2025 ICC Achievement Awards
The 2025 ICC Achievement Awards were presented during the Awards Banquet during the 2025 Computing [MTU] Showcase:
- Kaichen Yang - For achievements in research of robust intelligent sensing systems and enhanced AI cybersecurity
- Leo Ureel II - For achievements in intelligent learning environments and computer science pedagogy, and dedication to student success
- Weihua Zhou- For prolific achievements in the research of computational methods for medical imaging and informatics
CIRCT and CQP join the ICC
Due to the University-wide Center & Insittute reorganization process, the ICC has gained two new centers with thriving research scenes on the forefront of scientific advancement.
CIRCT (Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Culture and Technology), formerly IPEC, consists of many members across Humanities, Computing, Engineering, and more, focusing on the relationshop between society and technology - an important part of any conversation about technological advancement
The Richard and Elizabeth Henes Center for Quantum Computing leads research on campus in high-energy physics, novel- and nano- materials, photonics, and quantum optics.
FY24 Year End Numbers
FY24 continued the trend of setting institute records across all categories of new awards, research expenditures, and proposals submitted. FY23's new awards ($6.1M in 35 awards) and research expenditures ($3.3M) were already significant leaps from FY22.
Now that FY24 has closed out, the numbers don't lie. The fiscal year closed out with $10.6M in 39 new awards + $4.2M in research expenditures. The growing investment of funding opportunites at the federal, state, and industry level into the robust and evergrowing research activity at MTU in the fields of computing and cybersystems is exciting and the ICC is devoted to supporting this momentum into the future.
ICC Support
The ICC is proud to sponsor the exciting research undertaken by the motivated members that make the institute what it is. Between May 2023 and June 2024, the ICC in conjuction with the GLRC has sponsored member activities such as rapid seedling projects, fellowships, and faculty and student travel grants to the tune of over $250,000.
With the continuing rise of research awards and expenditures, the ICC can only continue to provide event greater levels of support, both directly through the initiatives above and through the expansion of proposal support staff and resources that help drive member research.
ICC Achievement Awards
The ICC Achievement Awards, presented to ICC members that embody the mission of the ICC through their impacts at MTU, the Upper Peninsula, and broad science community, were presented during Showcase [C+X]. Here are the three recipients of this year's awards:
- Guy Hembroff - For leadership in growing Health Informatics and Data Sciences at Michigan Tech
- Jungyun Bae - For significant research impacts in improving climate resilience using modular robotic fleets and for serving as an inspiration and role model to young women pursuing STEM careers.
- Tan Chen - For award-winning research in bipedal robot locomotion and neural networks
- Vinh Nguyen - For significant impacts in the field of automation in industrial systems and manufacturing and leadership in the ICC Center for AI
Sustained Teaching Excellence
The Provost's Award for Sustained Teaching Excellence recognizes MTU teaching faculty who have been nominated as finalists for the yearly Distinguished Teaching Award four or more times. Guy Hembroff and Yu Cai, two ICC members, day-in and day-out provide enriching learning environments for their students. Their dedication in the classroom is not unrecognized, and this award is based entirely on student reviews.
MASU Distinguished Professor of the Year
Charles Wallace is one of three recipients of the MASU Distinguished Professor of the Year Award. This award recognizes the outstanding contributions and dedication to the education of undergraduate students exhibited by the faculty of Michigan’s 15 public universities. One exempliary faculty member is nominated for the award from each university in the state.
Dr. Wallace was also recently awarded a grant from the Ford-DAPCEP program to lead a programming course for underserved communities in Detroit.
He was also the 2024 recipient of the MTU Distinguished Teaching Award. Read more here: Q&A with Teaching Award Winner Charles Wallace
ICC Achievement Awards
The ICC Achievement Awards, presented to ICC members that embody the mission of the ICC through their impacts at MTU, the Upper Peninsula, and broad science community, were presented during Showcase [AI]. Here are the three recipients of this year's awards:
- Briana Bettin - For transforming education in computer programming and advocating for inclusive and accessible computing education.
- Susanta Ghosh - For pioneering research in computational mechanics and machine learning.
