Mayra Sanchez Morgan
Doctoral candidates dream of the day they are hooded on stage. On a pleasant spring day, this became a reality for Mayra Sanchez Morgan. The path to a final degree is not the same for all students, especially for those pursuing a doctorate. For Mayra, she came to Michigan Tech funded by the Mexican National Science and Research Council (CONACYT), but this did not include funding to perform her research. In order to make an impact in her field she worked with different groups across campus to apply for research and travel grants to attend conferences, give presentations, and most of all travel to Mexico for field work. Mayra received multiple diversity awards and grants including the Dissertation Research Award, a highly competitive award from the Rural Sociological Society, in total receiving $4,400. Additionally, she received the Graduate School Finishing Fellowship for her final semester of graduate studies. During her time as a student at Tech, Mayra attended seven conferences including the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM). She presented her research across 13 different national and regional conferences, assisted with two panel discussions, and published two papers with two more set to be reviewed soon.
Mayra was able to balance her rigorous research with being involved on campus. In 2015, she was the student coordinator for planning the ISSRM conference on Tech’s campus. Mayra was also a teaching assistant for 3 semesters, guest lecturer, panelist for campus diversity discussions, worked on multiple National Science Foundation (NSF) projects as a research assistant, and continually assists the Graduate School Admissions as a Graduate Student Office Assistant. With commencement now behind her and her dissertation in final revisions, it is time to start looking towards the next big adventure. Mayra is currently applying to jobs both in and out of academia, with hopes of continuing to work in an atmosphere where she can promote and enhance diversity, improve lives, and environmental sustainability.
Michigan Tech Graduate Students and Sintokogio, Ltd.
The Graduate School, Michigan Tech’s Office of Advancement, and alumnus Paul Mikkola
(BS, Metallurgical Engineering ‘66 & honorary PhD ‘89) have worked to form a student
internship program with Atsushi Nagai, Sinto President, and SINTOKOGIO, LTD. Located
in Japan, Sinto is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of foundry equipment,
surface treatment products, environmental products, and other applications of cutting-edge
manufacturing technology. Student interns spend two months at SINTOKOGIO, LTD.’s headquarters
in Nagoya, Japan. Prior to arrival, program participants are assigned to a project
based on their education, skills, and experience. Following the completion of a 1.5
week training program, students begin work at a Sinto worksite. In addition to Sinto-specific
training, students are given extensive industrial safety training. Students gain experience
working for a multinational corporation in a different cultural environment, while
also gaining real-world experience working in an industrial environment on a project
related to their field of study.
"Apart from the learning that we gained from our projects, we were also given a chance to visit manufacturing facilities at Toyota, Yamazaki Mazak, and Rinnai. I really enjoyed seeing the different poka-yoke ("mistake-proofing") and other systems implemented on the line side in these companies. They were simple yet very effective."
“They made sure that we actually got to experience Japan and the culture on a personal level, and not just on an industrial or professional level."
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
