heart of a husky

52 Pages·2016·13.93 MB·English

2016 • VOLUME 53 NUMBER 1
O F A
H E A R T H U S K Y
Unveiled.
The University unveiled our new logo on February
26. Students, faculty, staff, and community
gathered in the Van Pelt and Opie Library
Reading Room to hear President Glenn Mroz
talk about our evolution—how and why. Alumni
around the world tuned into the live-streamed
event. It’s way more than a mark. It’s more than a
new look or voice. It’s us. We are who we are now
because of what we’ve always been. Open these
pages and discover the Husky inside us all.
2 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 2016
2016 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 3
Table of Contents
2016 • VOLUME 53 NUMBER 1
14 20 22
12 17 26
Stories
12 H umanitarian 20 The Art of Design 30 Oil and Water
Engineering by Allison Mills by Allison Mills
by Kari Henquinet Our students build, design, Water and oil don’t usually
Tech alumnus Nick Schreiner create, and code what they mix, but these interdisciplinary
fghts Ebola in Sierra Leone, make is both science and art. researchers at the Great Lakes
protects civilians in South Research Center have answers
Sudan, and helps refugees in 22 I n the Driver’s Seat when they do.
the Democratic Republic of
the Congo. by Mark Wilcox 34 F amily Takes Flight
Reagan May wins races in by Jennifer Donovan
14 C oppertunities Wisconsin, performs in the
classroom, and is part of Alex and Sumo Malbah lost
by Jennifer Donovan our strong auto racing their mother but not their way,
Local startups thrive, hire Tech tradition. feeing Liberia for a new life
graduates attracted to the in the US.
Keweenaw lifestyle, and have 26 H eart of a Husky
their pasty and eat it too. 38 S omething’s Brewing
by Shannon Rinkinen
by Cyndi Perkins
17 O nce a President, NHL All-Star Game MVP,
John Scott inspired a We raise a glass to alums
Always a President
nation with his grit and working their craft at
by Mark Wilcox determination—and his breweries, wineries, and
unlikely journey started here. support industries across the
You can’t look around campus nation.
without seeing the impact of
former President Raymond
L. Smith. As he nears 100, we
look at how he came to Tech
and continues to infuence
current President Glenn Mroz.
4 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 2016
30 34 38
Regular Features
06 1400 Townsend Drive Michigan Tech Magazine
Published by University Marketing and
42 Alumni Association Communications
Ian Repp—Director of University
46 Class Notes Marketing and Communications
Scott Balyo—Editorial Director
49 Alumni Q&A
Clare Rosen, Jordan Blahnik—Designers
50 In Memoriam
Sarah Bird, Nathan Shaiyen—University
Comments to the editor
Photographers
[email protected]

Crystal Verran—Director of Operations
Website
www.mtu.edu/magazine
Class Notes submissions
[email protected]
Mailing address changes
[email protected]
Michigan Technological University is an
equal opportunity educational institution/
equal opportunity employer, which
includes providing equal opportunity for
protected veterans and individuals with
disabilities.
2016 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 5
1400 Townsend Drive
A diversity of efforts Specific programs
by the Office of
Michigan Tech’s focus on nurturing and expanding our Institutional Equity and
diverse student body, faculty, and staff is paying dividends the Center for Diversity
and Inclusion (CDI)
include:
+ Promoting all-gender
restroom signs and the
gender-neutral locker
room in the SDC
+ High school outreach and
education on supporting
trans and non-binary
students
+ Collaborating with
GEAR UP to bring social
justice speakers to the
Dollar Bay School to do
workshops with students
+ Supporting diverse
students in the
classroom: Lunch
and Learn with the
videos we created and
the presentation on
microaggressions
iversity of thought and experiences domestic underrepresented minorities, social
D significantly contribute to the economic indicators, and other populations.
+ Promoting Inclusive
learning experience of all students
Classrooms Workshops
and for that reason it is important that we A diverse student body is a consummate
track metrics that include, for instance, demand from the employer market.
