September 22, 2026

The Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) is officially launching, and we invite Michigan Tech faculty and academic staff to come celebrate with us!

Stop by our Open House at the Van Pelt and Opie Library on Oct. 6 from 2-4:30 p.m. Visit our locations in Library 219 and Library 243 to meet the people behind the CFE, explore the many resources and services available to faculty, and learn how we can support your teaching, research, professional development and career.

With representatives highlighting everything from instructional design and accessibility to research support, mentoring and faculty development, there’s something for everyone. Come see what the CFE can do for you!

Light refreshments will be served. 

Provost Andrew Storer will hold an open office hour from 11 a.m. to noon next Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Velodrome Coffee Co. on the first floor of the Van Pelt and Opie Library. Feel free to stop by; appointments are not required for open office hours. 

Additional open office hours for the 2026-27 academic year are scheduled for:

• Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon
• Wednesday, April 7, from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

The provost continues to hold regular office hours from 1:30-3:30 p.m. each Thursday. Faculty, staff and students are welcome to schedule an appointment by emailing Amie Ledgerwood at provost@mtu.edu.

The information provided here is also available on the Academic Affairs website. To view it, click the Office Hours icon in the bottom right corner of the banner image at the top of the page.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced $1.9 million in grants for for groundbreaking research to better understand and address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in agriculture. PFAS are a family of human-made chemicals found in a wide-range of consumer products that do not breakdown easily and build up in the environment. Long-term exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to health problems in humans and animals.

Michigan Tech Professor Emerita Judith Perlinger (CEGE) received a $397,999 grant to evaluate how applied fish waste affects PFAS levels in garden-grown vegetables. Perlinger’s team, which coordinates with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, will also study which vegetables and plant tissues accumulate PFAS and how different soil treatments and watering amounts can help reduce these chemicals. Perlinger’s research is one of five projects to receive a PFAS research grant this year, funded by MDARD’s Office of Agricultural Science and Research. 

“MDARD is investing in research that will strengthen our ability to protect Michiganders, our land, and our livestock from PFAS and other emerging contaminants,” said MDARD Director Tim Boring. “By better understanding how these chemicals move through agriculture systems, we can implement measures to reduce their impact.”

Read more in the official MDARD press release.

Please join the Computing[MTU] Showcase, Art in Silico and the MTU Film Board for a special screening of “Tron” (1982) next Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Fisher 135.

The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer and video game developer who is transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer where he interacts with anthropomorphic programs in his attempt to escape. “Tron” was one of cinema’s earliest films to use extensive computer-generated imagery (CGI).

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. (with pre-roll videos about the making of “Tron”). Movie starts at 7 p.m. 

Entry is free. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

Join Carved and Crafted Catering at Michigan Technological University for the C-Cubed Luncheon, being held on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MUB 107). All faculty and staff, along with their guests, are invited.

Menu for Thursday, Sept. 24:

• Roasted Sliced Turkey Breast
• Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
• Zatar Spiced Potato Wedges
• Pita Bread
• Toppings: Feta, Red Onion, Cucumber, Cheese
• Falafel
• Tzatziki Sauce

The C-Cubed Luncheon buffet menus are created and prepared by the catering culinary team. As the name suggests, the meals are meant to foster conversation, community, and collegiality. Attendees may bring their lunch instead of purchasing the buffet. Fruit-infused water, coffee, tea and desserts are available free to all attendees. 

The buffet lunch is $16 per person. Cash, credit cards and gift cards are accepted. Gift cards can be purchased in the Memorial Union office (MUB 101). Meals are for dine-in only and personal containers/tupperware or to-go meals are not permitted. 

• Submit C-Cubed Feedback
• Receive Weekly C-Cubed Menus

Tuesday, Sept. 22
• Volleyball at Northern Michigan, 6 p.m. on FloCollege
 
Friday, Sept. 25
• Soccer at Saginaw Valley State, 1 p.m. on FloCollege
• Volleyball at Wayne State, 6:30 p.m. on FloCollege
 
Sunday, Sept. 27
• Soccer at Ferris State, 1 p.m. on FloCollege

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Athletics News
Read more in the MTU Athletics weekly update.

