SURF Applications Now Open

Applications for the 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURFs) are now open. Fellowship recipients will spend the summer on an individual research project under the guidance of a Michigan Tech faculty mentor. SURFs are open to all Tech undergraduates who have at least one semester remaining after the summer term. Awards are up to $4,000.

How to apply

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on February 11, 2022. For more information on the SURF application process, watch the workshop video included on this page. To access application materials and instructions, visit the SURF webpage. If you have any questions, contact Rob Handler at rhandler@mtu.edu

Enterprise Spotlight: Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise

Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise Team Photo
Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise Team

Consumer Product Manufacturing (CPM) Enterprise, one of 26 Michigan Tech Enterprise Teams, has been busy with several team projects this year. CPM is a multidisciplinary enterprise team that aspires to empower Michigan Tech students with the entrepreneurial, technical, and professional skills to conceive, develop, and market successful products in a company-like setting. In this guest blog, fourth-year chemical engineering major and Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise’s Chief Financial Officer and Co-President Seth Whiting shares more about CPM Enterprise, team projects, and how students and sponsors can get involved.

Seth Whiting
Seth Whiting

I decided to come to Michigan Tech after hearing people in the industry speak about how good of a school Michigan Tech is. I joined Consumer Product Manufacturing (CPM) Enterprise to get hands-on experience working on an industry-relevant project. The biggest highlight for me has been the opportunity to work on multiple different interdisciplinary teams. Working with individuals from different majors lends new perspectives that I wouldn’t have considered before.

About CPM Enterprise

We are one of the original enterprises at MTU and have been around for just over 20 years. CPM has multiple different teams working on multiple different projects, which fall under the broad categories of sustainable services, process improvement, and product creation. The Enterprise is open to all majors. Currently, the majority of our members are chemical engineering majors, however, we do have a number of biomedical engineering majors and mechanical engineering majors as well as a few others.

“One of the big aspects that makes CPM unique is the opportunity to meet and work with real-world industry sponsors.”

Seth Whiting, CPM Enterprise student

For over 20 years CPM has provided students a chance to develop a wide range of technical and professional skills. Whether it be by working with a sponsor to solve a real-world problem or creating an idealized solution to one of the many challenges that society faces, CPM provides opportunities for students to grow their skills and gain hands-on experiences. The goal of CPM is to help students develop entrepreneurial, technical, and professional skills and be able to practice them in an environment that is normally not provided in a typical class.

CPM Enterprise Projects

CPM is working on about 10 different projects at the moment, one of which is our shareable air virus mitigation system. The shareable air project was started as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re attempting to use hydroxyl radicals to eliminate airborne pathogens and mitigate the spread of diseases.

One of CPM’s previous projects worth mentioning is our nanomag project, sponsored by alumnus Dr. Robert Carnahan, and implemented into production by Shaggy’s. The project explored the use of a dampening agent in skis, utilizing a magnesium alloy developed by nanoMAG.

While I haven’t had a chance to work on this project myself, I would still have to say that I am most proud of CPM’s biogas project. The biogas progress is an attempt to convert food waste into methane that can then be used by MTU. The project has been running for a while now and has seen the creation of an anaerobic digester pilot plant on its path to completion.

CPM is a great way for students to gain experience working on projects, as well as a great resume builder. Anyone interested in learning more about CPM is free to contact me or visit the CPM website. To join, you can contact our advisor, Dr. Tony Rogers.

Get Involved With CPM Enterprise

CPM Enterprise is always looking for industry partners to sponsor a project for the student teams. This process is very straightforward and comes with excellent benefits like engaging students well in advance of graduation, finding new and unique solutions, and growing your organization’s presence at Michigan Tech. To learn more about participating, contact Chris Morgan cjmorgan@mtu.edu or visit mtu.edu/enterprise/giving/.

