Pavlis Honors College Archives | Pavlis Honors College Blog

Celebrating Our Spring 2024 Graduates!

Published April 29, 2024

Pavlis Honors College graduation medallion

The Pavlis Honors College would like to celebrate the accomplishments of graduating seniors, who chose to take advantage of all that Michigan Tech has to offer and challenge themselves inside and outside the classroom. These students reflect our core values by being authentic, building relationships with each other, and being open to learning through new experiences. These students dove headfirst into everything Michigan Tech had to offer and they’ve shown what it means to be genuine, make friends, and embrace ambiguity. Their hard work and dedication have truly paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder!

Gina Adragna
- Major: Cybersecurity
- Concentration: System and Network Security
- Minor: Writing
- Involvement: RedTeam, Hillside Place Association (HPA), Resident Assistant, and Teaching Assistant
Lillian Baker
- Major: Exercise Science
- Minor: Psychology & Pre-Health Professions
- Involvement: Mont Ripley Ski Patrol, Athletic Training Student Aid, Well-being Peer Ambassador, PHAT RSO, and Well-being Advocate RSO
Arlethia Bell
- Major: Environmental Engineering
- Involvement: National Society of Black Engineers, Black Students Association, Green Campus Enterprise, Student Success Coaching
Justin Carlson
- Major: Computer Science
- Minor: Mathematical Sciences
- Involvement: Robotics Systems Enterprise: Autodrive II challenge, Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium Committee, and Broomball
Alyssa Church
- Major: Human Biology & Anthropology
- Minor: French & Historical Studies
- Involvement: SURF recipient, Mont Ripley Ski Patrol, First Chair Alto Saxophone-Superior Wind Symphony, Huskies Pep Band
Jordan Craven
- Major: Management Information Systems
- Minor: Computer Science
- Involvement: Varsity Track and Field Athlete, Women in Computer Science Organization, CEO Club, Husky Innovate
Jacqui Foreman
- Major: Chemical Engineering
- Involvement: AIChE, Delta Zeta, Panhellenic Council, Omega Chi Epsilon, Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise, Tau Beta Pi, Order of Omega, SWE, Provost Scholar Recipient for Chemical Engineering 2023
Faith Gaertner
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Concentration: Engineering Enterprise
- Minor: Art & Aerospace Engineering
- Involvement: Alpha Phi Omega and Multiplanetary INnovation Enterprise (MINE)
Evan Grahs
- Major: Computer Engineering
- Involvement: KeWee Energy Meters – Open Source Hardware Enterprise
Divyesh Hariram
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
Halle Hill
- Major: Biological Sciences
- Concentration: General Biology
- Minor: Ecology
- Involvement: Undergraduate Research, Organic Chemistry Teaching Assistant, Senior Resident Assistant, Women’s Soccer Club
Louis Hindman
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Concentration: Engineering Enterprise
- Minor: Manufacturing
- Involvement: Velovations Enterprise, BOSS Snowplow, music-focused academic enhancement, MTU Nordic Ski Club
Henry Inyang
- Major: Electrical Engineering Technology
- Involvement: National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Black Student Association (BSA), African Students Organization (ASO)
Ryan Jaklic
- Major: Cybersecurity
- Concentration: System and Network Security
- Minor: Leadership
Cade Kaighen
- Major: Chemical Engineering
- Minor: Bioprocess Engineering
- Involvement: Cross Country, Track and Field, Club Soccer
David Kromholz
- Major: Forestry
- Minor: Spanish International & Plant Sciences
Anthony Leick
- Major: Civil Engineering
- Minor: Construction Management
Danelle Leinonen
- Major: Theatre & Entertainment Technology
- Involvement: Concordia Student Ministries and Michigan Tech Emergency Medical Services
Thoren Lexvold
- Major: Computer Engineering
- Involvement: Dungeons and Dragons Club
Jenna Lubahn
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Concentration: Engineering Enterprise
- Minor: Manufacturing
- Involvement: Swing Club, Outdoor Venture Crew, GEAR Enterprise
Nathan Luczak
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Concentration: Engineering Enterprise
- Minor: Manufacturing
- Involvement: Cross Country Team, Track and Field Team, H-STEM Enterprise
Fidan Malikova
- Major: Chemical Engineering
- Involvement: Aerospace Enterprise and Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise
Hunter Malinowski
- Major: Psychology & Computer Science
- Concentration: Applications
- Involvement: Delta Zeta Sorority, Panhellenic Council, Order of Omega, Tiny Knitz, Copper Country Coders, and HuskyFAN
Haley Marchese
- Major: Medical Laboratory Science
- Concentration: MLS 4+1
- Minor: Pre-Health Professions
- Involvement: Mushing Club, Songer Award for Research, SURF recipient, URSS, and 2023 Michigan Physiological Society (MPS)
Michael Martin
- Major: Physics
- Minor: Mathematical Sciences & Astrophysics
- Involvement: Society of Physics Students
Annika Price
- Major: Mathematics & Computer Science
- Involvement: Humane Interface Design Enterprise (HIDE), Mushing Club, and Circle K
Leanna Rose
- Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology-Chem & Human Biology
- Minor: Pre-Health Professions & Spanish
- Involvement: Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, Pre-Health Mentorship Program, Medical Assistant at UGL Family Health Center, PHC Lead Learning Facilitator, GCE Conference Student Coordinator, PHC Undergraduate Advisory Board Member
Francine Rosinski
- Major: Environmental Engineering
- Minor: Ecology
- Involvement: Built World Enterprise and Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action
Amanda Tharp
- Major: Chemical Engineering
- Minor: Business
Bronwyn Weiker
- Major: Biomedical Engineering
- Involvement: Craft Club and H-STEM enterprise
Benjamin Wireman
- Major: Mathematics
- Concentration: General Mathematics
- Minor: Global Community Development Partnerships & Computer Science
- Involvement: Math Learning Center, Alpha Phi Omega, and undergraduate research studying Net Migration in the US

