Recognizing Excellence

Dave House and Linda Ott Honored for Extraordinary Contributions

At the opening event of the Computing[MTU] Showcase this April, two individuals were inducted into the College of Computing Honor Academy for their lasting contributions: Dave House and Linda Ott.

“When we created the Honor Academy, we wanted to celebrate our distinguished alumni, and we also wanted to celebrate the folks that have had an outsized impact on computing at Michigan Tech,” said Dean Dennis Livesay.

The work that they have done is very different, but it’s connected by one thing: a long-standing legacy. The impact of their work will continue on for generations,” Livesay added.

Dave House ’65, a longtime supporter of Michigan Tech and the College of Computing, was recognized for “his profound and long-term commitment to computing and Michigan Tech.”

“I came to Michigan Tech as a graduate of a community college and I managed to take three years of electrical engineering in two years, which was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said House. “But I came out of here a changed person. I came out of here with an engineering degree from a noted technological university.”

“Dave is one of the University’s most successful alumni, he’s one of our biggest supporters, and he is the person who always challenges us to innovate and to shoot for nothing less than excellence,” said Livesay.

“Computing has invaded every part of our lives and its influence is only growing with time,” said House. “I’m glad to help Michigan Tech advance both the science of computing and the application of computing in every field of learning.”

Linda Ott started her career at Tech in 1987. She is recognized for a lifetime of work advancing the Department of Computer Science, and broadening campuswide participation in computing.

“Linda is the heart and soul of computer science at Michigan Tech,” said Livesay. “Her legacy is within our alumni, our growing prominence, and our exciting future.”

Ott served as chair of the computer science department from 1996 to 2010, and as acting chair from 2019 to 2022. She played a major role in the formation of the College in 2019.

"I’m passionate about inclusivity and making sure that students, particularly high school students who don’t have a lot of opportunities, are given exposure to computing."Linda Ott

Vertanen Named Dave House Associate Professor of Computing

Keith Vertanen has been named the inaugural Dave House Associate Professor of Computing in the Department of Computer Science. The endowed professorship recognizes Vertanen’s commitment to his research and to Michigan Tech students.

“I’m excited and honored to be the first Dave House Associate Professor of Computing,” said Vertanen. “The opportunity will further my group’s mission of advancing the future of computer interfaces, especially for users with diverse abilities.”

“Keith is one of the College of Computing’s leading researchers, both in the quality of his work and his research expenditures,” said Dean Dennis Livesay. “His work expanding the opportunities for how humans interact with computers has garnered significant national exposure and funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Google.”

Vertanen was awarded an NSF CAREER grant in 2018, the agency’s premier recognition for early-career scientists. He has also received University recognition for his exceptional teaching performance.

Outstanding Teaching, Improving Student Experience

Todd Arney has a long record of outstanding teaching. This spring, he was further recognized for his behind-the-scenes efforts to modernize the curricula in the Department of Applied Computing, and to enhance the use of state-of-the-art computing resources across campus through the College’s Virtual Cluster.

Dan Fuhrmann, applied computing chair, noted that instructional changes required by the pandemic made Arney’s work particularly valuable because it enabled remote teaching and facilitated a vast improvement in student experience.

“Ensuring that our students have access to the latest technology is time-consuming and represents work that isn’t acknowledged as regularly as it should be,” says Dean Dennis Livesay. “As such, we’re especially proud to recognize Todd’s accomplishments in deploying virtual machines broadly in our classes, and helping others do the same in theirs.”

Arney was featured in the 2021 Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Deans’ Teaching Showcase and was awarded a 2021 Instructional Award for Curriculum Development or Assessment. Arney presented his talk, “The Challenge of Making Complex Topics Accessible and Engaging to a Broad Audience,” for the CTL award lecture series.

Arney has also received the Provost’s Award for Sustained Teaching Excellence, a new teaching award that celebrates the work of individuals whose teaching consistently and dramatically benefits students.

"Todd Arney represents the very best that Michigan Tech offers in undergraduate education."Dan Fuhrmann Chair, Applied Computing

Bo Chen Promoted to Associate Professor

Bo Chen, computer science, was recently promoted to associate professor with tenure. Chen is director of the Security and Privacy (SnP) Lab, and a member of the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems. He started at Michigan Tech in fall 2017.

Tenure and promotion are awarded in recognition of academic and professional merit. The tenure and promotion system is intended to attract capable and highly qualified faculty, enhance institutional loyalty, and encourage academic excellence.

Chen is the principal investigator of a new National Science Foundation grant award of $598,416, which aims to develop the first hardware-assisted self-repairing decentralized cloud storage system to defend against malicious attacks. Chen explains that a major and novel point of the research is to leverage the trusted hardware components to establish trustiness among the untrusted storage peers in the decentralized cloud.

“This is completely different from the existing approaches, which rely on blockchain and smart contracts, and require a large performance overhead,” he says.

The research will support two graduate students and several undergraduate students.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.