Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering News

The Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics department is proud to feature students and other community members in Women in STEM Wednesday. This week we take a look into the life of PhD student, Cora Taylor.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Charlevoix, Michigan

DEGREE | WHAT YEAR?

B.S. Mechanical Engineering (Dec.2018), M.S. Mechanical Engineering (Dec. 2020), PhD Mechanical Engineering (2nd Year)

WHAT GROUPS ARE YOU INVOLVED IN?

Currently, I am not involved in any on campus groups, but I did recently join the Copper Harbor Trails Club. During my undergraduate I was heavily involved in the Formula SAE team, Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, and Orientation Programs, as well as being a member of MESAC.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?

Mountain biking, waterskiing and working on my boat, downhill skiing, camping, backpacking, cooking and baking. 

FAVORITE PLACE IN THE AREA?

Winter: Mount Bohemia, Summer: Copper Harbor and on the Portage Canal

FUN FACTS / PETS / FAVORITE QUOTE

I have a dog named Bode, named after the professional ski racer Bode Miller and Hendrik Wade Bode the inventor of the Bode Plot.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TECH?

I chose Tech for 2 major reasons, which it seems are the same as why a lot of people choose Tech: the quality of engineering degree and the outdoors activities. Having grown up in a small town on the water with easy access to ski hills, I knew I wanted to go to college in a similar place.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT TECH?

The community, plain and simple. The Michigan Tech community has always been so welcoming, friendly, and supportive in all of my endeavors on and off campus. I love that I can be across the country, see someone in a Michigan Tech shirt and instantly have a connection.

HOW HAS TECH IMPACTED YOUR VIEW OF STEM?

STEM really stands  for continuous learning and improvement. Your education in a STEM field doesn’t stop when you graduate. When pursuing a STEM degree you take all of these math and science based classes, but really what you learn is how to problem solve and find solutions through learning methods and procedures.

WHAT ORIGINALLY INTERESTED YOU IN STEM?

My sophomore year, my high school started a FIRST Robotics team. One of my good friends convinced me to join the team as the public relations captain, to make t-shirts, communicate with sponsors, and any other “creative” things the team needed. During our first season, I quickly finished any tasks that I needed to do for the public relations position and started getting into the shop and working on the robot. I realized that I had quite the knack for designing and building, and the following year I was the team’s design captain. This initially sparked my interest in engineering, an interest which was solidified through taking all possible engineering related classes my school offered my junior and senior years.

WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

You ARE smart enough. Throughout my undergraduate degree I was constantly saying to myself that I couldn’t do this because I wasn’t smart enough. It seemed like all of my classmates were so smart and so much more successful than me, but that wasn’t true, many of them were struggling just as I was. Now, during my PhD, I have realized that I am smart enough, and when that self degrading voice comes around, I just keep pushing on.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO STUDENTS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN STUDYING STEM?

Do it! Being in a STEM field is so rewarding, yet challenging. Be ready to work hard to solve the problems put in front of you, but just know that when you do solve them there isn’t a better feeling.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TO CHANGE THE WORLD?

There’s a well known story out there about  a kid walking along a beach filled with washed up starfish, tossing them back in the ocean one by one. Someone walks up to the kid and says “Why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!” the kid tosses another starfish into the ocean and responds “Well, I made a difference for that one!” I heard this story a long time ago and it has stuck with me. My goal with my PhD is to become a faculty member. Although it is unlikely that as a faculty member I will change the whole world, I do hope to change some individual worlds.

If you would like to nominate someone for Women in STEM Wednesday, please email Donna Jeno-Amici (djenoami@mtu.edu) or Meg Raasakka (mraasakk@mtu.edu)

This week the Department of Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics at Michigan Technological University proudly presents Women in STEM Wednesday. This week we feature Third year student, Gracie Brownlow.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Berlin, WI

DEGREE | WHAT YEAR?

I am a third year with a major in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in manufacturing.

WHAT GROUPS ARE YOU INVOLVED IN?

I volunteer in the Energy-X lab and I work in the ME-EM office.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?

I enjoy crocheting, reading, and going for walks and bike rides.

FAVORITE PLACE IN THE AREA?

The trails in Copper Harbor and Agate Beach.