Spring 2024 Pavlis Honors College graduates

To our graduates – we are so proud of you! Take a moment to soak in this feeling of accomplishment and success and know that this is only the beginning as you go on to make your difference in the world. Congratulations!

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.
B.B. King

Advisor Appreciation Month: Recognizing Pavlis’ Outstanding Advisors

Published April 17, 2024

By Frankie Straubel

News

April is Advisor Appreciation Month, and April 19th is Advisor Appreciation Day! In the Pavlis Honors College, we’re fortunate to have four exceptional component advisors, each contributing significantly to our program. As we honor Advisor Appreciation Month, let’s shine a spotlight on these remarkable individuals and acknowledge their invaluable contributions to our Pavlis community.

Image of a man wearing a ski helmet, ski goggles, and a balaclava. — Pavlis Leadership/Mentorship Advisor, Chris Hohnholt

Chris Hohnholt

Chris Hohnholt is currently the advisor for the Leadership/Mentorship component and oversees the Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium. He also advises the Project Experience during the summer months. Chris Hohnholt has been working at Michigan Tech for 15 years.

When asked about the Leadership/Mentorship component, Chris shares “It’s an opportunity for students to give back while learning that things don’t always go as planned.”

One of Chris’ favorite Michigan Tech opportunities is the CFRES Earn and Learn Assistantships. He is also very passionate about human development.

Fun Fact! Chris enjoys the serenity of beekeeping.

Image of a woman wearing a black floral dress, holding a songbook. — Pavlis Project Experience
Advisor, Laura Fiss

Dr. Laura Kasson Fiss

Laura Fiss currently advises for the Project Experience component. She has been working at Michigan Tech for ten years. When asked why she thinks the Project Experience component is valuable to students, Laura says “Students work on a project and tell its story. The project doesn’t have to be finished at the end of the component experience. The value usually comes in the things the students learn about themselves and about the process of working on a project – things like communication with stakeholders, how to define the scope of a project, how to modify goals and expectations, and how to work with other people on a team.”

