April 9, 2025

A survey of 2024 Michigan Tech graduates showed that 94.6% of alumni reported successful career outcomes within six months of graduation, an all-time high for the University. The vast majority either found employment or advanced to graduate school, while others were serving in the military or had chosen to pursue volunteer opportunities.

The record 94.6% placement rate was calculated using survey data collected by Michigan Tech Career Services according to guidelines from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The rate shows both how exceptional Michigan Tech students are and how much employers value the quality of a Michigan Tech degree, said Cody Kangas, executive director of Career Services.

“The Career Services office engages with students on day one of their journey here at Michigan Tech, and we prioritize meaningful employer partnerships,” said Kangas. “We couldn’t do what we do without support from our incredible faculty and alumni, who consistently come back to campus in large numbers to help the next generation of Huskies prepare for jobs.”

Read more at Michigan Tech News.

The Michigan Tech community has come together in an extraordinary show of generosity, and we are truly grateful for each and every contribution made during our 24-hour giving challenge so far. As the clock ticks closer to noon, we want to remind you that Give Back to the Pack 2025 ends at 12 p.m. ET today, April 9.

If you haven't had a chance to make your gift yet, there's still time to join us in making a difference. Visit giveback.mtu.edu before noon today!

Thank you to everyone who has participated in Give Back to the Pack. We appreciate your support.

The Michigan Tech student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers will host the Eastern Great Lakes ASCE Student Symposium on campus starting tomorrow, April 10, through Saturday, April 12. Across these three days, Michigan Tech will join more than 15 other schools from Michigan and Ohio to compete in ASCE competitions including Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge, Timber Strong and more.

ASCE will welcome over 400 competitors and supporters for the symposium, with events taking place across Michigan Tech's campus and the Houghton community in this student-run event. Campus and community members are encouraged to attend and support our engineering Huskies!

For more information on the competitions and a detailed schedule, visit the event website hosted by MTU's Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering.

Michigan Tech has updated our email security system and multi-factor authentication requirements to better protect University accounts and data. The updates described below went into effect yesterday, April 8.

Students, faculty and staff will notice the following email security updates:

• Smart Banners will appear on some emails to flag external or potentially risky content.
• [QUARANTINE] Messages: Suspicious emails will be held in quarantine instead of going to your inbox.
  • Daily Quarantine Digests (sent at 7 a.m. and/or 3 p.m.) will list any quarantined emails so you can review and release legitimate messages.
  • False Positives are possible — check your digest regularly to avoid missing important messages.

Faculty and staff must now use one of the following multi-factor authentication requirements to access your account and University systems:

• Duo Verified Push via the Duo Mobile app
• Security Key (YubiKey) — Available free from the Technical Assistance Center (TAC), located on the first floor of the Van Pelt and Opie Library near the main entrance.

Security Reminders:
Michigan Tech will never email you and ask for your username and password. Be wary of emails offering easy money or job opportunities, or alerting you about "urgent" account issues or illness exposures. Never click on links or download attachments from unknown senders.

If you have any questions about these changes, we can help. Email IT at it-help@mtu.edu or call 906-487-1111.

This is the fourth entry in an eight-part series celebrating the Enterprise Program's inaugural Enterprise Distinguished Service Awards.

Our fourth award profile highlights the contributions of Jason Blough.

Blough is the chair of and a distinguished professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He has advised the SAE Clean Snowmobile Enterprise since 2006.

“Prior to joining the mechanical engineering department, I worked at the Keweenaw Research Center for about five years,” Blough recalls. “I ran a noise and vibrations group, and one of the projects I worked on while I was there was helping to redevelop and understand the noise testing procedures for snowmobiles.”

Read more on the Enterprise Blog.

About the Awards
Created in celebration of the Enterprise Program's 25 years at Michigan Tech, the Enterprise Distinguished Service Awards recognize the dedication and exceptional contributions of advisors and champions who have played pivotal roles in shaping the program’s success.

The inaugural recipients are Brett Hamlin (EF), Glen Archer (ECE), Rick Berkey (MTGC), Jason Blough (MAE), Brad King (MAE), Robert Pastel (CS/PsyHF), Tony Rogers (ChE) and Christopher “Kit” Cischke (ECE).

Each of the award winners has more than 15 years of service within Enterprise, dedicating their time and expertise to guide teams, ensure student success and advance the program’s discovery-based learning mission, as well as foster industry collaborations and strengthen the bridge between academia and industry.

