Pavlis Honors College Blog

Category: Awards

Winners Announced: 2024 Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium

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This year marked the 10th annual Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium


This past Friday, March 22, students from across the university came together to share their innovative research at the Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium (URSS). Students from various disciplines united to present their cutting-edge projects, painting a vibrant display of research exploration across departments. Attendees seized the chance to engage directly with these passionate researchers, delving into the intricacies of their work and gaining valuable insights into the world of undergraduate research and scholarship.

The day was brimming with informative events, including a thought-provoking panel discussion on the transformative power of undergraduate research in forging new pathways to success and two dynamic poster sessions provided platforms for students to share their findings with participants and judges.

A heartfelt round of applause is in order for all our remarkable student participants. Their outstanding research endeavors made it a challenging day for our judges, showcasing the incredible depth and breadth of talent within our university community. Let’s extend a special congratulations to our deserving award winners for their exemplary contributions and dedication to advancing knowledge and discovery. Here’s to celebrating their achievements and inspiring future generations of researchers!

First Place winner, Lance Waise

First Place (tie)- 

  • Lance Waise – “Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Research Project”
  • Lindy Oujiri – “Immunofluorescent Labeling for Zinc and Platinum in Old Rats”

Third Place –

  • Haley Marchese – “Targeting Acid Sensing Ion Channel 3 (ASIC3) in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy“

Audience Choice –

  • Scott Severance – “Development of Optical Tweezers to Measure and Predict the Behavior of Collagen Networks”
First Place winner, Lindy Oujiri

Excellence in Presentation – 

  • Lindy Oujiri – “Immunofluorescent Labeling for Zinc and Platinum in Old Rats”
  • Lance Waise – “Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Research Project”
  • Abraham Stone – “A Botanical and Ecological Profile of Isle Royale’s Invasive Hawkweed Complex”

Excellence in Research Content – 

  • Lindy Oujiri – “Immunofluorescent Labeling for Zinc and Platinum in Old Rats”
  • Haley Marchese – “Targeting Acid Sensing Ion Channel 3 (ASIC3) in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy“

Excellence in Design and Format – 

  • Liza Korolkov – “Evaluation of aqueous two-phase systems for the purification of influenza B virus”
  • Lance Waise – “Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Research Project”
  • Mackenzie Russell – “Ameliorated mine waste rock for enhanced weathering and as a soil amendment for bioenergy production”

Thank you to all of our sponsors, student presenters, faculty mentors, judges, and panelists. We are proud to be able to highlight our amazing undergraduate students and celebrate all of their outstanding work.

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Highlight: Innovation Week 2024 and the Bob Mark Pitch Competition Winners

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This year marks Michigan Tech’s eighth year hosting Innovation Week. 

Innovation Week at Michigan Tech was started by a group of University Innovation Fellows (UIFs) in 2017.  At that time, UIFs hosted meet-ups, design thinking challenges, and events to get folks thinking innovatively.  Throughout the years it has evolved, but one thing remains the same, Innovation Week is a celebration of innovation at Michigan Tech. 

The week’s events included presenters from as far as Texas and Traverse City, Michigan as well as right here within Houghton. With the option of both in-person and virtual events, entrepreneurially-minded individuals had the opportunity to join us for one or all events. Husky Innovate kicked off the week with a presentation from our keynote speaker, Dr. L. Brad King, CEO and founder of Orbion Technologies, who shared his journey with Orbion including key insights for startup founders.  On Tuesday, Nate Yenor with the Office of Innovation and Commercialization shared opportunities for startup collaboration resulting from research here at Tech.  Wednesday, former IBM Corps. executive and Michigan Tech alum John Soyring (EE ‘76 &  Honorary Doctorate ’06) provided us with fresh insights from the world of investing and the opportunity presented through impact investing.  On Thursday, Dr. Ashley Sloat, president of Aurora Patents gave us a crash course on careful contracting with key points founders should take into consideration as they start working with developers and investors. Friday, Dr. Len Switzer, associate director of Enterprise shared entrepreneurial opportunities for both founders and technical teams through the Enterprise and Husky Innovate programs. 