+ Hosting Cultural
international students. Employers of Michigan Tech students, and
Competency Workshops
students nationwide, want to recruit from a
And striving for more diversity in our student, talent pool well versed and experienced with
+ Conducting Safe Place
staff, and faculty numbers also means we are diverse populations.
Training
committed to the inclusion of populations in
our educational institution who have been To them, a diverse set of employees means
+ Presenting Social Justice
traditionally underrepresented or otherwise a diverse set of solutions to problems,
Lecture Series
disadvantaged, whether through economic increasing the probability of finding the most
or structural barriers. As of this printing, Tech profitable one.
For a more complete list of
was at an all-time high for the number of
activities and to learn more
domestic minority students paying enrollment
about CDI visit:
deposits for Fall 2016 semester.
mtu.edu/diversity-center
Looking at our efforts through a social justice
lens means we also pay attention to
6 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 2016
Huskies on social media @MichiganTech
Back
Where it
Belongs.
The MacNaughton Cup is
back home in the Copper
Country this weekend as
our WCHA champs take Who says
Tom Mack
on Alaska in a best of three Wow! I forgot how beautiful the
March means
north country can be in March.
playoff series. Come on
out to the John MacInnes mud season? Mason Liagre
Student Ice Arena and Whoa hope I get to see that in
PhD student Venkata
person
cheer on our Michigan Tech Rajesh Chundru shared
Huskies. #HuskyPride this incredible shot with us. Sherry Salome-Liagre
Me too, it’s unreal
Here, early spring auroras
are right outside our door. Renu Avinaash Maddi
awesome click dude
Venkata Rajesh Chundru
it’s the northern lights taken near
Copper Harbor, MI
Karen Anderson Dubrinsky
More than 1K likes Thank you for sharing!!
WE ASKED . . .
Where’s
the craziest
place you’ve
run into
Michigan
Tech alumni?
The crack heard ‘round the
#MichiganTech alumni around the world!
LIBERIA Luke Grossman ‘15 recently traveled to Liberia world—er—in da Yoop, at least.
where he by chance met John Bleah ’77 over
The Menominee Crack opened up in October 2010 and
breakfast at a mission compound. The pair
now researchers from Michigan Tech have determined it is a
swapped stories about the Upper Peninsula
geologic pop-up structure.
and their alma mater before posing for a
photo in Tech gear. mtu.edu/news/stories/2016/menominee-crack.html
2016 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 7
1400 Townsend Drive
Design thinking drives space to create
niversity Innovation (UI) Fellows nationwide are There are seven UI Fellows at Michigan Tech, including four
U changing the way students think. UI Fellows at who finished their training last fall. The new fellows are Michelle
Michigan Tech and across the nation are teaching Hoard, a senior in chemical engineering; Carly Joseph, a third-
a fresh mindset known as design thinking, a methodology year biomedical engineering major; Nichole Mackey, a second-
that helps users identify human-centered problems and year student in software engineering; and Nate Peterson, a
imagine and implement innovative solutions through senior in materials science and engineering.
experimentation.
The Michigan Tech UI Fellows operate under Pavlis Honors
Michigan Tech’s UI Fellows introduced design thinking to College and the new Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship,
incoming first-year students during fall 2015 orientation with support from their faculty sponsor, Mary Raber, assistant
week. Now they’re reaching down into the elementary dean of academic programs.
and middle schools, offering after-school classes called
“Discovering Your Creative Confidence and Inner Maker.” Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the UI
Fellows program is administered by the National Center for
The UI Fellows also sponsored an extremely popular Engineering Pathways to Innovation Program, also known as
Makerspace Workshop that generated enthusiasm for the Epicenter. It is run by Stanford University and nonprofit
creation of a permanent makerspace. Based on input VentureWell.
received from the more than 100 workshop participants,
mtu.edu/honors
the UI Fellows have been working with the Makerspace
Committee to develop some renderings of the space and
estimates for the renovations.
8 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 2016
Mouw honored with PECASE award
resident Barack Colleen Mouw
P Obama named 106 joins fellow
researchers—including PECASE
award
Assistant Professor, Geological
recipients
and Mining Engineering and
at a White
Sciences, Colleen Mouw— House awards
recipients of the Presidential ceremony.
