positions upon obtaining their PhD.
To Apply:
- Please go to www.experiencepg.com
- Click on Search Jobs
- Enter Job #RND00002218
- Click Apply
The Graduate School is pleased to announce Finishing Fellowship recipients for the fall and spring semesters. Finishing fellowships provide support to PhD candidates who are close to completing their degrees. These fellowships are available through the generosity of alumni and friends of the University. They are intended to recognize outstanding PhD candidates who are in need of financial support to finish their degrees and are also contributing to the attainment of goals outlined in The Michigan Tech Plan.
Recipients for fall 2011 were:
- Irfan Ahmed, PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering
- Surendar R. Dhadi, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
- Neluka K. Dissanayake, PhD candidate in Engineering Physics
- Shu Wei Goh, PhD candidate in Civil Engineering
- Amber M. Roth, PhD candidate in Forest Science
Recipients for spring 2012 are:
- Zeyad T. Ahmed, PhD candidate in Environmental Engineering
- Kefeng Li, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences
Charles L. Lawton Endowed Fellowship - Saikat Mukhopadhyay, PhD candidate in Physics
- Zhiwei Peng, PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering
Doctoral Finishing Fellowship - Lindsey M. Shartell, PhD candidate in Forest Science
Neil V. Hakala Endowed Fellowship
Nominations are currently open for summer 2012 finishing fellowships. Materials are due no later than 4pm, March 14th. See complete details online about the application and review procedure.
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:
- Applied Ecology
- Applied Natural Resource Economics
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Policy
- Forest Ecology and Management
- Geology
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected Bhakta Rath to the rank of Fellow, honoring him for his “outstanding contributions in materials science and engineering and for leadership in advancing research and technology to support national security.”
Rath, who graduated from Michigan Tech in 1958 with a master’s in metallurgical and materials engineering, is the associate director of research and the head of the Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate of the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.
He was speaker at the 2007 Midyear Commencement, when he was awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering.
The AAAS honor will be bestowed at a ceremony at the organization’s annual meeting in Vancouver, BC, Canada, later this month.
The mission of the AAAS is to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs and science education.
A native of India, Rath has also been elected to the National Academy of Engineering and is a fellow of the Minerals and Materials Society, the Materials Research Society of India, and the Institute of Materials of the United Kingdom.
The Graduate School is pleased to announce new theses and dissertations are now available in the J.R. van Pelt and Opie Library from the following programs:
- Applied Ecology
- Applied Natural Resource Economics
- Biological Sciences
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Forest Ecology and Management
- Forest Science
- Geophysics
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
- Physics
- Rhetoric and Technical Communication