October 17, 2024

Beginning with the 2025 award process, Michigan Tech's Distinguished Teaching Award will introduce updated teaching categories to better recognize outstanding educators across different stages of their careers:

• Early Career Distinguished Teaching Award: Honors exceptional teaching by assistant professors and assistant teaching professors.

• Distinguished Teaching Award: Honors exemplary teaching by faculty at the associate professor, associate teaching professor, professor, teaching professor, and professor of practice levels.

This student-driven award process highlights five finalists in each category, determined by student ratings of instruction from the previous calendar year.

For more information or any questions, please contact the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@mtu.edu.

The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) included a profile of Michigan Tech in Part 3 of its feature series on U.S. mining engineering schools. The story was published in the September 2024 issue of Mining Engineering Magazine, the society's official publication.

In the profile, SME highlighted the mining-related degree programs offered by Michigan Tech's Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences (GMES). The story included Q&As with Aleksey Smirnov, GMES professor and department chair; MTU senior Alice Schmaltz (mining engineering); and recent GMES graduates Emily Voght ’22 (B.S. Mining Engineering) and Jacob Maxon ’23 (B.S. Mining Engineering).

In his Q&A, Smirnov noted that Michigan Tech is the only college in the country offering mining and geoscience-related programs under one department. He emphasized the University’s proximity to active mining projects; field trips, lab work and projects that give students access to real-world, hands-on experiences in mine safety, critical minerals, and data analytics; and strong industry relationships that lead to internships and job opportunities for Huskies.

Financial Services and Operations (FSO) will periodically be sharing information regarding a specific topic to increase awareness and knowledge in an “FSO — Did You Know?” article. If there is an FSO topic that you’d like to learn more about, please email fso@mtu.edu.

Budget Transfers
A new Journal type “FTET” was created for budget transfers that have one line over $500,000. Please utilize this Journal type moving forward for this situation.

The last day to submit budget transfers in My Finance is the 25th of the month. This allows for the appropriate approvals. Any budget transfers after the 25th of the month should not be entered in until the first day of the following month.

Please delete “Draft” transfers that you do not plan on submitting. This includes disapproved documents that have been resubmitted and approved.

Please contact fso@mtu.edu with any questions.

Join Research Development next Thursday, Oct. 24, at noon for a special session of the VPR Research Series featuring Teaching Professor Libby Meyer (VPA) and her collaborators from Michigan State University: Krista Isaacs, assistant professor of seed systems and international agriculture, and Berkley Walker, associate professor in plant biology.

Our guests will share their experiences as members of The Falling Tree Collaborative, an NSF-funded partnership between scientists and composers with the goal to increase scientific literacy through presentation and musical performance.

Any questions should be addressed to rd-l@mtu.edu.

The Michigan Tech football team travels downstate for the first time this season for a clash against No. 4 Ferris State at Top Taggart Field on Saturday, Oct. 19. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

All home and GLIAC games will be streamed on FloSports (subscription required — a discount is available for students).

Read the football preview at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Job Posting for Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024

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.

Department Chair, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Internal Posting Only). 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.

Jared Wolfe (CFRES) was quoted by MLive in a story about efforts to save Michigan’s bats from white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease. The story highlighted a unique phenomenon at Tippy Dam, where bats infected with the disease are not dying at typical rates. Wolfe discussed the potential of ongoing research in the Western U.P. to cool old mines and help bats survive.

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PRWeb quoted Stephen Techtmann (BioSci) in a press release from cellular analytics company Cerillo about the launch of their Duet co-culture system. Techtmann noted how the platform has simplified his research on microbial interactions, allowing for more efficient experiment design.

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Tech Xplore mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about new research reviewing the impact of tropical storms on offshore wind turbines, highlighting the need for better models to improve turbine design standards. The study was co-authored by Pengfei Xue (CEGE/GLRC).

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The Daily Mining Gazette mentioned Michigan Tech’s Superior Wind Symphony and conductor Jana Meckler (VPA) in a story previewing their performance, “Modern,” on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The symphony was joined on the Rozsa Center stage by dancers and an artist who completed two live paintings during the concert.

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The Iron Mountain Daily News mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the University’s Keweenaw Research Center receiving the 2024 Jack Donnelly Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence. This story was picked up from The Daily Mining Gazette. 

