June 10, 2025

For the fall 2025 semester, Michigan Tech’s Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering is once again offering the 3-credit online professional development course: Civil Asset Management.

Civil asset management (CAM) involves the science and coordinated efforts behind the long-term maintenance of infrastructure systems, facilities and various civil assets. These include transportation systems, bridges, landfill operations, potable water distribution systems, wastewater systems and parks.

Asset management, which bridges the gap between the analysis, design and building of infrastructure, is increasingly seen as essential within civil engineering. There is a high demand for asset management professionals in engineering teams — particularly teams engaged in writing proposals and securing valuable government contracts.

At Michigan Tech, our Civil Asset Management course’s curriculum aligns with the official certification from the Institute of Asset Management. Achieving a grade of B or higher will earn you a first-level Certificate in Asset Management, giving you a competitive advantage as a civil engineer.

Learn more about asset management, the online course’s CAM curriculum, and its expert instructor, Mark Declercq, at the Michigan Tech Global Campus course page.

The Graduate Student Government (GSG) is pleased to announce an in-person poster presentation session at Michigan Tech's 2025 Alumni Reunion. The poster presentation session is a continued tradition designed to increase the interaction between graduate students and MTU alumni. It is a unique opportunity for graduate students to share their research work and expand network connections.

This year's poster session will be on Aug. 1 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in H-STEM 114. Graduate students interested in presenting a poster can submit the Alumni Reunion Poster Session Registration form.

You do not need to submit your poster to register for the event, but posters need to be submitted by July 25 (one week before the event).

Please email gsg-research@mtu.edu with any questions.

Linda Ott is retiring from Michigan Tech after 47 years of service. The College of Computing invites friends, alumni, and other members of our Michigan Tech family to join us for her retirement celebration on June 30 from 3-5 p.m. in the lobby of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. Hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by Monday, June 16.

RSVP for Linda Ott's Retirement Celebration.

Linda, who joined Tech in fall 1978, has been a continual presence in the Department of Computer Science, including serving as department chair multiple times.

Throughout her tenure at Tech, Linda has been a leading force for the department through many avenues of growth, from helping to establish a Ph.D. in Computer Science to constructing Kanwal and Ann Rekhi Hall and establishing the College of Computing. A strong advocate for underrepresented groups, Linda has continuously demonstrated excellence in how departments can support their students.

You can learn more about Linda’s legacy in Tech Magazine and share Linda’s memories, in her own words, in a special Gateway Magazine feature marking 50 years of computer science at Michigan Tech. Linda was here for almost all of them — and we’re excited to come together to celebrate her impact.

• If you would like to leave Linda a congratulatory message, please post a note, photo or video to Kudoboard.

• If you would like to make a pledge toward the new Linda Ott scholarship fund, please email Lorraine Thoune, associate director of MTU's Office of Advancement, at llthoune@mtu.edu, or Joanne Anderson, director for charitable giving, at joanne@mtu.edu.

Thank you for helping us make Linda’s celebration special!

Job Posting for Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 906-487-2280 or email humanresources@mtu.edu. For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.

​Assistant Research Engineer, Michigan Tech Research Institute. Apply online.

Michigan Technological University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Accommodations are available. If you require any auxiliary aids, services, or other accommodations to apply for employment, or for an interview, at Michigan Technological University, please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or humanresources@mtu.edu.

Faculty and graduate students from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) are presenting at the 53rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, happening this week, June 8-13, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

MAE Presenters:

• Ph.D. candidate Ayush Chutani (mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics) is giving an oral presentation on "Snow loss estimation for photovoltaic single-axis tracker systems"

• Ph.D. student Shelbie Wickett (mechanical engineering-engineering mechanics) is presenting a poster on "Understanding the sensitivity of PV snow loss modeling to snow slide coefficients in standard snow loss model over Michigan"

• Assistant Professor Ana Dyreson is presenting a poster with Assistant Professors Amna Mazen (AC/MMET) and Ashraf Saleem (AC) and Ph.D. student Kamyab Yazdipaz (computational sciences and engineering) on "Real-Time Drone-Based Snow Detection for PV Systems Using Robust Lightweight Deep Learning Models"

The University of Connecticut mentioned Michigan Tech Ph.D. candidate Keenan Rivers (forest science) in a story about research on how compounding factors, like drought and pests, impact New England forests. Rivers was part of the research team studying the effects of multiple stressors on tree mortality. The story was picked up by Phys.org.