Laura’s favorite Tech Tradition is the snow statues. She is also very passionate about Victorian literature, musical theater, and Victorian musical theater.

Fun Fact! Laura is currently teaching herself how to play guitar!

“Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.” – Douglas Adams

Picture of a woman sitting in a canoe. — Dean of the Pavlis Honors College and
Academic Enhancement
Advisor, Marika Seigel

Dr. Marika Seigel

Marika Seigel currently advises the Academic Enhancement component and is the Dean of the Pavlis Honors College. She has been working at Michigan Tech for 19 years. Before becoming the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, she was a faculty member in the Humanities department, teaching writing and rhetoric courses.

Marika advises the Academic Enhancement component. When describing her component, she states “The Academic Enhancement component encourages you to explore an area of interest outside your major: this could be a professional interest or personal interest. The purpose of the component is to encourage you to explore areas that you are curious about, that intrigue you, and that help you to become more well-rounded. You could take a minor for this component, or you could take a cluster of related courses (for example, language or art courses). You can also use it to explore opportunities to educate yourself outside of coursework; for example, doing EMT training or taking cooking classes.”

Marika’s favorite Tech Tradition is Winter Carnival. She is also very passionate about making sure that every student feels welcome in the Pavlis Honors College and at Michigan Tech.

Fun Fact! Marika once attended “Elf School” in Reykjavik, Iceland. She recommends their pancakes.

“Nobody puts Baby is a corner.” – Johnny Castle

Picture of a woman in a blue tracksuit, smiling at the camera with both hands lifted to the face. — Pavlis Immersion Experience Advisor, Darnisha Morris

Dr. Darnishia Morris

Darnishia Morris currently advises the Immersion Experience component and oversees the Global and Community Engagement Conference. She has been working at Michigan Tech since 2005 and was a student here between 1992 and 1998.

When explaining the importance of her component, she says “The most valuable aspect of the Immersion Component is the opportunity to ‘test drive’ or prototype ANY aspect of your life or future you’d like to explore.”

Dar’s favorite Tech Tradition is the Parade of Nations – “Hands down.” Dar is passionate about serving others, especially Tweens.

Fun Fact! Dar is a hardcore foodie, Bruno Mars fan, and New Edition fan.

“Speak without being offensive. Listen without being defensive. And always leave your opponent with their dignity.” – Andrew Young

As we celebrate Advisor Appreciation Month, let’s take a moment to reflect on the profound impact our advisors have on our college experience. They are not only here to guide us through component selections and academic challenges but also to offer invaluable advice, support, and encouragement as we navigate the complexities of college life. Whether it’s helping us discover our passions, providing career guidance, or simply lending a compassionate ear, our advisors play a crucial role in our journey toward personal and academic fulfillment. So, to all the college students out there, remember to take advantage of their wisdom, seek their guidance, and don’t forget to express your gratitude for their unwavering dedication to your success. After all, having a supportive advisor by your side can truly make all the difference in your college experience.

Thank you, Advisors!

Empowering Entrepreneurs: Join Founder’s Friday for Collaboration, Inspiration, and Resources

Published March 4, 2024

By Frankie Straubel

Are you an entrepreneur looking for advice to launch your startup? Look no further than Founder’s Friday, a weekly meetup where aspiring entrepreneurs can come together to collaborate, founded and hosted by Jordan Craven, a current Pavlis Honors College student.

Image of a person holding three awards in front of a room with theater seating. — Founder’s Friday creator, Jordan Craven, celebrating after the 2023 Bob Mark Business Model Pitch Competition

Jordan has been part of the Honors College since she was a first-year at Michigan Tech, even receiving a scholarship from Pavlis after pitching through Husky Innovate when she was in high school. Jordan is studying Management and Information Systems with a minor in Computer Science. “All of the components of Pavlis that I’ve done have been building up my company and have gotten me prepared to launch. It’s been really cool to now look at graduating with honors having accomplished things I didn’t know I was going to do in college. Instead of just preparing to launch, I realized that I was able to actually launch my business while I was still here. It was crazy to do that,” said Craven.