WLUC TV6 quoted Danielle Meirow (SA) and Michigan Tech students Arabella Glass (wildlife ecology), Annika Olesen (nursing) and Rylan Feierabend (engineering management) in a story about MTU’s annual Homecoming cardboard boat races. This year’s races saw 48 teams compete at Chassell Centennial Park.

The Daily Mining Gazette quoted Christian Montesinos (IPS) and multiple Michigan Tech students in a story about MTU’s Festival of Nations and Multicultural Food Festival, held on Sept. 19. The story quoted MTU undergrads Aiden Arbuckle (computer science), Janelly Sanchez-Puentes (mechanical engineering) and Jane Fall-Lakatos (environmental engineering/audio production and technology), as well as master’s student Ajay Penmatsa (data science).

The Daily Mining Gazette quoted Chee-Wooi Ten (ECE) in a story about Michigan Tech hosting this year’s North American Power Symposium in October, with a Michigan Public Service Commission meeting held at MTU as well during the symposium. Ten discussed the symposium and topics including power grid cybersecurity, transportation electrification and artificial intelligence data centers.

My UP Now covered the unveiling of Michigan Tech’s 2027 Winter Carnival logo, representing this year’s theme, “Mysteries Run Cold, Cryptid Secrets Unfold.” Winter Carnival returns to MTU on Feb. 3-6.

Keweenaw Report quoted Michigan Tech graduate students Puti Akbar and Bassem Abedelghani in a story about the Muslim Student Association at MTU and its efforts to connect students with the wider Copper Country community.

Ohio’s Dayton Daily News featured former Michigan Tech cross country student-athlete Nick McKenzie ’23 (B.S. Electrical Engineering) in a story about his first-place finish in the 2026 Air Force Marathon.

MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker: Yan Wang

The next Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Graduate Seminar speaker will present at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, in DOW 641.

Yan Wang will present “Intersection of model based powertrain controls with AI / ML.”

This presentation explores how artificial intelligence/machine learning can complement — not replace — established model-based control frameworks to enhance powertrain performance. Wang will discuss practical applications in offline calibration, online adaptive control and digital twin development, highlighting how AI/ML can improve efficiency, robustness and scalability while leveraging decades of existing control expertise.

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

La Peña Spanish Conversation Hour

Tuesday, September 22, 5:30–6:30 a.m. | Walker Arts and Humanities Center, 120A

Join us every-other Tuesday this fall for La Peña Spanish Conversation Hour! Come practice your Spanish and meet new people while we discuss short films and play board games. Bring a friend or anybody you think might enjoy speaking some Spanish; everybody is welcome! Reach out to ebarreda@mtu.edu with any questions.

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Neoliberal Loops Gallery Exhibit - Rozsa Art Galleries

Tuesday, September 22, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Art Galleries

MICHIGAN TECH ART SERIES EVENT Neoliberal Loops is a body of work created by Emma C. Johnson that explores neoliberalism, postfeminism, economic precarity, and how our understanding of these phenomena are mediated through visual culture. Her work is concerned with mundane and idiosyncratic details that are telling of a larger picture of the world. She works primarily in painting, printmaking, photography, video, sound, and text. Whatever medium the idea demands is what determines the materiality of the finished work. The Neoliberal Loops project features three related works on the theme of financial crisis. This includes music/sound and digital video, photography, text on a moving LED lights screen, and letterpress on paper. This exhibition is an opportunity to reflect on capitalism, representation, and feminism, and grapple with this material in a visceral way. Emma invites viewers to reflect on neoliberalism, which often seems as natural as the air we breathe. This opens up a dialog about how representations of neoliberalism shapes our understanding of it and how we might approach our understanding of it and other possibilities for living differently. This project brings Emma…

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Career Fest Fall 2026: Foundry Fest

Tuesday, September 22, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. | Campus Mall, Career Services Tent

Witness the power of liquid metal and learn about the exciting jobs available to you in this industry.

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Automate Your Funding Search: GrantForward Opportunity Search Tool

Tuesday, September 22, 12–1 p.m.