In addition to the stellar line-up of workshops and presentations, Husky Innovate hosted Innovation Week’s main event Wednesday evening – the Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition, which is a tribute to the late College of Business Professor Bob Mark.  For the 18th year, community members from across the region, including innovators, entrepreneurs, faculty, staff, students, and alumni, joined to hear students pitch their business models.  Ten teams pitched to win in three categories; Business Model, Social Impact, and Breakout Innovation with prizes totaling $6000.  There was a lot of energy and anticipation in the room as teams pitched and waited for scoring.  After two hours of pitching, the judges selected their winners and the audience selected their favorite.  Congratulations and thank you to all the student contestants and winners! 

Business Model Category

First place and Breakout Award winner Viraj Mane with judge Jason Mack

Presented by the College of Business with thanks to sponsors Rick and Jo Berquist, and Dan and Jane Green for sponsoring the Audience Favorite award. Student pitches were judged by how well the solution addressed the customers’ needs, the path to revenue, and the overall presentation.

  • First place – Viraj Mane with DocCraftAI ($2000)
  • Second place – Alex Nosalik with The Eternitee ($1000)
  • Third place- Nirmal Raja Karuppiah Loganthan with Jarvis-Vision ($500)
  • Honorable mention –  Aliyah Maxwell Abrams with Sunny Buddy ($250)
  • Audience Favorite –  Alex Nosalik with The Eternitee ($250)

Social Impact Award Category

Sponsored and presented by Gates Professor Dr. Elham Asgari, College of Business. The social impact category examined the significance of the social problem and how well the solution addressed it.

  • Olamide Ayeni with HOPCYKU  ($1,000)

Breakout Innovation Award

Presented by Jason Mack, Vice President of Business Development, MTEC SmartZone, and sponsored by the MTEC SmartZone and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The breakout innovation award considered the solution’s novelty, ease of implementation, and time to implementation.

  • Viraj Mane with DocCraftAI ($1,000)

This event would not be possible without support from our Michigan Tech I&E collaborators and community.  Thanks to our team mentors, with special recognition to Michigan Tech alum Joseph Corso (EE ‘77), Founder and President of TouchPoint Inc., for hosting regular Office Hours mentoring sessions throughout the year with Husky Innovate students.  

Thank you to our Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition judges: Northern Michigan University Professor Corrine Bodeman, Michigan Tech Professor Elham Asgari, Michigan Tech Professor Charles Wallace, Michigan Tech alum Dan Green (BA ‘83), Michigan Tech alum Jason Mack (MBA ‘13), and Pavlis Honors College External Advisory Board member Carolyn Yarina.   We appreciate your time and expertise in helping our students improve their pitches. 

Thank you to our prize sponsors.  The business model prizes are sponsored by the College of Business (COB), Rick and Joe Berquist, and Dan Green and Jane Mooney.  The Social Impact Award is sponsored by Dr. Elham Asgari, COB, Gates Professor of Entrepreneurship, and the Breakout Innovation Award is sponsored by MTEC SmartZone and MEDC. 

Thank you to our emcee, Jordan Craven, Management of Information Systems (MIS) and Computer Science (CS) and startup founder of Sizelogic.  Thanks to our marketing team, Jessie Neece, and marketing intern Eugene Agyei.  Thank you to our production team, Sound and Lighting Services, and the Pavlis Honors College team for supporting this event.  Thank you to our presenters and participants who helped to make the week a success.  We appreciate your time and contributions to 2024’s Innovation Week.

Thanks to all who attended our Innovation Week events! We look forward to next year’s events!

Husky Innovate is a collaboration between the Pavlis Honors College, the College of Business, and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization.

If you are interested in additional opportunities, check out our Husky Innovate Events Page.  Please feel free to reach out to huskyinnovate@mtu.edu for more information.

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Congrats to Michigan Tech’s New Venture Challenge Competitors!

