MICHIGAN
TECHNOLOGICAL
UNIVERSITY University Senate
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PROPOSAL 19-95
(Voting Units: Academic Degree-Granting Departments)
PHD PROGRAM IN GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
The requirements to initiate the proposed PhD program are described in the
attached pages from the Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences.
The following are on reserve at the J.R. Van Pelt Library [and on the
gopher system under Proposal 19-95: Appendices]:
Appendix A: Graduate Course Offerings
Appendix B: Degree Schedules for Recent PhD Graduates
Appendix C: Recent Graduate Tehsis and Dissertation Titles
Appendix D: Current Graduate Students in Geological Engineering
Appendix E: Faculty Resumes
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Development of Proposal
Dec 1994: Graduate Council Recommends implementation of a new PhD
program in geological engineering.
Jan 1995: Vice Provost and Dean Sung Lee forwards the proposal to
Senate President Bornhorst for Senate action.
Jan 1995: Senate President Bornhorst designates proposal Senate
Proposal 19-95 and requests the Senate Curricular Policy
Committee to review the proposal and make recommendations to
the full Senate.
Feb 1995: Senate Curricular Policy Committee unanimously approves the
proposal.
1 Mar 1995: Proposal circulated to the full Senate with agenda for
Meeting 231.
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Proposal to
Establish a Ph.D. Program in Geological Engineering
Michigan Technological University
Departmental New Ph.D. Committee:
Suzanne Beske-Diehl
John Gierke
Alex Mayer
S. Douglas McDowell (Chair)
February 1, 1995
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences at Michigan
Technological University proposes to establish a Ph. D. program in
Geological Engineering. This new Ph.D. program will build on the existing
Ph. D. program in Geology (established 1965), and will simultaneously take
advantage of growth in research in Geological Engineering and fill a
nationwide demand for graduates at the Ph.D. level in this area.
The new Ph.D. will be the only Geological Engineering program in the
State of Michigan. The existing B.S. and M.S. programs in Geological
Engineering at MTU are well known and highly competitive programs on
a nationwide basis, and the B.S program is currently among the largest
program in the country. A new Ph.D. program in Geological Engineering
will have a significant national impact, as only 7 Ph.D. granting programs
in this research area exist in the United States and Canada. The program
will have a particularly strong impact in the upper Midwest, where a Ph.D.
program in Geological Engineering now exist only at the University of
Minnesota.
The research programs in the department, as reflected in both graduate
enrollment and research funding, have grown significantly in the past 5
years. Total graduate enrollment is now 34 students. This includes 14
Ph.D. students in Geology, which represents an increase of 55% over the
last five years, and an increase of 180% over the last ten years. Of those
14 Ph.D. students, 3 would immediately qualify for a Ph.D. in Geological
Engineering. Inquiries regarding a Ph.D. in Geological Engineering have
also increased.
Research expenditures have grown approximately 250% in the last 5 years,
to a 1993-94 level of more than $1 million, 39% of which can be
attributed directly to Geological Engineering. On a per faculty basis this
currently averages to >$100,000/faculty member. In addition, three
Department of Energy research grants totalling about $4 million in the area
of enhanced oil recovery techniques have been awarded during the current
year to this department.
The development of a Ph.D. in Geological Engineering will strengthen both
the engineering program and overall research strength at MTU, and will
form a critical component in the rapidly expanding area of the engineering
and science of the environment.
II. INTRODUCTION
Michigan Technological University was founded in 1885 as the Michigan
School of Mines with a mandate to provide knowledgeable graduates to
serve the expanding mining industry in Michigan. The lineage of the
Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences can be traced directly
back to that original mandate. The department came into existence in
1927, and the Geological Engineering B.S and M.S. degrees were
established in 1942. The Geological Engineering undergraduate program
at MTU has consistently been among the top four in the country over the
last 15 years, and currently has an enrollment of 139 students.
The Michigan School of Mines has expanded into a full-fledged university
with nationally recognized programs in engineering and science. In 1984,
the university was designated one of Michigan's four research universities,
and the engineering college is now the 12th largest in the country. The
Geological Engineering program is a viable part of that research effort
with this years research budget expected to be over 1.2 million dollars, 10
faculty members, and 34 graduate students. A Ph.D. program in
Geological engineering is needed to fulfill a high demand for Ph.D. gradu-
ates in both industry and academia. Such a program will strengthen Michi-
gan Tech's overall engineering program, and in particular will provide
impetus to the university's long range focus on engineering and science in
both the environmental and materials areas.
The current geological engineering program is particularly strong in the
areas of hydrogeology, groundwater contaminant hydrology and remediation
of groundwater systems, geoenvironmental aspects of resource recovery,
and rock engineering. Supporting areas include aqueous geochemistry,
applied and engineering geophysics, minerals engineering, remote sensing,
natural hazard mitigation, and global engineering/atmospheric physics and
chemistry. The department collaborates closely with active research
programs in Civil & Environmental, Electrical and Mining engineering, and
many current Ph.D. students are in interdepartmental areas shared with
these three departments.
III. OBJECTIVES OF A PH.D. PROGRAM IN GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
[1] To create a Ph.D. program in an area of high national need
in industry, government, and academia.
[2] To build on the rapid growth in research funding and interest
in geoenvironmentally related engineering problems, resource
engineering and global engineering.
[3] To provide a critical degree program in the growing environ-
mental area at MTU that will interact closely with a large
number of existing and new research and graduate programs.