Craven’s business is called Sizeologic; a technology company that helps online clothing retailers with issues such as returns, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. Right now, Craven is working on creating a 3D fitting room, so that shoppers can see how clothes will fit online before purchasing them. “There’s a lot of waste from online returns. I would buy three pairs of pants then return two of them, and there’s a two-thirds chance they’re burned or landfilled when they go back, so it’s just really environmentally not cool. I’d like to help solve that as well, with my company.”

In her experience with the Pavlis Honors College and Husky Innovate, Jordan has traveled to many pitch competitions throughout the state, including the Experience Innovation: Detroit trip this past fall. “I noticed that we didn’t really have a space where students can go to work together with other innovators. I saw all of that downstate and recognized that there wasn’t a big community like that at Tech, and so I wanted to start something.”

That’s where Founder’s Friday comes in.

Coworking space with table, couch and window. — An example of a flexible coworking space from TechTown Detroit.

Founder’s Friday offers up-and-coming innovators and entrepreneurs the opportunity to network, collaborate, and brainstorm with other like-minded individuals. When asked about the inspiration for Founder’s Friday, Jordan stated “I know personally, by coworking, and being connected with other entrepreneurs and business professionals, that it helps inspire me, and I’ve been told by a lot of other people that it also inspires them, and I want to continue to build that, and build more of a consistent community.”

Craven has dedicated 15 hours a week to working on her company. “I was thinking, what if there was a place – I’m already actively engaged in this work for five hours – where other people can come and cowork with me. Or, if they want assistance, I have a lot of connections downstate. I want to connect people to the resources they need, and I’m trying to build up the innovator community at Tech.” Founder’s Friday focuses heavily on resource sharing, for all entrepreneurs, regardless of where they are in their journey. “It’s not super easy to figure out what the entrepreneurial steps are, and so pulling in all the resources from each stage of startups, bringing them together, sharing them with people, and showing others the steps I’ve been taking can be very helpful. My goal is to connect everyone so we can build each other up.”

“My goal is to connect everyone so we can build each other up.”
Jordan Craven, Pavlis Honors College student and Founder’s Friday creator

If you’re interested in connecting with other aspiring entrepreneurs, be sure to stop by Founder’s Friday happening every Friday from 12-5pm in the Minerals and Materials Engineering building (M&M) in room 718A, down the hall from the Pavlis Honors College. It takes place both in person and on Zoom and everyone is welcome. “Founder’s Friday is a resource that is consistent, whether it’s five minutes or two hours, or the whole five, whatever that person needs and wants.”

Written by: Frankie Straubel for the Pavlis Honors College

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 more information, please feel free to reach out to honors@mtu.edu.

Husky Innovate Announces Fall 2023 Schedule of Events

Published September 5, 2023

By Jessie Neece

Husky Innovate, a collaboration between the Pavlis Honors College, the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, and the College of Business, has a goal to provide the tools and knowledge to cultivate Michigan Tech’s innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial spirit across all disciplines offered on campus. To accomplish that goal, Husky Innovate provides valuable innovation and entrepreneurial education programs to students, staff, and faculty at Michigan Tech and this fall’s schedule is no exception!

This semester we have an outstanding lineup of workshops and speakers – check out the schedule of events for fall 2023 below. For more information on our Husky Innovate events, please visit: http://www.mtu.edu/husky-innovate

Husky Innovate Fall 2023 Semester Calendar of Events — Husky Innovate Fall 2023 Schedule of Events

Looking for ways to get involved? Sign up for our mailing list and get information sent directly to your inbox about upcoming innovation workshops, speakers, or other ways to excel your career.

Congratulations, Graduates!

