Coming Soon: Online Alumni Community
Are you looking for a former classmate or wishing you could reconnect with other members of your favorite student organization from your Tech days? Maybe you'd like to know if there are any alums in your local area?
Well, we have great news-in just a few weeks, Michigan Tech's new Online Alumni Community will be "live" and a first-time login number will be mailed to your home. Once you receive your number, simply go to the website (http://alumnicommunity.mtu.edu) and log in. You'll have instant access to the Online Directory where you will be able to customize your own profile, post photos of family and friends, and search for classmates. You will also be able to email other community members privately (who knows, maybe you'll find your next great employee?) as well as communicate via Message Boards, Chats, and Friends Lists. Event registration and online donations have been made simpler, too.
Another great feature is the ability to create groups specifically for clubs and organizations. For example, the Mama's Boys house in McNair Hall could set up a private group and anyone who ever lived in Mama's Boys could join. The same functions are available to the private groups that are available to the entire community.
Whether you use the site to find old friends for a good laugh, schmooze, or develop strategic business opportunities, the Michigan Tech Online Alumni Community is a great way to network with other great Tech alums. Be sure to spread the word.
Too Young for a Will?
Many people put off making a will because they feel they are not old enough to need one. They say to themselves, "I'll take care of this when I retire." Actually, there are several reasons for having a will earlier in life.
There is the possibility, though remote, that death could come by accident or illness. And this means that having a will makes good sense.
Having minor children makes planning for their care extremely important. Through a will, you can name custodians for dependents and trustees of family trusts. Though you may consider your estate to be modest, you still have the right (and the obligation) to make your own decisions about the disposition of your assets. This includes designating bequests for family members and charities like the Michigan Tech Fund.
Getting your first will in place while you are younger makes it easier for you to adjust it later as the need arises.
Finally, having a valid will in place will give you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. You will have peace of mind knowing that you have taken care of one of the most important responsibilities in life.
We have free literature to help you think these things through and prepare you for a visit with an estate-planning attorney. Also, we want to know if you include the Michigan Tech Fund in your estate plans so that you can be honored as a member of our McNair Society. This society was established to honor all those who provide for the future of Michigan Tech through a bequest or a planned gift.
Please call Michigan Tech's Office of Gift Planning at 906-487-3325 to request our free literature. Also, we encourage you to visit our gift-planning website at www.mtulegacy.org.
Lambda Chi Alpha's New Home
First, you start a bank. Then, you buy a fraternity house. In effect, that's what Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity did, spearheaded by alumni, purchasing the old Remington House (or Charleston House B&B) on College Avenue.
In recent years, as alumni came back to Houghton, they realized the fraternity's old house, also on College Avenue, wasn't conducive to living in or recruiting. So, they went to a local contractor. "We asked them for a bid for remodeling, and they gave us a bid for demolition," says Jamie Holden, who helped arrange the unique funding that took place.
"Basically, we set up a limited liability company to act as a bank, taking the funds from investors and making a mortgage to the alumni house corporation that actually owns the property, which pays us back just like it would a commercial bank," he says.
Alumni invested in short- and long-term loans: the first to fund $250,000 worth of remodeling, the second to purchase the property. "Many alumni invested their IRAs," Holden says. "It was good timing: the fraternity is twenty-five years old, and most of the brothers are in a position where they won't need their IRAs for another twenty-five years."
The result has been a home restored to its 1900 elegance on the main floor and elsewhere and plenty of room for eighteen men to live, including a "destruction-proof" basement. But, if the guys get too rambunctious, the housing corporation can let someone else rent it. "We've got bills to pay!" Holden says.
But, from early reports, it sounds like the Lambda Chis are taking care of their new home. They are even giving it the summers off, with no occupants, "so it can breathe," Holden says, "and we can do maintenance. She's 106 years old, she needs a good rest!"
Alum Named Iowa Inventor of the Year
Iver Anderson '75
Iver Anderson '75 was named 2006 Inventor of the Year by the Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association. The award is given to an inventor who has made the most outstanding contribution to Iowa through his or her invention. Anderson is a senior metallurgist at Ames Laboratory and an Iowa State University adjunct professor of materials science and engineering. He received his master's and PhD from Wisconsin-Madison after graduating from Tech.
Anderson developed a lead-free solder alloy consisting of tin, silver, and copper that was patented in the United States in 1996 and 2001. In addition to its environmental advantages, Anderson's lead-free solder offers a lower melting temperature and greater strength than other lead-free solder alternatives. These properties are especially important in prolonged high-heat conditions, such as those found in computers and cell phones.
"My fundamental training at Tech gave me the curiosity and courage to question the established phase diagram for tin-silver-copper, which eventually led to the discovery of our basic lead-free solder alloy," Anderson said.
"My professors at Tech let me in on the secret that a lot of unexplored territory exists in complex alloy design, making materials science a truly exciting field. Of course, my parents always encouraged me to pursue my dream of making a difference in the world, especially with respect to good stewardship of our environment." Anderson's father, Jean, was on the mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics faculty for many years.
Licensed to more than fifty companies worldwide, lead-free solder has generated royalties to date in excess of $10 million, according to the ISU Research Foundation.