Alumni

Pike Lake, Minn. — Chais Eliason was among the throng of fans pressing up against the glass that separated them from the Hendrick Motorsports team during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway in January 2011. He peered into the garage area and took photos of NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. "I was thinking, 'How cool would this be?' " said Eliason, who lives just outside of Duluth, Minn., . . .

Tom McKie began his mechanical engineering education in 1941, enlisted in the Navy Air Corps in World War II, and returned to Michigan Tech after completing his military service in 1945 to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduation in 1947 he joined the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. In 1953 he joined Beloit Corporation in their engineering division and enjoyed a thirty-three . . .

Kimberly Foster has been the Dean of Science & Engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans since 2018. Prior to 2018, she was Chair and Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was co-vice-chair of the ME department from 2006—2008, and the undergraduate program director from 2005—2006. She joined the ME department at UC-Santa Barbara . . .

John Hallquist earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering, magna cum laude, from Western Michigan University in 1970. He received an M.S. degree in Engineering Mechanics from Michigan Tech in 1972. He continued his advanced education from Michigan Tech and earned a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics in 1974. John joined the weapons laboratory at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) . . .