Dr. Theresa M. Ahlborn of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department gives a presentation and shows samples of highway concrete research in the Michigan Tech Concrete Initiative (MTCI) lab facility

Group photo at the Michigan Tech Concrete Initiative (MTCI) lab facility

Shown here Tim Colling, Assistant Director of the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) which serves as the Technology Transfer (T2) effort of the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Professional Development. explains their software, Roadsoft, which is a graphically designed, integrated roadway management system developed for Michigan's local agency engineers and managers to use in the analysis and reporting of roadway inventory, safety, and conditional data. Roadsoft uses the Michigan Accident Location Index (MALI) as a reference base.

State Legislators tour Michigan Tech Research Labs

Members of the Michigan Legislature held a hearing on higher education at Michigan Tech in May 2007.

The hearing, chaired by Senator Tony Stamas (R-Midland), was the last of four held around the state. Senators Michelle McManus (R-Lake Leelenau) and Bill Hardiman (R-Kentwood) also attended the hearing, as did Senator Michael Prusi (D-Ishpeming), who is not a subcommittee member but represents the 38th district, including Michigan Tech, and 110th District State Representative Mike Lahti (D-Hancock) attending the hearing.

President Glenn Mroz, told the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee that “economic development is what has to happen in Michigan, and higher education is the essential ingredient.”

President Glenn Mroz said that Michigan Tech in the top 20 universities nationwide for the proportion of research supported by industry. “Involvement with industry keeps Michigan Tech in touch with what is going on in the real world of research and development,” Mroz explained.

Read more about the Senate Hearing at Michigan Tech: President Testifies Before Senate Subcommittee

The legislators toured Michigan Tech research facilities and met with research scientists and engineers many of whom are working on projects that benefit the state in transportation safety, better concrete for highways and energy efficiency.

Dr. David Shonnard of the Chemical Engineering Department is describing the Wood-to-Wheels (W2W) project, which is a Graduate Enterprise whose goal is to increase the overall efficiency of converting solar energy captured in forest and other biomass resources into products for transportation using ethanol, biodiesel, and green diesel as high energy-density carriers.

The Legislators also toured the Mechanical Engineering - Engineering Mechanics Senior Design Facilities led by Dr. Donna Michalek and the Multi-Scale Technologies Institute led by Dr. Craig Friedrich an addition to other research sites.