Michigan Tech Names New Vice President for Research

Michigan Technological University announces the appointment of Andrew Barnard as vice president for research.

Barnard, who currently serves as professor and director of the Graduate Program in Acoustics at Penn State University, will begin leading Michigan Tech’s Vice President for Research Office on July 1. His appointment comes after an extensive national search chaired by Andrew Storer, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

“I thank the search committee for their outstanding efforts at recruiting Michigan Tech’s next vice president for research,” said Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek. “I am delighted to welcome Andrew Barnard back to campus. His experience in advancing scholarship and entrepreneurship will help Michigan Tech continue on our trajectory of growth in the research arena.”

Tech’s current vice president for research, Dave Reed, will retire in June after holding the position since 2001. Under Reed’s leadership, the University has experienced nearly three decades of research growth, creating multiple research centers, institutes and initiatives. Over the same span of time, Michigan Tech’s research presence has expanded into the Lower Peninsula, and research expenditures have more than tripled, reaching $103.8 million in fiscal year 2023 — the University’s highest total ever.

Prior to joining the Penn State College of Engineering, Barnard was an associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Tech. He was the recipient of the University’s 2019 Distinguished Teaching Award, and also co-advised the Strategic Education through Naval Systems Experiences (SENSE) Enterprise.

After his departure from MTU, he remained an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics.

“I’m thrilled to rejoin Michigan Tech as the next vice president for research,” said Barnard. “Michigan Tech has a growing and impactful research portfolio, world-class faculty and first-rate students. I’m honored to provide leadership for the next phase of Michigan Tech’s research growth, following the impressive strides made under Dave Reed. I’d like to thank President Koubek, the search committee and the campus community for this opportunity to serve a great institution.”

Barnard earned his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 2002 and 2004, respectively. He received a Ph.D. in Acoustics from Penn State in 2010. He is board certified by the Institute for Noise Control Engineering and is a certified LabVIEW developer.

Before joining the faculty at Michigan Tech in 2014, Barnard was a research associate at the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State for eight years. His research interests include the commercialization of thermoacoustic thin-film loudspeakers made from carbon nanotubes; industrial noise control and building acoustics; noise control methods for underwater electro-mechanical machines; through-ice acoustic propagation and on-ice source localization and tracking using machine learning; and the implementation of maritime autonomous vehicles in commercial and defense applications.

McNair Program Honors Inaugural Graduates

The staff of the McNair Scholars Program at Michigan Tech, along with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, hosted the inaugural McNair Scholars Graduation recognition dinner last Friday (April 19) for this year’s graduating seniors. This first cohort of Michigan Tech’s McNair Scholars were recognized for their commitment to research, along with their dedication to scholarly activities and achievements.

“Working with McNair Scholars has been one of the highlights of my career,” said Kathleen Burke, McNair Scholars office manager. “I’m continually humbled by the brilliance and passion I see in these students. I have no doubt they’ll change the world.”

Read more on the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Newsblog.

2024 Annual Steam Shutdown

The annual steam shutdown for 2024 will take place next week following Spring Commencement, from Sunday (April 28) through next Friday (May 3), weather permitting.

This outage is required to provide maintenance and service of the boilers and steam distribution system on campus. This planned maintenance improves the reliability of our system and reduces the likelihood of an unplanned failure during the winter heating season.

Note: There will not be heat or hot water in the affected buildings during the steam shutdown. There will be no distilled water available from the steam-driven stills. Steam-driven autoclaves/sterilizers will not be operational.

Annual steam shutdown dates/times:

  • Begins: Sunday, April 28, at noon
  • Ends: Friday, May 3, at noon

Buildings affected:

  • Administration Building
  • ROTC Building
  • Academic Office Building
  • Annex Building
  • Electrical Energy Resources Center
  • Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building
  • Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
  • Walker Arts and Humanities Center
  • Minerals and Materials Engineering Building
  • Grover C. Dillman Hall
  • Fisher Hall
  • J. R. Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library
  • U. J. Noblet Forestry Building
  • H-STEM Building
  • Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building
  • R. L. Smith Building (MEEM)
  • Student Development Complex
  • Kanwal and Ann Rekhi Hall
  • Douglass Houghton Hall
  • Memorial Union Building
  • Wadsworth Hall
  • McNair Hall
  • Central Energy Plant
  • Facilities Management
  • Hillside Place
  • Great Lakes Research Center

If there are questions or concerns with this plan, contact Steve Store, energy plant manager, at 906-487-2706 (office), 906-390-6336 (cell) or scstore@mtu.edu.

AppsAnywhere Downtime on Wednesday

On Wednesday (May 1) from 6-8 a.m., AppsAnywhere software will be unavailable due to system maintenance. This will not affect locally installed software (CORE, COMSOL, aspen One and Labview).

If you have any questions, we can help. Contact IT at it-help@mtu.edu or call 906-487-1111.

