Materials Science and Engineering News

We are excited to announce that a talented team from MTU has secured 1st place at the prestigious 2025 ASM Materials Education Foundation G.B. Olson Undergraduate Design Competition with their project “The Effect of Cerium on Sensitization and Weld Strength in 5xxx Series Aluminum Alloys.” The team included: Molly Wrobleski – Team Lead & Modelling, Brooke Ziolkowski – Welding & Stats, Leo Sauter …

We are pleased to announce that Jaroslaw (Jarek) Drelich, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), recently accepted an endowed appointment as the Richard Witte Professor. This follows recommendations received from the department (committee and chair) and Audra Morse, dean of the College of Engineering. “Dr. Drelich has accomplished a distinguished 26-year career …

Jenna Lane (Career Services) was quoted by WLUC TV6 in a story about Michigan Tech’s fall 2023 Career Fair, held Tuesday (Sept. 19) with 376 employers in attendance. MTU undergraduate Nathaniel Vogler (marketing) and alumna Katie Amar-Fox ’19 (B.S. Materials Science and Engineering) were also quoted in the story. Nucor Melt Shop Metallurgist Katie Amar-Fox said she was able to kickstart her futur…

Jaroslaw Drelich (MSE/IMP) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $461,657 research and development grant from the National Institutes of Health. The project is titled “Novel Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds with Uniform Biodegradation.” Jeremy Goldman (BioMed/IMP) is a co-PI on this project. Jaroslaw W. Drelich holds the Richard Witte Endowed Professorship in the Dep…

LIFT, short for Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, is a nonprofit organization established through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, academia, and private industry. Its multifaceted mission includes training workers for high-tech manufacturing jobs, advancing defense-related technology, and preparing more companies to deal in the technology that would qualify them as defense c…

Landfill mining can recover valuable recyclable materials, including aluminum. In fact, the concentration of aluminum in many landfills is higher than the concentration of aluminum in bauxite from which the metal is derived. Now, a multidisciplinary Michigan Tech research team will determine ways to select viable and sustainable landfill sites. Paul Sanders is the principal investigator (PI) on a…

LIFT, the Detroit-based manufacturing innovation institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, has partnered with Michigan Technological University on a number of recent projects. Last year, four teams of undergraduate students designed a powder metal atomization chamber to enable the creation of new alloy metal powders for use in additive manufacturing. While atomization is a standard t…

Bruce Lee (BioMed/IMP) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received an $804,990 research and development grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. The project is titled “Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope for Research in Additive Manufacturing, Materials Development, and Plastic Waste Recycling.” Stephen Techtmann (BioSci/IMP), Paul Sanders (MSE/IMP) and Trisha Sain …

Yongmei Jin (MSE/IMP) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $592,502 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation. The project is titled “NSF-BSF: Computation-Guided Advanced Fabrication of Silicide Nanostructures with Novel Magnetic Properties.” Ranjit Pati (Physics/IMP) is a co-PI on this potential three-year project. Extract Silicon technolo…

Parisa Pour Shahid Saeed Abadi (ME-EM/BioMed/MSE) and Masoud Kasraie ’22 (PhD, materials science and engineering) were quoted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in a story about the 3D nano-ink they developed in 2021 that could reduce the weight of many 3D-printed parts by 80%, keep cracks too tiny to see from growing in aeronautical equipment and medical devices, and double a…

Erik Herbert (MSE/IMP) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $535,317 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation. The project is titled “GOALI: Engineering Mechanically Stable Interfaces Through Short-Range Molecular Rearrangement Driven by Inhomogeneous li Ion Transfer Kinetics.” Stephen Hackney (MSE/IMP) is a co-PI on this potential three-y…

The College of Engineering announces that Walter Milligan has accepted the position of Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, beginning July 1, 2021. “I am very happy that Walt has agreed to be the Chair of Materials Science and Engineering,” stated Dean Janet Callahan. “His 31 years of experience at Michigan Tech, . . .

There’s a lot more! Check out all the MSE news stories on our Michigan Tech MSE News Blog.

MSE 2100: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering New Dual-Enrollment Course at Michigan Tech! Semesters Offered Fall 2021 Course Delivery Course Registry Aug. 30–Dec. 17, 2021 Online #85007 Spring 2022 Credits Instructor Jan. 10–Apr. 29, 2022 3 Mary Fraley Course Description Learn about how engineering materials are processed and designed! We will look at polymers, . . .

Eight MSE seniors were inducted into the Order of the Engineer, an organization established underscore and celebrate the important role engineering plays in maintaining the safety and welfare of the public, through the ethical and dedicated commitment to the products that they design and produce.  Inducted were Lauren Bowling, Nate Carey, Michael Claiborne, Morgan Drumm, . . .

2021 Academic Achievement Award Lauren Bowling was announced as the recipient of the 2021 MSE Academic Achievement Award at the MSE Senior Banquet festivities on April 23rd, 2021. The Achievement award is given to the graduating student with the highest grade point average following the previous fall semester. 2021 Richard Sharrow Award Also at the . . .

Five students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Mu, at the MSE Senior Banquet on April 23rd, 2021. Inducted were MSE seniors Signey Feige and Maria Rochow, and MSE juniors Megan Huggett, Sophie Mehl, and Haley Papineau. Congratulations MSEers! Alpha Sigma Mu is the international academic honor organization of the materials discipline. It was established in . . .

(Fall 2021 grads: Devin Deaton, Ross Patterson, Jason Seeterlin, Henry Vandermark)

Project:  Aluminum-scandium alloy design for wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM)Team: Devin Deaton, Morgan Drum, and Ross PattersonSponsor:  Relativity Space; Sam Tonneslan, sponsor liaison Project:  Decreasing corrosion in steel fasteners for pressure treated lumberTeam:  Nate Carey, Anna Hildebrandt, Jason Seeterlin, and Henry VandermarkSponsor: &…

Outstanding students, staff, and a special alumni were honored Friday (April 16) during Michigan Tech’s 27th Annual Student Leadership Awards Virtual Ceremony. Outstanding students, staff, and special alumni were honored on Friday, April 16th at Michigan Tech’s 27th Annual Student Leadership Awards Virtual Ceremony.   At that event, Michigan Tech alums Kaitlin Bunker (BS EE ’10, MS…