About the Enterprise Program

The Enterprise Program is a unique project-based curriculum and is available to students from any major. Students work in multidisciplinary teams on real projects, with real clients, in an environment that’s more like a business than a classroom. With coaching and guidance from faculty mentors, the Enterprise teams work to invent products, provide services, and pioneer solutions. 

Through Enterprise, students have the opportunity to build up their existing skills, and also add some new ones to their repertoires. Enterprise encourages:

  • effective time management
  • leadership, project management, and team-working skills
  • problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
  • adaptability
  • global awareness
  • business savvy
  • competence in written and oral communication
  • networking with industry leaders

Teams collaborate with industry sponsors, communities, and government organizations, and work closely with a faculty advisor. Students could work with organizations like 3M, General Motors, Kimberly-Clark, and the Department of Energy, among many others. Take a look at the Enterprise team listing to learn about existing teams. If you have questions about the Enterprise Program, please contact enterprise@mtu.edu.

Michigan Tech Part of $15M Great Lakes Innovation Hub

(Reposted from Michigan Tech News)

In an effort to nurture a regional innovation ecosystem and move more discoveries from the research lab to the real world, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has established a Great Lakes Innovation Corps Hub and Michigan Technological University plays a key role.
 
The 11-university Hub is led by the University of Michigan (U-M), and it’s one of five Hubs across the country announced Aug. 26 as NSF continues to evolve the I-Corps program. Launched in 2011, the NSF Innovation Corps, or I-Corps, trains scientists and engineers to carry their promising ideas and technologies beyond the university and into the marketplace to benefit society.
 
In addition to Michigan Tech and U-M, the Great Lakes Hub includes Purdue University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Toledo, the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, the University of Akron, the University of Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The Impact of I-Corps

Each university in the Great Lakes Hub already has a successful I-Corps program. Michigan Tech has been part of the NSF I-Corps Site program since 2015. Over the past five years, Michigan Tech’s I-Corps Site has helped introduce the entrepreneurial mindset to over 300 researchers, faculty, staff, and students, and helped teams assess the commercial potential of nearly 150 technologies.
 
The Great Lakes I-Corps Hub aims to connect people at a large scale to increase the “effective density” of the Midwest’s innovation ecosystem. Mary Raber, Michigan Tech I-Corps principal investigator and chair of the Department of Engineering Fundamentals, said Michigan Tech researchers will be able to engage with the other members of the Hub and benefit from the extensive resources available throughout the Great Lakes region.
 
“Being invited to join the Great Lakes Hub is reflective of the success of Michigan Tech’s I-Corps Site program and the number of teams that have been selected to attend the National I-Corps program,” said Raber.
 
Other members of the Michigan Tech I-Corps team include Lisa Casper (Pavlis Honors College), Jim Baker (Office of the Vice President for Research), Michael Morley, and Nate Yenor (Office of Innovation and Commercialization), and Jonathan Leinonen (College of Business).
 
“The Great Lakes region is home to many of the world’s leading research institutions, and many of our nation’s critical industries. Our goal with this I-Corps Hub is to leverage this intellectual depth to create a lasting economic impact on the region,” said Alec D. Gallimore, the U-M Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering, the Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Professor, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and a professor of aerospace engineering.
 
“We’ll do this by creating new businesses, by keeping our existing companies globally competitive and on the leading edge of technology, and by developing talent that not only has technical and cultural expertise, but also an entrepreneurial mindset,” he said.
 
The new Great Lakes Hub has set a goal of training 2,350 teams in the next five years and sending an additional 220 teams to a more in-depth National NSF I-Corps program.
 
In this way, I-Corps is helping to fill what Jonathan Fay, executive director of the U-M Center for Entrepreneurship, calls the “widening gap” between the cutting-edge research being done at universities and the development work of industry to turn research into societal benefit and economic gain.
 
“U.S. universities are set up to reward scientific breakthroughs, but not necessarily the hard work of turning that discovery into social or economic impact,” Fay said. “On the industry side, investing in long-range R&D is expensive with uncertain payoffs. This has led to a shift in the industry away from research and toward development.”
 
