Being part of the CPM Team means being part of one of our smaller teams, each devoted to a specific project. Our projects challenge and engage students in different ways, depending on their experiences and areas of expertise. Freshman or Senior, it's our goal to create opportunities for success.
Biogas: Anaerobic Digestion of Dining Hall Food Waste for Methane Production
A returning MTU funded enterprise project with the goal of creating a sustainable pilot plant on campus. This pilot plant will digest food scraps from the dining halls and convert those scraps into methane and compost to be used by the university.
AAA Prosthetics: The Development of a Mechanically Simple Foot and Ankle Prosthesis
The AAA [Affordable, Accessible, Authentic] Prosthetics team, an MTU healthcare research team, has a goal of producing a low cost, easily manufacturable ankle and foot prosthetics.
Clean Diesel: Converting University Wastes into Biodiesel
Michigan Tech utilizes hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel every academic year for the purpose of transportation and grounds maintenance. The university simultaneously produces an estimated 120 gallons of waste soybean oil per week from cooking methods in the dining hall that must be disposed of. There is an opportunity for a student team to test reaction methods and design a biodiesel production system so that the university can reuse the waste cooking oil as fuel for the equipment.
Koppers Inline Chemical Analysis
We are working closely with our sponsor, Koppers Performance Chemicals, in order to streamline their concentration measurements. We are looking to develop an in-line sensor in order to measure the chemical concentration of their product stream.
GSK Chloroform Detection
Sponsored by GlaxoSmithCline, a global biopharma company, this team is tasked with designing a system to detect the level of chloroform in their waste stream and prevent the water from mixing with the organic solvents.
HBF Combustible Dust Hazards
H.B. Fuller (HBF) is the world’s leading provider of innovative adhesives and sealants. The Michigan Tech team has been asked to perform a study on the potential hazard of dust explosions of water-based adhesives. The team’s findings will be published in a white paper for company use.
Portable Oxygen Concentrator (POC)
This project was started by a leading producer of oxygen therapy devices, Advanced Interactive Response Systems (AIRS), and is focused on creating a slim and lightweight oxygen purification system.