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1. Rolf Peterson, Craig Friedrich Named to Robbins Endowed Chairs |
by Jennifer Donovan, director of public relations
Two distinguished researchers at Michigan Tech have been named to sustainability chairs endowed by Tech alumnus Richard Robbins and his wife, Bonnie.
Rolf Peterson, research professor in the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, will hold the Robbins Chair in Sustainable Management of the Environment, formerly held by the late David Karnosky.
Craig Friedrich, associate chair and director of graduate studies in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, was appointed to the Robbins Chair in Sustainable Design and Manufacturing.
These chairs and a third one in sustainable materials that was filled in August 2008 by David Shonnard, professor of chemical engineering, were made possible by the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Robbins.
"Dick and Bonnie Robbins recognize that our students' understanding of the fragile nature of the world around them depends on their direct experience with today's environmental challenges, both in the classroom and in research," said President Glenn D. Mroz.
Robbins, who graduated from Michigan Tech in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and his wife expressed confidence that the three sustainability chairs will "add impact to Michigan Tech's interdisciplinary work to solve some of the world's most complex problems."
Peterson, who has taught at Michigan Tech since 1975, heads the University's world-renowned wolf-moose predator-prey study at Isle Royale National Park. The longest continuous wildlife study in the world, the wolf-moose study celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008. Peterson's research focuses on the ecology of the wolf and its prey. Of special concern to him is the challenge of the recovery of wild carnivores, exemplified by the gray wolf.
"This is a challenge because these species compete directly with human interests, and we have typically persecuted them for centuries," the wildlife ecologist said. "The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science at Michigan Tech is strategically placed, geographically and in terms of faculty expertise, to play a key role in understanding the broad implications of carnivore recovery."
Peterson earned a bachelor's degree in zoology at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and a PhD in Wildlife Ecology from Purdue University. He has won Michigan Tech's annual Research Award, the Isle Royale Institute Founders' Award and a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. A member and secretary of the International Wolf Center's Board of Directors, Peterson also is an expedition leader for Research Expedition volunteers studying the wolves and moose of Isle Royale. The US Fish and Wildlife Service appointed him team leader of the Recovery Team for the Eastern Gray Wolf.
Friedrich has taught and conducted research at Michigan Tech since 1997. He has been researching mechanical microtechnologies, or microscopic technologies, for 20 years. For the past seven years, he has focused on two types of nanotechnologies: bionanosensors that could allow non-invasive detection of normal and abnormal physiology--for example, blood glucose monitors that do not require a finger prick; and bionanomaterials that could scavenge sustainable energy from light.
His current research focuses in four areas: development of micromechanical insertion tools for cochlear implants; orthopedic implant rods with surfaces suitable for impregnation with drugs to promote bone regrowth and antibiotics to reduce risk of infection; a signaling mechanism based on a protein that converts light to an electrical charge; and manufacturing of optical micro-waveguides, similar to optical fibers, that can greatly increase the speed of communications on and among circuit boards.
"The first three help sustain the quality and security of life, and the fourth will help sustain technological leadership," the professor of mechanical engineering said.
Friedrich holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He is director of Michigan Tech's Multi-Scale Technologies Institute, involving interdisciplinary research by 30 faculty members from 12 departments. He also oversees the graduate program for nearly 200 graduate students in mechanical engineering. |
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2. University Summer Hours Begin May 3 |
Starting Sunday, May 3, the University shifts to its summer schedule. General hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. All offices must be staffed during those hours.
Employees are expected to fulfill their usual full-time or part-time obligations. Your actual work schedule must be approved by your supervisor. Regular office hours resume on Monday, Aug. 17. |
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3. 2009 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows Named |
Michigan Tech's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program awards undergraduate students funds from the Vice President for Research and the Honors Institute. This year, 45 applications were submitted and 23 were chosen to be funded. Awards total $68,600.
Funding decisions were made based on a review of students' applications by faculty members across campus.
Recipients of the 2009 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships are
Cameron Betterly (SBE), "Evaluating Sovereignty: Third Parties and the International Judicial Process," with Associate Professor Mary Durfee (Social Sciences)
Viktor Bollen (Physics), "Generation of Bi-Partite Entanglement using Coherent States," with Assistant Professor Kim Fook Lee
Daniel Dubiel (MEEM/Biomedical Engineering), "Parametric Study of Stress Concentration in Artificial Heart using Finite Element Analysis," with Associate Professor Tammy Haut Donahue (MEEM)
Genevieve Gierke (Biomedical Engineering), "Light-Filtering Polymers for More-Biocompatible Coatings on Blood and Tissue Contacting Medical Devices," with Assistant Professor Megan Frost
Sarah Gray (Biomedical Engineering), "Alkaline Phosphatase Activity Increased by Serum-Borne Factors in Hibernating Bears," with Associate Professor Seth Donahue
Angela Guisfredi (Exercise Science), "Lactate Threshold and Aerobic Capacity during On-Ice and Off-Ice Testing," with Department Chair Jason Carter
Sulgana Gupta (Chemistry/Biological Sciences), "Rhizoremediation of Heavy Metals through Plant-Microbe Interaction" with Assistant Professor Ramakrishna Wusirika (Biological Sciences)
Sarah Hopson (Chemistry/Biological Sciences), "The Optimization of the Heterologous Production of Alkaline Phytase in the Yeast Pichia pastoris" with Professor Pushpalatha Murthy (Chemistry)
