The Honors House, building number 82 on the campus map and formerly the Ruppe House, is a next-door neighbor of the University Residence on Woodland Road. The headquarters for Michigan Tech’s Honors Institute, the Honors House is home to nine honors students and provides ample space for the group’s operations. The remaining four beds are filled by non-honors students who have returned to campus after at least one year of study.

The idea of converting the Ruppe House—previously used for . . .]]>Thu, 03 Oct 2013 11:35:52 -0700 http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2013/october/story97966.html3D printing isn’t just cheaper, it’s also greener, says Michigan Technological University’s Joshua Pearce.

Even Pearce, an aficionado of the make-it-yourself-and-save technology, was surprised at his study’s results. It showed that making stuff on a 3D printer uses less energy—and therefore releases less carbon dioxide—than producing it en masse in a factory and shipping it to a warehouse.

Most 3D printers for home use, like the RepRap used in this study, are about the size of microwave ovens. They work by melting filament, usually plastic, and depositing it layer by layer in a specific pattern. Free designs for thousands of products are available . . .]]>Thu, 03 Oct 2013 08:59:03 -0700 http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2013/september/story97329.htmlWith 264 companies registered for the Fall Career Fair on Tuesday, Sept. 24, their 900 recruiters run the gamut from new to returning to never-miss-a-fair.

Among the new companies, according to Jim Turnquist, director of Career Services, is Chevron. Although they have recruited and hired on their own on campus, this year they’ve joined the Career Fair and expanded their search.

“In the past, they focused on geology, but this year they are looking for many different engineering fields: chemical, civil, electrical, environmental, mechanical,” Turnquist says. “That’s a big plus.”

Back after a hiatus from recruiting is Procter and Gamble. They are scouting for . . .]]>Mon, 23 Sep 2013 07:00:23 -0700 http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2013/september/story97203.htmlWhen Michigan Technological University launched its Generations of Discovery capital campaign in 2006, announcing a goal of $200 million, there were some doubters. Remember 2006—when the housing bubble burst and the stock market was heading for its 2008-09 crash, kicking the country into a major recession?

But Michigan Tech did it—and then some. At a campaign celebration at the University’s Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 19, 2013, Campaign Chair Dave House announced that Michigan Tech has raised $215,366,353, much of it in planned gifts that will be coming in over the next 10 to 25 years.

House, a Michigan Tech . . .]]>Thu, 19 Sep 2013 17:00:09 -0700 http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2013/september/story96892.htmlMichigan Technological University, like other public universities in the state, submitted its official fall enrollment numbers to Lansing this week. The news was very good.

Michigan Tech has 1,252 first-year students, the largest freshman class since 2008.  The average ACT score and high school GPA of those students are at an all-time high, at 26.7 and 3.66.  

Graduate student numbers also rose for the fifth straight year, to 1,359. 

“I want to thank everyone all across  campus for the work they do to attract the highest quality students,” said President Glenn Mroz. "The results of their efforts speak for themselves.”

Total undergraduate enrollment . . .]]>Thu, 12 Sep 2013 11:27:18 -0700 http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2013/september/story96647.htmlMichigan Technological University’s undergraduate programs in all disciplines rose in a ranking of public national universities, coming in at 57^th in the nation, according to the 2014 US News & World Report Best Colleges rankings released today. Last year, Michigan Tech ranked 58^th among public national universities.  Tech also moved up in the overall rankings of all universities--public and private--to 117th this year from 120th last year.  

“This is movement in the right direction,” said President Glenn Mroz. “We know we provide an outstanding undergraduate education, and employers do as well. But it’s encouraging that our peers and higher education leaders . . .]]>Tue, 10 Sep 2013 06:22:14 -0700 http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2013/september/story95668.htmlA brightly colored innovation to help families and doctors keep track of childhood vaccine records in the developing world has won the 3D Printers for Peace Contest.

The contest was organized last spring by Michigan Technological University’s Joshua Pearce, who had become alarmed that 3D printing was known primarily as a technology for making homemade guns. “We wanted to celebrate designs that will make lives better, not snuff them out,” said Pearce, a 3D printing aficionado and an associate professor of materials science and engineering and electrical and computer engineering.

The 3D Printers for Peace contest did just that, by underscoring the power . . .]]>Thu, 05 Sep 2013 12:14:13 -0700 http://blogs.mtu.edu/materials/2013/08/28/mse-alumni-august-2013/Wed, 28 Aug 2013 07:57:37 -0700 http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2013/august/story94626.htmlOne of the most promising types of solar cells has a few drawbacks. A scientist at Michigan Technological University may have overcome one of them.

Dye-sensitized solar cells are thin, flexible, easy to make and very good at turning sunshine into electricity. However, a key ingredient is one of the most expensive metals on the planet: platinum. While only small amounts are needed, at $1,500 an ounce, the cost of the silvery metal is still significant.

Yun Hang Hu, the Charles and Carroll McArthur Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, has developed a new, inexpensive material that could replace the platinum in solar . . .]]>Tue, 20 Aug 2013 08:02:06 -0700 http://blogs.mtu.edu/materials/2013/08/09/3d-printers-in-august-news/Fri, 09 Aug 2013 12:06:05 -0700