Michigan Tech News - Alumni

The Mechanical Engineer and the Sunken Treasure

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:46:03 -0400

As a farm boy growing up in northern Michigan, Mike Milosh dreamed of the sea and the adventures of Captain Nemo and Mike Nelson of the TV show Sea Hunt. He even worked on plans for a one-man submarine. So when a real-life adventure presented itself, he didn’t have to think twice.

The Michigan Tech mechanical engineering alumnus never thought that adventure would involve searching for gold coins and bars 8,000 feet down in the Atlantic. “It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that you can’t turn down,” Milosh says. It took him a long way from his Columbus, Ohio, home, and . . .

From Mechanical Engineer to Crew Chief: Michigan Tech Alum Hits the NASCAR Circuit

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 08:48:16 -0500

It’s heady stuff for a self-professed car nut from a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Greg Ives, a 2003 mechanical engineering graduate from Michigan Technological University, was recently named crew chief for NASCAR driver Regan Smith. In NASCAR, the driver, owner and crew chief are the most important members of any race team.

It’s a quantum leap from lead race engineer, his previous job with Jimmie Johnson’s team, Ives says. Before that, he was a setup engineer for race driver Jeff Gordon, all with Hendrick Motorsports (HMS), a premier NASCAR racing team.

“Now, I have to worry about logistics, managing the . . .

Sign Up for Family Fun at Michigan Tech’s Alumni Reunion

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:22:42 -0400

From alumni basketball to Family Engineering, Michigan Technological University’s 2012 Alumni Reunion, set for Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 2-4, is full of fun activities for all ages. The public is welcome to take in one of the faculty Tech Talks, tour the Great Lakes Research Center or find out what all the fuss is about Mind Trekkers. And, for the first time, Alumni Reunion features a special gathering of the “Women of Tech.”

These events are open to the public, and many are free. If preregistration or tickets are required, you can sign up by going to Alumni Reunion and clicking on "Online . . .

Alumnus Brings Education to Ugandan Children

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:16:01 -0400

In 2007, Michigan Tech alumnus Jim Tanis ’56 ’58 and his wife, Jan Tanis, were honeymooning and globetrotting. They went to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania and finally Uganda, where they sought out mountain gorillas. It was in Uganda that a life-changing encounter seemed to seek them out.

Brian Turindwamukama, a child from a small village of Bwindi, sold them a carved gorilla. After chatting, they were surprised to hear he had email, and they began communicating with him when they returned home. Eventually they helped Brian through secondary school. It seemed children in Bwindi had been devastated by war, AIDS, malaria and abandonment: orphans . . .

Helping Iraq One Project at a Time

Wed, 7 Dec 2011 15:06:27 -0500

An organization in Iraq led by a Michigan Technological University alumnus is seeking to help Iraqis rebuild their nation.

The Iraqi Hope Foundation (IHF), founded by Major Don Makay ’99, is a nonprofit “dedicated to the stability and prosperity of Iraq through investment in private, small and mid-size business and entrepreneurs,” according to its mission statement.

He started the effort in 2008, along with veterans and Iraqis.“Both the military and the Iraqis have sacrificed a lot of time and effort serving there,” says Makay, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan himself. “Many of us lost friends, family or comrades. We wanted to . . .

Alumnus/Entrepreneur Featured on CNN

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 15:19:45 -0500

Hajj Flemings, a 1996 Michigan Tech alumnus who is now a Detroit area entrepreneur, is one of eight African-American tech start-up company founders who will be featured on CNN's "Black in America" series, airing next Sunday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m.

Flemings, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Tech, is the founder of Brand Camp University, which offers personal branding training. The Birmingham, Mich., resident is also CEO and co-founder of Gokit, an online service that enables people to manage their online presence across a variety of platforms.

Sunday's CNN . . .

No Fear of Failure: Technology Entrepreneurs Urge Students to Go for It

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:51:16 -0400

Start-ups are not easy to start, according to experts visiting campus, and success often happens through failure.

“If you are going to fail, fail fast,” said Paul Fulton ’84, a Silicon Valley investor and consultant, at Tuesday’s Entrepreneur 2.0 panel at Michigan Technological University. “You learn from your mistakes, and it’s like skiing at Mont Ripley, which is why I came to Tech. If you don’t push yourself to the edges, you don’t know how far you can go.”

Entrepreneur 2.0 sought to expose students, faculty, staff and community members to some of the sharpest minds from Silicon Valley and elsewhere, all of . . .

Alum's tricked-out toy truck a lifesaver for US troops

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:30:07 -0400

Ernest Fessenden and his older brother Christopher followed different paths. Chris enlisted in the army in 1993, right after graduating from Shelby High School. Five years later, Ernie enrolled at Michigan Tech and in short order earned BS and MS degrees in computer science.

All that time, Ernie wanted to do something important to help his brother. Then, in 2007, he got his chance. “My brother had done several combat deployments to the Middle East before, but this time, I actually had a job and could do something besides talk,” says Ernie. “Part of my brother’s job was to conduct vehicle inspections.”

Every . . .

Alumni Reunion Kicks Off Thursday, Aug. 4

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:23:57 -0400

Michigan Technological University’s annual Alumni Reunion is set for Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 4-6. Everyone is invited to enjoy the wide variety of activities and get reacquainted with old friends and former students.

The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science is hosting a number of events to mark its 75th anniversary. Other special reunion groups include the Varsity/Jazz Singers; the classes of 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, and 2001; the Golden M’s, volleyball, cross country, track and Nordic skiing alumni; and the Sigma Rho, Theta Tau and Kappa Delta Psi fraternities.

The Alumni Reunion registration area opens on Wednesday, Aug. 3, in the Memorial Union. . . .

Michigan Tech Alum Tapped to Lead State Agriculture Department

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:11:18 -0500

This afternoon, Keith Creagh is running a minute or two late. “Just catching up with the head of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board,” he says, by way of explanation.

Creagh (pronounced "kray") is catching up with many people these days. The 1974 forestry graduate was tapped by Michigan’s then-governor-elect Rick Snyder to lead the newly named state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and he’s been busy laying the groundwork for what he hopes will be at least four years of collegial, effective policymaking.

The words “collegial” and “effective” do not immediately spring to mind in association with Michigan state politics, which . . .