[4] To aid in the recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty
and graduate students.
[5] To contribute to MTU's ongoing program to strengthen both
research and doctoral programs.
IV. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PH.D. PROGRAM
Geological Engineers are engineers with a strong geology background who
are competent to deal with engineering problems of earth materials. As
such, the field draws from traditional engineering disciplines, and applies
these engineering concepts in a unique way to geological materials. It
overlaps and interacts with traditional fields such as civil, mechanical,
and mining engineering as well as newer fields such as minerals
engineering, environmental engineering, hydrogeology, and global
engineering.
Geological Engineers have a major impact in both the minerals and
petroleum industry, and have always been involved in groundwater
investigations, slope and rock stability engineering, foundation
investigations and dam siting, and large scale tunnelling projects.
More recently, Geological Engineers are in very high demand in the areas
of environmental remediation, prediction of groundwater flow and
contaminant migration, and site assessment. The rapid growth of these
latter areas is the major immediate impetus for the development of a new
Geological Engineering Ph.D. program at MTU. In dealing with problems such
as groundwater contamination and migration, geological engineers are the
most competent to deal with predicting where the fluids will migrate, how
fast they will move, how the fluids will interact with the rocks through
which they flow, and how the system might be remediated. This represents a
merging of the traditional subdisciplines within geological engineering of
hydrogeology and reservoir engineering, with modern concepts of organic
and inorganic chemistry and geochemistry taken from chemistry and
geology, and the application of geophysical techniques widely used in the
petroleum industry. It combines a rigorous understand of engineering
principles with an equally rigorous understanding of the distribution of
rock units and structures below ground, and the important physical
properties of the materials through which fluids must flow.
The demand for Geological Engineers is reflected in a report by A. Keith
Turner (1991), who conducted a survey that ranked the demand for 28
specialty skills required for site cleanup, based on case histories of 22
EPA hazardous waste sites. The highest demand was for groundwater
hydrologists, the core area in the proposed Ph.D. program. Other skills
ranked by this survey that are included in MTU's geological engineering
program were engineering geologist (7th), geochemist (14th), geophysicist
(15th), and remote sensing expert (28th). Ground-water hydrologists were
also in highest demand in both the site assessment and surface/subsurface
cleanup stages of hazardous waste site remediation. Projected demands
for ground-water hydrogeologists, engineering geologists, and geochemists
were expected to double in the next 5 years. In addition, there is a
growing recognition that, in order to both understand the problem and
create an effective remediation plan, professionals must have research
skills considerably beyond the M.S. level. Each major waste site is, in
effect, a unique research project involving investigative abilities at the
Ph.D. level and beyond. Solution of these problems requires a team
approach that centers on the ability to understand and communicate with a
wide variety of research specialists.
The development of a Geological Engineering Ph.D. program at Michigan
Tech will have a significant impact on the State of Michigan given the
states location relative to the Great Lakes and the importance of energy
and mineral resources to the states economy. The recent DOE-funded
research program in the development of enhanced hydrocarbon recovery
techniques in Michigan oil fields will directly enhance the state's energy
base. In addition, the nature of the oil and gas industry in Michigan
provides unique challenges of its own. In Michigan, the industry consists
of many small companies with minimal financial and technical resources
available for waste cleanup. The technical expertise needed to remediate
contaminated sites and to prevent future contamination generally comes
from outside the industry. This places very strong demands on the state's
professional engineering community. The general area of resource
engineering, with its emphasis on hydrocarbon recovery, mineral and
petrophysical engineering, and the environmental aspects of resource
recovery, are of critical interest to the State.
Only 7 Ph.D. programs in Geological Engineering exist in the United States
and Canada. This has resulted in an extreme scarcity of qualified
Geological Engineering Ph.D.'s to fill faculty positions because of the
high demand for these Ph.D.'s in industry. Many Geological Engineering
departments have been forced to hire faculty with other degrees such as
Civil, Mining, or Environmental Engineering. While competent from an
engineering point of view, many of these faculty do not have a sufficient
background in geology, with the result that the unique aspects
characteristic of Geological Engineers are diminished or lost to the
profession. At a time when the expertise of a well trained Geological
Engineer is in great demand, such a dilution will have serious consequences
in the solution of engineering problems that deal with earth materials.
Both the number of Geology Ph.D. students, the number of Geological
Engineering M.S. students, and the externally funded research program in
the present department have grown significantly in the past 5 years.
Research finding has increased to 2.5 times what is was 5 years ago, and
major block-grant and DOE funding within the last year has raised the total
annual research budget to over 1.2 million dollars. The research emphasis
of the faculty has also dramatically shifted in the past 5 years from a
traditional geology emphasis to a strongly engineering-oriented program in
the areas of hydrogeology and resource engineering. The department now
has 6 of 10 full time faculty working in some area of Geological Engineer-
ing, including hydrogeology/environmental engineering (2), resource
engineering (3), and geophysical engineering (1), as well as adjunct
faculty in geological engineering (2) and resource engineering (2). The
complexity of research projects in engineering has exceeded that of the
currently available M.S. program in Geological Engineering, and more and
more students require a Ph.D. level program. Some students have opted to
do an engineering thesis under the umbrella of the Geology Ph.D. program,
others have enrolled in the Environmental Engineering Ph.D. program in
the Civil Engineering Department, and still others have gone elsewhere for
Ph.D. work. Research funding, the type of research being carried out, and
student demand and needs all justify the development of a new Ph.D.
program in Geological Engineering.
