News Media Cavalcade:
Chevrolet Tests Hand Cycle at Marathon
A year after Michigan Technological University engineering students designed a more durable and comfortable hand cycle for wounded athletes, Chevrolet – the project’s sponsor – will test the cycle for the first time in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank International Marathon.
Walking is tricky business, as any toddler knows. And while most artificial feet and limbs do a pretty good job restoring mobility to people who have lost a leg, they have a ways to go before they equal the intricacy of a natural gait. As a result, over half of all amputees take a fall every year, compared to about one-third of people over 65.
In cooperation with a Mayo Clinic scientist, researchers at Michigan Technological University are taking a giant step toward solving the problem. They are making a bionic foot that could make an amputee’s walk in the park feel, well, like a walk in the park.
The secret lies in the ankle. Mo Rastgaar, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering–engineering mechanics, and PhD student Evandro Ficanha are working on a microprocessor-controlled ankle-foot prosthesis that comes close to achieving the innate range of motion of this highly complex joint.
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Aboard a spacecraft orbiting the moon is a little bit of Brandon Dilworth.
His body is comfortably here on Earth. But for the last several years, Dilworth has poured all his professional skill and passion into a game-changing scientific project that is now hitching a ride on the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer.
A brighter, better, longer-lasting dental implant may soon be on its way to your dentist’s office. Dental implants are posts, usually made of titanium, that are surgically placed into the jawbone and topped with artificial teeth. More than dentures or bridges, implants mimic the look and feel of natural teeth. While most dental implants are successful, a small percentage fail and either fall out or must be removed. A scientist at Michigan Technological University wants to lower that rate to zero using nanotechnology.
The staff of the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI) in Ann Arbor was on campus on Friday, Sept. 20, to conduct a poster session in the Dow Atrium (sixth-floor campus entrance). MTRI scientists and engineers were also available to discuss projects, collaborations with Michigan Tech departments and staff, and areas of research interest. The session is intended to outline the institute’s current activities and to explore opportunities to develop new working relationships.
MTRI, a research center of Michigan Technological University, is a recognized leader in the research, development and practical application of sensor and information technology to solve critical problems in national security, protecting and evaluating critical infrastructure, bioinformatics, earth sciences and environmental processes.
The Career Fair has grown into a week-plus of activities in both the fall and spring semesters. Interview skills training and resume blitzes have already started, and fair week has numerous events:
* Chrysler and GM both had ride and drive events. Chrysler’s Sunday Copper Harbor trips were all full. GM’s events were split between faculty and staff (Sunday) and students (Monday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) leaving from the pay lot, next to the Administration and Student Services building. More information is available at career@mtu.edu.
* The Society of Women Engineers hosts Evening with Industry, where recruiters can meet with students before the fair. It will be held Monday Night at 5:15 p.m. in the MUB Ballroom.
* Center for Diversity and Inclusion Corporate Reception–Corporations can meet with students from organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (oSTEM), American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and more. The event is scheduled for 6 to 7:45 p.m. at the Hamar House Tuesday night.
* Railroad Information Night, Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m., DHH Ballroom–The Railroad Engineering and Activity Club and Tech’s Rail Transportation Program bring together students and railroad industry representatives.
With 264 companies registered for the Fall Career Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 24, recruiters are running the gamut from new to renewed to never-miss-a-fair.
Ford Motor Company has donated a 2012 Focus all-electric vehicle to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The department is supplying the vehicle to the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Enterprise, providing students the opportunity to experience and work on state-of-the-art electric vehicle technology.
This fall semester the new class of engineering students assembled in the Rozsa Center Performance Hall to hear a speech by Dr. Kathryn I. Clark: “Pushing the Envelope: The Preparation of a Michigan Tech Engineering Degree.” Clark is a former chief scientist with NASA and she is currently president of Docere, a consulting company specializing in science and education. Among its clients are the Jean-Michel Cousteau Society, the Argos Foundation, the National Marine Sanctuaries and the Sea World Hubbs Institute. The lecture took place September 3rd at the Rozsa Center.
Wade Aitken-Palmer, of Kansas City, Mo., is among the 35 Michigan Technological University Master’s International students currently combining Peace Corps service with a graduate degree. He has been serving as a science teacher volunteer in Ghana since June 2012 and is pursuing a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MTU
Nanosatellites are smartphone-sized spacecraft that can perform simple, yet valuable, space missions. Dozens of these little vehicles are now tirelessly orbiting the earth performing valuable functions for NASA, the Department of Defense and even private companies.