Research

Michigan Tech Scientists Design Laser Calibration System for Next-Gen Gamma-Ray Telescope

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:52:28 -0400

Super-high-energy galactic gamma rays have trillions of times more energy than visible light, and they disappear in the atmosphere before they hit the Earth’s surface. So if you want to detect these mysterious phenomena, a regular telescope isn’t much help.

To learn about the highest-energy gamma rays, scientists build elaborate observatories, and one of the most advanced is the new High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory, high in the mountains about six hours from Mexico City. When it’s completed, it will be the only facility in the world that can detect the highest-energy gamma rays, with energies of up to 100 TeV . . .

Michigan Tech Researchers Receive Two Great Lakes Restoration Grants

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:46:40 -0400

Two Great Lakes restoration research projects by Michigan Technological University researchers are among 12 selected for funding, the University of Michigan Water Center announced today. Fifty-four research teams from universities near the Great Lakes and beyond submitted proposals for nearly $570,000 total funding.

“Michigan Tech should be very proud of its Great Lakes researchers,” said Guy Meadows, director of the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) at Michigan Tech. “These grants are a recognition of their outstanding abilities, and their work will produce critically needed data to improve our restoration efforts on the Great Lakes

A team led by Amy Marcarelli, assistant professor . . .

Most Scientists Agree: Humans are Causing Global Climate Change

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:36 -0400

Do most scientists agree that human activity is causing global climate change? Yes, they do, according to an extensive analysis of the abstracts or summaries of scientific papers published over the past 20 years, even though public perception tends to be that climate scientists disagree over the fundamental cause of climate change.

To help put a stop to the squabbling, two dozen scientists and citizen-scientists from three continents--including Sarah Green, professor and chair of chemistry at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich.— analyzed the abstracts of nearly 12,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers on climate change published between 1991 and 2011. They also . . .

Michigan Tech Research Institute Receives Radar Defense Contract

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:46:46 -0400

The Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich., has signed a six-month, $1 million contract with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to conduct research in adaptive radar countermeasures. The contract could be extended to five years and be worth $9 million if all options are exercised.

MTRI will be developing a new approach to the challenging problem of separating and analyzing radar signals by the function they are intended to perform. Radar—originally an acronym for Radio Detection And Ranging—is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the range, direction and speed of objects.

MTRI’s expertise in . . .

A RISEing Star: Biomedical Engineering Student Awarded International Research Internship

Wed, 1 May 2013 10:22:43 -0400

When Leslie LaLonde first heard about the RISE internship program, she thought, “I’m all over this.”

She wasted no time in applying to the competitive Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program and recently received word of her acceptance for summer 2013. The program offers undergraduate students from the United States, Canada, and Europe the chance to work with researchers at Germany’s top research universities and institutions.

RISE dovetails nicely with LaLonde’s academic and personal interests: she is a second-year biomedical engineering student and has a passion for all things German. For 12 weeks, LaLonde will work alongside a doctoral candidate at . . .

Student Engineers’ Skin Patch Warns When It’s Time to Get Out of the Sun

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:26:16 -0400

By the time most of us realize we’ve been out in the sun too long, it’s too late. It can take up to 24 hours after exposure before you realize you have a sunburn.

Now, a Michigan Technological University Senior Design team has devised a sensor that tells you when it’s time to seek shelter, long before your skin gets red and tender.

The biomedical engineering seniors developed a skin patch imprinted with a graphic—in this case, a happy face design. The nickel-size patch gradually darkens under ultraviolet light, the type of light that causes sunburn and skin cancer. When you can’t see . . .

Zinc: The Perfect Material for Bioabsorbable Stents?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:07:20 -0400

In 2012, more than 3 million people had stents inserted in their coronary arteries. These tiny mesh tubes prop open blood vessels healing from procedures like a balloon angioplasty, which widens arteries blocked by clots or plaque deposits. After about six months, most damaged arteries are healed and stay open on their own. The stent, however, is there for a lifetime.

Most of the time, that’s not a problem, says Patrick Bowen, a doctoral student studying materials science and engineering at Michigan Technological University. The arterial wall heals in around the old stent with no ill effect. But the longer a stent . . .

Bear Baiting May Put Hunting Dogs at Risk from Wolves

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:00:00 -0400

Bear hunters will tell you that a good way to attract a bear is to put out bait. And in 10 states, including Michigan and Wisconsin, that’s perfectly legal. Hunting dogs are another useful technique in the bear-hunter’s toolkit, and 17 states say that’s just fine.

But who else likes bear bait? Gray wolves, that’s who. And wolves that are feeling territorial about a bear bait stash can—and sometimes do—kill hunting dogs released at the bait site.

Like most interactions between wildlife and human beings, wolf attacks on hunting dogs illustrate a tangled trade-off: attracting bears for the hunters, attracting danger . . .

Michigan Tech Scientist's Discovery Could Lead to a Better Capacitor

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:58:08 -0400

A new process for growing forests of manganese dioxide nanorods may lead to the next generation of high-performance capacitors.

As an energy-storage material for batteries and capacitors, manganese dioxide has a lot going for it: it’s cheap, environmentally friendly and abundant. However, chemical capacitors made with manganese dioxide have lacked the power of the typical carbon-based physical capacitor. Michigan Technological University scientist Dennis Desheng Meng theorized that the situation could be improved if the manganese dioxide were made into nanorods, which are like nanotubes, only solid instead of hollow. However, a stumbling block has been making manganese dioxide nanorods with the right . . .

Undergraduate Expo Showcases Student Ingenuity

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 16:05:12 -0400

More than 60 student teams will display their research projects at the Undergraduate Expo from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m Thursday, April 18, at the Van Pelt and Opie Library.

Prepare to be amazed.

Whether as a Senior Design team or an Enterprise, students tackle complex problems, sponsored by industries and other organizations, and routinely come up with clever solutions.

Case in point: improving walkers for the elderly.

Biomedical engineering students are improving the folding and locking mechanisms of walkers and creating a touch-sensor lighting system for night use. All these are important safety features, according to Dan Muckala and Matt Kilgas.

“We are working on . . .