Category: Alumni

Ken Kraft Passes Away

Ken Kraft
Ken Kraft's first year of teaching in the department, from The Michigan Tech Forester, 1962, Michigan College of Mining and Technology.

Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences Ken Kraft passed away on Jan. 12 at his Chassell Township home.

Kraft’s research was in invertebrate ecology, particularly in aquatic environments, and some of his work was used by the Army Corps of Engineers and Cleveland-Cliffs (now Cliffs Resources) in their environmental studies.

“He was well respected in his fields of study—entomology and aquatic environmental studies,” said Professor Emeritus Bob Keen. “He was also a mentor to a number of graduate students, including some who went on to attain PhDs and did very well.”

Kraft’s career at Michigan Tech actually began in forestry, where he was taught zoology, and he joined the biological sciences department when it was formed in 1962. He eventually rejoined the forestry faculty before retiring.

Read more at Tech Today.

Tech Graduation and Officer Commissioning

Tech Graduation 2013Thousands of people packed the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena Saturday morning to hear how a dish washer became a strategist for a $104 billion technology company and watch almost 1,000 Michigan Technological University students become alumni.

Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Stephen Anderson.

Service saluted from beginning to end Saturday

Nineteen Air Force and Army ROTC cadets were commissioned as second lieutenants.

Read more at the Mining Gazette.

Technical Communication Scholars to Converge on Tech

Technical CommunicationMichigan Tech is hosting the 40th Annual Meeting of the Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication (CPTSC) Thursday to Saturday, September 27 to 29. It is one of the largest international meetings of its kind, according to Ron Strickland, chair of the humanities department, and it brings many benefits with it.

Strickland said the annual meeting is also a chance to showcase the University’s humanities programs, faculty, and facilities. The humanities department will set up a couple of tables to present their publications and grants, one focusing on technical communication.

Read more at Tech Today, by Dennis Walikainen.

Boots to Briefcases: Veterans as Entrepreneurs

Vet EmploymentPart of his research project, which is currently sponsored by the Michigan Tech Research Excellence Fund (REF), seeks to build more awareness and future connections between the Veteran’s Affairs Office, the University (including [Air Force and Army] ROTC programs) and veterans themselves.

“ROTC has shown great interest,” Saurav Pathak says, “and we will be traveling to the Ishpeming, Marquette and Calumet Armories to talk about my work and see how much interest there really is.”

Read more at Tech Today, by Dennis Walikainen.