Michigan Tech 'Latest News'

Michigan Tech Scientists Design Laser Calibration System for Next-Gen Gamma-Ray Telescope

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:52:28 -0400

Super-high-energy galactic gamma rays have trillions of times more energy than visible light, and they disappear in the atmosphere before they hit the Earth’s surface. So if you want to detect these mysterious phenomena, a regular telescope isn’t much help.

To learn about the highest-energy gamma rays, scientists build elaborate observatories, and one of the most advanced is the new High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma-Ray Observatory, high in the mountains about six hours from Mexico City. When it’s completed, it will be the only facility in the world that can detect the highest-energy gamma rays, with energies of up to 100 TeV . . .

Tech Students, Local Conservancy Group Team Up on Seven Mile Point Project

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:57:18 -0400

The Keweenaw Peninsula features geology that can be measured in billions of years. A project spanning four months isn’t even a blink of an eye. This project, a collaboration between students and faculty at Michigan Tech and the North Woods Conservancy (NWC), a local land preservation group, set out to help maintain a small piece of nature for future generations.The service-learning project gave students experience solving real-world problems while meeting a local environmental organization’s needs. Along the way, over those four months, they also learned that nature has a very big say in what we do and when we do it.

February . . .

Michigan Tech Researchers Receive Two Great Lakes Restoration Grants

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:46:40 -0400

Two Great Lakes restoration research projects by Michigan Technological University researchers are among 12 selected for funding, the University of Michigan Water Center announced today. Fifty-four research teams from universities near the Great Lakes and beyond submitted proposals for nearly $570,000 total funding.

“Michigan Tech should be very proud of its Great Lakes researchers,” said Guy Meadows, director of the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) at Michigan Tech. “These grants are a recognition of their outstanding abilities, and their work will produce critically needed data to improve our restoration efforts on the Great Lakes

A team led by Amy Marcarelli, assistant professor . . .

Most Scientists Agree: Humans are Causing Global Climate Change

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:36 -0400

Do most scientists agree that human activity is causing global climate change? Yes, they do, according to an extensive analysis of the abstracts or summaries of scientific papers published over the past 20 years, even though public perception tends to be that climate scientists disagree over the fundamental cause of climate change.

To help put a stop to the squabbling, two dozen scientists and citizen-scientists from three continents--including Sarah Green, professor and chair of chemistry at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich.— analyzed the abstracts of nearly 12,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers on climate change published between 1991 and 2011. They also . . .

Michigan Tech Research Institute Receives Radar Defense Contract

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:46:46 -0400

The Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich., has signed a six-month, $1 million contract with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to conduct research in adaptive radar countermeasures. The contract could be extended to five years and be worth $9 million if all options are exercised.

MTRI will be developing a new approach to the challenging problem of separating and analyzing radar signals by the function they are intended to perform. Radar—originally an acronym for Radio Detection And Ranging—is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the range, direction and speed of objects.

MTRI’s expertise in . . .

Demonstrating Physics and a Passion for Teaching

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:46:30 -0400

Sports can be tough to understand. There are rules that govern what’s going on, but explaining them to someone unfamiliar with the game can be daunting.

Physics poses a similar problem. We experience the effects of physics every moment of every day, but like the obscure rules of any sport, few of us understand the mechanics of the physics all around us.
Bryan H. Suits, professor of physics at Tech, has found a more familiar way to explain physics concepts to undergraduates who may have little background in the subject and even less interest. He’s teaching “The Physics Behind Music.”

“There is a . . .

Students, Teachers Gather at Tech to Learn about Lake Superior

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:30:40 -0400

More than 200 teachers and students from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ontario are coming to Michigan Technological University this week for the 10^th Biennial Lake Superior Youth Symposium. Students and teachers from 26 schools in three Great Lakes states and Canada will spend four days at the symposium, Thursday to Sunday, May 16-19.

The 7^th through 12^th grade students and their teachers will participate in dozens of hands-on activities and field trips such as Exploring the Great Lakes with Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles; Use of Mobile Technology to Collect Environmental Data; Sustainable Design & Low Impact Development; Community Support of Agriculture; Shipping . . .

Study: Art Strengthens Community Ties in Calumet

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:44:34 -0400

Art has long fostered human connection. Now a Michigan Technological University social sciences professor and her class are examining how art is working as a social glue in Calumet.

Students in Richelle Winkler’s Topics in Rural Community Sustainability class focused on the art scene in Calumet to better understand how the village’s First Fridays art tours benefit the community. On the first Friday of each month, Calumet’s participating art galleries and cafes extend their business hours late into the evening, offering refreshments, artist receptions, demonstrations, menu specials and more, depending on the season.

After surveying hundreds of visitors, touring buildings, speaking with business . . .