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Central Michigan University (CMU) and Michigan Tech collaborate each year to offer Michigan Tech students a chance to compete in CMU’s New Venture Challenge (NVC). This gala event provides an opportunity for students at both universities to present their new ventures and to network with prospective investors, mentors and partners. Student contestants compete for over $60,000 in prizes and in-kind services.

On Friday (April 21), two Michigan Tech teams — Bayle Golden, a graduate student in engineering management, and Rourke Sylvain, a graduate student in biomedical engineering — pitched their innovations in the seven-minute pitch category at NVC and won. Congrats go to both teams! NVC awards are as follows:

Bayle Golden won first place in the Social Mission category and received $10,000. Golden won an additional $10,000 for Best Overall Venture for a total of $20,000!

  • “At STEMPOWER we are working to create an integrative STEM experience for young girls through a physical toy line and online STEM community. We believe that we can change the STEM landscape and empower an entire generation of youth.”

Rourke Sylvain won third place in the High Tech High Growth category, receiving $2,0000. Sylvain’s pitch was “imi (integrated molecular innovations),” an electrochemical biosensor for T4 detection.

  • “imi revolutionizes health care by eliminating the need for centralized clinical testing. We develop bio wearable devices that provide patients the ability to monitor their hormone levels continuously.”

Congratulations to our Husky Innovate student teams for all their hard work! We are proud of your perseverance and determination to take your ideas to the next level. Your solutions have the potential to make a positive impact for so many.

In preparing for the NVC, the students participated in a number of Husky Innovate workshops and prep sessions. Thank you to the Husky Innovate Teaching Team and the MTEC SmartZone, specifically Jason Mack and Patrick Visser, for their guidance to our teams. A special thanks to Michigan Tech alum Joe Corso ’77 (B.S. Electrical Engineering) for coaching our students and sharing his time and entrepreneurial expertise.

Thanks go to Jim Baker, associate vice president for research administration, and Len Switzer, associate director of partnerships for Enterprise and Senior Design, who attended NVC to support teams, represent Tech and build connections. Thanks to our Husky Innovate sponsors: the Pavlis Honors College, the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, and the College of Business, for their commitment to our students. Lastly, thank you to CMU and our host Julie Messing, director of the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship, for the warm welcome and continued partnership.

Bayle Golden and Rourke Sylvain celebrate at the New Venture Challenge 2023
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Pavlis Honors College Dean’s Scholarship Winner Announced

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The Pavlis Honors College Dean’s Scholarship has been established to recognize students on an annual basis who have committed their personal time to promote and grow our program and its enrollment and visibility on campus. This scholarship highlights a student’s commitment to the Pavlis Honors College and making sure they are getting the most out of their undergraduate education.

This year’s PHC Dean’s Scholarship is awarded to Arlethia Bell. The Pavlis Honors College (PHC) faculty has emphasized how Arlethia has consistently been a leader and mentor not only in the PHC community but across campus. Arlethia has served as a PHC Learning Facilitator, as a panelist or facilitator for multiple PHC recruitment events, as a Resident Assistant, and as a leader within the National Society of Black Engineers and the Black Students Association. In addition, Arlethia has been active with the Enterprise program, the Green Campus Enterprise, Engineers without Borders, Americorps, in internships, and numerous other campus, community, and national organizations.

Pavlis Honors College Dean’s Scholarship Winner, Arlethia Bell

Dean of the Pavlis Honors College, Marika Seigel, stated: “I want to thank Arlethia for being so passionate about the Pavlis Honors College and being willing to share that passion with potential future and new PHC students whenever she is able. Arlethia is the exemplar of what a Pavlis Honors College student can and should be.”

When asked about how the Pavlis Honors College has impacted her and her academic career, Arlethia shared, “Being a part of the Pavlis Honors College has motivated me to step out of my comfort zone and push myself into more well-rounded experiences, in order to grow as a student leader. It has also allowed me to reflect in-depth on these experiences, recognize my growth, and share my skills and knowledge with others.”