“What I-Corps does is fill that gap by changing both the mode of thinking and the social networks of the academic community so we can maximize the benefits of publicly funded research by finding the right place within the industry for a new breakthrough to take hold,” he said.

A Proven Track Record of Success

Each university in the Hub already has a successful I-Corps program, and the new model will make it easier for them to network and learn from one another. Supported through Husky Innovate, Michigan Tech’s innovation and entrepreneurship resource hub, the University will continue offering I-Corps training and support to faculty, students and staff who are developing new ideas and want to explore their commercial viability. “Michigan Tech is an integral part of the Great Lakes Hub,” said Raber.

Teams that have successfully participated in the Michigan Tech I-Corps Site program include:
 
●   Nanosound Inc. is focused on quieting noise from pipes and ducts, such as building HVAC systems, by using active noise control and carbon nanotube technology. Nanosound has secured an initial investment and has partnership agreements with multiple companies to further develop the technology.
 
●   SwimSmart aims to enhance beach safety through smart and connected beachfront technologies that improve swimmer situational awareness, increase forecast frequency and accuracy, and assist lifeguards, first responders and beach managers in their efforts toward the greater goal of ending drownings in our communities. SwimSmart products are on beaches this summer in Frankfort and Muskegon, Michigan, with expansion planned for next year.
 
●   Stabilux Biosciences is commercializing fluorescent imaging compounds with enhanced and tunable brightness, which enables levels of detection which had been previously unattainable. Applications for this technology include biomedical research and medical diagnostics. Stabilux has raised $4 million in follow-on funding to date.
 
●   ZiTechnologies is commercializing technologies that enable the beneficial utilization of plastic from industrial and post-consumer waste streams. It has recently received a $256,000 grant through NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I (SBIR) to continue the commercialization process.

Congratulations to Lydia Savatsky!

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Lydia has been awarded the Dean of Students Award for Service for 2020-2021. She graduated in May 2021 from Michigan Tech with a degree in math and honors recognition from the Pavlis Honors College. Lydia’s honors program focused in community service and included a certificate for Peace Corps Prep. Lydia spent three summers working with the Appalachian Service Project in various leadership roles, founded and served as president of Tech Tutors during the pandemic, and has been highly active mentoring K-12 students in the local community throughout her degree program. Congratulations, Lydia!

Interested in Community Service? This video explains two opportunities from global to local on how to get involved.

Interested in global service? Peace Corps Prep is a partnership with the U.S. Peace Corps for Michigan Tech students to prepare themselves for international service. Looking for a way to serve closer to home? GivePulse is a matching platform with numerous community engagement opportunities that you can get involved with. Watch this short video to learn more.

Congratulations, graduates!

The class of 2021 had their “embrace ambiguity” skills tested during their final year. Even with this unexpected twist, our newest honors students made their mark in labs and Enterprise spaces, in bowling alleys and roller derby arenas, everywhere from Houghton to Peru. Congratulations, graduates.

Ben Neely

During his time at Tech, Ben served as vice president of Phi Kappa Tau, spent part of his research pathway studying grade estimation using dynamic anisotropy interpolation, and is graduating with a degree in mining engineering. Ben’s headed to Lexington, Kentucky after graduation, where he’ll work for RESPEC Engineering.


Brandon Howard

A mechanical engineer on the New Venture pathway, Brandon’s senior design team won first place in this year’s Design Expo, designing an N95-rated filtration system to be used with Stryker’s existing Flyte helmet and hood in order to protect surgeons against COVID-19 and other airborne viruses. Brandon also served as advertising chair for Film Board, and headed several student committees. Brandon is staying at Michigan Tech to work on a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, with a focus on sustainable design and manufacturing.