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The Daily Mining Gazette featured Michigan Tech volleyball’s senior middle blocker Kaycee Meiners (exercise science) in a story about her journey as a student-athlete and team captain. Meiners, an All-GLIAC First Team member, discussed her decision to stay for a fifth year, her leadership role on the team, and her experiences as a student in the Copper Country.

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WZMQ 19 News covered stories on recent honors for Michigan Tech student-athletes. Hockey’s Max Vayrynen and Elias Jansson were named CCHA Players of the Week. Additionally, cross country’s Sam Lange earned GLIAC Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.

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Waste Advantage mentioned Michigan Tech alumnus Thomas Bronz ’89 (B.S. Mechanical Engineering) in a story about his appointment as president for agriculture, construction and waste at Shur-Co.

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Crain’s Detroit Business mentioned Michigan Tech alumni Jennifer Julien ’12 ’15 (B.S. Civil Engineering, M.S. Environmental Engineering) in a story about her plans to open a second Vault Hotel in Marquette with her husband Jonathan.

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BuildUsingSteel mentioned Michigan Tech alumnus David Stoddard (B.S. M.S. Metallurgical Engineering) in a story about his receipt of the 2024 Alexander D. Wilson Memorial Award. The annual award recognizes individuals who have made significant industry contributions to advance steel as the material of choice for steel bridge supply, production, design, fabrication or construction.

Collections Strategist Librarian Candidates: Presentation Schedule

The Van Pelt and Opie Library has invited three candidates to interview for the Collections Strategist Librarian position. Each candidate will give a presentation on the challenges and potential strategies to address the issue of increasing subscription costs.

Members of the Michigan Tech community are invited to attend the candidate presentations scheduled for tomorrow, Oct. 18; Monday, Oct. 21; and Wednesday, Oct. 23. All presentations will take place in the East Reading Room of the library at 11 a.m. and last one hour, which includes 15 minutes for questions and answers. For those who cannot attend, recordings of the presentations will be made available.

The search committee encourages and welcomes feedback from the campus community. A feedback form will be made available through both the library’s website and a Tech Today posting following each candidate visit. Feedback will be collected through Oct. 29.

Candidate resumes, itineraries and the presentation topic are available upon request. Please contact Nora Allred at nsallred@mtu.edu or Angela Badke at ambadke@mtu.edu for access.

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MSE Seminar with Raymond Monroe

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is hosting a seminar presented by Raymond Monroe, executive vice president, Steel Founders' Society of America (SFSA).

The seminar will be given today, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. in M&M 610.

Monroe will present "Steel Founders Society of America - Technological Developments & Challenges in the Steel Industry."

From the abstract:
Steel is a fundamental material required for modern life. Steel Founders' Society of America has supported the steel casting industry for over 100 years and is an exclusive organization with steel casting producers as the only members. We have partnered with Defense for over 30 years to develop critical technology needed. Recently, we have become more active in supply chain reliability and challenging the next generation of engineers to use their skills and creativity in the steel casting industry. The presentation will give an overview of some of the developing technology and the challenges we all face in manufacturing.

Monroe joined the SFSA as executive vice president in 1988. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University, an M.S. in Engineering Science from the University of Alabama (Birmingham), and a Ph.D. in Manufacturing Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Monroe supports the U.S. Department of Defense as a panelist for the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel, Metals Subpanel. This panel reviews the DoD MANTECH projects for advanced manufacturing. He instigates the Steel Performance Initiative, a DoD program to invest in advanced specialty steel technology for U.S., domestic producers to meet strategic DoD requirements. He also serves as the organizer for the Cast in Steel competition and Casting Dreams, an opportunity for high school students, to encourage young people to come into our industry.