Published April 28, 2023

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The Pavlis Honors College would like to celebrate the accomplishments of graduating seniors, who chose to take advantage of all that Michigan Tech has to offer and challenge themselves inside and outside the classroom. These students reflect our core values by being authentic, building relationships with each other, and being open to learning through new experiences. All of their hard work and commitment to the ideals of the Pavlis Honors College and Michigan Technological University has paid off!

Pavlis Honors College graduates – Spring 2023

J.T. Boudreau
- Major: Wildlife Ecology & Conservation
- What’s next: J.T. will be starting a job with the U.S. Geological Survey, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior
James Brouckman
- Major: Computer Engineering
- James is looking forward to moving out to San Fransisco shortly after graduation to start his new full-time job in software engineering.
Jerod Busch
- Major: Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering
- Jerod is looking forward to starting his full-time position as a controls engineer in Ithaca NY.
Nolan Davis
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Minor: Manufacturing
- Concentration: Engineering Enterprise
- Nolan will be working full-time at The Hill Group and is looking forward to starting his first job, growing professionally with this experience, and having more fun times with my family and friends.
Tanner Duncan
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Minor: Manufacturing and Aerospace Engineering Concentration: Engineering Enterprise
- What’s Next: Tanner has accepted a position with BOSS Snowplow and will be moving to the Iron Mountain area.
Ben Houck
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Concentration: Engineering Enterprise
- What’s Next: Ben will be pursuing an internship in Engineering at Stellantis, and will continue at MTU for a 1 year accelerated MBA next year.
Andrew Kleehammer
- Major: Engineering Management
- Minor: Enterprise
- What’s Next: Andrew is about halfway through a Master’s in Engineering Management and also works in project management at FORTNA.
Megan Lee
- Major: Environmental Engineering
- Minor: Spanish
- What’s Next: Megan will be working for Arcadis, an Environmental Consulting firm, out of Novi, Michigan on environmental remediation projects.
Mandy Lepak
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Minor: Manufacturing
- What’s Next: This summer Mandy will be working for Gentex Corporation in Zeeland, Michigan as a Production Support Engineer and is looking forward to another big change in her life that will help me continue growing myself as an individual.
Fable-Viktor Moore
- Major: Psychology
- Concentration: Clinical/Counseling Psychology
- What’s Next: Research Job and Graduate School
Anderson Piercey
- Major: Management
- Minor: Psychology
- What’s Next: Anderson will be living in the Lansing area with his significant other and pursuing employment as a Project Manager.
Jonathan Rabideau
- Major: Computer Science
- What’s next: Jonathan will be starting his career and is considering a Master’s degree
Mady Sherman
- Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology-Chemistry focus
- What’s Next: Mady will be working as a Research Technician for Neogen Corporation in Lansing Michigan
Colton Sitts
- Major: STC
- Minor: Computer Science
- What’s next: Colton will be working as a quality manager at Epic Systems in Madison, WI. designing and testing software for healthcare facilities all over the country.
Nick Stankovich
- Major: Management
- What’s next: Nick is looking forward to pursuing a Master’s here at MTU and an internship with General Motors.
Maddie Thompson
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Minor: Business
- What’s next: Maddie will travel to Europe for a month after graduation to learn more about different cultures and experience new places! Upon her return, she will start her full-time job with General Motors as a TRACK Hardware engineer in their rotational program!
Libby Umlor
- Major: Chemical Engineering
- What’s next: Libby will be returning to Michigan Tech to complete an accelerated master’s in Chemical Engineering.
Zachary Vatter
- Major: Biomedical Engineering and Human Biology Concentration: Pre-Health Professions
- What’s next: Zachary will return to Michigan Tech to pursue a Master’s in biological sciences.
John Waller
- Major: Mechanical Engineering Tech
- What’s next: After graduating John is moving to Kalamazoo, MI, and getting married in June.

To our graduates – we are so proud of you! Take a moment to soak in this feeling of accomplishment and success and know that this is only the beginning as you go on to make your difference in the world. Congratulations!

Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.
W.B. Yeats

Idea Pitch 2022: MTU Students Poised to Shape the World with Innovative Solutions

Published October 7, 2022

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One hundred and twenty seconds. This is the amount of time students had to present their entrepreneurial ideas to judges at this year’s Ideas Pitch Competition.

The event took place at 5 pm on Tuesday, October 4, at the Great Lakes Research Center.

Organized by Husky Innovate every fall semester as one of several activities to build the capacity of students to launch real-world startups. This year’s event saw eight contestants whose ideas ranged from building college-friendly cabinets that do not require tools to assemble, to setting up food trucks for diverse communities in the Houghton area.

After very interesting presentations, the first-place award with a $200 cash prize went to Anastasia Motta whose idea, “The Droplet”, is going to help you save your house plants from dying.

Husky Innovate Idea Pitch Competition certification presentation — Asia Motta (right) receiving the first place certificate and award from Jon Leinonen.

Cassandra Nash with a new idea of making college-friendly cabinets won the second-place award. She received a $100 cash prize. The third-place award with a $50 prize was taken by Alex Bos. Alex’s pitch is attempting to revolutionalize how college students can enjoy a couch even in limited spaces.

In addition to judges, the audience was comprised of students, faculty members, and university staff. The audience was given the opportunity to vote for their favorite pitch. Noel Kamdem-Tegue, whose company, Black Earth Rising, pitched their food truck idea to serve African and Indian food with the idea that diverse communities can enjoy their home favorites. Black Earth Rising was judged as the audience’s favorite.

Other award categories included an honorable mention and a social impact award received by Ruby Alhajjar and Cethan Magnan respectively.

The event was supported by Pavlis Honors College. Awards were sponsored by Dean Johnson, Dean of the College of Business, and Elham Asgari, Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at the College of Business.

The judges for the night were Elham Asgari (COB); Erich Petushek (CLS), Mark Rudnicki (COFRES), Briana Tucker (Enterprise), Jason Mack, (MTEC SmartZone); and Rourke Sylvain (Biomed). The event was emceed by Bayle Golden, (COB).

The Idea Pitch Competition is the first of three pitch events that Husky Innovate hosts each year. The next pitch event is the Bob Mark Business Model Competition on January 19th, a legacy event that celebrates entrepreneurship and is a tribute to the late College of Business Professor of Practice Bob Mark. Contestants pitch the key components of their business models, including value proposition, customer segment, and product market fit.

• First Place: Anastasia Motta with The Droplet ($200)
• Second Place: Cassandra Nash with College Friendly Cabinets ($100)
• Third Place: Alex Bos with The SELF Couch ($50)
• Honorable Mention: Ruby Alhajjar with Monitoring System for Microbial Influence ($25)
• Audience Favorite: Noel Kamdem-Tegue with Black Earth Rising, a food truck ($25)
• Social Impact Award: Cethan Magnan with School Swap ($100)

Written by: Eugene Brown Agyei for Husky Innovate

Keynote Speaker Announced – Dr. Kurt Paterson

Published October 4, 2022

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The Pavlis Honors College is excited to announce the keynote speaker for this year’s Global and Community Engagement Conference is Dr. Kurt Paterson. Paterson is responsible for organizing the first D80 conference at Michigan Tech back in 2007 while he was an Adjunct Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Keynote Speaker, Dr. Kurt Paterson

Kurt Paterson is a first-generation college graduate who grew up in a fairly humble Iowa neighborhood but managed to wander into a life of global engagement. Currently, he is a professor of engineering at James Madison University, where he was Head of Engineering for seven years. He is also serving the U.S. Department of State as Senior Sustainability Advisor and was recently named a Jefferson Science Fellow of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. In these capacities, he has championed the development of climate-sensitive operations to parallel the Department’s international climate diplomacy.

Prior to these efforts, Kurt was on Michigan Tech’s environmental engineering faculty and partnered with countless faculty, staff, students, and communities on global engagement programs and projects in more than 40 countries. Inspired by these successes at Tech, Kurt helped launch a nationwide community of practice through the American Society of Engineering Education, the Community Engagement Division.

