Author: College of Engineering

Sue Hill is the Digital Content Manager for the College of Engineering.

SS Grads Receive Travel Grants

Graduate Student Government Travel Grant Award Winners for Spring 2014

Travel grants for spring 2014 have been awarded. Among the Presenting Travel Grants ($ 250) recipients are social sciences graduate students Mayra O. Sanchez Gonzalez and Ronesha Strozier.

The full list of graduate recipients can be accessed online.

Travel grants are awards that help subsidize cost of attending and presenting at conferences. These awards are sponsored by the Graduate Student Government (GSG) and the Graduate School. For more information on travel grants, please visit the webpage.

Should you have any questions, contact the GSG treasurer Jennifer Winikus (jawiniku@mtu.edu).

From Tech Today.

Halvorsen on Downstream Community Study

DownstreamPayments to Upstream Landowners to Protect Water Downstream: How Well is that Working

Two researchers from Michigan Technological University have joined with natural and social scientists from three other universities and the US Forest Service to study the impact of Mexico’s water payment program.

“Our findings will help governments, non-governmental organizations, the World Bank and others who might promote programs like these to design their programs to be as effective as possible,” said Alex Mayer, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan Tech and co-principal investigator (PI) on Tech’s part of the research.

The project is highly interdisciplinary, Mayer added. That’s why his co-PI is Kathleen Halvorsen, a professor of natural resource policy at Michigan Tech.

“We want to know what the landowners and the communities downstream from them know about watersheds and pollution,” Halvorsen explained.

Read more at Michigan Tech News, by Jennifer Donovan.

Stathi Pappas and Steam Locomotive Heritage

Steam Locomotive For the Love of Steam

In March 2009, Michigan Technological University industrial archaeology alumnus Stathi Pappas purchased the Santa Cruz Portland Cement Company No. 2 Engine and began restoring it in his Mineral, Wash.,, shop.

As true living history, he says, they run them like they ran them, break them like they broke them, fix them like they fixed them, and repeat.

“From an anthropological standpoint, we want to understand that subculture and act accordingly,” Pappas says. “It’s a social movement as well as a professional rebuild.”

Read more at Michigan Tech News, by Dennis Walikainen.

Michigan History Day Takes Place Saturday

Michigan History DayAlmost a hundred elementary, middle and high school students will compete at the District 1 regional event for Michigan History Day on Saturday, March 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Michigan Tech in the MUB. Finalists in the youth, junior and senior divisions will move on to the state contest on April 26 at Saline Middle School.

Michigan History Day is an educational program of the Historical Society of Michigan and offers a fascinating opportunity to move social science beyond routine learning. Students perform research on an individually chosen topic. They then present their work through the disciplines of writing, art, literature, music, drama and/or visual communications.

“We are expecting a lot of great entries this year,” said Tamara Barnes, Michigan History Day state coordinator. “The students applied this year’s theme—Rights and Responsibilities in History—to create a variety of performances, exhibits, papers, websites and documentaries. We’re excited to see what topics in history come out of this year’s competition.”

Participants from District 1 include students from Houghton-Portage Township Schools, Hancock Public Schools, Lake Linden, Chassell, and Dollar Bay. The public is invited to attend the event. The District 1 competition is sponsored by Michigan Tech.

From Tech Today.

Sponsors

The MHD District 1 coordinators, John Robins and Steven Walton, would like to thank the generous sponsorship of the Dept. of Social Sciences (MTU), the University Archives and Historical Collections (MTU), and the Quincy Mine Hoist Association. IN addition, we would like to thank the two dozen volunteers who will be helping judge, staff tables, and make sure the A/V is operating properly.

Dan Schneider Social Sciences Colloquium Friday

Daniel SchneiderDan Schneider will present “A First-Hand and Historical Perspective on the Practice of Letterpress Printing.” on Friday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m., in AOB 201. Schneider is a master’s student in Social Sciences and the letterpress printer at the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock. He will be talking about letterpress printing as a work process.

From Tech Today.

Schelly Launches Solar Energy Project on Campus

Solar energy for Greek houses

Dr. Chelsea Schelly is launching a new project in the next month that will give college students in the Houghton-Hancock area the opportunity to test out a small solar generator paired up with a large solar panel mounted directly to their house.

As a sociologist, Schelly is studying the way students think about solar energy once they have exposure to this solar technology.

Read more at the Michigan Tech Lode, by Lucas Wilder.