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The Brothers Iduma—Ambition, Application, AttitudeFrom Nigeria to Detroit to Michigan Tech—a path traveled by the three Iduma brothers,Tech students forging a life that is a blend of American and African cultures. Born in Enugu, Nigeria, all three speak both English and Ibo, one of three major Nigerian dialects in a land of many. The Iduma family moved to Detroit in 1991, where they lived in a predominantly black neighborhood. The brothers describe Nigerian culture as decidedly spiritual, and each of them has a name in Ibo that means "God is good," or "God is my leader," or "God is my heart." Besides family and faith, the brothers share ambition, application, and a no-nonsense attitude—a recipe for success at Michigan Tech. Kingsley, 18, is a freshman in mechanical engineering; Vincent, 20, is a junior in biomedical engineering; and Godwin, 22, is a senior in mechanical engineering. They ended up at Tech at the insistence of their father who wanted his sons to live where life was quiet and lent itself to focus on studies—an understatement for the big city boys: gone were the bright lights, the big city. "It's twenty minutes around the neighborhood and that's it," Goodwin remembers. They turned to campus life, active with the African Students Organization, the National Society of Black Engineers, the Black Student Organization, Black History Month, and the Parade of Nations. Betty Chavis is advisor to the African Students Organization, of which Godwin is president and Vincent, vice president. She sums up their contributions to campus life outside of class simply as "important." Chavis, director of Outreach and MultiEthnic Programs, is effusive about the Idumas. "Top of the line," she says. "They're extraordinary young men. High achievers. They have purpose. They have goals. They have work habits. They have study habits. They are the kind of young men we want." Their example affords a message for other minorities, Chavis says: "There is a culture here that you won't find anyplace else. You can succeed here at Michigan Tech if you have the mind, the purpose, and the standards." Kingsley Kingsley, the youngest, has a 3.14 GPA and wants to be an automotive engineer. He says, "I always wanted to test and evaluate vehicles. Every time I see a car, I wonder how the performance is." The brothers share an outlook about Tech that is summed up by Kingsley. "It's a good university," he says. "It's better than I thought it was going to be. The thing is, about Tech, you have to be ready to work. It's a pretty intensive place. It's not the best place to go if you want to really enjoy city life—there's not much up here. But it's a great place to get a good education." Vincent Vincent's arrival at Tech was bumpy. Gone was Detroit's predominantly black culture. "When I first got here, all I saw was white faces around—like wow!" Vincent says. "Never seen so many together in one place before. I didn't really associate with them." But Tech transformed the middle brother. He joined a Christian group, became a resident assistant, and "loosened up." He had to talk to white people and get to know them. "Now I realize we're pretty much the same. Not all the stereotypes we have are true." When Vincent arrived in the US, he had a cleft foot—a rare congenital condition also called split foot or lobster foot. Doctors not only fixed the foot but also changed his future. Vincent aspires to be a doctor. "If somebody can do what they did on my leg, as impossible as it was, I want to do this for somebody else." Vincent has helped Chavis recruit minority students in Milwaukee and Chicago. "He was an absolutely phenomenal booster," Chavis says. "It was fun," Vincent adds. "I gave testimony about how Tech has been for me so far." Godwin Godwin, the oldest, says the move from Nigeria to Detroit required adjustment: "Drop the old culture and adapt to the new." He had to adjust, for instance, from formal English to street talk and get used to different food. These days, what does he like most about America? He says, unhesitatingly, "Fashions, diversity, and opportunity." While in high school, Godwin attended Michigan Tech's Minorities in Engineering, a Summer Youth Program, for three consecutive years. "I didn't like it—I loved it," he says. "I wanted to understand a lot more about Michigan Tech, since that was the college that interested me. The summers were like a vacation. I could make new friends and meet old ones." Mister MTU in 2004, Goodwin has a 3.5 GPA and a levelheaded demeanor. "Being at Tech is all about hard work, taking advantage of opportunities, being mentally strong, recognizing your mistakes and correcting them, and having faith that through it all you will be okay." Amid it all, he has kept his African heritage. "You can take a person out of their culture," he says, "but you can't take the culture out of the person." One part of that culture is contentedness. He says of Nigerians: "We're happy with ourselves. We appreciate what we have. You're not really rich by money but by what you have inside, and how you act, and how you treat other people." [Return to Top]
Mary Ann Beckwith Featured in International Artist
Mary Ann Beckwith, professor of fine arts, recently appeared in the February/March 2006 issue of International Artist magazine, which features inspiration and instruction on techniques from the best artists in the world. Beckwith's article "Experimenting with Texture and Media" reflects her pioneering watermedia techniques. Beckwith has taught watercolor, drawing, and design at Michigan Tech since 1973. Popular with the students, she is a two-time recipient of Michigan Tech's Distinguished Teaching Award and frequent finalist for that honor. She revels in sharing methods of painting as well as her explorations into uncharted territories. "Artistry is not bounded by the arts. I tell my students that as they become more confident in their own creativity, it will make them a better engineer, mathematician, or forester. My goal is to help students reach their greatest potential." This latest honor shows her notoriety reaches far beyond the Keweenaw. As a recognized artist, Beckwith has won prizes in distinguished juried exhibitions throughout the United States and is active in her profession. She has taught workshops on "Experimental Watercolor" throughout this country and in Canada. In 1996, she taught watercolor techniques at Seoul National University and at Kon Ku University in Korea. She also wrote a book, Creative Watercolor: A Step by Step Guide and Showcase (1996), which was even translated for the Japanese market. International Artist magazine's Canadian editor spotted Beckwith's work and asked if she would share her technique. The multipage spread displays Beckwith's art and gives step-by-step instruction in her experimental techniques. Milt Olsson, chair of the fine arts department, notes, "We're fortunate to have her here." To read the International Artist article and view Beckwith's art, go to apollo.fa.mtu.edu/~mabeckwi/. [Return to Top]