A research article authored by a team from the Department of Chemistry led by Tatyana Karabencheva-Christova, which was published in Chemical Science in February 2024, has been selected for inclusion in both the journal’s most popular 2024 chemical biology articles collection and its most popular 2024 inorganic chemistry articles collection.

The article is titled “Unusual catalytic strategy by non-heme Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent aspartyl hydroxylase AspH.”

The article's publication was announced in Tech Today on Feb. 6, 2024.

The next Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Graduate Seminar speaker will present at 2 p.m. tomorrow, April 10, in EERC 103.

Alden Adolph will present "How Snow Optics and Thermodynamics Can Inform Climate Modeling."

Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and holding passions for her family, athletics and cross-country skiing, Adolph received a B.A. and B.E. from Dartmouth College in engineering sciences with a concentration in mechanical engineering. She further went on to earn her Ph.D. from the same institution in 2017. Prior to working at MTU, Adolph was an associate professor at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

Adolph's current research program is being supported by an NSF CAREER Award. Her past studies have focused on gas transport in snow, snow optics and thermodynamics using a variety of tools such as field observations, controlled experiments, modeling and remote sensing. Her credentials further expand over a decade of fieldwork in seasonal snow and participation in three field research campaigns to the Greenland Ice Sheet.

The next guest speaker in the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BioMed) Seminar Series will present on Friday, April 11, at 3 p.m. in Chem Sci 104 and virtually via Zoom.

Join the BioMed Seminar on Zoom.

Joshua Schultz from the University of Tulsa will present "Walking is really hard, so let's just do this instead: Navigating a course between the Scylla of abstraction and the Charybdis of embodiment."

Read Schultz's abstract and bio at the University Events Calendar.

The following Atmospheric Sciences (ATM) graduate students will be presenting their research progress at an ATM Colloquium:

• Zaid Bakri (advised by Claudio Mazzoleni)

• Swafuva Varappillikudy Sulaiman (advised by Will Cantrell)

This will be an in-person event. The students will give their talks at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 14, in Fisher 125.

Read the students’ presentation titles and abstracts at the University Events Calendar.

Job Posting for Wednesday, April 9, 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.

Department Coordinator, ​M​aterials Science and Engineering. 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.

A multidisciplinary team of Michigan Tech researchers have published a paper in ACS Applied Bio Materials.

The paper, titled "Deep-Red Cyanine-Based Fluorescent Probes with 6-Quinolinium Acceptors for Mitochondrial NAD(P)H Imaging in Live Cells and Human Diseased Kidney Tissues," is described as a significant advancement in mitochondrial imaging.

The research was led by Ph.D. students Dilka Liyana Arachchige, Peter Agyemang, Henry Lanquaye and master’s student Joseph Peters, alongside undergraduate students Grace Rickauer, Ashlyn Colleen Beatty and Matthew Plansinis. They were joined by research scientist Sushil K. Dwivedi and a team of faculty members, including Assistant Professor Yan Zhang (BioSci) and Professors Athar Ata (Chem), Thomas Werner (BioSci) and Haiying Liu (Chem).

The study focuses on developing innovative deep-red fluorescent probes that are capable of imaging mitochondrial NAD(P)H in live cells and human kidney tissues, particularly those affected by polycystic kidney disease (PKD). This research contributes to a deeper understanding of mitochondrial dynamics and offers potential new tools for studying human diseases at the cellular level.

Further, due to its presentation of figures, schemes and experimental procedure illustrations, the paper has received an unusual number of downloads. As a result, it has earned one Altmetric point, according to the ACS journal website.

The success of the study was made possible thanks to generous funding from various prestigious organizations. Work by Zhang received significant support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the PKD Foundation. The Kansas PKD Research and Translation Core Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center and the Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Resource Consortium also provided invaluable kidney tissue samples, which were critical for this research.

Additionally, Liu’s contributions were supported by multiple grants (2R15GM114751, R15GM114751, and R15GM146206-01) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which funded crucial aspects of the study. The National Science Foundation (NSF) also played a pivotal role by supporting the acquisition of an NMR spectrometer, essential for the structural analysis of the fluorescent sensors used in the study.

The research team would also like to acknowledge the Robert and Kathleen Lane Endowed Fellowship, awarded to Arachchige, whose support helped advance the project.

With these vital contributions from funding bodies, the research team has paved the way for further breakthroughs in mitochondrial imaging, advancing the understanding of kidney diseases and the development of potential therapeutic approaches.

