May 22, 2026

The Michigan Technological University Chapter of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) has received the 2026 AIPG Student Chapter Excellence Award.

This national recognition is especially meaningful given that AIPG has 58 student chapters nationwide. It reflects the Michigan Tech chapter’s strong student leadership, professional engagement and continued commitment to building a vibrant geoscience community.

The chapter’s 2025-26 officers are geology majors Sarah Woodworth, president; Sabrina Bielecki, vice president; Milena Sremba, treasurer; and Olivia Braun, secretary.

The chapter’s faculty sponsor is Associate Professor Chad Deering (GMES). The chapter sponsor is David Adler ’82 (B.S. Geology), CPG emeritus.

“As president, this makes me extremely proud of our chapter and the work that has gone into it. A special thanks to our chapter advisor, Dr. Chad Deering, Dave Adler, and (2025 President) Helen Foldenauer,” said Woodworth.

The award continues a strong tradition of AIPG student chapter excellence at Michigan Tech. The chapter received the AIPG Student Chapter of the Year Award in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and was selected as the second-place Student Chapter of the Year in 2023.

Recent chapter activities have included participation in the AIPG 62nd National Conference, held in St. Louis, Missouri, in October 2025, where students had opportunities to connect with geoscience professionals, students and stakeholders from a wide range of geology backgrounds.

Congratulations to the Michigan Tech Chapter of AIPG on this well-deserved recognition. The Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences is proud of your continued success.

Payroll Services is phasing out the payroll@mtu.edu email address. All payroll-related correspondence should be sent to payroll-help@mtu.edu.

This includes:

• Manual timesheets
• Payroll reallocations
• All other payroll inquiries and requests

Using the new payroll-help@mtu.edu address ensures your request is routed to the right team member and tracked through to resolution.

Please update any saved contacts, bookmarks or internal documents that reference the old address. If you spot payroll@mtu.edu on a Michigan Tech website, form or document, please email payroll-help@mtu.edu so we can get it corrected.

Faculty and staff in the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) will be working remotely or on vacation today, May 22, and the department office will be closed. ChE personnel will return on Tuesday, May 26, and can be reached via email during this time.

Thank you for your understanding, and enjoy the Memorial Day weekend!

The Rozsa Center Box Office will be closed during Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. Summer box office hours (weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) will resume on Tuesday, May 26. 

The Rozsa Center hopes everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

The Cool Down quoted Zhanping You (CEGE/MTTI) in a story about his research using recycled scrap tires in road construction projects to create more durable and crack-resistant pavement.

Design World mentioned Michigan Tech alum Andrew Ruthenbeck ’06 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology) in a story introducing members of its Ethical Engineering Panel, highlighting his engineering leadership experience and perspectives on safety and ethics in manufacturing and design.

No Tech Today on Monday

Tech Today will not publish on Monday, May 25, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

Submissions for publication in Tech Today on Tuesday, May 26, are due by noon today, May 22.

To have your event automatically appear, please submit them to the University Events Calendar.

Michigan Sustainable Tourism Summit - Visit Keweenaw

May 22, all day | McArdle Theatre, Rozsa 207

PRESENTED BY VIST KEWEENAW The Michigan Sustainable Tourism Summit is a regional forum dedicated to thoughtful, responsible destination development. Hosted in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, a place shaped by natural beauty, industry, and resilience, the Summit brings together those shaping the future of tourism and community life. Over four days, participants will explore practical strategies, shared challenges, and real-world examples of how economic vitality and environmental care can coexist. This is about progress that feels rooted, intentional, and true to place. Key Summit Themes: Enhancing our industry’s commitment to responsible outdoor recreationPreserving northern Michigan’s dark skiesSupporting the underpinning ecological and outdoor recreation infrastructure the visitor industry and our local communities rely uponLeveraging tourism as a force to support authentic cultural and heritage preservationTools for community-centric tourism Things to know By registering to this Summit, registrants agree to sharing their full registration information with the Summit host, Visit Keweenaw. DATE | Wednesday - Saturday, May 20 - 23, 2026 TIME | Full summit schedule available…