Tag: research

Learn More About Undergraduate Research – Attend This Year’s Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium 

Are you interested in exploring what research undergraduate students have been participating in? Join us on March 24th for the 2023 Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium held in the Rozsa Center Lobby. The Symposium will highlight the exceptional undergraduate research being conducted and represents a wide array of scientific and engineering disciplines from Michigan Technological University and the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College.   

A 2019 Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium participant describes their research to Dr. Koubek.

The day starts with the Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Panel at 11:00 am which will feature experienced current and former graduate students and provide a chance for discussion about how undergraduate research creates opportunities. They will share their experiences and discuss the value that they have found by participating in research as an undergraduate.  

Our guest panelists include Brennan Vogl, a current Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Engineering department at MTU. Brennan graduated from MTU with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Electrical Engineering in 2020. During his time as an undergraduate, Brennan was heavily involved in undergraduate research where he worked on projects investigating cancer metastasis in response to fructose. Another of the panelists, Dr. Len Switzer, is currently the Associate Director of Industrial Relations for the Enterprise Program at Michigan Tech. Prior to joining the Enterprise staff, Len spent over 20 years working in various industrial roles. About half of this time involved applied research and development in high-temperature processing (e.g., glass melting, steel making, cement, heat treating, etc.) and with a startup company working on new types of oil exploration. The final panelist, Kath Higdon, received her undergraduate degree from Michigan Technological University in Applied Ecology. Upon graduation, she went directly into the Ph.D. program in Forest Science at MTU. She worked as a research assistant during her first year as an undergrad looking at experimental Nitrogen deposition in Northern Hardwood Forests.

Students and attendees at the Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium in 2019.

The panel is followed by two poster sessions (12:30-2:00 pm & 2:30-4:00 pm). The participants have been working hard to model out their research on poster boards, and the Symposium will provide the students with a chance to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Attendees will be given the opportunity to speak with the students conducting research, ask them questions about their projects, and learn more about undergraduate research and scholarship. 

The Symposium wraps up with a networking event at 4:00 pm for the participants to speak further with the judges and mentors. During this networking session, outstanding posters will be announced and awarded for their proficiency based on multiple criteria. 

The Undergraduate Research & Scholarship Symposium is a great way to share the exciting research projects going on in our region and highlight the diversity of research areas being explored.  Be sure to mark your calendars and join us in the Rozsa Lobby for this incredible event!

Written by: Emily Bishop, Pavlis Honors College Marketing Intern

SURFs open for 2021

Applications for 2021 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 4 p.m. on February 12, 2021. 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 surf@mtu.edu

“Radar and Risk in the Straits of Mackinac” in Michigan Tech Research Magazine

A map of the straits of Mackinac

As Great Lakes water levels rise to record highs, remotely monitoring currents and waves grows in importance. Lorelle Meadows, dean of the Pavlis Honors College, is co-conducting the first test of an onshore high-frequency radar system specifically tuned to map complex current patterns in the Great Lakes.

Read “Radar and Risk in the Straits of Mackinac” in the 2020 Michigan Tech Research Magazine.