- Kristi Hauswirth - In recognition of exceptional dedication, unwavering commitment, and invaluable contributions to supporting computing research.
Growing Staff - Evan Lucas '23
Dr. Evan Lucas, a Michigan Tech PhD graduate as of September 2023, joins the ICC to provide research support for members as well as spearhead his own externally funded research program. Evan’s research interests lie in artificial intelligence, specifically natural language processing and computer vision. He is a Husky through-and-through, completing his BS and MS of Mechanical Engineering by 2014 before returning for his PhD. He spent five years in the automotive industry while intermittently working as an adjunct professor during this time.
NSF HERD Report
The National Science Foundation published their yearly Higher Education Research Development (HERD) report reflecting on the previous fiscal year (FY22) and Michigan Tech has made major headway. The report features rankings of the top 1,000 research-active institutions in the country based on research expenditures and discipline.
MTU has gained significant ground in the Computer and Information Science discipline in few years. For FY22, MTU was ranked as #89, up 59 places from #148 in FY18. This also represents a jump of 26 places since FY21, which had MTU at #115 in this discipline. This is reflective of the increased research activity within the ICC and Computing at Michigan Tech
Mechatronics Praise
The MTU Mechantonics Department has boomed since its inception in 2021 because of the amazing faculty involved with the program and the state-of-the-art equipment available, including the Robotics Lab. Aleksandr Sergeryev, director of the mechatronics graduate program, cites many others for the quick popularity of MTU Mechatronics. As a result, it was recently placed as the second best program of its kind available on a national ranking.
FY24 First Quarter Success
In the 2023 Fiscal Year, ICC members secured $6.1 million in research grants, which already exceeded the 2022 period by $4 million.
The rapid growth continues, as the first quarter of FY24 saw over $7 million of funded research awards over the three month period (July 2023-September 2023).
ICC Event Success
The ICC hosts events throughout the year. The 2023 Computing [MTU] Showcase, which has become a particularly popular event, specialized on artificial intelligence as well as its controversies. This year's iteration took on the name Showcase [AI] and featured interesting panel discussions, lively presenters, and more.
The 2024 Art in Silico event, a computational art exhibition showcasing the intersection of tech and creativity, returned for it's second year. This exciting event illustrates how computing and creativity can collaborate, and prizes were awarded to the top three submissions determined by an art jury.
The ICC also hosts Distinguished Lecturer visits to benefit members and their research.
ICC Achievement Awards
Presented to outstanding ICC faculty members for their contributions to the mission of the ICC, MTU, and the broader scientific community. Three ICC faculty members received this honor in 2022: Sidike Paheding (Applied Computing; ICC Center: Data Sciences): for achievements in research in out-of-this-world deep learning and cybersecurity, Kelly Steelman (Cognitive and Learning Sciences; ICC Center: Human-Centered Computing): for achievements in collaborative, interdisciplinary research, and mentorship and support of junior faculty, and Xiaoyong (Brian) Yuan (Applied Computing and Computer Science; ICC Centers: Cybersecurity and Data Sciences): for achievements in research in heterogeneous architectures for collaborative machine learning.
Dean's Teaching Showcase
Each week of the spring semester, college deans identify outstanding instructors within their units for recognition in the Deans' Teaching Showcase.
In 2023, Guy Hembroff (Applied Computing; ICC Centers: Cybersecurity and Biocomputing and Digital Health) and Tony Pinar (Electrical and Computer Engineering; ICC Center: Data Sciences) were selected for the Teaching Showcase.
For 2022, three ICC members received this honor: Briana Bettin (Computer Science and Cognitive and Learning Sciences; ICC Centers: Human-Centered Computing and Computing Education), Jeremy Bos (Electrical and Computer Engineering; ICC Center: Data Sciences), and Samantha Smith (Cognitive and Learning Sciences; ICC Center: Human-Centered Computing).
