December 19, 2024

With a new department name and bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering has launched their new MAE Magazine. This inaugural issue covers achievements ranging from robotic agriculture to an electric U.S. Army vehicle and beyond.

Distinguished Professor Jason R. Blough introduces the magazine in his Message from the Chair. “Together, we build on an impressive legacy and look forward to new achievements,” he says.

Catch up on all things MAE in the online version of the 2024 MAE Magazine.

The first College of Business graduating students to arrive in the lineup area for the 2024 Midyear Commencement were four accounting majors — a fact that surprised none of them.

“I mean, we are accountants,” said Jason Pleau ’24. For Pleau and his fellow accounting graduates, the job opportunities are as predictable as their purported tendency to arrive prepared and on time. The accounting program has a 92% job placement rate.

Find out where these students are headed — and read the message shared by Dean Johnson with all of our newest COB alumni — in the latest College of Business Newsblog.

The College of Engineering Dean's Office will be closed for the holidays starting Monday, Dec. 23. The office will reopen on Jan. 6.

Questions during this time can be sent to engineering@mtu.edu.

Michigan Tech football's senior punter Brenden Lach has been named to the 2024 AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team. Lach was selected to the AFCA All-America Second Team (Specialist).

Lach, also a D2CCA All-Super Region 3 First Team selection for 2024, was one of DII's top punters in 2024, ranking second in the country with his 45.5-yard punting average. For the season, the First Team All-GLIAC Defensive team selection recorded 65 punts (2,960 total yards) — just three punts shy of tying Michigan Tech's all-time season record, with his total yards surpassing the current record of 2,277 yards set back in 1979. His kicks resulted in seven touchbacks, 15 fair catches, 20 inside the 20-yard line, and an astounding 23 punts exceeding 50 yards. His longest punt this season went 67 yards.

Read more football news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Michigan Tech student-athletes Kaycee Meiners and Meg Raabe have been named to the 2024 Academic All-District Volleyball Team for their combined performances on the court in and in the classroom. The award recognizes starters or key reserves in their sport who carry a 3.50 GPA or above and is given by College Sports Communicators.

Meiners, a senior middle blocker, was an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention who ranked fourth in the GLIAC in total blocks (109) and blocks per set (1.04). She played in all of the Huskies' 29 matches, tallying 202 kills — an average of 1.92 kills per set. She ranks sixth in program history in career blocks and seventh blocks per set, and ninth in career hitting percentage. Meiners graduated with a bachelor's in exercise science while holding a 3.83 GPA. She plans to attend physical therapy school.

Junior outside hitter Raabe was honored on the All-GLIAC First Team. She appeared in all 29 matches, tallying 390 kills in 106 sets for an average of 3.68 kills per set, ranking fourth in the GLIAC. She hit .260 while adding 112 digs, 38 blocks, 12 assists and five aces. Raabe ranks sixth in kills per set in program history and 13th in career kills while holding a 3.97 GPA in accounting.

Read more volleyball news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

The Michigan Tech Nordic ski teams raced at the Gitchi Gami Games in Cable, Wisconsin, over the weekend. The Huskies won the men's, women's and combined CCSA team titles.

"We really showed that we are competitive in every race format," Tech coach Tom Monahan Smith said. "Nothing shows that more than being able to race in a nationally represented field. The team is in a great place competitively early on in the season and racing at a high level. We have so many different student-athletes stepping up for the team each day."

Read more Nordic ski news at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Laura Bulleit (SA) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $79,396 other sponsored activities grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP).

The project is titled "Barrier Removal-Direct to Students."

Tiffany Jaeger (SA), Alexandra Putwen (RL), and Anna McClatchy (CSS) are co-PIs on this potential two-year project.

Glen Archer (ECE), Nagesh Hatti (Enterprise), Alice Roache ’15 ’16 (B.S. M.S. Civil Engineering), and Jacqui Foreman ’24 (B.S. Chemical Engineering) were quoted by UPword in a story about Michigan Tech’s Enterprise Program. Enterprise connects students with industry sponsors to work on real-world projects, giving them valuable hands-on experience while solving industry challenges.

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John Vucetich (CFRES) was quoted by Great Lakes Now in a story about the challenges wolves face in expanding their range across the eastern U.S. Vucetich discussed the ethical and biological questions surrounding the conservation and management of gray wolves.

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Michigan Tech undergraduate student Micaela Geborkoff (medical laboratory science) was mentioned by the Keweenaw Report in a story about a $2,500 scholarship she was awarded by the SpartanNash Our Family Scholarship program. Geborkoff was one of four students in Michigan to earn the scholarship for outstanding community service.

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech hockey’s senior forward Alex Nordstrom (marketing) and assistant coach Raymond Brice in a story about local hockey players succeeding at the next levels.

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Salman Husain ’22 (Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering) was interviewed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in a story about his work on wave energy and marine energy technologies. Husain, a researcher at NREL, discussed the challenges and rewards of advancing wave energy technologies and the importance of sustainable energy solutions.

Chem Stores Closed Over Holiday Break

University Chemical Stores, aka Chem Stores, will be closed from Tuesday, Dec. 24, through Jan. 1. During this holiday closure, we will not be receiving any packages and our service window will not be open.

In addition, starting today, Dec. 16, we may delay placing orders until we reopen on Jan. 2 for items that are temperature sensitive or that can’t sit over the break in a UPS or FedEx warehouse.

You can continue to submit orders using our order form; we will begin processing them on Jan. 2.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at chemstores@mtu.edu or 906-487-2049 with any questions or concerns.

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Tech Today Holiday Break

The last Tech Today of 2024 will be published tomorrow, Dec. 20. After tomorrow, Tech Today will go on holiday break. We will resume publication for 2025 on Jan. 6.

Items for tomorrow's and Jan. 6's Tech Today should be submitted through our Submit a Story form by the following deadlines:

• Friday, Dec. 20: items due today, Dec. 19, by noon
• Monday, Jan. 6: items due tomorrow, Dec. 20, by noon

To have your event automatically appear, please submit them to the University Events Calendar.

Traverse City Alumni Holiday Party 2024

Thursday, December 19, 6–8 p.m.

Celebrate the festive season with Michigan Tech alumni and friends in Traverse City, MI! You're invited to join volunteer alumni hosts Rachel '16 and Donald '15 Straughen for...

Local Keweenaw Alumni Holiday Party 2024

December 19, all day

Celebrate the season with us! Michigan Tech alumni & friends are invited to join volunteer alumni hosts Adam '03 '17 and Beth '04 (Hempel) Mitteer for a holiday party at the...

Marquette Alumni Holiday Party 2024

December 19, all day

Celebrate the season with us! Michigan Tech alumni & friends are invited to join volunteer alumni host Steffanie Pepin '10 for a holiday party at the Ore Dock Brewery on...