The Pavlis Honors College faculty and staff would like to thank our Dean’s Scholarship winner, Arlethia, for all that she has done and continues to do for PHC and the Michigan Tech community. Congratulations!

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Winners Announced: 2023 Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium

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This year marked the 10th annual Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium

This past Friday, March 24, students from across the university and region came together to share their cutting-edge research at the Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium (URSS). The student participants represented a wide array of scientific and engineering disciplines from across departments and highlight the diversity of research areas being explored. Attendees were able to speak with the students conducting the research, ask them questions about their projects, and learn more about undergraduate research and scholarship. 

The day’s events included a panel discussion about how undergraduate research can create opportunities, two poster sessions, and a networking social. The Pavlis Honors College also collaborated with the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) and the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) to include their student in this year’s symposium.

A big congratulations to all of our student participants, the extremely impressive research projects made for a difficult day for our judges. Special congratulations to all of our award winners:

First Place winners, Leah Harazin and Nathan Ostlund

First Place – 

  • Leah Harazin and Nathan Ostlund: “Stability of Terephthalate Degrading Microbial Consortia for Plastic Upcycling”

Second Place – 

  • Haley Marchese: “Sympathetic Activity to the Heart is Increased in a Mouse Model of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy”

Third Place –

  • Grace Gonzalez – “The Gut Microbiome of Fish and Its Relevance to Antimicrobial Resistance”

Audience Choice –

  • Katherine Rauscher: “Learning from Aviation to Improve the Safety of Autonomous Vehicles”

Excellence in Presentation – 

  • Matt Kouba: “Low-Cost CAN FD and Automotive Ethernet Development Boards”
  • Henry Summers: “Investigation of a novel zinc-based alloy for bioabsorbable vascular stent applications”

Excellence in Research Content – 

  • Kristoffer Larsen: “A Grad-CAM interpretable deep learning multi-input transfer learning model integrating SPECT MPI polar maps with clinical and derived topological variables for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Decision Support”
  • Kristin King: “Assessing Feasibility of Using Artificial Intelligence in Computational Hemodynamic Analysis for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms”

Excellence in Design and Format – 

  • Katie Bershing: “Moth Community Distribution Across Varying Silvicultural Treatments Post 5 years harvesting”

Thank you to all of our sponsors, student presenters, faculty mentors, judges, and panelists. We are proud to be able to highlight our amazing undergraduate students and celebrate all of their outstanding work.

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Winners Announced: 2023 Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition

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Child Protection, Fashion and Safe Water Technologies Win Big at the Bob Mark Pitch Competition – Pictured: Winners Asia Motte, Bayle Golden, and Jordan Craven

It was a night of fierce and calculated competition as MTU students across disciplines pitched innovative business ideas and solutions to help shape the world.

This Husky Innovate event is a tribute to the late Professor of Practice, Bob Mark, within the College of Business, and a recognition of students’ entrepreneurial spirit. In its 16th year, the event, which took place on Thursday, January 19, at the MUB Ballroom, is also a highlight of Michigan Tech’s 2023 Innovation Week activities.

In all, eleven students pitched their ideas to judges, comprised of professors and renowned business professionals, and a lively audience. After an extremely interesting presentation session, Bayle Golden with her idea titled SafeROW, emerged as the winner. Taking a cash prize of $2,000 home, Ms. Golden’s start-up will help curtail the issue of child abduction in the country. This idea also won the Social Impact Award ($1000) which is sponsored by Dr. Elham Asgari, from the College of Business.

With a new innovation in finding the right fit when shopping for clothing online, Jordan Craven received the second prize with Tall and Small Designs. She received a cash prize of  $1,000 and another $250 in addition to being voted the Audience Favorite.  It did not end there for Ms. Craven as she also won the Breakout Innovation Award which is sponsored by the MTEC SmartZone and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. That also came with a $1000 cash prize.

