Alumni

Fred Spagnoletti graduated from Michigan Tech in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Before graduation he accepted a position with Rocketdyne, with whom he had interviewed while at Tech. His first assignment was at their test site in the Santa Susana mountains northwest of Los Angeles on the turbo pump for the F-1 rocket engine. This was the engine on the Apollo program Saturn V main booster . . .

John Hallquist earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering, magna cum laude, from Western Michigan University in 1970. He received an M.S. degree in Engineering Mechanics from Michigan Tech in 1972. He continued his advanced education from Michigan Tech and earned a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics in 1974. John joined the weapons laboratory at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) . . .

Only at Michigan Tech can the start of a great engineering career begin with being a Zamboni driver. When Jon was growing up in Hancock, the decision to attend Michigan Tech was an easy one. "My dad worked at Michigan Tech, and I was interested in math and science, so it was the logical choice…it is  right across the bridge!"  Being a long time hockey fan helped seal the deal, especially when he got the job to drive . . .

Abbie Maki earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 1948. He spent three years in the gas turbine division of General Electric, then four years on the staff of the vice president for manufacturing at North American Aviation. In 1955, he joined AVCO, where he was the program manager for the Titan and Atlas reentry vehicle program. Under his direction, the company performed the research, development . . .