Chiarra Elkort-Wickboldt

Chiarra graduated with a degree in environmental engineering. During her community engagement pathway, she earned a Peace Corps Prep certificate, mentored in the Young Women’s Leadership Program, worked with the Canterbury House Food Pantry and served as a learning facilitator for HON 1150. After graduation, Chiarra’s going to stay at Michigan Tech for a while longer to finish an accelerated master’s degree in environmental engineering.


Deanna Springgay

Deanna Springgay’s (center-right, kneeling in a purple jersey) roller derby team

A statistics major, Deanna used her custom pathway to improve one of her favorite off-campus activities: she created a recording system for Keweenaw Roller Derby’s internal team development. She also served on the Pavlis Honors College’s undergraduate student advisory board and volunteered as a Pavlis peer mentor. After graduation, she’ll start working for Epic Software as a technical solutions engineer.


Harley Merkaj

Harley graduated with a computer science major and a mathematics minor. As part of his leadership pathway, Harley created a ticketing portal for USG. The website gives all registered student organizations on campus a way to efficiently file forms with USG. He also served on the Diversity Council, the Networking and Computing Student Association, and on the Honors Ambassador team. Harley was also nominated for exceptional leadership in student governance. Harley plans to move to California after graduation.


Joseph Van Linn

Joseph graduated with a mechanical engineering major and a Spanish minor. On his research pathway, he’s done everything from presenting his research at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition virtually in November of 2020 to fighting forest fires in Oregon to a Study Abroad in Spain to giving back to Pavlis as one of our first peer mentors. After graduation, Josephy plans to go back to Oregon for another season of firefighting, and will then go to graduate school in the Netherlands.


Kaylee Meyers

A biomedical engineering major, Goldwater Scholar, and winner of the 2019-2020 Provost’s Award, Kaylee is also a co-director and tutor for Tech Tutors (a free and virtual tutoring program developed in response to schools moving online due to COVID-19). On her research pathway, Kaylee studied ultrasound and tendon wound healing. After graduation, she’s headed to graduate school to work on translating biosensor medical research and technology to clinical settings.


Kenneth Shivers

Kenneth earned dual degrees in computer and electrical engineering. On his enhanced Enterprise pathway, Kenneth served as a project manager for the Wireless Communication Enterprise and the Michigan Tech fall Hackathon. After graduation, Kenneth’s hoping to find a job as an embedded engineer in southeast Michigan.


Jake Grund

Jake Grund (back row, third from the left)

Mechanical engineering technology major Jake Grund is one of Pavlis’ first ETS-IMPRESS graduates. He’s also a fantastic bowler, and used his pathway to teach others the game through a coaching clinic and outreach to middle and high schoolers. After graduation, Jake plans to move closer to his hometown, volunteer, and continue bowling.


Lydia Savatsky

Lydia Savatsky majored in mathematics, minored in global community development partnerships, earned a Peace Corps Prep certificate, received the Dean of Students’ Award for Service (2020-2021), and completed a community engagement pathway for her honors program. On her pathway, Lydia did data analysis with the Appalachia Service Project, and mentored a young women’s leadership program. Lydia is off to the University of Minnesota to work towards a master’s degree in business analytics.


Lexi Steve

Lexi Steve graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in Spanish. Lexi was a member of the Green Campus Enterprise, a founding member of Students for Sustainability, a resident of the Sustainability House, a University Innovation Fellow, a learning facilitator for HON 2150, and interned for Husky Innovate and IDEAhub. On her global and community engagement pathway, Lexi piloted a community project in Peru, hosting design workshops for afterschool teachers, community parents, and a local volunteer organization. What’s next for Lexi? “A few main options: convert a travel van, become a co-world renowned chef, mentor some kiddos in California, or build a greenhouse–nothing is set in stone, but the world is full of opportunities!”

Community Ambassador Collaborates with KBIC on Shared Governance Document

Deanna Seil, who served as a Community Ambassador while at Michigan Tech, collaborated with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to develop a resource on shared governance for her community service work. The final product “Shared Governance and Stewardship: Rights and Responsibilities of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community” is available here.