The third prize worth $500 was taken by Asia Motta with the Droplet. Miss Motta’s idea previously won the overall at the Idea Pitch competition in the Fall of last year. For millennial plant parents, Asia’s idea is going to help save your plants from dying.

Safe water is an essential part of everyday living and public health. However, for people who manage their water at home, we are always not sure whether it has been contaminated in the wells or not. Here’s where Rehab (Ruby) Alhajjar’s Water Solution idea comes in. Winning the Honorable Mention ($250) category, Ms. Ruby’s innovation will help us detect any contamination in time.

Other ideas in health, education, and sustainable power generation also competed at the event.  With Michigan Tech’s commitment to preparing students for the future, the Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition has become an exceptional avenue to expose students to the business, entrepreneur, and academic community.

Congrats to all the contestants who took a big step forward with their entrepreneurship goals when they pitched their business models.  Special congratulations to our award winners:

Business Model Category

Presented by the College of Business with thanks to sponsors Rick and Jo Berquist, and Dan and Jane Green for sponsoring the Audience Favorite award. Student pitches were judged by how well the solution addressed the customers’ needs, the path to revenue, and the overall presentation.

  • First prize – Bayle Golden with SafeROW ($2,000)
  • Second prize – Jordan Craven with Tall and Small Designs ($1,000)
  • Third prize –  Asia Motta with The Droplet ($500)
  • Honorable Mention – Rehab (Ruby) Alhajjar with the Water Solution ($250) 
  • Audience Favorite –  Jordan Craven with Tall and Small Designs ($250) 

Social Impact Award Category

Sponsored and presented by Gates Professor Dr. Elham Asgari, College of Business. The social impact category examined the significance of the social problem and how well the solution addressed it.

  • Bayle Golden with SafeROW ($1,000)

Breakout Innovation Award

Presented by Patrick Visser, Chief Commercial Officer, MTEC SmartZone, and sponsored by the MTEC SmartZone and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The breakout innovation award considered the solution’s novelty, ease of implementation, and time to implementation.

  • Jordan Craven with Tall and Small Designs ($1,000)
Emcee Rourke Sylvain, First Place Winner Bayle Golden, and Host Jim Baker
Jordan Craven shows off their awards – Second Prize, Breakout Innovation, and Audience Favorite

Husky Innovate extends a special thanks to those who provided their time and resources to make the competition a success.

Our Sponsors

  • Dean Johnson, dean, College of Business
  • Elham Asgari, Gates Professor, College of Business
  • Rick and Jo Berquist
  • Dan and Jane Green
  • MTEC SmartZone and the MEDC

Our Judges

  • Jay Meldrum, executive director, Keweenaw Research Center; MTU liaison to the Grand Traverse Area
  • Eric Roberts, MTU alumnus; executive director, 20Fathoms
  • Elham Asgari, Gates Professor, College of Business
  • Dan Green, MTU alumnus and entrepreneur; principal, BlackFin Group
  • Adrienne Minerick, professor of chemical engineering; affiliated professor of biomedical engineering; president, American Society for Engineering Education
  • Patrick Visser, chief commercialization officer, MTEC SmartZone
  • Michael J. Cleveland, P.E. and MTU alumnus; mentor in residence at Michigan Tech
  • Lawrence W. Staley, MTU alumnus; director of engineering (retired 2019), Parker Hannifin Corporation

Our Host

  • Jim Baker, associate vice president for research administration; executive council advisor, Husky Innovate, Office of Innovation and Commercialization

Our Emcee

  • Rourke Sylvain, MS student, Biomedical Engineering, New Venture Challenge pitch winner ‘22, President of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and Founder and CEO at Integrated Molecular Innovations

Our Marketing and Support Team

  • Jessie Stapleton, marketing and communications specialist, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Eugene Agyei, Ph.D. student, College of Sciences and Arts; Husky Innovate intern
  • April DePaulis, Pavlis Honors College administrator

Our Production Team

  • Sound and Lighting Service’s Elijah Nation and the SLS team
  • Dining and Catering Services for their support. 

