January 16, 2025

Distinguished Professor Jason R. Blough has officially been named the chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), effective Jan. 6. Blough has served in the role since July 2022.

Blough is a full professor in the department whose distinguished career includes a thriving research group and many honors in recognition of his work. He was named a distinguished professor at Michigan Tech in 2021.

Blough himself is an alum of MAE, having earned both B.S. and M.S. degrees at Michigan Tech before going on to earn his doctoral degree at the University of Cincinnati. He joined MAE's faculty as an assistant professor in 2003, and before that worked as a research professor at the Keweenaw Research Center. In his previous service as chair, Blough oversaw the addition of the B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and subsequent department name change. He has also served the department as associate chair and director of graduate studies.

“Jason Blough brings an unwavering dedication to provide MAE students with high-quality, rigorous training in mechanical and now also aerospace engineering,” said College of Engineering Dean Michelle Scherer. “I am looking forward to working with Jason and the MAE faculty and staff to train the next generation of mechanical and aerospace engineers.”

Blough has been recognized for numerous contributions in teaching, research and service, and has advised both doctoral and master’s students. He is a member of Michigan Tech’s Academy of Teaching Excellence and a recipient of the SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, and has been recognized as an international leader in the research area of noise, vibration and harshness, having received the Blue Ribbon Coalition Scientist of the Year Award (2006), the SEM DeMichele Award (2021) and the SAE Arch T. Colwell Merit Award (1997).

Extremely active in service, Blough has advised Michigan Tech’s SAE student chapter and the SAE Clean Snowmobile Enterprise team for over 15 years, as well as helped organize the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge. He was named a Fellow of SAE in 2021, and currently serves as a member of the SAE Snowmobile Committee and as the president of the Society for Experimental Mechanics. He also sits on the Scientific Board of the International Conference on Noise and Vibration Engineering at Katholieke University in Leuven, Belgium.

Blough has published his research in numerous journals and peer-reviewed conference papers, and given over 30 short courses to industry. Additionally, his 100-plus funded projects total more than $3.7 million as a principal investigator and $2.3 million as a co-PI.

In 2024, students and staff from Michigan Tech held multiple EV Husky outreach events for middle and high school students, sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). 

These Michigan Tech engineering ambassadors — a partnership between the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering —  wowed audiences with several interactive lesson plans developed thanks to generous funding from the MEDC’s Talent Action Team (TAT) Strategic Investment Grants.

The main objective of MTU’s lessons and activities: Use electric vehicle (EV) technology to get middle and high school students excited about STEM.

Eager students learned about EV technology through interacting and coding with Arduinos — ingenious (and inexpensive tools) combining physical circuit boards (microcontrollers) and open-source software. With them, users can learn to code, designing and building devices that interact with external hardware, such as lights, sensors, and speakers.

Learn more about MTU’s enthusiastic STEM ambassadors, their fun interactive events and the MEDC funding that made it possible on the Global Campus News blog.

In May, 14 Michigan Tech students from Industrial Heritage and Archaeology and other programs, one visiting Wayne State student and two community members joined Mark Rhodes and Kathryn Hannum (both SS) on MTU's first "Wales: Community Transformations" study abroad program. The 16-day program explores how parks, museums and historic sites can heal economic and environmental scars left behind by industrialization.

In the weeks leading up to the trip, the Welsh government announced massive budget cuts to the national museum system, which Rhodes researches. This presented a unique opportunity. Because the program visits all seven national museums in Wales, the group could track their economic spending.

Students recorded everything they spent inside and outside of each museum and analyzed that data. They found that while the museums are free to enter, the amount spent within each exceeded the average that visitors are willing to pay for museum entry in the U.K. By drawing people in, centering a community and communicating cultural and community values through the museum's interpretations, they argue that free museums generate these regional economic and social values while remaining accessible to all.

The findings of this research have been published in the Welsh Economic Review, a peer-reviewed journal published by Cardiff University Press.

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) is pleased to announce its annual Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC), which will be held on March 25. The annual GRC Awards Banquet will follow on March 26.

The GRC offers a unique opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research across the campus community and work on their presentation skills for upcoming conferences. Students can give oral presentations, present posters or do both. All presentations will be given in person.

Oral presentations will be given on March 25 in the MUB Alumni Lounge from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Poster presentations are scheduled on March 25 in the Rozsa Lobby from 5-8 p.m. The GRC event will be capped off with the annual GRC Awards Banquet, which will be held on March 26 from 5-8 p.m.

Cash prizes are awarded to the top three presenters in both categories ($300 for first place, $200 for second, and $100 for third). The GSG will print all the posters for this year's GRC poster session.

Registration is currently open and closes on March 7 at 11:59 p.m.

Register for the 2025 Graduate Research Colloquium.

For more information regarding GRC 2025, visit the GSG website or contact gsg-research@mtu.edu.

Please join the Graduate School in congratulating Michigan Tech's Spring 2025 Finishing Fellows. Awardees will be recognized daily in Tech Today through tomorrow, Jan. 17.