Join Michigan Tech's Research Development team for a session designed to help you discover and track grant opportunities more effectively. Michigan Tech's subscription to GrantForward gives you access to its full suite of services just by signing up with your campus email. The funding search platform aggregates opportunities from federal agencies, private foundations, and international sources into one comprehensive database. We'll walk you through system basics like signing in and setting up your profile to optimize your funding search. Once your profile is ready, you can opt in to receive personalized notifications of funding opportunities that match your research interests, create saved searches, and mark opportunities as "favorites" to get alerts if there are any changes. To streamline setting up your profile, we recommend having a recent electronic CV or list of publications handy for the session. The session will be recorded for later viewing. Can't make it? The Research Development team is available for individual consultations to help you make GrantForward work for your specific needs.

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Library Workshops: Citation Management & Wrangling

Tuesday, September 22, 12:00–12:35 p.m.

At Citation Management and Wrangling get a quick overview of some of the most common citation management tools supported at Michigan Tech: EndNote and Zotero. We'll touch briefly on their functionality, how to integrate these into your workflow, new advanced features, and other tools that integrate with them such as Overleaf, Web of Science, and more. Bring your questions and curiosity; everyone uses these tools differently, so you may meet a colleague with some great ideas!

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MUB Board Special Events Committee Meeting

Tuesday, September 22, 1–2 p.m. | MUB 106

Join the MUB Board Special Events Committee to help plan fun and engaging events for students across campus! Past events hosted include Taste of Fall and Happy Little Bries.

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UDOIT-Your Canvas Course Accessibility Assistant Workshop

Tuesday, September 22, 2–3 p.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, 242

Join the Center for Faculty Excellence (Technical Workshops) for the following opportunity: https://mtu.libcal.com/event/17292727 Plan to join the Center for Faculty Excellence a hands-on workshop: UDOIT-Your New Canvas Course Accessibility Assistant. Learn how to use UDOIT to scan a Canvas course, understand and prioritize the results, and begin correcting common accessibility barriers. You’ll leave with a practical workflow for making meaningful accessibility improvements to your course content and files. Bring a laptop or use one of the computers available in the training room.

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MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker - Dr. Yan Wang

Tuesday, September 22, 3–4 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 641

Dr. Yan Wang is a propulsion technology expert with more than 25 years of experience advancing sustainable transportation throughinnovative energy and powertrain technologies. Throughout his career at Ford Motor Company, Nikola Motor Company, and Cummins, he hasled the development of advanced propulsion solutions across gasoline, diesel, hybrid, battery-electric, and fuel-cell-electric vehicle platforms. Dr.Wang's expertise spans combustion systems, electrified powertrains, controls, calibration, diagnostics, optimization, and intelligent energymanagement. He has developed model-based and data-driven engineering approaches that integrate machine learning, virtual development,and connected vehicle technologies to improve vehicle efficiency, emissions performance, reliability, and development productivity. An inventor ofmore than 50 U.S. patents and author of over 60 technical publications, Dr. Wang is Chair of the IEEE Control Systems Society TechnicalCommittee on Automotive Control for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles. His work continues to focus on enabling sustainable, efficient, and intelligenttransportation systems through the convergence of advanced controls, electrification, artificial…

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Career Fair Workshop

Tuesday, September 22, 4–6 p.m. | East Hall Lobby

Come join us for our Career Fair Workshop where we'll be taking professional headshots and have an valuable presentation to prepare for Career Fair from Career Services!

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Session 1 Huskies Swim Training

Tuesday, September 22, 4–5 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Huskies Swim Training is a program that provides additional attention and competitive guidance to advanced swimmers looking to focus on stroke technique and efficiency. Sessions will be designed to improve swimming through stroke drills and swimming sets focused on endurance, speed, and race strategy. Coaches will provide feedback and stroke correction in a group environment with an emphasis on promoting a love for competitive swimming and lifelong skills such as discipline, dedication, and teamwork. Come be part of the pack! Competitive swimming opportunities are now available to current Huskies Swim Training participants! Contact Annie Bengry at ambengry@mtu.edu for more information. Participants must have completed the Huskies Group Swim Lessons, American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Level 4 or equivalent, demonstrate competency in all four strokes, and be able to swim multiple lengths of the pool unassisted. Please see the Training Groups table for more information. The first week of each session, participants will be placed into groups based on speed and stroke proficiency. It is recommended that all participants participate 3 days a week to see optimal stroke and speed improvement…

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Session 1 Huskies Diving Clinic 6-11 years

Tuesday, September 22, 4:15–5:00 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Make a splash with the Huskies Diving Clinic! Whether you are stepping onto the board for the first time or looking to perfect your competitive list, our program offers springboard coaching for every level. We provide a safe, constructive environment where beginner to advanced athletes can build confidence, refine their mechanics, and master the art of the dive. Program offerings are based on age. Participants must have graduated level 2 of the American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim program or equivalent and can easily jump off of the 1 meter diving board and swim to the side of the pool unassisted. Space will be provided for personal items on the pool deck. Showering is required before entering the water. Class size is limited.