A New View of Geological Engineering
A characteristic of the current climate in the engineering profession is
one of almost constant change. Interactions among engineering disciplines,
and between engineers and scientists, is becoming commonplace as the
problems to be solved grow in complexity. New engineering fields are
being developed and growing, and traditional boundaries between
disciplines are becoming blurred. One area of future growth is that which
deals with the engineering of large scale natural systems. Loosely
referred to as "global engineering", it includes:
Geoenvironmental Engineering:
Hydrogeology, groundwater engineering, geotechnics,
geomechanics, reclamation engineering, resource engineering,
shoreline engineering, remote sensing applications in terrestrial
and oceanic systems, and earth system engineering.
Natural Hazard Mitigation:
Volcanic hazards, seismic hazards and earthquake prediction,
and remote sensing
Atmospheric Engineering:
Atmospheric remote sensing, natural and industrial pollution,
global climate change prediction, climate and atmospheric
modelling, and atmospheric hazards to aircraft.
The present department is uniquely poised to expand into the areas of
global engineering under the umbrella of the Geological Engineering
program. It has a strong existing program in Geoenvironmental Engineer-
ing, equally strong geology programs in natural hazards prediction,
volcanic-atmospheric interactions, and remote sensing, and is in the
process of developing an interdisciplinary graduate program in Atmospheric
Remote Sensing. It is also closely allied with the interdisciplinary
research group in fluid dynamics at MTU. The situation is ripe on this
campus to develop a significant program in "global engineering" within the
proposed geological engineering Ph.D. program.
V. OTHER GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING PH.D. PROGRAMS IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN
The new Geological Engineering Ph.D. program at Michigan Tech will be
the only such Ph.D. program in the State of Michigan. With its emphasis
on the engineering applications of geology, hydrogeology, geochemistry,
and geophysics, it will be unique in the Midwest. The only competing
programs in the Midwest include the program in the Department of Civil
and Minerals Engineering at U. Minnesota, one in the Department of
Geological and Petroleum Engineering of the School of Mines and
Metallurgy at the University of Missouri at Rolla, and one in the School of
Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. The
Michigan Tech program will be the only program in the Midwest in which
geological engineering, geology, and geophysics are so closely integrated.
VI. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES NEEDED FOR THE GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM
No significant new resources are needed within the current Department of
Geological Engineering and Sciences. The faculty already have significant
experience with the Geology Ph.D. program, and all full time faculty have
Ph.D. degrees. The recent new additions to the faculty, and the shift in
research emphasis of the faculty as a whole to engineering topics, means
that both the expertise and personnel are available to develop a viable
Geological Engineering Ph.D. program. Current levels of research funding
are high and expanding. Finally, strong cooperative research programs
have been developed with a variety of other engineering and science
departments at Michigan Tech, ensuring a constant inflow of new ideas
and approaches to the complex engineering problems that must be solved.
VII. ACADEMIC FIELDS OF STUDY
The Geological Engineering Ph.D. program will have four focus areas:
Hydrogeology and geoenvironmental engineering
Natural Hazards: Global Impact and Mitigation
Resource Engineering
Geophysical Engineering
All of these areas are actively growing in both research and teaching
terms. Of 14 Ph.D. students advised by the Department, 10 are involved
in one or more of these 4 focus areas. Almost all of the current research
funds are concentrated in these areas.
Hydrogeology and Geoenvironmental Engineering
The faculty in the Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences
whose primary functions are to teach and conduct research in the areas
of hydrogeology and geoenvironmental engineering are Drs. John Gierke
and Alex Mayer. Adjunct faculty include Dr. Allan Johnson (Mining
Engineering) and Dr. William Griffin (U.P. Engineering and Architectural
Associates). Furthermore, faculty in other Departments who either conduct
or cooperate on research in these areas and/or contribute to groundwater-
related courses include Drs. Neil Hutzler, Sheryl Marlor, and Jim Mihelcic
(Civil and Environmental Engineering), Drs. Charles Kerfoot and Don
Lueking (Biological Sciences), Dr. Gary McGinnis (Institute of Wood
Research), Dr. David Shonnard (Chemical Engineering), and Dr. Carl
Nesbitt (Metallurgical Engineering).
The research and teaching activities involve physical hydrogeology (water
supply and development), chemical hydrogeology (contaminant fate and
transport), and subsurface remediation (soil and groundwater treatment
processes). The focus of most studies is on experimental and modeling
techniques for enhancing the level of understanding of mechanisms that
contribute to the movement of subsurface fluids and pollutants. Especially
important are studies that lead to protection of groundwater supplies,
either with engineered systems or through management practices, or
remediation of contamination.
Ongoing research in this area includes studies of volatile organic chemical
removal from clay soils by in situ mixing coupled with thermally enhanced
extraction, solute movement with transient, unsaturated flow, pesticide
leaching under finger-flow conditions, immiscible organic liquid movement
in reactive clay soils, and three-dimensional visualization of groundwater
model input and output. Federal agencies that are funding these studies
include the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Some of the research is performed in
cooperation with faculty from the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering. In addition, faculty in the Geological Engineering and
Sciences Department cooperate with other faculty on studies of air
sparging of groundwater and in situ metal precipitation for controlling
acid mine drainage.
