Employee
Excellence Award | Distinguished
Teaching Award | Research
Award |
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Faculty
and Staff Awards
Employee Excellence Award
Professional/Administrative
Category
Julie Bingham
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Julie Bingham has worked at Michigan Tech for 14 years. Her duties have included service in the ME-EM Department, the Career Center, and Accounting Services. Julie just changed jobs from staff associate in the College of Engineering, where she managed all of the administrative functions and supervised all of the clerical functions. She now is academic advisor in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Julie echoes the feelings of many people at Tech who like to work with good co-workers and students. “I have met students from all over the world and made some good friends along the way,” she says.
She has more than one admirer—she was nominated for this award by eleven different people, including supervisors and coworkers.
“I have yet to meet another person who cares about the particulars of their job in the same manner as Julie does,” says one colleague.
Dean Warrington will sorely miss Julie. He grew accustomed to her advice and guidance, both of which she gave “professionally and with a smile.”
“She was a major reason for the effectiveness of the College of Engineering,” Warrington notes.
Office
Professional Category
Patti Myllyoja
Alumni Relations
Patti Myllyoja has been with the University since 1994 and with the Alumni Office since 1995. She is a point person who deals with staff, students, faculty, alumni, and the public. Her duties range from organizing promotional efforts to staging special events, from handling bulk mailings to developing web pages.
She enjoys working with “great people” across campus, as well as alumni and friends from all over the world.
Her main goal is to be part of the team that keeps alumni connected to the University.
Her supervisor, Steph Olsson, director of Alumni Relations, says of Myllyoja: “Ask anyone who works with Patti, and they will say she is an absolute jewel, a wonderful and important resource for Michigan Tech, and a powerhouse of an employee.”
She is described as a hard-working person of integrity and reliability. One admirer says, “She is continually improving the organization and herself.”
Steph Olsson adds, “Everything Patti touches is done well. She has accomplished more for Michigan Tech and for Alumni Relations than any staff person in history.”
Amid the high praise, Patti remains modest. “Tech,” she says, “has a lot to offer, and I’ve been fortunate.”
Crafts/Food
Service/Technical/Maintenance Category
Michael Marcotte
Facilities
Management
Mike Marcotte has worked at Michigan Tech for 29 years. He started out in food service and custodial service. These days he is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the ME-EM Building and the ROTC Building.
Mike also maintains a good reputation. Colleagues say he is able, pleasant, approachable, and efficient.
He also is described as a man of few words, but he has a lot to say about this award: “It seems ironic to receive this award for doing something that I really enjoy doing, but I am very pleased. There are other employees out there in the trades and grounds who are equally deserving of this award. They work behind the scenes and don’t have as much contact with the public, and they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.”
He sees himself as not only taking care of buildings, but also meeting the needs of the building occupants. “The people I work with make my job that much better,” he says.
Distinguished Teaching Award
Assistant
Professor/Lecturer
Joel Tuoriniemi
School of Business and Economics
Joel Tuoriniemi likes teaching—especially when students succeed and he feels that he’s contributed in some small way to the accomplishment.”
“I have a job that I love,” he says, “and I can’t wait to get to class. I genuinely have a passion for coming to class every day.”
The passion rubs off on his students. One of them says that Professor Tuoriniemi treats students as academic “equals,” is committed, and is willing to go “above and beyond his job description to help students.”
Another student says, “He is hard-working, teaches the material well, and has fun doing it. He makes coming to class a rewarding and enjoyable experience.”
Dean Keith Lantz says that Professor Tuoriniemi “has a great blend of professional and academic experience. He brings a positive aspect to the classroom on some tough subjects.”
Professor Tuoriniemi views his job and this award as “student-driven.” “Thanks to each and every one of them,” he says.
Professor/Associate Professor
Mary Ann Beckwith
Fine Arts
Mary Ann Beckwith has taught at Tech for 30 years. A renowned artist, Professor Beckwith has been involved in numerous workshops as an artist, instructor, and juror. She has displayed her work at national exhibitions, has won many prestigious awards, and has produced a book on creative watercolor which has been published in the US and in Japan.
Professional recognition aside, Mary Ann thoroughly enjoys teaching art—especially to engineering and technology students. “I love encouraging and challenging students to find their creative abilities and to encourage their imaginations,” she says.
One student says she does that well. “She is truly a marvelous teacher and believes that there is always something new to learn.”
Professor Beckwith says that being an educator means being a student at the same time. “I believe that the students have a lot to teach me,” she says.
Fine Arts Department chair Milt Olsson, calls Mary Ann “an absolutely committed teacher.”
Her duties rest on a firm foundation. “I love people,” she says. “The reward of teaching is knowing you’ve touched someone’s mind, heart, and soul.”
She previously won the distinguished teaching award in 1996.
Research Award
Vladimir
Tonchev
Mathematical Sciences
Vladimir Tonchev
is a member of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the National
University of Singapore.
He is a founding member of the Institute of Combinatorics and is associate
editor of three journals.
A man of international stature, Professor Tonchev has conducted research and presented material all over the world. He has written or co-written 135 papers, has earned more than 350 citations for his work, and has presented at more than a hundred seminars and conferences.
His research interests include communications, coding theory, cryptography, quantum computing, bioinformatics, computer algebra, algorithms, combinatorics, and graph theory.
He has won numerous research awards, and he has attracted significant external grants for his work.
Alphonse Baartmans, chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, says that Tonchev is a wonderful ambassador for Michigan Tech and for the department. “He is a world-renowned mathematician whose research is held in the highest regard by scholars in his field throughout the world.”
Tonchev is described as a man of unquenchable curiosity and encyclopedic knowledge.
One colleague ranks him in the top one percent of all researchers in his field. Research is a nice fit for him. He himself says that he thrives on interesting problems and new possibilities.
Information Technology Award
Patrick
D. Hopp
System Administrator, Information Technology (System
Administration Services)
Faculty Distinguished Service Award
Peck
Cho
Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Peck Cho, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, has fostered strong ties between Tech and his native South Korea—including study, research, and teaching opportunities for both faculty and students.
He has coauthored a how-to book for Koreans to improve their educational system. He also is author of a forthcoming book on engineering and learning, and he has helped incorporate writing and environmental concerns into the engineering curriculum.
He also has developed teaching materials for graduate students, as well as adding a teaching component to new faculty orientation.
Further, he mentors many on-campus students.
“He has been tireless, without any expectation of reward,” says one colleague.
Dr. Cho credits the local community residents with awakening in him and his family a “lifestyle” of service. “I try to emulate them,” he notes. “Maybe one day I’ll become one of them.”
Dr. Cho came to Tech in 1988. Beyond teaching and research, he has had extensive involvement on campus, including work on the curriculum, faculty development, cultural enrichment, career services, and student organizations. He is the faculty advisor for the Mini-Baja team, which he helped send to compete in Korea.
He has traveled worldwide as a representative of Michigan Tech. He has twice received the Distinguished Teaching Award, and he serves as the University ombudsman.
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