FUN FACTS / PETS / FAVORITE QUOTE

I have seen over 40 different rock and alternative bands live.

I have a cat named Lizzy.

“Well-behaved women seldom make history”-Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TECH?

It was Tech or UW-Platteville.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT TECH?

I like how Tech isn’t too far from different trails and national parks since it gives students an easy way to go outside and be able to get away from a computer when necessary. It’s also really nice how Tech has a lot of opportunities to further your experience and what you learn.

HOW HAS TECH IMPACTED YOUR VIEW OF STEM?

Tech has really helped me in expanding my knowledge on what you can do with a STEM degree. Especially with working in the Energy-X lab, I learned that there is far more to being a mechanical engineer than I originally thought. 

WHAT ORIGINALLY INTERESTED YOU IN STEM?

Being in robotics in middle and high school was really the start of my interest in STEM. After only a year of designing and building robots, I found that there was nothing like watching something you created come to life and be successful. That’s when I knew I wanted to go into the STEM field but it wasn’t until my high school physics class made me finally decide on going into engineering, although the class led me to civil engineering, I quickly found my way to mechanical engineering at Tech.

WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?

I would tell myself to be confident in my choices. It was unnecessarily difficult to decide to go to Tech and to go for engineering after being told by multiple people I’d be a good English teacher, and then deciding to change my major after getting to Tech. I was always worried I was making the wrong decision, even though I wasn’t excited to go anywhere else or do anything else. I’m glad to say that I’m really happy with the choices I’ve made since they have done a great deal to get me to where I am today.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO STUDENTS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN STUDYING STEM?

Be prepared to put the work in because it is something that you only get out what you put in. For the best experience and education, you have to give your all. I’d also recommend that you get to know professors, especially in classes you enjoyed being in. You never know if they have a research opportunity or if they can help you find your passion in your field.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TO CHANGE THE WORLD?

I don’t need to change the world by myself but I would like to help in research to help the issue of climate change. Whether that is helping make home appliances run more energy efficient or designing new planet friendly ways to get power, fresh water, or even dispose of waste, I hope that whatever I achieve is able to snowball effect into something bigger for the betterment of people’s livelihood and the planet’s well-being.

If you would like to nominate someone for Women in STEM Wednesday, email Donna Jeno-Amici (djenoami@mtu.edu) or Meg Raasakka (mraasakk@mtu.edu)

The Michigan Technological University Lunabotics team is headed to the Kennedy Space Center in Orsino, Florida to compete in the NASA Lunabotics Mining Competition.

Six of the students on the 16-member Lunabotics team advised by Dr. Paul van Susante will display their combined work during a two-day mining event. They will be traveling on Friday, May 20th to compete Monday and Tuesday.

The Lunabotics competition brings university-level students from all around the country to compete in two two-day mining events. Groups 1-25 will compete on Monday and Tuesday, with groups 26-50 competing on Thursday and Friday. The 50 student groups have been working on the fabrication of their lunar vehicles with the goal of mining. Judges will score based on the following eight competition categories: Gravel Mined, Average Data Bandwidth Use, Camera Bandwidth Use, Mining Robot Mass, Energy Consumed, Dust Tolerant Design, Dust Free Operation, and Autonomy.

“I’m super excited for getting to go down to the Kennedy Space Center for the first time and actually compete. We joined the competition 2-3 years ago, but due to Covid, the competition hasn’t taken place in person,” says Timothy Hamilton. Team members Timothy Hamilton, Chuck Carey, Taylor Hammond, Brendan McRoberts, Eric Mossner, and Lunabotics Project Manager Karson Linders, along with Dr. van Susante, will represent Michigan Tech in Florida.

Through the Michigan Tech Enterprise program, they were able to develop their robot in the Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab, or PSTDL. Multiplanetary’s Regolith Pursuing Husky, or MuRPHy, is the result of that research. Regolith is the dust-like crushed rock surface that mimics surfaces such as asteroids, Mars, or our closest companion the Moon. Working in the Lunar Simulant Sandbox in the PSTDL, their lunar rover, MuRPHy, starts mining into an automated collection bin that will then dump the mined material behind the robot. Timothy says, “We have scoped out some of the competition and think that we can do well, but it all comes down to how our robot and our competitors perform on the day of competition, so it’d be great if everyone could wish us luck and safe travels!”

