Location, Location, Location:
Developing Tomorrow’s Engineers Way "U.P." North at Michigan Tech
By Kurt Edwards and Danielle Schleiden
Even the most ardent Michigan Technological University supporter will tell you it is not for everyone. It is quickly apparent to anyone trying to get to the university that it is not easy to get there. Located in the Upper Peninsula (near the top of Michigan’s “mitten”), in-state students traveling from the southern portion of Michigan can travel eight hours, passing a number of other fine institutions, just to get to the campus in Houghton.
And once you’re there, it’s not easy to leave. There’s the snow — the area’s average snowfall is 202 inches per winter. That’s enough snow to warrant having a snowmobile parking lot. The traditional college spring carnival takes place in winter, featuring impressive architectural structures made out of snow.
Then there’s the distance. When you go to Michigan Tech, “you leave your family; you leave your high school friends; you leave the family washing machine. You come up here and build your own community,” according to Paul Sanders, the Patrick Horvath Professor at Michigan Tech and an AIST Foundation Steel Professor.
That distance and separation has its benefits, though.
“You figure out what you want to do in life, with a lot of independence,” Sanders added.
Despite, or maybe because of, the hurdles created by its location, the independence fostered at Michigan Tech has helped the university become internationally recognized for its programs and students. The rigorous academic programs, combined with innovative hands-on learning opportunities, help develop students that are in high demand upon graduation. Their fall career fair draws more than 350 companies annually. Stephen L. Kampe, the Franklin St. John Professor and Materials Science and Engineering Department chair, said, “I would say that 90% of our (materials science) students go out and work in metals,” including steel producers like Nucor Corp., ArcelorMittal and Gerdau, as well as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) suppliers.
“The metals industry is the reason why Michigan Tech exists,” said Timothy C. Eisele, associate professor and a 2019 AIST Foundation Steel Curriculum Grant recipient. “(The university) was created to support the iron and copper industries of the Upper Peninsula.”
The school started with four faculty members and 23 students on the second floor of a building in Houghton in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School. They soon moved to the school’s current location, transitioning to the Michigan College of Mines before evolving to Michigan Technological University in 1964 to reflect the growing academic programs and dwindling number of mining students. The school now has seven colleges and schools and an enrollment of over 7,200, with more than 1,200 international students from 60+ countries. Ninety-four percent of those students are in STEM programs.
Michigan Tech has invested in its metals programs, including a recent US$50,000 upgrade to their foundry’s ventilation system to provide cleaner air for students and staff. The foundry supports metal-casting in iron and aluminum for research and services to select industry partners. The Materials Science department has also invested in their staff, with four experienced full-time engineers to provide instruction to the students, and, as Paul Sanders said, “make sure the equipment gets used.”
Steel plays a significant part within Michigan Tech’s engineering programs. Eisele said part of his grant application was to produce a better model on campus to show students how steel is actually made by making a small electric arc furnace the students could work with.