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The Escanaba Daily Press mentioned Michigan Tech student Brynn Santi (human biology) and alum Ella Santi '25 (B.S. Engineering) in a story about the Escanaba Berserkers Rugby Club. The sisters, both members of the Michigan Tech Women's Rugby Club, visited a practice to help instruct and showcase their knowledge of the game.

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech's Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area (KISMA) in a story by about PlayCleanGo Awareness Week. The article discussed invasive species like the Japanese barberry, which spreads from gardens and infests local forests, creating ideal conditions for ticks.

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The Alpena News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the Fayette Historic Townsite, located within Fayette Historic State Park in Delta County. The article highlighted a 1991 archaeological dig at the site, where Michigan Tech archaeologists uncovered nearly 9,000 artifacts.

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The Business News in Green Bay, Wisconsin, interviewed Michigan Tech alum Mary (Czysen) Huhta ’12 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering B.S. Biomedical Engineering) about Huhta Homestead, a sustainable farm run by Huhta and her husband Devlin (also a Tech grad).

HR Training Walk-Through: New Recruitment Workflows

Recently, Michigan Tech Human Resources piloted a new hiring process for staff positions utilizing Page Up. Now that the pilot has ended and new workflows have been implemented, MTU employees are invited to a walk-through of these new procedures, along with information on other tweaks made/being made. We will also cover terms/roles in the new post-pilot world of hiring.

The 60-minute walk-through was first offered June 4, and will be offered once more on Wednesday, June 11. It has an in-depth, narrow focus on the impact of auto releasing applications and the subsequent process changes as a result. The walk-through does not cover the entire recruiting process.

You can expect to hear about:

• New roles and terms used
• Confidentiality statements
• Page Up status moves
• Managing applicant pools

Walk-Through Details:

• Wednesday, June 11, at 10 a.m. (repeat of the June 4 session)
  Join the June 11 Walk-Through on Zoom.

Please note: These sessions will not be recorded.

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Michigan Tech Joins NIIMBL

Michigan Tech has joined NIIMBL, the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals. NIIMBL is a public/private partnership funded by NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIIMBL is also a member of Manufacturing USA, a network of federally sponsored manufacturing innovation institutes.

NIIMBL has a strong interest in funding projects in process intensification, data analytics, data storage, sensors, genomics, control systems, sustainability and workforce development that help find solutions to biopharmaceutical manufacturing challenges. The NIIMBL national meeting is June 24-26 and there will be a call for proposals soon after the meeting.

If you are interested in keeping up to date on NIIMBL activities, please contact Caryn Heldt (ChE/HRI) at heldt@mtu.edu to be added to the MTU NIIMBL email list. You can also join the NIIMBL email list directly.

You can also contact Heldt to request access to the NIIMBL portal. In the portal, you can create a profile and see others in NIIMBL to help with teaming on proposals.

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Presentation: 'Reading the Room: Understanding Nonverbal Communications to Lead Better Meetings'

The Office of Continuous Improvement (OCI) invites you to join us for the presentation “Reading the Room: Understanding Nonverbal Communications to Lead Better Meetings” on Monday, June 16, from 10:30-11:20 a.m. in MUB Ballroom A1.

The talk will be presented by Ruth Archer, director of continuous improvement at Michigan Tech. Please register if you plan to attend to help us prepare the space for the event.

Effective meeting leaders understand that communication is so much more than the words we say. By tuning in to the room's nonverbal language — the nods of understanding, the forward lean of genuine interest, and the subtle cues that signal when someone has a contribution to make — you can unlock insights that transform how you lead discussions. Learning to read these silent signals in real time may enable you to recognize when your message is truly connecting, draw out valuable insights that might otherwise go unshared, see when obstacles may be arising, and foster an environment where meaningful collaboration thrives.

Archer first delivered this presentation at the Lean Solutions Global Summit in September 2024.

OCI services include facilitation, consulting, coaching and thought partnership to support your office or service process improvement efforts. Email us at improvement@mtu.edu or submit our Request a Process Improvement form on our website.

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