Learn more about the Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab at: https://huskyworks.space/, https://huskyworks.space/facilities/sandbox

Learn more about Lunabotics at: https://mine.geo.mtu.edu/Lunabotics.html, https://www.nasa.gov/content/lunabotics-information, https://www.facebook.com/Lunabotics.Competition/

The Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics department is proud to feature students and other community members in Women in STEM Wednesday. This week we take a look at Third Year Mechanical-Engineering student, Mady VanWieren.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Holland, Michigan

DEGREE / WHAT YEAR?

3rd Year Mechanical Engineering Major

FAVORITE PLACE IN THE AREA?

I love running on the trails in Copper Harbor!

FUN FACT

I have an Australian Shepard named Jake

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?

Run (I’m on the cross country and track teams at tech)
Backpacking & camping

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TECH?
I chose Tech because it is a really good engineering school with really good opportunities, like our career fair. I knew that if I went to Tech I would have lots of opportunities to network and get in touch with potential employers, and learn the skills I need to be successful in my career! I also chose to come to Tech because I would be able to continue my running career.

WHAT ORIGINALLY INTERESTED YOU IN STEM?

Since I was a little kid I’ve always been curious about the world around me. I loved to fiddle with things and figure out how they work. I grew up making Rube Goldberg machines and looking at microscope slides with my Dad. I originally got interested in STEM because I got to do these things with him.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT TECH?

My favorite thing about Tech is the mentality of the student body. Classes are tough, but everyone is
happy to be here and working hard. Tech students really embody the phrase “Crazy Smart”.

HOW HAS TECH IMPACTED YOUR VIEW OF STEM?
Tech has shown me that there is so much more to getting a STEM degree than taking a bunch of math
classes. It has taught me that there are so many different opportunities and paths to take with a STEM degree. This school is mostly engineers, but everyone has such diverse interests and is pursuing unique paths.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO STUDENTS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN STUDYING STEM?
STEM is so broad, I would say to find something you’re passionate about. STEM degrees are challenging but rewarding, I have learned so much and am very excited to go out into the world and make a difference.

WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
You are capable of more than you think. Focus on the things that challenge you the most and set your
mind to getting better at them. You can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it and decide you
are going to do it.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TO CHANGE THE WORLD?
My passion is renewable energy. After I graduate I plan to work to make renewable energy
infrastructure more efficient and affordable. I want to help to change how the country produces its
power and I want to help to reach net carbon neutral goals.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering- Engineering Mechanics at Michigan Technological University is proud to present Women in STEM Wednesday! This week we’re featuring 3rd year student Julia Westfall.

DEGREE | WHAT YEAR?
Mechanical Engineering | 3rd Year

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Marysville, Michigan

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?
I like participating in STEM outreach, planning activities with friends, and doing anything that will get me up and moving!

FAVORITE PLACE IN THE AREA?
Any place where there are waterfalls.

FAVORITE QUOTE
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how” – Friedrich Nietzsche

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MICHIGAN TECH?
I heard it was a great school for engineering and Tech sent me birthday cards every year (so I thought I’d apply)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT TECH?
The opportunities available to students inside and outside of school. Specifically, for job/internship opportunities and extra curriculars.

HOW HAS MICHIGAN TECH IMPACTED YOUR VIEW OF STEM?
Tech has shown me that with perseverance, determination, and a desire to succeed, anyone can pursue a STEM degree.

WHAT ORIGINALLY INTERESTED YOU IN STEM?
The problem solving aspect as well as the creativity and design you can incorporate into it. The ability to study something to understand how it works then using that knowledge to redesign it to make it better!

WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
Stop comparing yourself to your classmates and just keep trying your best. I was super scared that I would not be able to keep up with my classmates that came from STEM families or that aced all their AP exams. Doing the best you can do and being persistent in giving it your all can do more for you than you could ever imagine.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO STUDENTS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN
STUDYING STEM?
First—“High five!!”
Then—“You got this. It’ll be difficult.. but worth it!”

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TO CHANGE THE WORLD?
I just want to provide a sense of encouragement and energy in other people’s lives in hopes of inspiring them to be the best they can be and to pass that theme on for generations to come.