June 4, 2025

The Office of Continuous Improvement (OCI) invites you to join us for the presentation “Reading the Room: Understanding Nonverbal Communications to Lead Better Meetings” on June 16 from 10:30-11:20 a.m. in MUB Ballroom A1.

The talk will be presented by Ruth Archer, director of continuous improvement at Michigan Tech. Please register if you plan to attend to help us prepare the space for the event.

Effective meeting leaders understand that communication is so much more than the words we say. By tuning in to the room's nonverbal language — the nods of understanding, the forward lean of genuine interest, and the subtle cues that signal when someone has a contribution to make — you can unlock insights that transform how you lead discussions. Learning to read these silent signals in real time may enable you to recognize when your message is truly connecting, draw out valuable insights that might otherwise go unshared, see when obstacles may be arising, and foster an environment where meaningful collaboration thrives.

Archer first delivered this presentation at the Lean Solutions Global Summit in September 2024.

OCI services include facilitation, consulting, coaching and thought partnership to support your office or service process improvement efforts. Email us at improvement@mtu.edu or submit our Request a Process Improvement form on our website.

Michigan Tech’s Safety Team — Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and the Office of Risk, Insurance, Safety, Security, and Compliance (RISSC) — will be hosting our next monthly Safety Round Table: a place for all Huskies to share a cup of coffee and learn about the importance of campus health and safety.

We invite you to join us today, June 4, from 9-10 a.m. in MUB Ballroom B.

Topic: This month, join the Safety Crew to discuss campus and lab safety across campus. What are your concerns for safety this summer and looking ahead to the fall semester? The Safety Crew will be here to answer questions ranging from fire safety and lab safety to accident reporting, reporting near misses and Safety Skills.

So mark your calendars! Come ask the questions you have always wanted to ask and get the answers you need about Michigan Tech Safety programs, legal compliance issues and additional resources…and have a cup of Joe with the Safety Crew!

Lori Sullivan (BioSci) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $6,028 other sponsored activities grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).

The project is titled "Nursing Summer Camp."

Trista Vick-Majors (BioSci) traveled to Washington, D.C., to address the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense as part of the commission's first-ever meeting on astrobiodefense.

Vick-Majors spoke to the commission about how knowledge about microbial life impacts forward (to other planetary bodies) and backward (from other planetary bodies) contamination as humans increase capacity for space exploration.

The commission was established in 2014 to provide a comprehensive assessment on the state of U.S. biodefense and to issue recommendations that will foster change.

Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) was mentioned on the June 2 episode of The MeatEater Podcast, which discussed topics related to wolves, including the similarities between grey wolves and dire wolves, genetic rescue efforts, and the broader biodiversity crisis.

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Travis White (GLRC) was quoted by WLUC TV6 and 9&10 News in stories about the ongoing search for a National Center for Atmospheric Research plane that went missing in 1968 in Lake Superior. The search, part of the Lakebed 2030 Initiative, uses advanced sonar and remote-operated vehicles to explore a 21-square-mile section of the lakebed, aiming to locate the missing aircraft.

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My UP Now mentioned Michigan Tech alum Karmyn (Polakowski) Vickery ’21 (B.S. Medical Laboratory Science) in a story about Vickery and her two sisters all becoming doctors. Vickery is currently a pediatric resident at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. All three sisters plan to eventually return to the Upper Peninsula.

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NSF CAREER Writing Group

Wednesday, June 4, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, Conference Room 103

Join us in person in Library 103 or virtually over Zoom to work on elements of the NSF CAREER proposal. We will run these weekly meetings as writing sprints to support your productivity. The general timeline will be: Check-in (5-10 min): Share what you will focus on in the sprint.Focus (45 min): Find a state of flow. A facilitator will run a timer so you can ignore the clockCheck-out (5-10 min): Share your wins, stretch, move, and discuss.