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Behind the Buzz

Tuesday, September 22, 5:00–6:30 p.m. | MUB Alumni Lounge

Substance use is often surrounded by myths, stereotypes, and misinformation. Behind the Buzz is an interactive event that goes beyond the headlines to explore the real impacts of alcohol, cannabis, and other substances on health, decision-making, and college life. Through engaging activities and practical strategies, participants will gain tools to navigate social pressures, make informed choices, and support peers in healthier ways. We'll be providing food, giveaways, and engaging discussion with guest speaker Gail Ploe, CCS, CPS, CADC.

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Bling Fling (Bedazzling)

Tuesday, September 22, 5–7 p.m. | MUB Commons

Join MUB Board to bedazzle your own rubber duck! All supplies provided.

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LaTeX Workshop

Tuesday, September 22, 5–6 p.m. | Dillman 101

Women in Physics presents a three session workshop on learning LaTeX, a software used to write publishable manuscripts and papers, lab reports, and create documentation. The workshop will be taught by Krishna Teja Vedula, and will cover a general overview on how to use LaTeX within a LaTeX editor, and general tips and tricks for LaTeX functions. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFqZt7uyddYDa_jxtGOPdszUtaeeRU7J18RREgHSxnjpuDNg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=112789683133467258393 Join via Zoom! Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/88991197150?pwd=y2lrGmVCo34JlntMkbGTw33PrYItBC.1 Password: 518954

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Session 1 Adult Huskies Swim Lessons

Tuesday, September 22, 5–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Lessons provides aquatic education for the beginner to intermediate swimmer who is looking to become more comfortable in the water and learn the fundamental four strokes. Space will be provided for personal items on the pool deck. Goggles are highly recommended. Showering is required before entering the water. Class size is limited.

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Session 1 Adult Huskies Swim Training

Tuesday, September 22, 5–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Swim Training provides additional attention and competitive guidance to swimmers ages 18 and older who are looking to improve their swimming skills and fitness levels in a group setting. Each session is programmed with warm-up, and variations of a workout for the beginner, intermediate and advanced swimmer. Participants will be provided coaching and guidance to meet their individual swimming goals! Space will be provided for personal items on the pool deck. Goggles are highly recommended. Showering is required before entering the water. Class size is limited.

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Resume Workshop

Tuesday, September 22, 5:30–6:30 p.m. | Wadsworth G32

Meet with our brothers and ask us any questions you may have about resumes, career fair, or your major. We will provide resume tips, interview advice, and any help you may need.

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Bonfire, Making S'mores & Watching Stars with Alpha Delta Alpha

Tuesday, September 22, 6–7 p.m. | Prince's Point

Come enjoy a bonfire, s'mores, stars and get to know the Alpha Delta Alpha chapter!

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GE HealthCare Info Session

Tuesday, September 22, 6–7 p.m. | ChemSci 211

Learn more about GE HealthCare and its work in medical imaging, diagnostics, and healthcare technology. Hear from professionals about engineering opportunities and the skills and experiences that can help prepare you for a career in medical technology.

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Hands-On Demo: ZEISS LSM 990 Confocal Microscopy

September 22, all day | Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building, S004

Test out the ZEISS LSM 990 in person! Bring your own student samples to evaluate the system’s resolution, speed, and detector performance firsthand with expert assistance. Session Features: Direct hands-on testing using your own experimental samples.Demonstration of Airyscan 2 super-resolution and near-IR detection on custom targets.Guidance on optimizing throughput and volumetric 4D acquisition for your specific workflows.Registration: Reserve a demo slot by clicking on this Teams registration link or contacting Maria Dinkelmann directly at maria.dinkelmann@zeiss.com.