Eileen Reeves is a Ph.D. candidate in the Forest Science program at Michigan Tech. Reeves came to Tech to work on the FACE Wood Decomposition Experiment, a long-term ecological research project studying the movement of carbon from decomposing wood into soil and the atmosphere. During her studies, she has worked with collaborators from multiple universities and the U.S. Forest Service, learned cutting-edge molecular genetics techniques and presented her research at national conferences.

Read more about Reeves’ journey at Michigan Tech on the Graduate School Newsblog.

Please join the Graduate School in congratulating Michigan Tech's Spring 2025 Finishing Fellows. Awardees will be recognized daily in Tech Today through tomorrow, Jan. 17.

Akash Kumar is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics. Kumar works at the intersection of advanced material modeling and computational mechanics. His research has focused on developing complex constitutive and phase-field failure models to gain a deeper understanding of fracture behaviors and improve material performance under diverse loading conditions. He also explores the development of multiscale and multiphysics models, contributing to the design of resilient materials for critical structural and industrial applications.

Read more about Kumar’s journey at Michigan Tech on the Graduate School Newsblog.

Benefits Services would like to remind Michigan Tech employees that if they would like to transfer their health savings account (HSA) balance currently at Health Equity to their new HSA account at WEX, they will need to submit the HSA Transfer Form to Health Equity.

For the first 90 days of 2025, WEX will provide an individual $25 credit equal to Health Equity's account closure fee for each employee who transfers their balance from Health Equity, as long as the employee has a positive balance of at least $500 at the time of transfer.

The transfer form can be faxed to 801-846-2929 or mailed to the following address:

Health Equity Attn Operations
P.O. Box 14374
Lexington, KY 40512

The form can also be submitted through Health Equity's online portal:

1. Log in to your account.
2. Click "Support" in the menu bar, and select "Health Savings Account" in the pop-up.
3. From the support options, click "Fill out a Form."
4. On the Forms page, use the "Upload a secure form or document" option to submit the transfer form PDF.

Department of Biomedical Engineering (BioMed) tenure-track faculty candidate Zhengpeng (Jason) Wan will give a research seminar today, Jan. 16, at 11 a.m. in person only in Chem Sci 101.

The title of Wan’s talk is “Advanced Vascularized Microphysiological Systems for Cancer Research.” The talk will discuss the development of microvasculature-on-a-chip models and highlight their application in studying metastasis, tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy.

Read Wan's abstract at the University Events Calendar.

Job Posting for Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 906-487-2280 or email humanresources@mtu.edu. For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.

Manager of Administration – Executive Assistant to the Dean, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. Apply online.

Michigan Technological University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Accommodations are available. If you require any auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations to apply for employment, or for an interview, at Michigan Technological University, please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or humanresources@mtu.edu.

The Upper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association mentioned Michigan Tech’s Mont Ripley Ski Area in a list of 16 must-ski hills in the U.P. The story highlighted Mont Ripley’s challenging terrain and stunning views of the Keweenaw Waterway as key features that make it a top destination for skiing.

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The Daily Mining Gazette covered Michigan Tech men’s basketball first-year guard Ty Fernholz being named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for week nine.

Info Session: Introducing Hanover Research Proposal Support for Michigan Tech

Research Development is pleased to announce Michigan Tech’s new partnership with Hanover Research, which is designed to enhance research development capacity across campus.

Hanover’s experienced staff can provide strategic research advising, proposal development support, grant-seeking advice and related services. The Michigan Tech research community is invited to learn more during a virtual introductory session scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow, Jan. 17.

Join the Introductory Session on Zoom.

This session will provide an overview of Hanover’s services, an introduction to Michigan Tech’s points of contact at Hanover, an overview of Hanover’s on-demand online resources, and information about how to engage in the use of this new service.

Those interested in the introductory session but unable to attend should contact the Research Development team at rd-l@mtu.edu for additional information and a recording.

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This Week's C-Cubed Luncheon Menu

Carved and Crafted Catering at Michigan Technological University invites faculty, staff, and their guests to the C-Cubed Luncheon, held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Thursday in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MUB 107).

Menu for Thursday, Jan. 16:

• Pork Sandwich (PR)
• BBQ Tofu “Steak” (PR)
• Macaroni and Cheese (V) (PR)
• Garden Pasta Salad (VG) (PR)
• Coleslaw (V) (AG)
• Cookie Platter (V)

The C-Cubed lunch buffet menus are created and prepared by Chef Luis Delgado and his culinary team. As the name suggests, the meals are meant to foster conversation, community and collegiality. Attendees may bring their lunch instead of purchasing the buffet. Fruit-infused water, coffee and tea are available free to all attendees. All vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items on the buffet are labeled for easy identification. Meals are for dine-in only, and personal containers and to-go meals are not permitted.

The buffet lunch is $15.50 per person. Cash, credit cards and gift cards are accepted. Gift cards can be purchased in the Memorial Union Office (MUB 101).

You can submit C-Cubed feedback using C-Cubed Survey/Comments form. To join the C-Cubed Luncheon Email List and receive weekly menus, please complete the sign-up form.

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Volunteer Opportunity: Spring Career Fair

Spring Career Fair will take place on Jan. 28 from 12-5 p.m., and Career Services is looking for volunteers from the Michigan Tech community to help make this event a success!

