Jon J. Kellar (PI)
Jon Kellar is the Douglas Fuerstenau Professor of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering. He has been on the faculty since 1990, and in 1994 was selected as an National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellow and in 2016 a Distinguished Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. One of Kellar’s academic passions is the creation of undergraduate programs that integrate metallurgy principles to support kinesthetic-based curricular development and outreach.
Michael K. West (co-PI)
Dr. Michael West is an associate professor and head of the Department of Materials and Metallurgical engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SD Mines). He has been involved in research with welding and processing for a variety of metal alloys. He has also been involved with several STEM-Education projects including the NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) “Back in Black” Blacksmithing program (Co-PI), the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates Site (REU) “Back to the Future” (PI), the S-STEM Culture and Attitude Scholarship program for women in engineering (PI), and the Army Educational Outreach REAP program for High school students at SD Mines. Dr. West is active in several professional societies including ASM (directing the ASM Materials Camp for high school students), The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, and the American Welding Society (serving as faculty advisor for the Black Hills American Welding Society chapter). He is also the faculty advisor for the Blacksmithing club on the SD Mines Campus. Many of these activities have a focus of engineering within an artistic or historical context.
Cassandra Birrenkott (co-PI)
Dr. Cassandra (Degen) Birrenkott received her B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 2007 and her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2012 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology where her research interests include novel manufacturing and characterization techniques of polymer and composite structures, the incorporation of multifunctionality in polymeric materials by inducing desired responses to mechanical loading stimuli, and STEM education.
Matthew Whitehead (co-PI)
Matthew Whitehead makes paintings, drawings, photographs, and collages based on the subtleties of personal life experience. While rooted in intuition and aesthetics, his work occasionally raises ideas of appropriation and the proliferation of images in contemporary society.
Matthew feels that creativity and art making are essential to existence and hopes to spend his life facilitating both. He has taught Painting, Drawing, Photography, Illustration, Ceramics, Design, Art History, and Foundational Arts to students of all ages. He is currently acting as Professor of Art and the Director of The APEX Gallery at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He is also the current President of the Rapid City Arts Council board of directors.
Katrina J. Donovan (co-PI)
Dr. Katrina J. Donovan graduate from the SD Mines in 2010 and her Ph.D. from the Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering program at Oregon State University. Prior to joining the faculty at SD Mines, she worked in the 3D Printing Department at HP Inc. in Corvallis, OR. She is currently a Lecturer in the Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department at SD Mines where her research interests include frugal science characterization techniques, materials characterization complex liquid to rigid solids, composite systems, and STEM education.
Emeritus Prof. Stuart Kellogg (Assessment)
Dr. Kellogg is a Professor Emeritus of Industrial Engineering and has 36 years in academia. Prior to private consultation he has spent the bulk of his academic research in engineering education and assessment with 40 publications in this area. He has been a member of two NSF cohort groups for Rigorous Research in Engineering Education, has been invited to two RREE Symposiums for work related to holistic learning and has given two invited assessment presentations at the Rose-Hulman Assessment conferences. He has been an independent evaluator on five NSF S-STEM grants, six NSF REU grants, and three faculty development grants.
Emeritus Prof. Deborah Mitchell (Artist in Residence)
Deborah Mitchell is Associate Professor Emerita of Humanities at South Dakota Mines, where she taught art history and drawing as well as directed the Apex Gallery. After 19 years of service, she retired in 2018 to pursue full time studio work.
Before coming to South Dakota, she received an MFA in printmaking from Utah State University. As a Graduate Intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, she studied paper conservation and completed her thesis show creating monotypes on location throughout Manhattan.
Over the years she has also worked in sculptural ceramics, blacksmithing, and jewelry. In 2004 she designed the SDSMT Ceremonial Mace which is carried during commencement ceremonies by the President of the Faculty.
As a former curator she brings knowledge of a variety of disciplines as well as connections with national and international art communities to our program.
Cassidy Sjovall (Undergraduate Student Leader)
Name: Cassidy Sjovall
Major: Metallurgical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date and Degree: December 2023, B.S. Metallurgical Engineering
Experience / Expertise: My contribution to MET 110 was helping teach the tensile testing lab. I conducted a demonstration of tensile testing of brass, steel, and aluminum. I also taught students the fundamentals of a stress-strain curve. I have loved tensile testing since my experience in MET 231! I also gained experience with tensile testing in industry while on my co-op at Nucor-Yamato Steel Company in Blytheville, Arkansas. I completed my co-op January through August 2021. I focused on mechanical testing of steel samples, implementation of a computerized surface inspector and profile gauge, and microstructure characterization of jumbo I-beams. I also helped investigate problems with cracking of saw blades used to cut the beams in the mill. One of my favorite things I did on co-op was experimenting with different etchants which tinted the microstructure different colors.
Tyler Reinarts (Undergraduate Student Leader)
Name: Tyler Reinarts
Major: Metallurgical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date and Degree: May 2024, B.S. Metallurgical Engineering
Experience / Expertise: I have been bladesmithing for about 6 years and enjoy creating swords and knife blades of various sizes. I am a part of the blacksmithing club and the TMS bladesmithing team. I helped teach at the blacksmithing session for MET 110 and 231 as well as helping out new students in the blacksmithing club. I have even helped pre-college students learn the skills to forge a decorative hook.
Christopher Mercado (Undergraduate Student Leader)
Name: Christopher Mercado
Major: Metallurgical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date and Degree: December 2023, B.S. Metallurgical Engineering
Experience / Expertise: I helped lead the Metal Casting rotation activity and the Blacksmithing sessions for MET 110 and MET 231, respectively. I really enjoyed leading these sessions since I got to introduce new students to these fun and engaging activities that I love. In my free time, I am very active in the leadership for the Blacksmithing Club and the STEAM Club, all while still being a member of the competitive TMS Bladesmithing team. Alongside those clubs, I'm currently really proud of the work I've done with my friends to help develop the Casting Club from the ground up, as metal casting is what first sparked my interest in metallurgy. I am looking forward to my upcoming internship with Nucor this summer, since I believe it will help align myself with the future I aspire for in the Steel Industry.
Madilyn Fesenmaier (Graduate Student Leader)
Name: Madilyn Fesenmaier
Major: Materials Engineering and Science (MS)
Expected Graduation Date and Degree: May 2021, B.S. Metallurgical Engineering & May 2022, M.S. Materials Engineering and Science
Experience / Expertise: I helped out with the rotating labs, specifically tensile testing with Cassidy, metallography preparation with Jennifer, and resume workshops before the career fair. I have been a WiSE/Student Success peer mentor for four years on campus. I enjoyed passing down some metallurgy knowledge to several of my mentees through the hands-on lab activities. During undergrad I quickly realized the value associated with industry experience. Three of my five internships were with Boeing (in Pennsylvania, Washington, and Texas) where I found a hidden passion for aerospace. I will be returning to Boeing fulltime after graduation where I will join a metallurgy research and development team. My favorite thing about metallurgy at Mines is how everyone is willing to help you learn; I had the opportunity to learn how to weld in grad school. Feel free to connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madilynfesenmaier/
