Category: News

The Velovations team took third place in the Enterprise category at the 2015 Design Expo held at the Memorial Union Ballroom on April 16.

Team Leaders
Ian Connick, Mechanical Engineering and Kyle McGurk, Electrical Engineering
Advisor
Steve Lehmann and Paulus Van Susante, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsors
Specialized, Thomson, Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
Project Overview
Our team is dedicated to working on bicycle and bicycling industry related projects. For the 2014-2015 academic year, Velovations has more than twenty-five students from various majors divided into four projects. The projects are: a pedal that offers the ability to transition from clipped in to a platform and back at the push of a button; a system to allow tire pressure change on the fly; an inexpensive winter commuting tire; and an innovative exercise system for wheelchair users that will allow further physical research. Velovations projects cover the complete product development range, from idea conception, research, and development, to customer communication, testing, and ultimately manufacturing.

Design Expo 2015 Success: Winners, Senior Design and Enterprise Projects

The International Business Ventures took first place in the Enterprise program and the “Aluminum Corrosion Study—Automotive Electrical Systems” team placed first for Senior Design. In Enterprise, Consumer Product Manufacturing and Velovations took second and third. In Senior Design, “Front End Protection for Data Acquisition” team and “Design & Development of an Automated Stacker for Highway Products of Nucor Steel Corporation” placed second and third. Three teams were awarded Honorable Mentions.

Read more at Michigan Tech News, by Allison Mills.

Get Ready, Get Set: Design Expo 2015

Velovations
Hands-on work is what team captain Dan Krudy says is the key to his mechanical engineering project, a wheelchair-friendly exercise machine. The project is a collaboration with the RENEW-U research in the Kinesiology and Integrated Physiology Department.

“We have real-world experience, and this project is an opportunity to apply that,” Krudy says of the multiple internships he and his teammates have done and how that influenced their wheelchair-based exercise design.

The project is part of the Velovations Enterprise. The name is a blend of velo — meaning bike — and innovations, and the name inspires the students’ designs. Levi Vermeer and Kyle McGurk lead the other two Velovations teams.

Vermeer has MacGyvered cheaper snow tire options for winter bike commuters and designed a whole new test.

“Tires aren’t simple to test on snow and ice,” Vermeer says, explaining that he developed the test using a coding program, which will be an Enterprise legacy. “We’re leaving behind a test fixture that other projects can use.”

Read more at Michigan Tech News, by Allison Mills.

Several faculty members and graduate students in the Kinesiology & Integrative Physiology (KIP) Department and Biological Sciences Department traveled to EB2015, Experimental Biology 2015, on March 28-April 1, 2015.

PhD student, Ida Fonkoue, was awarded the 2015 Caroline tum Suden/Frances Hellebrandt Award from the American Physiological Society. She also presented a poster during the conference and gave an oral presentation based on the following paper:

Abstract Title: Acute oral ingestion of alcohol modulates sympathetic neural transduction differently in Caucasians and African Americans

Master’s student Michael Huber presented the following posters at the conference:

Sympathoexcitation by Inhibition of SK Channel Activity in the Hypothalamic PVN is Attenuated by Local AT1 Receptor Blockade
Authors: Michael Huber, Le Gui, Andrew Chapp, Mingjun Gu, Jianhua Zhu, Zhiying Shan and Qing-Hui Chen

Stimulation of the Prorenin Receptor in the Paraventricular Nucleus Increases Sympathetic Outflow in Anesthetized Rat
Authors: Michael Huber, Rupsa Basu, Qing-Hui Chen and Zhiying Shan

PhD student Andrew Chapp gave an invited talk at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. The talk was entitled, “Acetate is an Active Metabolite of Ethanol: Increases Firing and Evokes Inward Currents through Activation of NMDA Receptors in RVLM Projecting CeA Neurons.”

From Tech Today.

During a recent visit by U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, a tour of the Advanced Technology and Development Center was arranged to discuss the physical therapy program co-ordinated between Michigan Tech and Central Michigan University (CMU). Dr. Jason Carter, Chair of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, met with the Benishek in person while CMU was represented via videoconference.

Benishek visits Copper Country

Benishek said, “Many of the local hospitals contributed to the creation of this facility so that they would have students training here in Northern Michigan and know what Northern Michigan is like, grow to love to the area and be able to have more of those people stay here in Northern Michigan and work here and provide for the care of the people living here.”

Read more at ABC 10 News, by Mike Hoey. WATCH THE VIDEO

Benishek pays visit to Michigan Tech

The program shares CMU faculty with Tech and gives undergrads at Tech access to CMU’s Physical Therapy program.

“We have a cohort of 12 students per year that enroll into that program and graduate with a doctorate in physical therapy from Central Michigan, and hopefully stay here in our Upper Peninsula to become physical therapists.” said Jason Carter, Department Chair of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology.

Read more at Upper Michigan’s Source, by Nick Brennan. WATCH THE VIDEO

Benishek Tours U.P.

Tuesday began with a tour of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Area at the Advanced Technology Development Center on the campus of Michigan Tech.

Read more and listen to the audio interview at The Keweenaw Report.

Benishek pays a visit

Carter said both universities have given their full support to the program.

“I think it’s a great example of universities being more efficient with resources,” he said.

During Tuesday’s stop, Benishek and Carter talked via videoconference with program head Pete Loubert and professor Tim Zipple.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Garrett Neese.

Have you been trying to get healthier and lose weight?

SWEAT and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan invite you to participate in Win by Losing, a free, fun and healthy challenge that can help you take personal responsibility for your health and reach your weight-loss goals.