What's A Michigan Tech Education Worth?

Thu, 9 May 2013 14:55:05 -0400

What’s a university education worth? That’s a question often asked by students, parents and legislators.

According to 2013 rankings recently released by PayScale, Michigan Technological University’s graduates rank 18th in the nation among 437 public universities in the return on investment (ROI) from their degrees. PayScale compares the cost of a college education to the salaries earned by graduates.

PayScale ranked Michigan Tech in the top 10 for ROI among Midwest schools. ROI is defined as the cost of attending college compared to the gain in income over 30 years of a college graduate over a high school graduate.

This year Tech ranked . . .

Michigan Tech Launches 3D Printers for Peace Contest

Wed, 8 May 2013 14:33:49 -0400

What would Ghandi do with a 3D printer? Or Albert Schweitzer? Or Mother Theresa?

Michigan Technological University is inviting anyone who thinks they might know the answer to enter the first 3D Printers for Peace Contest.

"We want to encourage people to think about ways 3D printing can be used for the benefit of humanity," said the contest organizer, Associate Professor Joshua Pearce. "3D printers have been getting a lot of bad press because people are using them to make guns, which is unfortunate, because many designers are making wonderful things.”

Michigan Tech has already saved tens of thousands of dollars using 3D . . .

Making Aha Moments: Mind Trekkers and Industry Join Forces to Bring STEM Alive for Kids

Tue, 7 May 2013 15:36:38 -0400

A steady stream of students flowed through double doors where dozens of interactive science demonstrations waited, each vying for attention with plumes of nitrogen gas, unexpected booms and even an occasional discharging electrical arc. At the heart of the high-energy science roadshow: Michigan Technological University students aiming to pique interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Last month, nearly 8,000 elementary-, middle- and high-school students discovered the science behind a magical maze of 75 hands-on STEM demonstrations at a three-day science festival in Green Bay and Appleton, Wis.—all presented by the Michigan Tech Mind Trekkers. Demonstrations ranged from surface tension to . . .

Michigan Tech's Peace Corps Program Ranked Number 1 in the Nation

Tue, 7 May 2013 06:00:00 -0400

Michigan Technological University ranks as the top Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) university nationwide for the eighth consecutive year. With 35 PCMI graduate students currently serving as Peace Corps Volunteers, Michigan Tech has earned the top spot in the 2013 rankings of PCMI and Paul D. Coverdell Fellows graduate schools. Tulane University placed second.

The PCMI program enables graduate students to incorporate Peace Corps service for credit as part of their master’s degree curriculum. The Coverdell Fellows program provides returned Peace Corps volunteers with scholarships, internships in underserved American communities and stipends to help them earn an advanced degree after they complete . . .

Commencement 2013: The Last Day, the First Day

Mon, 6 May 2013 15:57:36 -0400

“The future is already here; it’s just not very evenly distributed”
–President Glenn Mroz, quoting novelist William Gibson

Twice a year we celebrate all of the wisdom developed behind closed doors and in lecture halls and in the field. But because it happens twice a year doesn’t mean it’s ordinary, uneventful. It brings together hundreds of lives, thousands of accomplishments, millions of thoughts and ideas.

Commencement is a celebration of what is possible.

90 minutes before the ceremony

The Peter J. Grant Hockey Education Center is a beautiful facility, designed to help student-athletes learn and grow and relax, all in one place. This morning it . . .

Alumni Gifts Fund Two Major Learning Initiatives at Michigan Tech

Fri, 3 May 2013 14:18:02 -0400

Michigan Technological University is launching two major initiatives aimed at improving student success and providing faculty with new tools for enhancing student learning.

Both efforts are made possible through generous gifts from alumni. An $876,000 bequest from the estate of Waino Wahtera, who earned a BS in Chemistry from Michigan Tech in 1942, will fund the Wahtera Center for Student Success. The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning is supported by an outright gift of $1 million. The president of CableAmerica, William G. Jackson graduated from Michigan Tech in 1958 with a BS in Electrical Engineering.

The Wahtera Center for Student . . .

Michigan Tech Board of Control Approves Budget, Tuition Rates

Fri, 3 May 2013 13:34:36 -0400

At its regular meeting in Houghton today, Michigan Technological University’s Board of Control passed a balanced budget for fiscal year 2014 of $172.5 million. Major sources of revenue include $43.8 in state appropriations and $114.7 million in tuition and fees.

Next year’s budget is $7 million higher than the current year’s and includes an additional $1 million for financial aid, $500,000 for maintenance and a 3 percent merit adjustment for employees, effective in January.

The Board also set tuition rates for the 2013-14 school year. Using a new plateau tuition system, undergraduates who are Michigan residents will pay a flat tuition of $6,735 . . .