Junior Olympics Wow'd by Tech Trails
The second week of March brought sunshine and maple syrup weather to Michigan Tech, along with more than 400 young cross-country skiers and their families from all over the US to the 2006 Chevrolet Junior Olympics. Michigan Tech faculty and staff took advantage of the chance to introduce the University to hundreds of winter-loving student-athletes, ages 14–19. "Overall, I think it was a great recruiting tool," said Patty Lins, director of Educational Technology Services and one of the 200-plus volunteers who donated their time to make the competition possible. "All these junior high and high school students were saying, 'Wow! You have this in your backyard!'" "The JO" was a true town-gown endeavor, sponsored by Michigan Tech and the Copper Country Ski Tigers, an area club that encourages both competitive and recreational Nordic skiing. The collaboration went off without a hitch, said Jim Tervo, a local skiing enthusiast, trail groomer, and primary organizer. Tervo, who has accompanied his skier son to a number of other Junior Olympics competitions, was pleased with the local effort: "There was no one involved who didn't do his or her job to perfection," he said. Everything flowed so smoothly that organizers started the last race 30 seconds ahead of schedule, "just because we could," he said. "It was awesome." Tech's ski trails, built in 2002, wind throughout a 360-acre forest just up the hill from campus. Students and local skiers who use the 22-mile system have come to take it for granted, but Junior Olympians and their families had a fresh viewpoint. "People loved the trails," said Tervo. "The coaches, the athletes, the parents—they were all very impressed." The slightly sloppy March snow did nothing to deter their enthusiasm. "The weather was a challenge—warm and pleasant—but the skiers know how to wax for that," said Lins. "I talked to parents who'd been to Junior Olympics at other schools, and they said that this year, the bar had been raised, not by inches but by feet." Elizabeth Quinley, a first-year Michigan Tech student from Anchorage who competed with Team Alaska, concurred. "It's a hard course, and all my friends were impressed with the trails," she said. "The whole event went off really well; there were lots of good skiers, and the volunteers were sweethearts." Besides enjoying the ski trails, competitors got a taste of the Tech campus. The awards banquet was held in the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, and academic programs were showcased at the Gates Tennis Center. Even the downtown was involved, explained Lins. "They had a luge run down Isle Royale Street, and it was a blast." For more information on:
Michigan Tech Takes "Best Design"
The CSC is the Society of Automotive Engineers' newest collegiate design competition. Teams of engineering students from participating schools take a stock snowmobile and re-engineer it to reduce emissions and noise while maintaining or improving performance. Tech's team captain, Matt Prusak, was pleased with the honor but also predicted some major changes in 2007. "We had a sled that from a design standpoint was very good," he said, but it was handicapped by an engine that was too big for the purposes of the CSC. "Next year, we're looking at a turbo-charged four-stroke." Michigan Tech finished sixth out of sixteen teams in the CSC overall, the same rank as in 2005 but with a better snowmobile. "We fixed a number of problems from last year," said Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Bernhard Bettig, the team's advisor. "We're getting better, but all the other teams have improved, too." Teams that are doing the best have been using stock equipment, and that will be Michigan Tech's direction in 2007, he predicted. "We'll use a whole new strategy." Teams of students from fourteen universities across the US and Canada put their sleds through their paces from March 13–18 at Tech's Keweenaw Research Center, which sponsors the event along with the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. This year, two sleds competed very quietly in the new zero-emissions division, with Utah State University's electric snowmobile taking first place. The University of Wisconsin-Madison earned top honors among the fuel-powered entries. Steve Daum, SAE's manager of collegiate programs, called the Challenge "one of SAE's leading competitions." "From our standpoint, it's brilliantly run," he said. "Event coordinator Jay Meldrum does a fantastic job of organizing, and we really appreciate the support we get from the University." The quality of the entries keeps going up as well. "Every year, the students watch what the other students are doing, take those ideas home, and try to improve on them," Daum said. "The CSC just keeps getting better and harder." For complete results, photos, and film clips of the 2006 Clean Snowmobile Challenge, go to www.me.mtu.edu/snowmobile_challenge/index.html. [Return to Top]
$1.2 Million Infusion for SBE from the
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© 2006, Michigan Tech Magazine |
Michigan Tech Magazine | Spring 2006 | http://www.mtu.edu/alumni |
Michigan Tech's Clean Snowmobile Team nabbed the Society of Automotive Engineers Best Design Award in the 2006 Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC), now in its fourth year at Michigan Tech.
Entrepreneurial students in the School of Business and Economics (SBE) will be developing custom software for nonprofit organizations, thanks to a generous $1.2 million from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.