Thanks to all who attended! We look forward to next year’s event!

If you are interested in additional opportunities, check out our Husky Innovate Events Page.  Please feel free to reach out to huskyinnovate@mtu.edu for more information.

Written by: Eugene Brown Agyei for Husky Innovate

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Winners Announced: 2022 Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition

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Social Impact Award Winner – Bayle Golden with STEMPOWER

Congratulations and thank you to Husky Innovate’s Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition contestants and winners! On January 27th, 16 Michigan Tech students, representing diverse majors, participated in the competition either virtually over Zoom or in-person, and pitched their business models to a panel of judges and to a live audience. Each contestant was provided 4 minutes to pitch key components of their business models, including the value proposition and customer segment.

A highlight of Michigan Tech’s Innovation Week, this legacy event celebrates entrepreneurship and is a tribute to the late College of Business Professor of Practice Bob Mark. There were three categories of prizes: business model, social impact, and breakout innovation. The business model category looked at how well the solution addresses the customers’ needs, the path to revenue, and the overall presentation. The social impact category examined the significance of the social problem and how well the solution addressed it. The breakout innovation award considered the solution’s novelty, ease of implementation, and time to implementation.  

Congrats to all the contestants who took a big step forward with their entrepreneurship goals when they pitched their business models. Special congratulations to our award winners:

Business Model Category 

Presented by College of Business, thank you to sponsors Rick and Jo Berquist, and Dan and Jane Green for sponsoring the Audience Favorite award.

  • First prize – Akhil Kurup with Sense ($2,000)
  • Second prize – Maggie Zimmermann  with Famealia ($1,000)
  • Third prize – Jakob Christiansen with ProBoard ($500)
  • Honorable Mention – Nick Peterson with NOMAD ($250) 
  • Audience Favorite – Maggie Zimmermann with Famealia ($250) 

Social Impact Award Category

Sponsored and presented by Dr. Elham Asgari, Gates Professor College of Business, with a $1,000 matching contribution from Arick Davis and Jake Northey of Creative Mines.

  • Bayle Golden with STEMPOWER ($2,000)

Breakout Innovation Award

Presented by Patrick Visser, Chief Commercial Officer, MTEC SmartZone, sponsored by the MTEC SmartZone and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

  • Akhil Kurup with Sense ($1,000)

First Place and Breakout Innovation Award – Akhil Kurup with Sense

Second Place and Audience Favorite – Maggie Zimmermann with Famealia

Third Place – Jakob Christiansen with ProBoard

Honorable Mention – Nick Peterson with NOMAD

Social Impact Award – Bayle Golden with STEMPOWE

Husky Innovate extends a special thanks to those who provided their time and resources to make the competition a success.

Our Sponsors

  • Dean Johnson, Dean, College of Business
  • Elham Asgari, Gates Professor, College of Business
  • Rick and Jo Berquist
  • Dan and Jane Green
  • Arick Davis and Jake Northey, Creative Mines
  • MTEC SmartZone and the MEDC

Our Judges 

  • Jim Baker, Associate VP Research Administration, Co-Director Husky Innovate 
  • Michelle Jarvie-Eggart, Assistant Professor Engineering Fundamentals
  • Eric Roberts, Executive Director 20Fathoms 
  • David Shull, Senior Director Skills Partnerships, Handshake
  • Elham Asgari, Gates Professor, College of Business
  • Dan Green, Entrepreneur, and Principal at BlackFin Group, MTU Alumnus
  • Arick Davis, Entrepreneur, Co-founder Last Mile Cafe, Creative Mines, MTU Alumnus 
Competition Judges

Our Emcee

Gary Tropp, Computer Network and System Administration, Pavlis Honors College Student, University Innovation Fellow, and Husky Innovate Pitch winner ‘18, ‘19.

Our Marketing Team

Vienna Leonarduzzi, Marketing and Communications Director, Pavlis Honors College, and Laura Vidal Chiesa, Michigan Tech Ph.D. Student, College of Sciences and Arts and Husky Innovate Intern.  