Global Impacts and Natural Hazard Mitigation
The primary faculty involved in the study of global impacts and natural
hazards are Dr. William Rose and Gregg Bluth (Department of Geological
Engineering and Sciences), Dr. Alex Kostinski (Physics and Department of
Geological Engineering and Sciences), Dr. Ann Maclean (Forestry) and Drs.
Richard Honrath and Kurt Patterson (Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering). The contributions of geology faculty are primarily focused
towards interpreting the records of past climates and natural disasters
(volcanic eruptions, floods, and earthquakes) that have been recorded in
geologic materials and the impacts of current volcanic eruptions on
weather. The combined efforts of all the faculty from these different
departments covers all aspects of global studies, from ancient geologic
records through modern engineering approaches for minimizing human
impact on the environment.
Engineering approaches to solving problems associated with global change
and natural hazards requires a broad-based understanding of geology,
meteorology, and chemistry. The Department of Geological Engineering
and Sciences has already demonstrated the unique ability to integrate
engineering and scientific approaches in solving global problems. Michigan
Tech has recently been awarded four NASA Global Change Ph.D. Fellows,
two of which are in the Geology Ph.D. program, one is in Physics and the
other is in Biology. These highly competitive awards are evidence in the
growth of global studies at MTU. The recent (last five years) addition of
two engineering (Honrath and Patterson) and a physics (Kostinski) faculty
with expertise in atmospheric modeling is providing opportunities for the
Geological Engineering program to use their geologic expertise in
developing engineering solutions to global climate change and natural
hazard mitigation.
Resource Engineering
Resource engineering involves analysis of resource production potential
and design of systems for extracting resources. Ongoing projects involve
research in oil and gas fields in Michigan, California, Louisiana/Texas
Gulf Coast, and the North Sea. Petroleum related research at MTU includes
reservoir characterization, horizontal drilling development, well logging,
basin analysis, seismic interpretation and geochemical modeling.
Especially important is consideration of the environment in resource
development and how environmental protection can be incorporated in the
design of resource recovery systems. Resource engineering is a growing
program area and includes Drs. Bill Gregg, Jackie Huntoon, Charles Salotti,
and Jim Wood (Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences), Dr.
Jim Hwang (Institute of Mineral Processing), Drs. Al Johnson and Francis
Otuonye (Mining Engineering), Dr. Carl Nesbitt (Metallurgical Engineering),
and Dr. Steve Shetron (Forestry).
Currently, the Department of Energy is funding two large research projects
at MTU: subsurface visualization (California) and enhanced oil recovery
(Michigan Basin). Funding from NSF and the Global Basins Research
Network are supporting other research in petroleum development and
exploration.
Geophysical Engineering
The Department has three Geophysics faculty: Drs. Sue Beske-Diehl and
Jimmy Diehl, who share a single faculty position, Dr. Wayne Pennington,
and Dr. Charles Young. These faculty work in conjunction with faculty in
Electrical Engineering (instrumentation development and signal processing),
Forestry (field soil moisture and physical property determination), and
Chemical engineering, Physics, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
(determination of material physical properties).
The MTU geological engineering curricula is unique in that there is a
strong geophysics component; most Geoscience and Geological Engineer-
ing programs have very limited course offerings in geophysics, usually in
the general area of solid earth geophysics. This strong geophysics
background has been one of the main reasons our undergraduate and
graduate students have been so successful in industry and so competitive
in a rapidly changing job market. In addition, it has provided them with
more options for future advancement in the engineering consulting area.
There is a growing awareness among consulting firms that geophysical
tools provide valuable information for site characterization and
monitoring, and are exceedingly cost competitive in comparison to extensive
drilling programs. Near surface geophysical methods are rapidly becoming
one of the most extensively used techniques in geotechnical and groundwater
engineering investigations. This is clearly an area of high and growing
demand that the department of Geological Engineering at Michigan Tech
is uniquely qualified to contribute to.
VIII. COURSES OF STUDY
The Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences offers a wide
variety of courses at the 400, 500, and 600 levels, course descriptions for
which are listed in Appendix A. The existing courses will meet the needs
of students in the new Ph.D. program in Geological Engineering, and new
courses will be added when the currently advertised position in geophysics
is filled. The course numbering system is set up to give as much
flexibility as possible in the course offerings for Ph.D. level students.
Many Ph.D. level courses are taken by small numbers of students, and have
course contents that vary from year to year depending on the interests of
the students and the research topics under discussion. Such courses are
given in the GE 505-507 and GE 606-608 series, and add considerable
flexibility to the program.
The degree schedule of each Ph.D. student is worked out individually by
that students advisor and thesis committee. This typically involves a
mixture of courses taken from a variety of departments in the university at
various levels of instruction, in a deliberate attempt to utilize the
excellent course offerings that exist in science and engineering at
Michigan Tech. Typically, Ph.D. students take more than 50 credits beyond
the M.S. degree. The degree schedules of three recent Ph.D. students who
have or will shortly receive a Ph.D. with an engineering emphasis are
attached in Appendix B.
