Category: Alumni

Outstanding students, staff, and a special alumni were honored Friday (April 16) during Michigan Tech’s 27th Annual Student Leadership Awards Virtual Ceremony.

Outstanding students, staff, and special alumni were honored on Friday, April 16th at Michigan Tech’s 27th Annual Student Leadership Awards Virtual Ceremony.   At that event, Michigan Tech alums Kaitlin Bunker (BS EE ’10, MS EE ‘12, PhD EE ’14) and Megan Kreiger (BS Math ’09, MS MSE ’12) were introduced as the Alumni Association Outstanding Young Alumni for 2021.  Dr. Brunker is currently a manager at the Rocky Mountain Institute, and Megan works for the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois.  Dr. Brunker delivered the keynote address at the awards ceremony.

By Student Leadership and Involvement.

The American Foundry Society (AFS) award-winners have been announced by the AFS Board of Awards.

Kathy L. Hayrynen, vice president of R&D, Applied Process Inc. (Livonia, Michigan) will be awarded the John H. Whiting Gold Medal for her exemplary work in cast iron research and standards, chairing the AFS Technical Council, leadership in streamlining the AFS Cast Iron Division, as well as for advocacy and mentorship of students and women in metalcasting.

Hayrynen graduated with BS, MS, and PhD in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 1986, 1989, and 1993, respectively. She was inducted to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering Academy in 2006.

The award will be presented virtually at the Metalcasting Congress 2021 this April. An in-person ceremony for the Gold Medal is also planned for the 2021 Foundry Leadership Summit in September.

Edwin B. (Ned) Johnson passed away October 6, 2019. Prior to enrolling at Michigan Tech, he served in the U.S. Army and during World War II was captured by the German Army. He spent 7 months in a prisoner of war camp and later received the Purple Heart Medal.

Johnson graduated from Michigan Tech in 1947 with a bachelors in metallurgical engineering. After graduation, he went to work for Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. where he spent his entire career. He held numerous positions throughout the years and was named President in 1983. He served in this role until his retirement in 1986.

Johnson was recognized by Michigan Tech on several occasions. In 1971, he was awarded the Board of Control Silver Medal and in 1987, received the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus award. He was inducted into the Materials Science & Engineering Academy in 1996. He was an extremely good friend of the University lending both his time and energy to numerous initiatives. He served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and was a member of the Century II Campaign Task Force. In addition, he served as President of the Michigan Tech Fund Board of Trustees and attained Life Trustee status after serving three consecutive terms on the Board.

Johnson along with his wife Lois (who passed away in 2003), were very generous and supported numerous University programs over the years. These include the Annual Fund, the Huskies Club, the Materials Science & Engineering Department, the Rozsa Center, and several other campus initiatives. In 2008, he established the Edwin B. & Lois M. Johnson Endowed Scholarship to assist Michigan Tech students majoring in Materials Science & Engineering. Ned was recognized as a member of the Hotchkiss Society for his philanthropic support.

View the full obituary.

HOUGHTON — Five accomplished alumni of Michigan Technological University (MTU), who all have graduated from the institution in the last 15 years, returned to the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday afternoon to tell students about their paths to success. MTU’s inaugural Five Under 35 event has been more than two years in the making, according to moderator and MTU vice president of student affairs Les Cook.

Ben Almquist was the first speaker of the evening. Almquist graduated from MTU’s Materials Science and Engineering program in 2004.

“Michigan Tech made me a baby,” he said.

He continued to say that he didn’t cry a lot, but his work at MTU made him curious again.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Joshua Vissers.

The Graduate School, with the help of Dr. Jaroslaw Drelich and Jeffery Brookins, submitted a GradImpact story on one of our Michigan Tech alums and veterans, Jeffrey Brookins.

GradImpact is published by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS).

GradImpact: Finding a Path from Afghanistan to Materials Science

One of the challenges facing many graduate students is to find a project that will have practical application. Even more difficult, is to find a project that will help people on days that are painful and frightening. Jeffrey Brookins, a Master of Science graduate in Materials Science and Engineering from Michigan Tech University, is the rare student with a project that does both. Brookins worked on developing improved surgical clips for use during laparoscopic surgeries – minimally invasive procedures designed to minimize external scarring, often within the abdominal or pelvic cavities.

Read more at GradImpact.

Michigan Tech alumna Amberlee Haselhuhn, who received her bachelor’s of science in Materials Science and Engineering in 2011 and her PhD in ’16, appears in “Industry Faces,” a feature of Modern Casting.

Haselhuhn earned her PhD under the advisement of Joshua Pearce (MSE/ECE) and Paul Sanders (MSE).

Haselhuhn showing value of STEM education

Haselhuhn has worked with an all-girls First Robotics team and volunteers with AFS Foundry in a Box demonstrations through the Saginaw Valley chapter.

By doing what she has professionally, Haselhuhn is also a role model for young girls and women considering a career in STEM. That’s not something she takes lightly.

“I’ve been surrounded by incredibly talented, smart and innovative people at General Motors and when I was at Michigan Tech. There are so many intelligent people in the world,” she said. “You’re always hoping to improve your skills, innovate and to continue to be the best that you can be.”

Read more at Modern Casting.

Related:

Amberlee Haselhuhn ’11 is a Future Leader of Manufacturing

Michigan Tech alumna Amberlee Haselhuhn, who received her bachelor’s of science in Materials Science and Engineering in 2011 and her PhD in ’16, appears in “30 Under 30: Recognizing the future leaders of manufacturing,” in SME’s advancedmanufacturing.org.

Haselhuhn earned her PhD under the advisement of Joshua Pearce (MSE/ECE) and Paul Sanders (MSE).

30 Under 30: Recognizing the Future Leaders of Manufacturing

Manufacturing Engineering’s 2018 Class of 30 Under 30 honorees are in a class all their own. This is the sixth year Manufacturing Engineering is recognizing 30 individuals under the age of 30 that are leading the manufacturing industry into the future. These individuals exemplify extraordinary promise in manufacturing and the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills that underpin the discipline, plus much more.

Amberlee Haselhuhn, Age: 29

General Motors Company, Warren, MI

Amberlee Haselhuhn may have a BS and PhD in materials science engineering as well as a BS in biomedical engineering, but that is not the path she set out on.

“I originally wanted to be a medical doctor when I started my undergraduate education in biomedical engineering, but after spending time shadowing a doctor, I realized this really wasn’t for me,” she said. “Around the same time, I was required to take an introduction to materials science course and absolutely loved it, so I added a BS in materials science and engineering. A summer internship with a metal casting house showed me the type of innovative work I could do with an advanced degree, and I decided to pursue my PhD.”

While Haselhuhn has her name on 11 peer-reviewed publications and has delivered six conference presentations, she is not about theory alone. She also has a passion for applied research.

Haselhuhn applies the fundamentals of materials science and engineering to the joining of dissimilar materials for automotive body lightweighting. She is currently working on understanding the physics of spot welding of dissimilar metals.

The daughter of a machinist, Haselhuhn is the first in her family to earn an engineering degree or an advanced STEM degree. Perhaps because of this, she is eager to “spread the gospel” of a STEM education. Haselhuhn mentors a local all-girls FIRST Robotics team and volunteers at science festivals with the American Foundry Society’s “Foundry in a Box” demonstrations.

Read more at advancedmanufacturing.org, by Candace Roulo and James Sawyer.