Get In on the Action with Michigan Tech Women's Basketball!

Get in on the action with Michigan Tech women’s basketball this summer!

Our Middle School Development Camp runs June 24-26 and is open for players entering grades 6-8. The Women’s Basketball Huskies Shootout is a team camp on June 28, and is open for grades 9-12. The Elite Prospects camp takes place Aug. 3 and is for grades 9-12.

Registration and more information on all of our summer programs can be found at Michigan Tech Recreation's Camps, Clinics and Tournaments page.

See you at the SDC! Go Huskies!

SWE Reflects on History and Notable Alumnae: Part 5

This week, as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section at Michigan Tech  transitions to a new advisor, the section reflects on its history and the accomplishments of its alumnae.

In this series, SWE has highlighted some of our most notable SWE members and their accomplishments. Our final entry features our outgoing and incoming faculty advisors, Gretchen Hein (MMET) and Jaclyn Johnson (ME-EM).

Add to SWE History: If we missed anyone or their awards this week, please let us know at swe@mtu.edu. We would love to add your information to our history. We are looking forward to the continued success and accomplishments of our section!

Notable SWE Alumnae:

  • Gretchen Hein ’96 (Ph.D. Environmental Engineering) — Presidential Council of Alumnae member
    SWE Service:
    - 1996-2024 Section Advisor
    - FY15 Women in Academia Chair-Elect
    - FY17 Women in Academia Chair
    Awards:
    - FY20 WELocal Engaged Advocate
    - WE20 Outstanding Faculty Advisor

  • Jaclyn Johnson ’08 ’11 (M.S. Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics) — Presidential Council of Alumnae member
    SWE Service:
    - SWE Section Advisor Starting Fall 2023

58th GLI Featuring All Michigan Schools

The 58th annual Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) will take place Dec. 29-30 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The competitors will be four Michigan schools for the 18th time in tournament history.

Michigan Tech and Western Michigan will meet in the first semifinal on Dec. 29 at 3:30 p.m. followed by Michigan State versus Northern Michigan in the nightcap at 7 p.m. The winners will advance to the GLI championship game on Dec. 30 at 7 p.m., with the GLI third-place game taking place prior to the title contest at 3:30 p.m.

Ticket packages for the 58th GLI will go on sale in September at VanAndelArena.com. It will be the third straight year the historic tournament has been played at the arena.

Read more at Michigan Tech Athletics.

In the News

Raymond Shaw (Physics) was mentioned by Brookhaven National Laboratory in image captions alongside a news release about new high-resolution lidar imaging that will allow remote observations of cloud bases — the “birth zone” where droplets form around aerosol particles. Shaw and two MTU alumni — lead author Fan Yang ’17 (Ph.D. Atmospheric Sciences) and Yong Meng Sua ’14 (Ph.D. Engineering Physics) — are co-authors of a new study published in NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science about the lidar’s observations.

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Simon Carn (GMES) was quoted by NASA’s Earth Observatory and mentioned by Earth.com in stories about a series of explosive volcanic eruptions on Ruang, a small volcanic island in Indonesia, that began April 16. Earth Observatory’s story was picked up by SciTechDaily.

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Mary Jennings and Jared Anderson (both VPA) were mentioned by the Keweenaw Report in a story about Jennings’ departure as director of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, starting May 1.

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Laura Kasson Fiss (PHC/HU) was mentioned by the Keweenaw Report in a story about her new role as president Midwest Victorian Studies Association.

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UPword mentioned Michigan Tech in a story highlighting SwimSmart, a beach safety warning system company co-founded by Jacob Soter ’19 ’20 (B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering, MBA) and his faculty advisor, Andrew Barnard (ME-EM). SwimSmart was the subject of a 2021 Michigan Tech News story.

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The Keweenaw Report covered the upcoming deadline for the 2024 Parade of Nations logo design contest. Youth artists from the Keweenaw Peninsula in grades K-12 have until April 30 to submit their design according to the contest’s guidelines, which appeared March 27 in Tech Today.

Today's Campus Events

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Spring 2024 CEGE Senior Design Colloquium

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Board of Trustees Meeting

Regular meeting of Michigan Technological University Board of Trustees

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Alumni Gateway Ribbon Cutting

All alumni and friends are invited to join Michigan Tech on Friday, April 26, at 1 p.m., to celebrate the newly constructed Alumni Gateway Arch, located on the west end of...

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Master's Defense: Morgan Kline

Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Gordon Parker Wave Energy Converter Wave Force Prediction using a Neural Network Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/s/86398196966

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(Men's Tennis) Michigan Tech at TBA

Men's Tennis: Michigan Tech at TBA, GLIAC Tournament

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(Women's Tennis) Michigan Tech at TBA

Women's Tennis: Michigan Tech at TBA, GLIAC Tournament