Business Wire, Kalamazoo's 107.7 WRKR-FM and 15 additional news outlets mentioned Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) in stories about Colossal Biosciences’ work to revive extinct species. The stories focused on Colossal's successful efforts to bring back the dire wolf using genetic engineering. The methods could also contribute to efforts aimed at saving endangered species like the red wolf.

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Great Lakes Echo quoted Jared Wolfe (CFRES) in a story about the reliance of rural and Indigenous communities on forests for food, medicine, and cultural values. Wolfe discussed Michigan’s forest management practices, highlighting the importance of integrating traditional Indigenous knowledge to create more sustainable forest resource management strategies.

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The Keweenaw Report mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the 2025 Eastern Great Lakes ASCE Student Symposium, taking place April 10-12 at MTU. The symposium will feature 16 universities competing in hands-on civil and environmental engineering challenges, including concrete canoe races and a steel bridge competition.

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The Air Force Research Laboratory mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the 16th annual Aerospace Propulsion Outreach Program (APOP) conference. The event will showcase engineering students from participating universities, including Techm presenting innovative aerospace propulsion designs. 

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WSAW-TV 7 in Wausau, Wisconsin, mentioned Michigan Tech’s Mind Trekkers in a story about the return of STEM Fest at Northcentral Technical College. The event will feature interactive STEM activities, with Mind Trekkers leading hands-on experiments designed to inspire curiosity and showcase real-world applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

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WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about snowfall in the western Lower Peninsula, noting that MTU experienced steady snow accumulation during a spring storm. The article discussed snow coverage in the Upper Peninsula.

Heroes Don't Wear Capes – They Donate Blood!

One person alone can save up to three lives in only one hour just by donating blood! The Society of Medical Laboratory Scientists (SMLS) is hosting a blood drive on Friday, April 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Wadsworth G17/19W with UP Health System.

All blood stays local, so you're saving lives directly in the U.P. Last semester, we collected 60 bags of blood, which is a lot more than we've seen in a long time. Let's keep this trend going and help out our community!

Before donating, you will complete a mini-physical and donor history questionnaire. If you donated through the American Red Cross in February, you are eligible to donate again at our blood drive.

Grab your buddies and see who can donate the quickest. Don't forget to drink plenty of water and eat a snack beforehand. Appointments are prioritized using the link below, but walk-ins are welcome, too!

Please spread the word. Contact Marissa Ritter at mjritter@mtu.edu with any questions.

Sign Up to Donate Blood.

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CISR Research Discussion

Please join the Center for Innovation in Sustainability and Resilience (CISR) for the CISR Research Discussion: "From the lab to the world" on Friday, April 11, at noon in person in Library 103 or virtually via Zoom.

Join the CISR Research Discussion on Zoom.

In this CISR research talk, four researchers from across campus will share their experiences on sustainability research in the lab or with models on basic and fundamental science.

Panelists:

• Kathryn A. Perrine, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
• Trisha Sain, Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Sriram Malladi, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Bo Xiao, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering

Perrine will discuss surface science, chemical mechanisms and the need for vacuum science. She will also address how fundamental studies can uncover materials properties in energy and environment challenges with regard to CO2 capture, water quality and surface chemistry of corrosion.

Sain will share more on her work on “Vitrimer-A Class of Recyclable Epoxy: Is it a suitable alternative to conventional thermosets?” Studying the degradability and long-term aging behavior of a class of recyclable epoxy to understand its structural viability as an alternative to conventional thermosets involves a wide range of experiments and the development of a numeric-theoretic approach to unravel how mechanics, chemistry and environment might play roles in deciding the sustainability of this material as a green alternative in the future.

Malladi will share his work on developing a sustainable, noise-free environment using local resonator-based metastructures by designing structures that effectively absorb ambient vibrations from structural elements. By integrating piezoceramic materials, these metastructures not only mitigate vibrations but also convert the harvested mechanical energy into electrical energy. This innovative approach has the potential to enhance energy efficiency in various applications, such as self-powered sensors, structural health monitoring and smart infrastructure systems.

Xiao will share his work on “A digital twinning platform for building wildfire resilience retrofits.” U.S. existing buildings are vulnerable to wildfire events and reducing or eliminating this vulnerability is critical for meeting national health goals. Recent work by Xiao's team focuses on investigating the environmental (i.e., carbon) and health (i.e., social) impacts of building wildfire resilience retrofits using digital twin-based modeling framework as well as determining the benefits and burdens of building wildfire retrofits under future climate scenarios.