In January 2023, to take engagement to a new scale, Kurt will become Director of The Polytechnic School at Arizona State University’s Fulton Schools of Engineering. Kurt currently lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, two daughters, and Covid rescue puppy, the latter of which also started life in humble circumstances and is good at wandering.

The keynote presentation will be a featured program during the 2022 Global and Community Engagement Conference (formally known as D80 Conference). The Michigan Tech campus hosts this annual conference every fall to give a platform to the voices of those serving communities both domestically and abroad.

This year’s theme is “Re-energizing Our Communities Through Service” and the conference will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2022, from 9:00am – 3:00pm in the Memorial Union Ballroom – lunch will be provided. The conference is open to anyone interested in the development, design, and discovery of people and communities! Please register to attend by filling out this form.

In addition, faculty, staff, students, and local organizations are invited to participate in this event as presenters. We want to hear more about the work that you are doing! This is a great opportunity to share your recent studies, projects, or research with the community. Please consider submitting a 30-minute presentation proposal.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Darnishia Morris.

Meet the Peru Team!

Published June 7, 2019

By Jessie Neece

A note from Lexi:

It’s crazy to think that we are leaving for Peru in a little more than 2 weeks! We will be arriving in Lima, Peru late on Monday, June 24th. I’m so excited to get the feel of the city and make some new friends abroad. I am also ready to be motivated and motivate others on making a change in my and their community. Many people have this stereotype that other countries need our help (and yes maybe some do), but we kind of force our help on others and we think that we know best, especially when we just give other people things without educating them on how they can do it themselves. The thing I hope to accomplish is to encourage and motivate at least one Peruvian to make a change in their community. Keep reading to learn about me and Nic before we go on this grand adventure!

Lexi is a 4th year studying Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech. She studied abroad in Valencia, Spain in the Fall of 2018. As a new University Innovation Fellow, she is focused on creating a zero-waste culture on Michigan Tech’s campus. She is also involved in Pavlis Honors College where she is in the Global Leadership Pathway, and she is a Pavlis Ambassador. Lexi is beyond excited to be on the Pavlis Pilot Team for the Lima, Peru Site during Summer 2019. Stepping out of her comfort zone and gardening are among some of Lexi’s interests.

Nic is a fourth-year Biological Sciences Pre-Health major going for a minor in Psychology at Michigan Technological University. Nic moved around a lot throughout elementary school but ended up finding a home in Lake Linden, Michigan about twenty minutes away from Michigan Technological University. He is apart of Pavlis Honors College along with Health Occupations Students of America and Mont Ripley Ski Patrol. In his spare time, Nic likes to spend to be outside doing things like run, snowboard, skateboard, swim, and bike.

Cameron Philo Wins Best Technology and $10,000 at CMU New Venture Competition

Published April 15, 2019

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Apurva Baruah pitching at CMU New Venture for Yooper Ag.

Five student teams from Michigan Technological University traveled to Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mount Pleasant, MI to compete in the ninth annual New Venture Competition held Friday, April 12. Student teams from Michigan Tech and CMU presented business plans and pitches to panels of experienced entrepreneurs. The Michigan Tech students that competed in the 2019 CMU New Venture Competition were:

Mayank Bagaria for Vakya
Apurva Baruah for Yooper Ag
Ahammad Basha Dudekula for AGTO Autonomous
Cameron Philo for Life Pro Jackets
Karuna Rana and Sid Premchandani for Reality Check

Cameron Philo pitching at CMU New Venture for Life Pro Jackets.

Michigan Tech students Cameron Philo and Mayank Bagaria advanced to the semifinals last Friday. Cameron Philo won Best Technology and was awarded $10,000. Philo participated in Michigan Tech’s I-Corps Site Program last Fall. I-Corps is a team-based program structure that was developed through a partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. The workshop provides an introduction to the Lean Start-up business development methodology, which focuses on getting out of the lab and using the tools of customer discovery and the business model canvas to evaluate the commercial potential of innovative technologies.

