Alumni,

I’ve just returned to Houghton from travel that took me from an engineering conference in Minneapolis to leading an international accreditation team for engineering programs outside Manila. Along the way I met Michigan Tech alumni at all stages of their careers. It was incredible to hear these stories, and to reflect on the common elements. It turns out that Michigan Tech is a refinery for tenacity—the belief that hard work, perseverance, and unwavering single-mindedness will eventually solve the problem.

As we move forward, I am calling on all Huskies for your help—help identifying new Huskies, help supporting study abroad opportunities, and help solving tough research problems. Whether it be your time, talent, or treasure, with your help we can impact the next generation of tenacious Michigan Tech alumni.

In this time of thanksgiving, and throughout the year, we are grateful for all you do to continue our strong tradition—we’ve got this!

Janet Callahan, Dean of Engineering at Michigan Tech
callahan@mtu.edu
mtu.edu/engineering

Our inaugural inductees are both alumni. Sarah Rajala is the James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Dean of Engineering at Iowa State University and consistently breaks new ground for women in engineering. Karl Smith, Cooperative Learning Professor, Purdue University, and Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota, is a leader in the field of engineering education. Read more.

By using conductive thread and passive electronics—tiny semiconductors, resistors and capacitors—Ye Sun is able to design flexible embroidery to turn logos into health monitoring devices. Sun has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Read more.

The College of Engineering is offering seed funding of up to $50,000 for tackling a research problem that requires an interdisciplinary team. “The grand challenges of today will not be solved by one discipline alone.” Read more.

Currently a Lecturer at Imperial College London where he leads his own research team, Ben examines life at nano-scale, but thinks big. He is a teacher, researcher, and leader with ever-expanding efforts to educate, motivate, and heal. Read more.

Rebecca Ong ‘05, Michigan Tech alumna and assistant professor of chemical engineering, received a research and development grant, the first year of a five-year project totaling more than $1.3 million, from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read more.

The Michigan Tech College of Engineering is offering study abroad scholarships in the amount of $2,000 to engineering students. Those who apply must effectively answer a single essay question: “How will studying abroad help fulfill your career goals?” Read more.

Dean Callahan traveled across the globe in October to experience Michigan Tech alumni where they live and work. After three weeks and over 17,000 miles, Dean Callahan returned to campus, energized from all the new Michigan Tech alumni connections and friends she has made along the way. Read more.

How likely is it to happen this year—and when? Mark Kulie, an expert in all things snow at Michigan Tech, may be willing to hazard a guess. Read more.

Nancy Scofield was the first female to be granted a doctoral degree at Michigan Tech, earning a PhD in Geology in 1977 by studying copper redistribution in Portage Lake basalts. The Nancy Scofield Pioneering Research Award is given annually to a graduate student whose dissertation work pushes the boundaries of doctoral research in the Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences. Read more.