We have a variety of shifts, tasks and roles available, so there’s an opportunity for everyone to get involved. Your support is essential in creating a meaningful experience for our students and employers — and it plays a pivotal role in the future success of many Huskies.

If you’re able to assist, please visit the Spring Career Fair Volunteer Sign-Up Form to select a shift that works for you.

Thank you for your time, energy and commitment. We couldn’t do it without you!

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MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker: Wayne Weaver

The next Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Graduate Seminar Speaker will present at 2 p.m. today, Jan. 16, in EERC 103.

Wayne Weaver will present "Policies and Procedures of the MAE Graduate Program."

Weaver is currently a professor, associate department chair, and director of graduate studies in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Michigan Tech.

The focus of this talk will be on the policies and procedures of the MAE graduate program, including the courses, requirements and steps for each degree. Further, the procedures and forms to handle issues such as course restrictions, prerequisites, reduced course load and CPT/OPT will be covered. There will be open time for all on-campus graduate students to ask questions to get to know MAE’s director of graduate studies.

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Tonight's Sustainability Film: 'Cooked: Survival by Zip Code'

The 2025 Sustainability Film Series, coordinated by Michigan Tech Office of Sustainability and Resilience, will present January’s film "Cooked: Survival by Zip Code" at 7 p.m. today, Jan. 16, in Fisher 135. The film is free and everyone is welcome to attend. The film will be followed by a facilitated discussion and refreshments.

Add "Cooked" to your Google Calendar.

"Cooked" looks through the lens of the 1995 Chicago heat wave to examine how race, poverty and geography intersect, shedding light on the ways systemic inequities and climate change combine to disproportionately impact underserved communities.

Film sponsors include the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Keweenaw Co-op, Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, WUP MiSTEM Network, Friends of the Land of Keweenaw (FOLK), Keweenaw Land Trust, and Michigan Tech's Office of Sustainability and Resilience and Hardwood Mass Timber Institute.

Series Details:

• What: 15th Annual Sustainability Film Series
• When: Third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m., through May
• Where: Fisher 135 or 138 (refreshments in lobby)
• Cost: Free! $5 donations are greatly appreciated. You can make a donation online to support the Sustainability Film Series.

Upcoming Film:

"Troubled Water" — Feb. 20, Fisher 138
Lifelong friends Chris Yahanda and William Wright embark on a 425-mile paddleboard journey across Lake Michigan and the Grand River, exploring environmental threats to the Great Lakes and discovering the power of community in protecting the waters they love.

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InventCon 2025 Registration is Open

Registration is now open for InventCon @ Superior MakerFest 2025, happening on March 15 at Michigan Tech. Interested inventors in grades 3-12 are invited to enter their projects, which can be completed individually or in teams of 2-3 students.

Sign up on the InventCon 2025 Project Registration form. Only one registration form is needed per project. The deadline to register is Feb. 28.

InventCon is the Western Upper Peninsula regional component of Invention Convention Michigan, a statewide competition where students (grades 3-12) are guided through the invention design process from problem identification through model or prototype development. Official information and updates can be found at the InventCon @ Superior MakerFest 2025 website.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please reach out to Emily Geiger at egeiger@copperisd.org or 906-482-4250 (ext. 188) or Tom Oliver at teoliver@mtu.edu or 906-487-2412.

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

CTL Technical Workshop- Getting Started with iClicker Cloud

Thursday, January 16, 10–11 a.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, 243

Join the Center for Teaching and Learning (Technical Workshops) for the following opportunity: https://mtu.libcal.com/event/13838699 The Jackson Center for Teaching and...

Advanced Vascularized Microphysiological Systems for Cancer Research

Thursday, January 16, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. | Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building, 101

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Candidate Seminar Zhengpeng (Jason) Wan, PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Abstract Tumor vasculature plays a critical role in...

DC Trip Info Session and Q+A session

Thursday, January 16, 12–1 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Superior Room

The Research Development office is helping to plan research theme-focused trips while keeping many of the programmatic staples from prior trips. Join us at this session to...

Appleton Alumni Holiday Party 2025

Thursday, January 16, 6–8 p.m. | Appleton Beer Factory

'Tis the season for us to come together and connect with fellow Michigan Tech alumni and friends in Appleton, WI! You're invited to join volunteer host Leah Enking '10 for a...

Cookie Decorating and Games

Thursday, January 16, 7–9 p.m. | Hillside Place Kitchen

Come hangout with the Waterski and Wakeboard Club and get to know the members while we decorate cookies and play games. . Are you a member? Get together with other members...

Hangout and Games

Thursday, January 16, 7–9 p.m. | Hillside Place Lobby/Kitchen

Come hangout with the Waterski and Wakeboard Club, meet other members and non members. . Are you a member? Get together with other members of the Waterski and Wakeboard...

Hangout and Games

Thursday, January 16, 7–9 p.m. | Hillside Place Lobby/Kitchen

Come hangout with the Waterski and Wakeboard Club, meet other members and non members. . Are you a member? Get together with other members of the Waterski and Wakeboard...