Register to be part of Michigan Tech’s team by Monday, Feb. 23. The official competition runs from Feb. 23 through April 24. Participants will submit weekly weigh-ins to compete against other BCBSM group customers. You will also have access to a toolkit to help you meet your goals. Register by visiting the SWEAT website and clicking on the “Win by Losing” links.

From Tech Today.

Assistant Professor Steve Elmer from Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology and the Velovations RENEW-U team was recently featured on UPMatters Channel 3.  The group continues with their design of an exercise machine that could enable individuals with limited mobility another way to keep upper body strength for daily living and fitness.

Michigan Tech Students Create Exercise Machine

Medical Careers Week Wraps Up Today

Medical Careers Week—a four-day event—wraps up today at Michigan Tech. Jeff Millin, co-founder and former CEO of Pioneer Surgical, is featured today at a Lunch-n-Learn from noon to 1 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom. From 6 to 8 p.m. in the MUB Ballroom, discussion sessions are scheduled with representatives from medical device companies.

The sessions are free and open to all students. Registration is not required.

Career Services sponsored Medical Careers Week, with the help of several departments and schools. Monday’s sessions focused on medical informatics; Tuesday—allied health and medical laboratory sciences; and Wednesday—medical careers. Speakers included several Michigan Tech alumni.

From Tech Today.

Medical Careers Week Continues

Medical Careers Week—a four-day event—continues today at Michigan Tech, with professionals discussing medical careers, including medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry and dentistry. Sessions are free and open to all students. No registration is required.

A Lunch and Learn from noon to 1 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom will feature William Short, MD and CEO of Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine (MSU-CHM), UP Region; Patti Copley, RN, BSN at the UP campus of MSUCHM; and medical students attending MSU-CHM.

From 6 to 8 p.m. in the MUB Ballroom,a physician, pharmacist, veterinarian, optometrist and dentist will talk about their professions. Speakers are Michelle Seguin, MD, UP Health System Portage; Tracey Bershing, RPh, director of inpatient pharmacy, UP Health System Portage; Michael Cole, DVM, Copper Country Veterinary Clinic; Donald Mitchell, OD, FAOO, InSight EyeCare; and Robert Richards, DDS, Portage Dental Health.

A final themed medical career day is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 29. It focuses on careers related to medical devices.

From Tech Today.

Tech Students Explore Career Options at Medical Careers Week

Michigan Tech students will get to explore a wide variety of careers in the medical and health fields during a four-day event called Medical Careers Week. Medical professionals from diverse fields will be on campus to discuss their professions and the educational pathways to success in those fields and to answer students’ questions.
Medical Career Week topics will be

• Monday, Jan. 26—Medical Informatics
• Tuesday, Jan. 27—Allied Health and Medical Laboratory Sciences
• Wednesday, Jan. 28—Medical Careers
• Thursday, Jan. 29—Medical Devices

Each day features a Lunch and Learn presentation from noon to 1 p.m., followed by small group discussions with visiting professionals from 6 to 8 p.m. These informal events will take place in the Memorial Union Ballroom. They are open to all students, and no registration is required.

Departments in the College of Sciences and Arts, the College of Engineering and the School of Technology pitched in to help organize the event. Guy Hembroff, director of the medical informatics graduate program in the School of Technology, helped organize Medical Informatics Day. High school students from area schools who are involved in robotics have been invited to participate.

Jason Carter, chair and professor of kinesiology and integrative physiology, and Karyn Fay, director of the medical laboratory science program in the Department of Biological Sciences, helped organize Allied Health/Medical Laboratory Sciences Day.

Stacy Cotey, director of pre-health programs, helped plan Medical Careers Day. Students from the health careers programs at local high schools have been invited to participate.

Sean Kirkpatrick, chair of biomedical engineering, helped put together Medical Device Day. A variety of medical device companies will be at Michigan Tech to discuss the future of the medical device industry.
Many of the speakers are Michigan Tech alumni, including William Karpus ’84 (BioSci), Brad Tomassucci ’84 (MedTech), Erin Thompson ’02 (ClinLabSci), Robert Richards ’77 (MedTech), Tracey Bershing, ’92 (Pre-PharmEd), Michelle Seguin ’07(BioSci), along with current medical students Eric Sturos and Stephanie Rutterbesch.

“Events like Medical Careers Week give students from all fields of study the opportunity to learn more about careers available in the medical field, said Shelley Farrey, coordinator of career development for Michigan Tech Career Services. “Not every student knows what avenue he or she wants to pursue in life when they enter college. Medical Careers Week gives them a chance to learn about the many opportunities available and the paths to get there.”

From Tech Today.

View the Flyer

Jackson Grant Recipients Announced

Due to a generous gift from William G. Jackson, the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is pleased to announce the 2015 grant recipients. Nearly $55,000 in grants were awarded to instructors and teams of instructors at $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 levels. These grants will support course/program reform or expansion projects using blended and online learning.

This year’s solicitation placed special emphasis on mentoring of instructors new to blended learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, shared content, matching support, testing and assessment. A committee, assembled by the Provost and the CTL Director, reviewed many compelling grant proposals in order to select this year’s grant recipients.

Assistant Professor Steven Elmer was awarded $7,567 for “Flipping KIP”: A Blended Learning Approach for Kinesiology Laboratories.

Read more at Tech Today.

Do you SWEAT? SWEAT (Social Wellness*Employee Action*Teamwork) is an employee wellness benefit designed to assist you in getting and staying active. New participants will receive a six-week membership to the SDC at no cost. The next session begins January 19 and also offers employees a chance to try out a Community Programs class:

Zumba
Jan. 19–Feb. 25
Monday and Wednesday, 5–5:50 p.m.
SDC Studio

To sign up, contact Shannon Brodeur or visit SWEAT.