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This Week's C-Cubed Luncheon Menu

Carved and Crafted Catering at Michigan Technological University invites faculty, staff, and their guests to the C-Cubed Luncheon, held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Thursday in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (MUB 107).

Menu for Thursday, April 10:

• Barbecue Beef Brisket
• Chimichurri Charred Cauliflower (VG) (AG)
• Macaroni & Cheese (V) (PR)
• Coleslaw (V) (AG)
• Cookie Platter (V)

The C-Cubed lunch buffet menus are created and prepared by Chef Luis Delgado and his 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 and tea are available free to all attendees. All vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free items on the buffet are labeled for easy identification. Meals are for dine-in only, and personal containers and to-go meals are not permitted.

The buffet lunch is $15.50 per person. Cash, credit cards and gift cards are accepted. Gift cards can be purchased in the Memorial Union Office (MUB 101).

You can submit C-Cubed feedback using C-Cubed Survey/Comments form. To join the C-Cubed Luncheon Email List and receive weekly menus, please complete the sign-up form.

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

Master's Defense: Jacob Chizek

Wednesday, April 9, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. | R. L. Smith Building (MEEM), 208

Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Ana Dyreson Measuring Occupant Controlled Ventilation and Cooking Frequency to aid in Modeling Energy Performance of Northern Michigan Homes Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/88396933614

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PhD Defense: Jehyun Lee

Wednesday, April 9, 12 p.m.–1 p.m. | R. L. Smith Building (MEEM), 405

Mathematical Sciences Advisor: Melissa Keranen On Graph Decompositions: Exploring the Stars and Stripes Problem With Odd n-Stars

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Master's Defense: Sophia Jaeger

Wednesday, April 9, 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m. | ROTC Building, 101

Chemistry Advisor: Haiying Liu Development of Near-Infrare Probe for the detection o f NADH and NAD(P)H in live cells and D-Melanogaster lar vae Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/84503535516

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PhD Defense: Aaron Wildenborg

Wednesday, April 9, 1 p.m.–2 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), B001

Applied Physics Advisor: Jae Yong Suh From Plasmonics to Superfluorescence: Engineering Light-Matter Interactions for Quantum Optical Phenomena Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/4939934605?omn=84139151944

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Master's Defense: Erin Browne

Wednesday, April 9, 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | Dow Environmental Sciences and Engineering Building, 875

Environmental Engineering Advisor: Robert Handler LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT AND LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS OF A FLOATING TREATMENT WETLAND IN A WASTEWATER LAGOON LOCATED IN COPPER HARBOR, MICHIGAN Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/85281119065

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Master's Defense: Joseph Peters

Wednesday, April 9, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Grover C. Dillman Hall, 320

Chemistry Advisor: Haiying Liu NEAR-INFRARED HEMICYANINE AND BODIPY SENSORS FOR MONITORING MITOCHONDRIAL VISCOSITY IN LIVE CANCER CELLS, DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER LARVAE, AND ADPKD KIDNEY TISSUE Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/89527201029

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PhD Defense: Kazeem Abiodun Kareem

Wednesday, April 9, 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 133

Statistics Advisor: Fan Dai Hybrid Mixtures of Factor Analyzers for High Dimensional Data Attend Virtually: https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/4098870594?omn=87636013494

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Spring 2025: Girls' Basketball Little Huskies

Wednesday, April 9, 4 p.m.–6 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multipurpose Room, Varsity Gym

This camp is open to girls in grades 2 through 5. Learning skills, working in a team, and having fun: that’s Michigan Tech’s Little Huskies girls’ basketball camp. It’s a great introduction to the sport for young, budding basketball players held in the SDC Varsity Gym and Multipurpose Room. Students learn fundamental skills for team play and individual skills like ball-handling, shooting, defense, and more—all from coaches and instructors who are renowned in their field.

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SoundGirls General Meeting!

Wednesday, April 9, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Walker 210

Join us in Walker 210 at 5pm every Wednesday for our general meeting!

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Weekly Meeting

Wednesday, April 9, 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Fourth Floor of the MEEM

We meet on the fourth floor of the MEEM to discuss plans for the week and work on on going projects. All are welcome to attend.

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How can I be Saved?

Wednesday, April 9, 6 p.m.–7 p.m. | 1st Floor, Opie Van Pelt Library

A bible study geared towards the salvific work of Christ on the Cross

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Michigan Tech Parent and Family Panel

Wednesday, April 9, 7:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Join us to meet parents of our current Huskies! They'll tell you about their student's experiences at Michigan Tech and how to navigate the whole process as a parent.