Our Production Team

Special thanks to Stefan Hurthibise and the Michigan Tech IT team, Sound and Lighting Services’ James Langsford, Elijah Nation, Luke Schloemp, and the rest of the team, and Photo Services provided by Alok Shelar of University Marketing and Communications, and Dining and Catering Services for their support. 

A special thank you to the Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement for inviting all Bob Mark pitch contestants to watch the January 29th Michigan Tech Hockey game from the Presidential Skybox.

Thanks to all who attended! We look forward to next year’s event!

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Husky Innovate Students Compete and Win at the New Venture Competition

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Each year, Central Michigan University and Michigan Tech’s CMU’s New Venture Competition. Due to COVID-19, this year the competition pivoted online and became the New Venture Online Competition — NVOC. Contestants pitched their ideas in either a 10-minute or two-minute pitch. Four Michigan Tech Husky Innovate students competed in the 10-minute pitch category and three won top prizes.

First Prize — Ranit Karmakar with FOCUS, $7,500
Second Prize — Mitch DeLong with FreightMate, $3,000
Honorable Mention — Jacob Soter with SwimSmart, $1,000

Watch the 2020 New Venture Competition awards ceremony

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2020 Michigan Space Grant Consortium Award Recipients Receive $90,500 in Funding

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Michigan Tech faculty, staff members and students received awards totaling $90,500 in funding through the Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC), sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the 2020-2021 funding cycle.

Michigan Tech Undergraduates receiving $3,000 research fellowships:

  • Troy Maust (ECE): “Auris: An RF Mission” with Lyon Brad King (ME-EM)
  • Lea Morath (BME): “Evaluating Zinc Alloys for Biodegradable Arterial Stents” with Jeremy Goldman (BME)
  • Victoria Nizzi (MSE): “The Use of Computer Modeling to Simulate and Predict the Biodegradation of a Magnesium Alloy Fracture Plate” with Jaroslaw Drelich (MSE)
  • Collette Sarver (Chemistry): “Accurate Theoretical Prediction of Anharmonic Infrared (IR) Spectra of Neutral Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)” with Loredana Valenzano-Slough (Chemistry)
  • Tyler Strauss (ME-EM): “Effects of Optogenetic Stimulation of the Subthalamic nucleus on Stress-Induced Depression” with Chunxiu Yu (Biological Sciences)

Michigan Tech Graduate Students receiving $5,000 research fellowships:

  • Kelsey LeMay (BME): “Processing of Porcine Internal Mammary Arteries for Hyman Bypass Graft Applications” with Jeremy Goldman (BME)
  • Sophie Mueller (GME): “Keweenaw Fault Geometry and Slip Kinematics: Mohawk to Lac La Belle, MI Segment” with James DeGraff (GME)
  • Elise Rosky (Physics): “Freezing of Droplets in Mixed-Phase Clouds: Understanding Mechanisms of Ice Nucleation” with Raymond Shaw (Physics)
  • Steven Stelly (KIP): “The Impact of Food Deprivation on Cardiovascular Physiology” with William Cooke (KIP)
  • Mitchel Timm (ME-EM): “Transport, Self-Assembly, and Deposition of Colloidal Particles in Evaporating Droplets” with Hassan Masoud (ME-EM)
  • Emily Tom (MSE): “Investigation of Novel Mg-Zn-Ca Alloys for Bioresorbable Orthopedic Implants” with Jaroslaw Drelich (MSE)
  • Issac Wedig (KIP): “Arm Cranking with Blood Flow Restriction: A Potential Exercise for Use in Space?” with Steven Elmer (KIP)

Faculty and staff members receiving $5,000 or more for pre-college outreach and research seed programs include:

  • Glen Archer (ECE): “Michigan Tech Electrical Engineering Outreach Program for Pre-College Students to Build Early Interest in STEM Areas” (includes augmentation)
  • Joan Chadde (CEE): “Engaging High School Women and Native Americans in Rural Communities in Environmental Science & Engineering STEM Careers” (includes augmentation)
  • Lloyd Wescoat (CEE): “Celebrating Lake Superior: A 2020 Water Festival for Grades 4-8” (includes augmentation)
  • Elena Giusarma (Physics): “Learning to Simulate the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe with Convolutional Neural Networks”
  • Kathyrn Perrine (Chemistry): “Influence of Water Vapor and Cationic Species in Corrosion Reactions on Iron Interfaces”
  • Lorelle Meadows (Pavlis Honors College): MSGC Administrative award ($3,675)
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Darnishia Slade Recognized at Dean’s Teaching Showcase Luncheon

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By Michael R. Meyer

Darnishia Slade (left) was recognized at the Dean’s Teaching Showcase luncheon event by Lorelle Meadows (right).

Lorelle Meadows, dean of the Pavlis Honors College (PHC), selected Darnishia (Dar) Slade, manager of Global Engagement Programs, as a showcase member earlier this month.

Meadows selected Slade because she “embodies the values of the Pavlis Honors College in her teaching. She exemplifies the honors abilities, and is a great role model for students who are working to develop these important skillsets and mindsets.”

Slade teaches the first Honors Seminar (HON 2150), as well as the Capstone Courses for students in the Global Leadership Pathway, pursuing their Leadership Minor. In this role, Meadows praises Slade’s “remarkable ability to adapt as class time evolves, targeting opportunities for visiting important points that pop up at unexpected times” as well as her “use of a variety of interactive techniques to assess student understanding of a concept.”

Meadows said Slade is also, importantly, able to “assess the climate of the classroom as students encounter challenging topics.” These exceptional facilitation skills have also been noticed by her PHC colleagues. In their words, “Her ability to facilitate learning in a way that embodies the mindsets we are encouraging in our students serves as a model for the rest of us, who are also trying to facilitate student learning and development.”

In the short time Slade has been a part of the Honors College, she has continuously explored ways to improve the classroom experience for students, evolving course materials and methods of delivery to increase student engagement and learning outcomes. As an example, she has observed the flow of the semester through the energy level that students bring to class. At a low energy period, she stopped class and simply went around the room asking every student to say one word that exemplified how they were feeling. It was a quick activity to gauge how students were experiencing their semester, and it was revealing.

It was around Week 5 or 6, and students were feeling the pressure of looming exams and a long stretch until a break from coursework over Thanksgiving. Synthesizing this, she created and introduced a handout at the next session that focused on campus resources for self-care, aligning this with a session on the physiology of mindfulness. Several students reflected on the timeliness and value of this simple act.

Slade’s excellent sense of the student experience likely stems from her previous work in both academic and student affairs departments of the University. Meadows, describing this unique perspective, says “Her compassion for the students, not just their learning, but for their personal well-being, is inspiring. Her teaching doesn’t stop at the classroom or office door. She takes time to talk individually with students and solicit their experience, then she synthesizes all that, and brings that knowledge to our discussions of college matters.”

One PHC faculty member noted that, “When Dar joined our team, I felt that every meeting she brought up an excellently formulated point that surprised me — mainly drawn from her approach to students.”

The students themselves have also indicated an appreciation for Slade’s openness and personal interest. Recent student comments include “I have known Dar to take time out of her day to get to know students and to be there for them and to get to know what is going on and what’s wrong,” and “Dar is someone who I can go to for any reason without any fear of judgment.”

Meadows summarizes Slade’s contribution this way: “Darnishia Slade brings creativity and compassion into her teaching. She has influenced students both inside and outside the classroom, and uses these experiences and insights to affect change in our programs.”

All of the Dean’s Teaching Showcase members pictured at Recognition Luncheon.

Slade was recognized at the end-of-term luncheon with other showcase members, and is now eligible for one of three new teaching awards to be given by the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning this summer recognizing introductory or large class teaching, innovative or outside the classroom teaching methods, or work in curriculum and assessment.

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