Michigan Tech Biologist “Getting the Lead Out”

biologist at Michigan Tech is working on a way to remove lead from soil that is simple, inexpensive, and, quite literally, green. Rupali Datta began her tests with vetiver grass back in 2004, when she was on the faculty of the University of Texas at San Antonio. “The city was removing lead paint in an old neighborhood, but there was still lots of lead in the soil,” she remembers. “The soil was tracked in the house as lead-laced dust…” [read more]

Peace Corps Volunteer Tackles a Sensitive Women’s Health Problem in Uganda

Stacey Frankenstein-Markon is serving in Uganda as part of Michigan Tech’s Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) program in applied science education. Brad Baltensperger, chair of the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences and program director of the PCMI Applied Science Education Program, and Casey Huckins, an associate professor of biological sciences who heads the University’s new PCMI in biological sciences, spent a week in Uganda to discuss the graduate students’ research… [read more]

Five New Degree Programs Offered

Doctorate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: This is an interdepartmental program that builds on existing faculty and existing courses in the Departments of Biology and Chemistry, as well as the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Bachelor of Arts in Physics with a concentration in secondary education: Seel says, “The motivation for offering a BA in physics is to provide students with a strong foundation in the field, but fewer course requirements…” [read more]

Scholarships Available for Future Science, Math Teachers

Sarah Weinreis completed her BS in Chemistry at Michigan Technological University in 2008, but her dream was to help high school students succeed in science and mathematics. She found a path to her goal through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program, which enabled her to earn her teacher certification. The Noyce program, run by the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences, placed her at Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw, MI, a high-needs urban school… [read more]