Members | IPEC | Michigan Tech

"The true picture of the past whizzes by. Only as a picture, which flashes its final farewell in the moment of its recognizability, is the past to be held fast."
—Walter Benjamin “On the Concept of History”

Stefka Hristova

Associate Professor of Digital Media, Humanities
Communication, Culture, and Media Undergraduate Program Director

Links of Interest

Algorithmic Culture

Proto-Algorithmic War

Specialties

Visual Studies
Algorithmic Culture
Photography
Critical Theory

Laura E. Brown

Associate Professor, Computer Science
Director, Data Science Graduate Program

lebrown@mtu.edu
906-487-3472
Rekhi Hall 307

Links of Interest

Area of Expertise

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Data Mining and Data Science
Applications of AI and ML to Energy (microgrids, power systems), Health, and other domains

Gabriel Jesus Escobedo

Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion
Pronouns: el, he, him, his

gescobed@mtu.edu
906-487-2920
Center for Diversity and Inclusion

Andrew Fiss

Associate Professor of Technical & Professional Communication
Graduate Program Director, RTC: Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture

Links of Interest

Google Scholar Profile

Specialties

Technical Communication
STS (Science and Technology Studies; Science, Technology, and Society)
Science Communication
History and Philosophy of Science and Math
Interdisciplinary, Multidisciplinary, and Transdisciplinary Education

Valoree Gagnon

Director, University-Indigenous Community Partnerships, Great Lakes Research Center
Assistant Professor, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

vsgagnon@mtu.edu
906-487-2180
Noblet Building 168

Links of Interest

Research Interests

University-Community Partnerships, research engagement, and equitable practice and design
Environmental Justice and Policy, toxic substances, risk management, and promoting holistic health
Indigenous / Native American Studies, treaties and the government-to-government relationship, food sovereignty, and Indigenous wisdom in the Great Lakes region
Environmental Stewardship and the Seven Generations Philosophy

Wayne Gersie

Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Pronouns: he, him, his

vpdi@mtu.edu
906-487-1599
Administration Building 502

Sarah A. Green

Interim Department Chair, Chemistry
Professor, Chemistry

sgreen@mtu.edu
906-487-2048
Chemical Sciences 607

Links of Interest

Research Interests

Climate change communication
Science-policy interface
Youth engagement in climate policy
Response of aquatic systems to climate change
Great Lakes
Fluorescence-based analytical methods
Aerosol chemistry
Origin and fate of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in terrestrial, lake, and marine environments
Methods for detection of free radicals, photochemical transformations of natural and anthropogenic organic compounds in the environment
Integration of biological, geological, physical, and chemical data for understanding global cycles.

Caryn Heldt

Director, Health Research Institute
James and Lorna Mack Endowed Chair of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering
Professor, Chemical Engineering

Links of Interest

Heldt Bioseparations Lab

Research Interests

Bioseparations
Virus removal and detection
Biosensors

Soonkwan Hong

Associate Professor of Marketing, College of Business

shong2@mtu.edu
906-487-2285
Academic Office Building 113

Teaching Interests

Consumer behavior
Global Marketing
Branding
Marketing ethics and Sustainability

Research Interests

The polysemic nature of consumer-market dynamics in association with (pop)culture, technology, and institutions as key drivers of varied manifestations of consumer identity.
Consumers as self-emancipating and self-contradicting agents in the market
Sustainable lifestyles.
Postcolonialism and globalization
Alternative food systems and cultures
Algorithmic consumer culture

"To define is to limit."
—Oscar Wilde

Dany Jacob

Associate Teaching Professor, French and Gender Studies

Specialties

Dandyism
European fin-de-siècle
Modern and postmodern masculinities
Performance of sociocultural identities
Fetishization and Affectation

Mary Jennings

Director, Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts

Amy M Marcarelli

Professor, Biological Sciences
Director, Ecosystem Science Center
Director, Aquatic Analysis (AQUA) Shared Facility

Links of Interest

Research Interests

Limnology
Ecosystem Ecology of Streams and Rivers
Biogeochemistry

Libby Meyer

Teaching Professor, Visual and Performing Arts
Director, Music Composition Program

Links of Interest

Specialties/Activities

Classical music composition
Violin/viola performance, instruction

Alexandra Morrison

Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Humanities
Ethics and Philosophy Minor Advisor

Research Areas

Continental Philosophy (especially Phenomenology and Existential Thought)
Social and Political Philosophy (including Feminist Philosophy)
Philosophy and Art (including Literature)
Ethical Philosophy
Philosophy of Technology
Engineering Ethics

Lara Neves

Voice Instructor, Visual and Performing Arts

lkneves@mtu.edu

Susanna D. Peters

Associate Teaching Professor
Social Sciences Program Advisor
University Ombuds

speters@mtu.edu
906-487-2391
AOB 219 (Spring 23' Office Hours Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-3pm, or by appt)

Areas of Interest

Resource Economics
Cyberlaw
Intellectual Property
Constitutional Law
Orientation to Legal Careers
American Government

"Every artist, every scientist, must decide NOW where they stand. They have no alternative. There is no standing above the conflict on Olympian heights. There are no impartial observers. Through the destruction-in certain countries-of the greatest of human literary heritages, through the propagation of false ideas of racial and national superiority, the artist, the scientist, the writer is challenged. The struggle invades the formerly cloistered halls of our universities and other seats of learn

Mark Alan Rhodes II

Assistant Professor of Geography

marhodes@mtu.edu
906-487-2459
AOB 211 (Spring 23' Office Hours Wednesdays 10am-12pm)

Research Interests

Post-Industrial Geographies & Heritage
National Identity in the 21st Century
Cultural Sustainability and Sustainable Tourism
Political Ecology, Place, & Memory
Critical Geographies & Memorial Landscapes

Areas of Expertise

Memory and Memorialization
Heritage Institutions
Cultural Landscape
Welsh Studies
Historical Geography
Cultural Geographies

William Roberts

Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement
Vice President, Michigan Tech Fund

Mark Rudnicki

Professor of Practice in Forest Biomaterials
Coordinator of Industrial Research, Innovation, and Commercialization
Director of Ford Center and Forest

mrudnick@mtu.edu
906-487-2603
Noblet Building 175

Areas of Expertise

Forest Biomaterials
Tree biomechanics
Wind and trees
Dendrochronology
Extension and Outreach

Roman Sidortsov

Associate Professor, Energy Policy

rsidortsov@mtu.edu
906-487-1095
Academic Office Building 206

Research Interests

Sustainable Energy Systems
Energy Security and Justice
Risk Governance of the Energy Sector
Arctic Energy Development
Russian Energy Policy
U.S. Energy Policy

Areas of Expertise

Energy and Environmental Policy
Comparative and International Energy Law
U.S. Energy Law
U.S. Environmental Law
Russian Energy and Environmental Law
Energy Geopolitics

Stefanie Sidortsova

Executive Director for Communications, University Marketing and Communications

ssidorts@mtu.edu
906-487-1777
Administration Building G25

About Stefanie

Stefanie leads UMC's communications team, including news and media relations, social media, and brand communications staff.
Her professional background includes experience in higher education administration and instruction, law, government relations, and writing and editing.
She enjoys hiking, writing, and spending time with family and friends.