Art Fry, the inventor of the Post-It Note, was on campus
this week, and it was great to hear him talk about his creation.
He described himself as a “two-pocket-protector nerd” (one
for his shirt, and one for his smock) and told a room full
of students, faculty, and staff many insightful themes for
success. At 3M, he enjoyed management buy-in, 15 percent free
time to experiment, a culture of hard work, an understanding
of markets, and more creative inducements.
It reminded me of the student projects on display this week.
The Undergraduate Expo was held in the Memorial Union Building,
and the students presented projects in three categories: undergraduate
research, senior design, and Enterprise teams.
My first stop was at the Nostalgic Steel Can display, where
students were working on an improved beer can. Talk about a
great project for Tech students!
The steel can would have a poly liner and would be shaped like
old beer cans, including some local Bosch or Haas models, with
a cone on top (which now fetch $50 on Ebay). And the group is targeting
microbreweries, such as the Keweenaw Brewing Company in Houghton.
“KBC gave us some beer to work with,” says MSE graduating senior
Brandon Richards. “No, we didn’t drink it, and you can see
why.” He pointed at an early prototype that didn’t look too
healthy.
The team conducted focus groups to decide which design was
most popular, and the winner actually looked like a standard can
with a cone on top. They even featured plastic twist-off caps.
“We decided on clear shrink-wrap labels, too,” says ME senior
Heather Riker, who is also graduating in May. “That way, the microbrewers
can change the label with their seasonal brews, and the clear
label shows the color underneath, which can be anything.”
All the research, in addition to their class work, has paid
off: Richards is heading to GE Aviation in Cincinnati, and
Riker has job interviews set up in her native Minnesota.
Nearby, Nicole Lepinski was staffing her display. It was called “Identification
of Bacterial Species in Metalworking Fluid Biofilms from the
Genera Pseudomonas Using Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH).”
“So what exactly is it?” I asked, suddenly feeling not so smart.
Nicole explained very thoroughly that bacteria can be found
in metalworking fluid, and she and graduate student Ratul Saha had figured how
to locate the really bad bugs so they can be removed. They have designed a system
that makes them fluorescent so that they can be identified
and destroyed.
It’s a big deal: some of these bacteria can cause
breathing problems for workers. She, too, was inspired by her
work, in her case with Saha and Biological Sciences Professor
Sue Bagley and “loves
research.” She will continue her studies doing even more great things:
in medical school.
Finally, Shandre Huff was manning his booth as the rest of
the Pavement Enterprise Team was presenting elsewhere in the
Union. He touted the many first-place finishes that his team had gained
in regional and national competitions.
“We have internal competitions first,” he said. “Then
our board selects the all-stars to go to the regionals and
nationals.” The
Bid Competition, for instance, had students attempting to estimate
an actual pavement job and comparing their bids to the actual
winner. Huff was on the winning team for that one and was rewarded
with a steak dinner at the Pilgrim River Steakhouse.
Huff has interned at Skansa, the construction company, and
has another year to go at Tech. He wants to use his civil engineering
degree in bridge design. A native of Detroit, he admitted he “had to adjust” to
Tech and Houghton.
“But I love the attitude up here,” he said.
Surrounded by a ballroom full of intelligence, inquiry, and
innovation, it is hard not to.
Dennis '92
Snowfall Totals (from KRC near the airport)
Last report for the season? The 8" in two days was a heavy, wet treat!
I snowblowed twice on Friday, April 11!
Total to date: 185.25"
Depth on ground: 15.5 "
Total last week: 174.75"
Depth on ground last week: 29"
Total last year: 162.75"
Depth on ground last year: 15 "
Chrysler Luncheon
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