Michigan Tech Sets Sail in Traverse City

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Since cutting the ribbon on its Traverse City research workspace in October 2021, Michigan Technological University (MTU) has embarked on a variety of educational and research initiatives in the Grand Traverse region—and that’s good news for area organizations and students.

The university, whose main campus is in Houghton, is consistently ranked among the top universities for return on investment. Recently The Wall Street Journal named Michigan Tech the #2 public university in the nation for salary impact. And with enrollment numbers topping 7,300 students in fall 2023—the highest number since 1983—demand for the state’s flagship technological university is stronger than ever.

Michigan Tech offers more than 120 degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences and the arts. The university is also a leader in innovative business and government partnerships, contracting more than $100 million in research projects annually in areas from renewable energy to artificial intelligence.

“Traverse City has a tremendous network of innovative business and education leaders, and Grand Traverse Bay has unique characteristics that are perfect for advancing the freshwater research we’re known for at Tech,” says Jay Meldrum, Michigan Tech’s liaison in the Grand Traverse region. Meldrum spent 25 years in Houghton running the Keweenaw Research Center in Houghton, Michigan Tech’s first research center, whose success has served as a model for the university’s research centers in both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. “We’re thrilled to be making connections in and around the area, and to be contributing to the good work already being done here.”

Freshwater Research Runs Deep

As Michigan Tech works to nest into its new Traverse City home, leaders are harnessing efforts to foster economic growth and amplify the area’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem. Michigan Tech has partnered with Northwestern Michigan College (NMC), Discovery Center & Pier, Traverse Connect and 20Fathoms to develop the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center, which will establish the Grand Traverse Region as a hub for innovation in freshwater research and education.

“The innovation culture in Traverse City and the workforce development being done at NMC are perfect complements to Michigan Tech’s research expertise,” says Tim Havens, director of MTU’s Great Lakes Research Center. “Together, we have the talent, the desire and the will to truly push the envelope in what’s possible in freshwater research, education and innovation.”

Part of what makes Traverse City such a rich opportunity for this research is its geography. The unique bay arm allows researchers to head out into the lake and get very deep, very fast, says Meldrum, offering students a variety of marine environments in which to work. One such research project is a collective effort to map the lake beds of all the Great Lakes at high-density by the end of 2030, using an array of technologies like Michigan Tech’s autonomous, sonar-enabled underwater robots. The goal of this effort, known as Lakebed 2030, is to fill major knowledge gaps that will help inform policymaking around important Great Lakes issues like aquatic health, exploration and safety.

Wheels are turning on additional community engagement concepts including “tech transfer partnerships,” in which Traverse City businesses sponsor Michigan Tech student projects. These include devising innovative technologies to ease pain points for local businesses, working with the Advanced Power Systems Research Center in Houghton to develop autonomous vehicle technology, and participating in biomedical internships with Munson Healthcare. Michigan Tech is also working with local energy organizations to bring more community solar projects to the region and to assess the viability of electric boats in area marinas.

Opening Doors to Higher Education

In fall of 2022, Grand Traverse area residents gained access to Michigan Tech’s esteemed graduate education through the new TechMBA® program. The two-semester, 30-credit program offered through Michigan Tech’s Global Campus includes two options. Students can meet as a cohort at Michigan Tech’s Traverse City Research Workspace to remotely attend evening classes taught in Houghton, or they can enroll in an all-online course to be completed at their own pace. Coursework focuses on technology and decision-making, leadership, management skills and innovation and strategy, as well as business ethics and social responsibility.

Michigan Tech also works with a number of local educational institutions to offer students pipelines into collegiate studies. One such pathway is the Engineering Academy, a two-year Career Tech program of the Northwest Educational Services, wherein students earn a total of eight academic and elective credits in cross-curricular coursework like 3-D printing, basic construction and machining, computer-aided design and statistics. For four hours each morning, high school juniors and seniors immerse themselves in a student culture centered around problem-solving, critical thinking and teamwork before returning to their home high school to finish their day. Students who complete the program and choose to attend Michigan Tech are eligible to receive a $4,000 scholarship.

Students who begin their collegiate career at Northwestern Michigan College also have a path to transfer to Michigan Tech to finish the remaining two years for their bachelor’s degree in Houghton. Michigan Tech and NMC are working together to grow this 2+2 program, making sure engineering-focused college students know they have the option to come to Michigan Tech to complete their education after laying the foundation at NMC.

The university has further cemented educational partnerships with Traverse City Area Public Schools and Newton’s Road, a local STEM education organization. These partnerships, along with Michigan Tech’s growing research activities in the region, mean that prospective students from the Grand Traverse region now have myriad ways to plug themselves into the Michigan Tech cosmos—to study, learn and begin rewarding careers in everything from freshwater ecology, alternative energy and biomedical engineering to data science and cybersecurity.

Just as the Grand Traverse region is changing, so is higher education and the ways it can enrich not just student outcomes, but the way it acts as a force of innovation, change and good in the communities we call home. “A home on the water has always been at the heart of MTU; we’re proud to have a new one on Grand Traverse Bay.” Request enrollment information or learn more at mtu.edu.