Michigan Tech Distinguished Teaching Award
Since 1982, this award has been presented annually in two categories: Associate Professor or Professor and Lecturer, Professor of Practice, or Assistant Professor. Briana Bettin (Computer Science and Cognitive and Learning Sciences; ICC Centers: Human-Centered Computing and Computing Education) received this award in 2022 for her devotion to student learning and novel style of teaching.
Read an article about Briana Bettin's Distinguished Teaching award
In 2023, Yu Cai (Applied Computing; ICC Centers: Computing Education and Cybersecurity) and Guy Hembroff (Applied Computing; ICC Centers: Cybersecurity and Biocomputing and Digital Health) were announced as Distinguished Teaching Award Finalists.
Provost's Award for Sustained Teaching Excellence
In order to provide special recognition to instructors who have been nominated as finalists for the Distinguished Teaching Award four or more times, the Provost's Award for Sustained Teaching Excellence was established beginning in the spring of 2020. The Provost and Deans recognized that instructors consistently delivering exceptional instruction to their students over many years are worthy of special recognition. ICC member Jeff Wall (Management Information Systems, College of Business; ICC Centers: Cybersecurity and Human-Centered Computing) was one of two instructors to receive this honor in 2022.
The Bhakta Rath Research Award
The Bhakta Rath Award, founded in 2010, provides over $2,000 to a graduating Michigan Tech Ph.D. student and faculty advisor “who have done something valuable for American industry and society,” encouraging faculty and doctoral students to conduct research that meets the nation’s needs and the challenges of emerging technologies.
Jingfeng Jiang (Biomedical Engineering; Director for the joint ICC-HRI Center of Biocomputing and Digital Health) and PhD student Kevin Sunderland were awarded the Bhakta Rath Award for 2022 for their work with with a team of neurosurgeons, biomedical engineers and radiologists on a novel, computer-aided method to better manage the response to unruptured brain aneurysms.
Read an article on Jingfeng Jiang and Kevin Sutherland's Rath award
The Gartner Prize
Associate Professor Kuilin Zhang (Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering and Computer Science; ICC Center: Cyber-Physical Systems) and Ph.D. student Yintong Tan (Civil Engineering) were presented with the Gartner Prize in 2023 by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) ACP50 Traffic Flow Theory and Characteristics Committee.
Student Awards and Recognition
MTU RedTeam students and Bo Chen, (Computer Science; ICC Centers: Cybersecurity and Cyber-physical Systems), were commended for their prestigious efforts during the National Cyber League (NCL) fall 2022 competition season in a recent letter from the NCL to Dennis Livesay, Dave House Dean of Computing. Students on the MTU RedTeam, coached by Chen and Professor Yu Cai (Applied Computing; ICC Centers: Computing Education and Cybersecurity) participated in several individual and team-based NCL events in fall 2022.
Hoda Hatoum's(Biomedical Engineering; ICC Center: Biocomputing and Digital Health) students were awarded the following in 2022:
PhD students Brennan Vogl and Alireza Asadbeygi were awarded the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation student awards ($3,000 each). Brennan Vogl was awarded the DeVlieg Foundation Fellowship and the HRI Fall Fellowship. Alireza Asadbeygi was shortlisted as a finalist for 2022 ASME-BED/SB3C Student Paper Competition PhD-level at the SB3C 2022 conference.
Recognitions in Publications and Conferences
Briana Bettin (Computer Science and Cognitive and Learning Sciences; ICC Centers: Human-Centered Computing and Computing Education) won best paper at Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE) 2022 Conference. Linda Ott (Computer Science) and Julia Hiebel are co-authors. (Read the paper)
Ricardo Eiris (Construction Management, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and College of Business; ICC Center: Human-Centered Computing) and collaborators were awarded the Runner-Up for Best Paper distinction at the 58th Annual Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) International Conference in April, for the paper titled "Virtual Collaborative Spaces for Online Site Visits: A Plan-Reading Pilot Study.”
Staff Making a Difference awards
Amanda Stump (Associate Director, ICC) received the Rookie Award for contributions in the first two years of employment.
Peter Larson (Assistant Vice President for Research Development) received the Legacy Award for contributions over his years at Michigan Tech.
Read more about the Making a Difference award winners in 2022