IX. SUPPORTING AREAS
Soils Engineering and Hydrology
This is an especially active research area, with significant joint activity
between the Departments of Geological Engineering and Civil and
Environmental Engineering(CE). Three faculty, six M.S. students, and three
Ph.D students in the Geological Engineering Department are conducting
research on contaminant fate, transport and remediation in soil and near
surface systems. In addition, strong ties exist with faculty in the
Departments of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering (MY), Mining
Engineering (MI), and the School of Forestry and Wood Products (FW). These
ties include collaborative research projects, co-advising of M.S. and Ph.D.
students, and offerings of relevant graduate courses. Laboratories and
analytical equipment are shared among these departments. The faculty
external to the Geological Engineering Department have expertise in the
physical, chemical, and biological aspects of contaminant fate. These
faculty also are involved in developing remediation techniques for
industrial operations such as mineral, wood, and metals processing. Many
of these external faculty recently participated in a National Science
Foundation proposal for obtaining Ph.D. research traineeships in the area
of hydrogeology.
The Geological Engineering Department also has strong ties with
groundwater and soil remediation professionals in industry. The depart-
ment includes an adjunct faculty from a local engineering consulting firm.
In addition, department faculty participate in consulting projects and
consulting training. These activities enhance the graduate program by
allowing faculty and students access to real-world, field-scale problems.
Geological Engineering faculty also are collaborating with researchers at
national laboratories (Oak Ridge). These efforts expand the scope of
research due to the excellent facilities offered by national laboratories
and graduate fellowship opportunities available through the labs.
Faculty members in this area are Drs. Gierke (GE), Griffin (GE), Hutzler
(CE), Johnson (MI), Mayer (GE), McGinnis (FW), Mihelcic (CE), Nesbitt
(MY), and Shetron (FW).
Atmospheric Sciences and Engineering
Atmospheric sciences and engineering involves the study of the physical
and chemical aspects of natural and human impacts on the atmospheric
environment. Research in this area is currently being conducted in the
Geological, Electrical, and Civil Engineering departments and the Depart-
ment of Physics (PH). The research topics include the transport, fate, and
measurement of anthropogenic and natural chemical components in the
atmosphere. Air pollutants such as greenhouse gases and photochemical
compounds are being studied in the Civil Engineering department, while
volcanic cloud phases such as particulates, aerosols, and gases, are the
subject of research in the Geological Engineering and Physics departments.
Remote sensing of the atmospheric environment also is an especially
strong research area at MTU: a graduate curriculum in atmospheric remote
sensing was initiated last year, the Geological Engineering department
houses the Laboratory for Atmospheric Remote Sensing, and a Center of
Remote Sensing and Image Analysis was proposed this year. Activities
related to the Clean Air Act and an emphasis on global atmospheric
problems will result in increased research efforts in atmospheric engineer-
ing. The urgency and complexity of these problems will produce a need
for Ph.D. graduates with interdisciplinary backgrounds.
Faculty members active in this area include Drs. Bluth (GE), Honrath (CE),
Kostinski (PH), Patterson (CE), Rose (GE), and Schulz (EE). In addition,
there are eight other faculty (from Electrical Engineering, Forestry,
Geological Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences) in the curriculum in
atmospheric remote sensing.
Resource Engineering
Traditional and remedial studies of resource recovery are conducted in the
Geological Engineering, Mining engineering, and Metallurgy Departments,
the School of Forestry and Wood Products, and the Institute of Materials
Processing (IMP). A major research program in petroleum recovery is
underway in the Geological Engineering Department. The current search
for a new faculty member in geophysics is designed to strengthen the
geophysical and reservoir engineering components of this research
program, and enhance the petroleum engineering aspects of the Geological
Engineering curriculum. This program is critical given the general move
of the North American oil/gas industry from exploration to production and
enhanced recovery of existing reserves. In addition, mineral recovery
also is a traditionally strong research area within the Geological and
Mining Engineering departments and in the Institute for Materials
Processing.
The remediation of earth systems impacted by resource recovery efforts is
a major research focus at MTU. Faculty and graduate students in the
Geological, Mining, and Metallurgical Engineering departments and in the
Institute for Materials Processing are conducting interdisciplinary studies
of waste production from the petroleum and mining industries. These
efforts include the development of remedial techniques for surface and
subsurface materials impacted by mining and petroleum wastes. In addition,
the current regulatory focus on pollution prevention is expected to
generate additional research activity by encouraging the development of
extractive technologies which minimize the production of associated waste
products.
The faculty in this area are Drs. Gregg (GE), Huang (IMP), Huntoon (GE),
Johnson (MI), Nesbitt (MY), Otuonye (MI), Salotti (GE), Shetron (FW) and
Wood (GE).
Earth Systems Interactions
This area includes studies of interconnections of physical, chemical, and
biological processes occurring between environmental media. Faculty in
the GE department are conducting research in collaboration with faculty in
the Departments of Biological Sciences and Civil & Environmental
Engineering and the School of Forestry and Wood Products. The ties
between GE faculty and other departments are strengthened through
service on Ph.D. committees for students in these departments. Graduate
level classes are offered in this area within the GE department, the
Departments of Biological Sciences and Civil & Environmental Engineering,
and the School of Forestry and Wood Products.
Collaborative research in this area will increase significantly in the near
future, due to (1) the addition of new faculty in the GE and other
departments who are interested in this area of study and (2) the emphasis
of funding research on global change by governmental agencies. The
curriculum in atmospheric remote sensing and proposed laboratory of
atmospheric remote sensing will enhance interdisciplinary research efforts
in earth system interactions.
Faculty participating in this area of study include Drs. Bagley (BL), Glime
(BL), Huntoon (GE), Kerfoot (BL), MacLean (FW), Mihelcic (CE), Patterson
(CE), and Wood (GE).
X. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM
Recruitment
The department has multiple methods to recruit students. The new Ph.D.
in Geological Engineering Program will be advertised in the departmental
graduate brochure, which has descriptions of the degree programs and
research interests of each faculty. We will also recruit outstanding
students from the B.S. and M.S. Geological Engineering programs and
from other quantitative programs within the university. Of course, the
program will be advertised by word-of-mouth by our colleagues at other
schools and by ourselves at a professional meetings. These types of
recruitment efforts work effectively for the Geology Ph.D. program giving
it a good mix of international and U.S. students from a variety of colleges
and universities.
Students from our own B.S. and M.S. Geological Engineering Programs
have already expressed an interest in receiving a Ph.D. in Geological
Engineering. In addition, several students recruited from outside of MTU
wished to enter a Ph.D. in Geological Engineering program, but have had
to choose an alternative such as the Ph.D. programs in Environmental
Engineering or Geology. The hydrogeological portion of the Geological
Engineering M.S. program has been growing the last several years and a
natural consequence of this growth is the development of a Ph.D. program
in Geological Engineering. Many of the current M.S. students come from
diverse educational backgrounds with many having degrees in other
disciplines such as Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Engineering.
Admissions
The Geological Engineering and Sciences Graduate Committee oversees
the admissions process. Departmental faculty carefully review each
candidate's file and recommend approval or rejection of the applicant,
make comments, indicate whether they are interested in advising the
student, and whether they have funds to support the student. A major
effort is made to match prospective graduate students to those faculty most
interested in working with that particular student. The faculty whose
interests most closely resemble those of the candidate review the file
first.
The Graduate Committee then makes a recommendation to the Departmental
Chair based on the responses from the faculty. The Department Chair
forwards the decision to the Graduate School. In addition to meeting the
graduate school requirements for admission, the department requires three
letters of recommendation attesting to the applicants potential for success
as a graduate student, as well as the results of the Graduate Record
Examination General Test. A minimum score of 550 in the Test for
English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for admission into the
program. A B.S. degree from an ABET accredited engineering program is
not required for admission into the Ph.D. program, as the Ph.D. in
Geological Engineering is a research degree.
Research Advisor and Advisory Committee
The experience of the department shows that many Ph.D. students choose
their advisor upon entering the program. The decision is based on mutual
interests and the availability of funding. The student is free to change
advisors later, if desired. Those who have not chosen an advisor upon
entering the program interview faculty with similar interests and select an
advisor within nine months. Departmental funds are sometimes used to
support students who have not chosen an advisor or whose advisor cannot
support the student. Students are strongly encouraged to write research
proposals to support their Ph.D. research.
Qualifying Examinations
Candidates for the Ph.D. degree in Geological Engineering will demonstrate
their preparation for original doctoral research by passing a written
comprehensive exam. They must demonstrate knowledge of fundamental
geological engineering principles, in addition to knowledge in the areas of
Earth Science pertinent to their Geological Engineering field. The student
should meet with his or her advisor in order to devise a carefully planned
reading program to prepare for this exam.
The comprehensive exam will take place within four academic quarters of
entrance for Ph.D. students who possess an M.S. degree in Geological
Engineering, or its equivalent, and seven quarters for those who possess
a B.S., or its equivalent. Students possessing an M.S. degree in another
field will be allowed to postpone the exam until their seventh academic
quarter of residence. The committee will determine at the conclusion of
the exam whether the student has demonstrated reasonable ability in
geological engineering and supporting areas of the geosciences. Students
who do not pass the exam on their first attempt may, at the discretion of
the committee, be allowed to retake the exam once. Students failing the
examination a second time must withdraw from the program. Based on
the exam results, the committee may also specify additional courses that
the student must take.
Students will be required to orally defend a written thesis proposal within
six (6) months of passage of the written comprehensive examination. The
written portion of the thesis proposal defense will be a high quality
proposal for doctoral research prepared by the student in a form suitable
for submission to a funding agency. The student will submit copies of the
proposal to the committee at least one week prior to the exam. During the
oral exam, the student will defend the proposal and answer questions
formulated by the committee members.
The written comprehensive examination and oral proposition defense will
be administered by a committee of at least four faculty, at least three of
which must hold appointments in the Department of Geological Engineering
and Sciences. Other members of the faculty of MTU are invited to attend
the exams as non-voting participants.
Graduate Forms
The student must fulfill the residency requirement as stipulated by the
Graduate School and is responsible for completion of Forms D-1 through
D-8 and obtaining the required signatures. The forms should be filed in
the following sequence:
D-1 Acceptance into the Doctoral Program
This form is typed and signed by the Department Chair as soon as the
student arrives.
D-2 Recommended Advisory Committee
The student and the advisor selects two additional faculty to be members
of his/her advisory committee. The Department Chair reviews the selection
and recommends any necessary changes.
D-3 Preliminary Program of Study
The student and advisor, in consultation with the advisory committee,
determine a preliminary plan of study. The committee members and the
Department Chair must approve the plan before it is forwarded to the
Graduate Dean.
D-4 Report on the Comprehensive Examination
This form is completed when the student passes the Comprehensive
Examination. The form requires the signature of the committee members
and the Department Chair before it is forwarded to the Graduate School.
D-5 Degree Schedule
This form is submitted to the Graduate School after all course work and
the Comprehensive Exam have been completed. It must be completed
prior to the scheduling of the final oral examination.