Early Career Award (PECASE) for
Scientists and Engineers.
It is the highest
honor bestowed by
the US government
on science and
engineering
professionals in
the early stages of
their independent
research careers.
“These early- he said. “Her efforts to keep the Great Lakes
Johnson-Cash’s
career scientists safe are profoundly benefiting the millions of
Colleen Mouw
are leading the Michiganders that rely on the Lakes for clean
PhD a first for
way in our efforts to confront and understand drinking water and as drivers of economic
challenges from climate change growth through tourism,
to our health and wellness,” recreation, shipping, and so ME-EM program
“I’ve been
President Obama said. much more.”
fortunate to have
Robin Johnson-
“We congratulate these Mouw expressed gratitude for
worked with Cash ’15 is the first
accomplished individuals and the honor.
African American
encourage them to continue many fantastic
to earn a PhD from
to serve as an example of “I’m very humbled to be
colleagues over the Department
the incredible promise and recognized in this way,” Mouw
ingenuity of the American the years who said. “I’ve been fortunate of Mechanical
Engineering-
people,” he said. Nominations undoubtedly to have worked with many
Engineering
come from federal agencies who fantastic colleagues over the
deserve this Mechanics.
support the young scientists’ years who undoubtedly deserve
Johnson-Cash
and engineers’ research. recognition just as this recognition just as much as
graduated in
Mouw was nominated by the myself.”
much as myself.” Robin Johnson-Cash December 2015
National Aeronautics and Space
and has worked at Ford Motor Company
Administration (NASA). The awards were established by
Colleen Mouw President Bill Clinton in 1996. since 1988. She is currently the technical
training manager.
US Senator from Michigan, Gary Awardees are selected for their
Peters, echoed Obama’s praise. pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of
science and technology and their commitment
“I join in congratulating Dr. Colleen Mouw on to community service as demonstrated through
her receipt of the Presidential Early Career scientific leadership, public education, or
Award for Scientists and Engineers, which is a community outreach. Mouw received her award
true testament to her commitment to marine during a Washington, DC, ceremony at the
science and pursuit of innovative research,” White House in May.
2016 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 9
1400 Townsend Drive
Students set up mobile health
clinics, mentor on Spring Break
Medlife journeys to Ecuador
tudents in Michigan Tech’s chapter They recorded patients’ height, weight, toothbrush, hot water, and Michigan
S of Medlife spent their spring break temperature and blood pressure, and taught easy access to healthcare,” Tech student
working in Ecuador. them preventative medicine for tooth decay, says student-leader Madison Madison
Brooks (left)
diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The Brooks.
checks a
Medlife is an organization that partners with students shadowed doctors to learn how
patient’s blood
low-income communities in Latin America to they do medical treatment in developing Student participants included pressure, while
improve their access to medicine, education, countries and also assisted in the treatment Madison Brooks, Hailey Alexandria
and community development initiatives. of patients. Cochrane, Braden Peterson, Marks helps
children brush
Braedyn Bosilovatz, Courtney
their teeth.
In Riobamba, Ecuador, the group spent the On project day they worked with locals to Smith, Harmony Osborn,
first two days learning about how people in collect rocks, then carried them up and down Alexandria Marks, Monica
the rural areas work and live. The next four a mountain to create a staircase mold to McClellan, and Erin Kalinec.
days they set up mobile clinics in schools, later be filled with cement. With the town
empty buildings, or courtyards, and went sitting on a massive hill, the staircase was
to a town sitting at 12,000 feet to work on a put in to help prevent the locals, especially
staircase-building project. the elderly, kids, and pregnant women, from
injuries when attempting to trek it.
At the clinics the students rotated through
specific stations including vital signs, “The entire experience immersed us in a
education, general medicine, dentistry, and completely new culture to learn so much
gynecology. about simple privileges such as having a
Medicine, Education & Development for Low Income Families Everywhere
Learn more about Medlife’s mission and current projects at: medlifeweb.org
10 MICHIGAN TECH MAGAZINE 2016