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

that thing between my teeth is my foot Exhibit - Michigan Tech Art

Thursday, October 17, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. | Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Rozsa Art Galleries A-Space

MICHIGAN TECH ART SERIES EVENT Douglas Degges is presenting two parallel artistic explorations in the Rozsa A-Space Gallery. Since the fall of 2019, Degges has been creating a series of intriguing abstract paintings based on cell phone photos from his family in Louisiana in a group text. This project explores shared visual experiences and affirms the concept of home as immaterial and held within oneself. Alongside these paintings are a series of abstract sculptures that Degges collaborated on with his wonderful canine companion, Cricket. Douglas Degges is an active contemporary artist and Assistant Professor of Art in Painting & Drawing at the University of Connecticut. Read more about the event in The Lode. CONTENT GUIDANCE | none Things to know ROZSA ART GALLERIES HOURS | M-F 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Sa 1 p.m. - 8 p.m. EXHIBIT DATES | September 13-November 2 ADMISSION| Free for all Plan your visit with information about parking, accessibility, and more. Contact the Rozsa Box Office with any questions about this event via phone at 906-487-1906, or by email at rozsa@mtu.edu. View current Box Office Hours. Related Events Reception for that thing between my teeth is my foot…

Professional Development Day

Thursday, October 17, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom

Professional Development Day is a day of opportunities provided for faculty and staff to improve their skills and knowledge through training sessions. The sessions will be led by Michigan Tech faculty and staff and provide development in a learning-centered peer-to-peer environment. View Professional Development Day sessions and register! Agenda 8:30 a.m. - Registration / Coffee 9 a.m. - Session Block 1 9:45 a.m. - Break 10 a.m. - Session Block 2 10:45 a.m. - Break 11 a.m. - Session Block 3 12 p.m. - Lunch—Bring your own or buy a ticket ($12) 12:30 p.m. - Keynote Presentation—Eric Waara, Houghton City Manager 1:15 p.m. - Session Block 4 2:00 p.m. - Break 2:15 p.m. - Session Block 5 3 p.m. - Break 3:15 p.m. - Closing Remarks—Rick Koubek, Michigan Tech President About Staff Council Staff Council is committed to supporting Michigan Tech's educational programs and enhancing the working environment for all staff members. Our mission is to assist the University in recognizing the outstanding performance and ongoing dedicated service of our staff. We strive to maximize the use of staff talents and resources, while also developing and strengthening their skills and professionalism…

Crescendo Workshop with Ranen McLanahan

Thursday, October 17, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, 208

Join the Center for Teaching and Learning for the following opportunity: https://mtu.libcal.com/event/12997851 Join us in welcoming Ranen McLanahan, an engineering faculty member at UW-Platteville and Program Director for the Kern Family Foundation. In just a few hours, participants will progress through several different sessions to develop and share innovative teaching strategies. The sessions are designed around KEEN's 3C's framework which is focused on sparking curiosity in students, building meaningful connections between course material, and creating value by applying concepts to real-world applications. Whether you’re an experienced instructor or new to teaching, this session will equip you with practical tools to elevate your classroom experience. Registration is required.

San Francisco Alumni Social

Thursday, October 17, 4 p.m.–7 p.m. | Hi Dive

NEW LOCATION: The alumni social will be held at Hi Dive located at 28 Pier in San Francisco. Attention Bay Area Huskies! Join Dennis Livesay, dean of the College of Computing, along with volunteer host Anna Jacobi '95, for an alumni social on Thursday, October 17, at Hi Dive from 4-7 p.m. Hi Dive is located at 28 Pier, San Francisco, CA 94105. Feel free to stop by as your schedule allows and hear firsthand about the exciting happenings in the College of Computing and at Tech overall. Enjoy a variety of delicious appetizers, courtesy of the Alumni Engagement Office, while networking and reconnecting with fellow Michigan Tech alumni and friends. Beverages will be available for individual purchase. Alumni and friends will also have the opportunity to take home some MTU-branded swag! There is no cost to attend but please RSVP in advance to ensure we have an accurate headcount.

Python Workshop

Thursday, October 17, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Rekhi 113

A free, in person, python workshop for beginners!

Leading Scholar Information Session

Thursday, October 17, 6 p.m.–7 p.m.

Learn more about the Leading Scholar Award! We will go over the application process, award value, and more.

Worship Ambiance

Thursday, October 17, 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m. | Wadsworth Hall

Experience the atmosphere of worship, our bi-weekly gathering for believers and those who yearn to have a deeper relationship with God, deepening their understanding of Jesus and His finished works on the cross. Join us for evenings of songs, prayer, and Bible study as we keep embracing our identity in Christ.