Meet the Coordinators

Michele H. Miller

Program Coordinator, Peace Corps Master's Program in Mechanical Engineering
Associate Professor, Associate Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
Adjunct Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

PhD, North Carolina State University

Biography

Michele Miller is an associate professor and the associate chair and director of undergraduate studies for Michigan Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics. She also serves as a coordinator for Tech’s Peace Corps Master’s International program, and teaches as an adjunct professor in Materials Science and Engineering.

Michele’s research involves developing techniques to improve material removal rates when machining brittle materials. These processes could be a boon to low-tech manufacturing in developing parts of the world. She and her students have specifically involved vibration-assisted grinding and water jet-assisted grinding as alternatives.

John Gershenson

Program Coordinator, Peace Corps Master's Program in Mechanical Engineering
Professor, Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
Faculty Advisor, Velovations Bicycle Design Enterprise

PhD, University of Idaho

Biography

John Gershenson has been co-directing the PCMI program in Mechanical Engineering since its inception in 2009. John researches life-cycle engineering—environmentally conscious design, sustainable design, design for manufacturability, and more; lean manufacturing and engineering; mechanisms for innovation; and other areas that are critical to the developing world. He helps prepare students to think innovatively about engineering in places lacking typical manufacturing infrastructure. Although he has not served as a Peace Corps volunteer, he is inspired by the passion and talent that PCMI students bring to solve problems in the developing world.