Mayank Bagaria pitching at CMU New Venture for Vakya.

This is the ninth year of the New Venture competition and the eighth year of Michigan Tech’s partnership with CMU. Last year, four out of Michigan Tech’s six participants took home cash and in-kind awards.

Cameron Philo wins Best Technology and $10,000.

Michigan Tech’s Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship (ICE), a collaboration between the Pavlis Honors College and the School of Business and Economics, continues to be an excellent resource for students looking to start their own business or bring new ideas and concepts to the next stage of development. Husky Innovate was introduced this academic year by ICE as a succession of workshops and events that build on each other leading up to the CMU New Venture Competition. The intention is to guide students through key phases of innovation or business development while emphasizing evidence based strategies for success. Many of the students that competed in this year’s New Venture Competition also participated in various Husky Innovate events and workshops throughout the academic year. Students interested in innovating, developing, and implementing their ideas and inventions are encouraged to visit the Pavlis Honors College (M&M 722) to learn more about ICE and the resources available to them.

Michigan Tech Among 12 College Teams to Compete in Make 48 TV Series

Published July 30, 2018

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Michigan Tech is one of twelve U.S. college teams Make48 recently announced to compete in Season 3 of the national invention TV series. Make48 is a nationwide invention competition documentary series that gives teams exactly 48 hours to come up with an idea, create a prototype and promotional video and then present their idea to a panel of judges. Three winning teams are chosen and the remainder of the series highlights the process of trying to get the products to market.

Other schools that will be competing along side Tech include Georgetown, Rice, Tulane, University of Nevada-Reno, University of Miami, University of Connecticut, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Illinois-Champaign, K-State Polytech, and Kansas City Art Institute. The Michigan Tech team consists of Mike Gazdecki (material science and engineering), Patrick Guyon (mechanical and electrical engineering), Rachel Kolb (mechanical engineering), and Ryan Thompson (mechanical engineering). The team took fourth place in Michigan Tech’s 2018 Consumer Products Challenge for their single serve Margarita Machine. Twenty-six teams consisting of 3-5 Tech students received a Challenge Box filled with products supplied by corporate sponsors — Amway, 3M, and Kimberly-Clark. When asked about being selected to compete in Make48, Kolb shared, “I think I’m most looking forward to working with the team again. When we made our team for Consumer Products Day, none of us had worked together before, but we ended up having a blast. This will be the perfect opportunity to use the skills I learned in the UIF program to help the team!”

From left to right: Patrick, Michael, Rachel, Ryan

Filming will take place August 10th-12th at the Stanley Black and Decker Innovation Lab in Towson, MD, where the teams will compete in a 48-hour competition.

Stanley Black & Decker Makerspace in Towson, MD

“Season three of Make48 is really exciting for us,” says Tim Perra, Vice President, Public Affairs for Stanley Black and Decker. “These students are in the midst of learning the skills needed to become innovators and entrepreneurs, and they’re going to be put to the test like never before in a 48-hour competition. We’re excited to welcome these students to our Makerspace and hopefully provide an atmosphere where they feel inspired to create the best products possible.”

Backed by industry giants like Stanley Black and Decker, Ace Hardware and QVC, Make48, which has now been picked up by 92% of American public television markets, is excited to turn the spotlight on students this time. “It will be intriguing to see what these young creative minds will invent in 48 hours. By bringing the collaboration of the Make48 tool technicians and Stanley’s state of the art innovation lab will no doubt leave this seasons judges with a hard task,” Make48 CEO, Tom Gray says.

Season 2 will premiere in September on local PBS/APT (American Public Television) stations across the country. You can catch season 1 by going to Amazon Prime Video, PBS.org or Make48.com. You can also find out more about Make48 by following them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Tag: Pavlis Honors College

Chris Hohnholt

Dr. Laura Kasson Fiss

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Dr. Darnishia Morris