D-6 Approval of Dissertation Proposal
This form approves the student's dissertation proposal. Each member of
the examination committee must sign this form.
D-7 Scheduling of Dissertation Defense
This form serves as notification to the examining committee members and
the Graduate School of the time of the oral examination/dissertation
defense. The form not only sets the time and place of the Defense, but
also names the dissertation committee. This committee will probably
consist of the three original dissertation advisors and at least one
additional examiner. One of the members must be from a cognate department
or from outside the University.
D-8 Report of Dissertation Defense
This form notifies the Graduate of the results of the Dissertation Defense.
The advisory committee is responsible for monitoring the progress of the
student ensuring that the Graduate School forms are completed on
schedule.
The department administrative aide is responsible for handling routine
inquiries, application and file maintenance.
XI. STUDENT INTEREST IN THE PROGRAM
A Ph.D. in Geological Engineering program will readily attract graduate
students. Several Ph.D. students, who are presently enrolled in programs
in Geology, Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, or
Sensing and Signal Processing, would have entered the Geological
Engineering program if a Ph.D. had been available. The research projects
of these students. (R. Dai, J. Graf, C. Huang, and C. Wang, are sum-
marized in Appendix D. Students inquiring into graduate school have also
expressed an interest in a Ph.D. in Geological Engineering even without
a program being advertised. For Fall, 1993 admission into the graduate
program, 17 students from schools other than Michigan Tech identified
themselves as interested in a Ph.D. program in Geological Engineering.
The M.S. programs in Geological Engineering and Civil Engineering will
also provide a source of applicants for the Geological Engineering Ph.D.
program. Several current M.S. students in those programs have expressed
an interest in continuing on in an engineering Ph.D. program. Appendices
C and D summarize currently enrolled students, and recent graduates,
respectively, in the graduate programs offered by the Department of
Geological Engineering and Sciences, and interdisciplinary Engineering
Ph.D. programs in Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering,
and Sensing and Signal Processing.
XII. FINANCIAL AID TO STUDENTS
Faculty Research support, from a wide variety of sources, is clearly
sufficient to support Ph.D. students. Funds are from the Department of
Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautic and
Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and private
companies. Faculty research support in the Department is currently
$100,000 per faculty member for this year and is growing. This level ranks
the department quite high both nationally and within Michigan Technological
University.
The Departmental faculty are currently advising 34 graduate students
enrolled. Of the 19 Masters candidates, ten are in the Geology program,
3 in the Geophysics Program, 4 in the Geological Engineering Program
and 2 in the Civil Engineering Program. Of the 15 Ph.D. candidates, 14
are in the Geology Program and one is in the college Environmental
Engineering Program.
The Department supports these students in a variety of ways. Fourteen
of the students are receiving Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA), four
have Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA), three are supported by
Ph.D. Challenge Grants in which half the funding comes from the Graduate
School and half from a research grant. Seven Graduate Students receive
fellowships from diverse sources. Four students are working at full-time
jobs related to their degree and will soon finish their Ph.D. theses. Two
are using personal funds for their education.
Upon entering the department, graduate students, especially Ph.D.
students, are encouraged to write or help write proposals which provide
funding for fellowships or research assistantships. Although, the success
rate is variable, one or two successes in a year can help release funds for
the support of other graduate students. Three Graduate Students have
recently successfully competed for resources from funding agencies. They
were the primary writers of their proposals with modest help from their
advisors. Two students, Drew Pilant and Dave Schneider, have won
prestigious NASA Global Change Fellowships and one, Catherine
McKissock, secured a fellowship from Amoco.
Two faculty of the Department are part of a cooperative research program
with the Finnish Geological Survey. Three Ph.D. students, one completed,
one nearing completion and one just accepted as a new student, are
taking part in this program. Support for this program is split between
Michigan Technological University in the form of a Challenge Grant
Fellowship and support from the Finnish Geological Survey.
XIII. FACULTY
The faculty of the Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences
have the expertise and breadth of experience to support a Ph.D. in
Geological Engineering. The faculty is thoroughly familiar with the
requirements necessary to run a high quality Ph.D. program through
experience with the existing Ph.D. program in Geology, which was
established in 1965. Departmental faculty are already advising Ph.D. level
students in engineering research areas through the existing Ph.D. program
in Geology as well as Interdisciplinary Ph.D. programs in Environmental
engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, and Sensing and Signal Processing.
In addition, all faculty have participated as members of Ph.D. thesis
committees in almost every existing Ph.D. program at Michigan Tech.
A brief summary of the experience of the faculty in the Department is
summarized below:
Industry Experience
* James R. Wood, Senior Research Geochemist, Chevron Oil
* William Gregg, Engineering Geologist, Cyprus Industrial Minerals
Company; and Winsor Minerals; Consulting Geologist, Noranda
Exploration, Johnson and Johnson, Cliffs Engineering.
* Theodore Bornhorst, ARCO Exploration and Technology Group,
Amselco Exploration Hanna Mining Company.
* Douglas McDowell, Humble Oil Company, Appalachian Exploration
division
* Alex Mayer, Civil Engineer for Water Resources Projects Section
East Bay Municipal Utility District, Oakland, CA.
Government
* John Gierke, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Air Force
Laboratory Graduate Fellow.
* Bill Gregg and Theodore Bornhorst, Geological Survey of Finland.
* Theodore Bornhorst, Michigan Low Level Radioactive Waste
Authority, Michigan Geological Survey, Los Alamos Scientific
Laboratory.
