Checking the viscosity of asphalt.
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Michigan
Technological University has a unique educational program called
the Engineering Enterprise. It fundamentally changes the
way undergraduate engineering education is achieved.
As
part of the program, students from diverse disciplines work in teams
on long-term, real-world projects supplied by industry. Michigan
Tech’s Pavement Design, Construction, and Materials (PDCM)
Enterprise is the only one of its kind in the country and is the
largest enterprise program at Michigan Tech.
The
PDCM Enterprise, established in 1999 by Bob and Ellen Thompson,
is part of the Thompson Scholars Program which supplies scholarships
to undergraduate and graduate students interested in transportation
materials and pavement engineering. The Thompson support also included
$500,000 to renovate labs and acquire equipment.
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Students—The
TMRC employs up to 20 undergraduate and graduate students, and it
does an outstanding job of meshing academics and research.One example:
We are the first institution in the country that has undergraduates
constructing pavements and using advanced performance testing equipment.
These
students, then, have the opportunity to apply knowledge to technology,
and technology to industry. Therefore, when entering the job market,
our graduates are more qualified than their peers at other institutions.
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