Gareth Johnson (MEEM), "Development of Self-Diagnosing Adaptive Structures for Composite Materials," with Assistant Professor Keat Ghee Ong (Biomedical Engineering)
Jizhou Li (Mathematical Sciences), "An Experimental Study of the Effect of Framing on Risk Taking in Strictly Competitive Games," with Professor Thomas Merz (SBE)
Elizabeth Moore (Biomedical Engineering), "Synthesis and Characterization of Novel S-Nitrosothiol Compounds for Nitric Oxide Delivery," with Assistant Professor Megan Frost
Kyrie Pappas (Chemistry/Biological Sciences), "Selective Acylation of Polyamines at Ambient Temperature," with Assistant Professor Shiyue Fang (Chemistry)
James Pouliot (Cognitive and Learning Sciences), "Altruism and Materialism as Predictors of Educational Options in the Engineering Major," with Associate Professor Susan Amato-Henderson
Andrew Ramsey (MEEM), "Design and Manufacture of a Model Gas Turbine Combustor," with Assistant Professor Seong-Young Lee
Nick Schaub (Biomedical Engineering), "Axon Regeneration with 6-Aminonicotinamide Releasing Poly-L-Lactic Acid Polymer Fibers in the Presence of Astrocytes" with Assistant Professor Ryan Gilbert
Jill Smith (SFRES), "Carbon Variation in Organic Matter through the Soil Profile," with Professor Marty Jurgensen
Stephanie Smith (Chemistry/Biological Sciences), "Potential Use of Vetiver Grass in Remediation of Antibiotics in the Environment," with Associate Professor Rupali Datta (Biological Sciences)
Auriel van der Laar (SFRES), "Habitat Classification and Biological Inventory of Pioneer Scout Reservation," with Associate Professor David Flaspohler
Eli Vlaisavljevich (Biomedical Engineering), "Bioactive Magnetoelastic Materials as Coatings for Implantable Biomaterials" with Assistant Professor Rupak Rajachar
Lisa Weidemann (CEE) "Mercury Concentrations in Macro-Invertebrates and Pore Water Samples of Torch Lake and Surrounding Wetlands" with Professor Noel Urban
Ashley Yenoir (Biological Sciences), "Effects of Fish Oil on Human Blood Pressure and Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity during Psychological Stress," with Department Chair Jason Carter (Exercise Science)
Ryan Young (Chemical Engineering/Biological Sciences), "Development of a Polymer-Lipid Complex that Restores Neuronal Membrane Continuity Following Axonal Damage," with Professor Michael Mullins (Chemical Engineering)
Jie Zeng (Mathematical Sciences), "Application of Functional Data Analysis in the Study of Aerosol Absorption and Dispersion in Mexico City," with Assistant Professor Yolanda Munoz Maldonado |
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4. Mail Services to Close at Noon Friday |
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Mail Services will close at noon on Friday, April 10, in observance of Good Friday. There will be no afternoon pickup or delivery. Make sure UPS and FedEx packages are in Mail Services no later than 10:30 a.m., and USPS packages no later than 11 a.m. |
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5. Today's Pride Week Event: Guess Who's Straight |
Pride Week continues today with a presentation, "Guess the Straight Person," at 7 p.m. in the Wads Annex.
Does having a lisp make a guy gay? Does riding a motorcycle make a woman a lesbian? Our panel of Michigan Tech students will dissect the myths that surround sexuality, and whether the stereotypes really hold true.
The events of Pride Week, which concludes Friday, will be announced daily.
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6. Reminder: Grain Processing Seminar Thursday |
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Caryn Heldt, of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will give a talk, "Affinity Adsorption of Viruses Using Small Peptide Ligands," at 10 a.m., Thursday, April 9, in Memorial Union Ballroom A. The presentation is part of Chemical Engineering's Grain Processing Seminar Series. |
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7. MSE Seminar Friday |
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J. D. Miller, chair of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Ivor D. Thomas Distinguished Professor in the College of Mines and Earth Sciences at the University of Utah, will give an MSE seminar, "X-Ray Micro CT for 3D Characterization, Analysis and Simulation of Multiphase Systems," on Friday, April 10, 3-4 p.m. in M & M 610 as part of the John and Virginia Towers Distinguished Lecture Series. |
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8. Distinguished Geoscience Teacher to Give Seminar April 14 |
Robert Butler, of the University of Portland, will present a seminar, "Engaging K-16 Teachers and Students in Cascadia EarthScope Science," on Tuesday, April 14, at 4 p.m in Dow 641.
Butler is a distinguished speaker of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. A reception in the Dow sixth-floor atrium will follow. Those interested in meeting with Butler should contact Sue Beske-Diehl at sbeske-d@mtu.edu . |
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9. Structural Mechanics Expert to Visit Campus, Give Seminar Thursday |
Assistant Professor Taichiro Okazaki, of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota, will visit campus Thursday and Friday, April 9 and 10, and will present a seminar as part of the department's Graduate Seminar Series, "Gusset Plates--Seismic Braced Frames and the I-35W Bridge," on Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. in Dow 642.
Okazaki holds a BE and an ME in Architecture and Building Engineering from Kyoto University, Japan, and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Okazaki's research interests are in the behavior and design of steel structures, structural mechanics and earthquake engineering. He led a research team to conduct an independent investigation on the cause of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis and was part of the team to brief members of Congress and their staff on the disaster.
If you are interested in meeting with Okazaki, contact Yue Li, yueli@mtu.edu . |
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10. On the Road |
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Steve Patchin, director of Youth Programs, and Cody Kangas, coordinator of Youth Programs, gave a presentation at the Minnesota Science Teachers Association Spring Conference held March 26-28 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn., "Engaging Classroom Engineering Projects and Pre-College STEM Programs," which focused on an engineering-based curriculum in the form of hands-on projects that can be easily performed in the classroom. |
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