* Douglas McDowell, Pennsylvania Geological Survey, U.S. Geological
Survey (Alaska)
Awards
* Jim Wood, Clarke Medal, Geochemical Society
* John Gierke, U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Restoration
and Waste Management Distinguished Junior Faculty Award
Teaching Awards
* Bill Gregg, Distinguished Teaching Award, MTU; Excellence in
Teaching Award
* Jim Wood, Jimmy Diehl, Bill Gregg - Teaching Honor Roll
* Bill Gregg, Advised winners of best student papers at Institute on
Lake Superior Geology, K. Sikkila and D. Saja.
Adjunct Professor
* Charlie Salotti, Program Director, Geochemistry, NSF, NAS-NRC
Committee Member; Standard Oil, Gulf Oil, Chevron - USA; Chevron
- Overseas; Consultant-Electrical Power Research Institute, NYSE
Industrial.
* Jiann-Yang Hwang conducted more than 60 industrial and govern-
mental research projects as members of the Institute of Mineral
Processing.
The department consists of 6 Professors (two of which share a single
position), 2 Associate Professors, 3 untenured Assistant Professors (one
of which is partly shared with Environmental Engineering), 1 Administrative
Aide, and one Clerical Position.
FACILITIES
The Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences has approximately
14,000 square feet of office, classroom, and laboratory space available,
mainly in Dillman Building (former Civil-Geology Building) but with a small
amount of research space available in the new Metallurgy and Materials
Building. The department, along with the Civil and Environmental
Engineering Department, and the Biology Department, are well along in the
planning process for a new building in Environmental Sciences and
Engineering. The Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences,
based on current (April, 1994) design plans, has 21,074 square feet of
space allotted to it in the new building, with construction slated to start
in 1996-7, in addition to 5,014 square feet of undergraduate teaching
laboratory space in Dillman. This increase in space, the first significant
increase in space for the department since 1957, will allow significant
expansion of the existing Ph.D. research program in Geology and the
proposed Ph.D. in Geological Engineering.
The department is well equipped with a networked system of Sun and PC
workstations and computers, with fiber optic access to the university
system and international computer networks (MERIT, BITNET, INTERNET).
A variety of small, fast computers are available for computational needs.
In addition, a special research laboratory for 3-Dimensional visualization
in petroleum exploration and production, and a second laboratory with
extensive image processing and remote sensing capabilities and high
performance graphics workstations, have recently been developed, with
state-of-the-art software (Terascan, ERDAS Imagine, IDL) and hardware.
Images can be accessed from a range of sources ranging in scale from
satellite imagery to optical microscope and scanning or transmission
electron microscope. Software is available for groundwater flow and
contaminant transport modelling (MODFLOW, SEFTRAN, MT3D, ModPath),
geochemical modelling (SUPCRT, CHILLER, PTA/PTX, GEOTHERM,
WATEQ3), graphics and 3-dimensional visualization (Ideas, SpyGlass,
Surfer, PVWave, Landmark), and a wide variety of other, specialized
software is available.
Engineering Research laboratories include facilities for materials testing,
physical properties determination, microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and
sample preparation. Engineering laboratories include facilities for
routine geotechnical measurements, chemical analytical equipment including
portable gas chromatograph, pressure cells for moisture content
determination, flexible-wall permeaters and flow-through column cells for
hydraulic conductivity and solute transport measurements, sonic velocity
bench, and mechanical deformation cells. A number of field spectrometers
for infrared, visible, and ultraviolet remote sensing ground truth
measurements are available.
The department is very well equipped with geophysics equipment, including
a fully instrumented paleomagnetics laboratory with computer-interfaced
equipment for directional and material magnetic analysis, and a PAR
vibrating sample magnetometer for hysteresis and Curie temperature
measurements of materials. State-of-the-art field and laboratory Phoenix
Geophysics magnetotelluric equipment is available, as well as field
seismology, gravity, magnetic, and resistivity equipment, including ground
penetrating radar.
The department also has access to a fully equipped underground mine drift
for both teaching and research purposes, complete with underground
classroom, mining and ventilation equipment, and research facilities.
XV. LIBRARY HOLDINGS IN GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
Library materials are housed in the J.R. Van Pelt Library, a centrally
located, four story building, constructed in 1967. Library holdings
consist of 329,679 print volumes, 4,977 journal subscriptions, and access
to a variety of information in electronic format. The library is also
designated as a selective depository for U.S. government documents.
Because of Michigan Tech's concentration in engineering and sciences, the
library is particularly well equipped in those fields. Additional
materials are available through the library's computerized interlibrary
loan service.
The library collection in Geological Engineering and Sciences consists of
6,100 print volumes and 13,876 serial volumes, with an additional 38,895
print volumes and 57,287 serial volumes in closely related fields such as
civil, sanitary, chemical, and mining engineering, as well as dynamics and
mathematics, and numerous other fields. All major and most minor
journals in the research areas of interest to the current faculty and
graduate students are directly available in the library. Other materials
can be obtained through interlibrary loan or direct computer access to
journals. The fact that the library spends approximately 90% of its
acquisitions budget on serials is a direct result of the library's effort
to keep researchers up-to-date on the latest developments in their
respective fields. An excellent map collection exists, including
topographic maps at various scales for all of the United States and Canada,
as well as an extensive collection of hydrologic, geologic, geophysical
topographic, and geologic maps for North America and the rest of the world.
.