June 24, 2025

In a time of increasing climate variability, Michigan Tech researcher Pengfei Xue (CEGE/GLRC) and graduate student Miraj B. Kayastha have developed regional Earth system models to better understand and predict extreme weather and environmental change. Their groundbreaking work has been honored with the University’s 2025 Bhakta Rath Research Award.

Xue and Kayastha have centered their research on the Great Lakes as a crucial part of the ever-expanding puzzle of regional climate variability and prediction. Their advanced computational models take an interconnected, holistic approach to provide more reliable and timely insights for scientists, policymakers and stakeholders working in fields such as infrastructure and transportation networks, drinking water supply, energy production, natural resource management and beyond.

“Our research contributes a significant advancement in projecting future conditions for the North American Great Lakes, offering critical insights for managing water resources and guiding long-term urban planning and climate resilience efforts,” said Kayastha, who graduated with his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering this spring.

Find out how Xue and Kayastha's research is meeting the future needs of the nation at Michigan Tech News.

Patrick Pinhero has been named chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE) in Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering, effective July 1.

Previous to his role at Tech, Pinhero was a professor of chemical engineering in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at the University of Missouri for 18 years. He also served as department chair and co-chair, as well as the director of research, for the University of Missouri's nuclear engineering program. His research interests are focused on using material interfaces to understand, control and regulate chemical processes.

Read more about Pinhero's new role at the College of Engineering Blog.

Wayne W. Weaver has been named interim chair for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in Michigan Tech’s College of Engineering, effective July 1. Weaver will lead the department for the 2025-26 academic year.

Weaver is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and an ECE-affiliated faculty member. He served as the associate chair and director of graduate studies for the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Weaver teaches courses on topics of propulsion systems for hybrid electric vehicles and linear systems theory and design.

Read more about Weaver's new role at the College of Engineering Blog.

As we approach the fiscal year-end, Financial Services and Operations (FSO) asks the Michigan Tech community to please take note of the 2025 Fiscal Year-End Closing Schedule PDF for PCard transactions. Adhering to these deadlines is crucial for a smooth closeout.

All FY25 PCard transactions with a posting date of June 30 or earlier must be submitted and fully approved in Concur by Wednesday, July 9.

• Travel Expenses: If you have PCard travel expenses (like airline tickets or lodging deposits) incurred before year-end, but for travel that extends past June 30, submit these on a separate Travel Expense Report before the fiscal year-end.
  • Once your travel is complete, you may then submit a second report, including any out-of-pocket expenses.
  • This is the only exception to our usual one-report-per-trip policy.
  • To view where your report is in the approval workflow, open your report and click on Report Details - Approval Flow.
    
    
• Clarifying Travel Expenses ("Your Travel" vs. "Another's Travel"):
  • Your Travel: All travel expenses (including PCard and out-of-pocket) for your own travel should be added to your Travel Expense Report in Concur.
  • Another's Travel: If you used your PCard to pay for another individual's business travel expenses, these should be added to your monthly PCard Report for the month the expenses were incurred. In the Business Purpose field, clearly state who, where, when, and why the expense was incurred.
    
    
• For Concur Approvers: Please ensure all reports are thoroughly reviewed and approved by Wednesday, July 9, before 6 p.m.

Questions and Resources:

• For questions related to Concur or travel, email concur@mtu.edu.
• For PCard-specific questions, email pcard@mtu.edu.
• PCard Policy
• PCard Procedures

MTU Dining Services would like to remind the campus community about our new process for requesting residential meals on campus. This includes meals that are added to existing Husky ID cards or a paper ticket for visitors. Forms can be found on the Husky Eats website.

Group Meal Card/ID Order Form
If you are planning to host a group in the dining halls, you would use the Dining Hall Meal Passes Group ID Order Form.

Meals requested through this form can be added one of two ways:

• Add meals directly to existing Husky ID cards by uploading a list of names and M#’s. This is helpful when you have a group of students who need the option to eat meals at unscheduled times (for example, student-athletes, SYP staff, RAs or OTLs). To use this form to request meal passes, all participants need to have an active Husky ID.
• Add meals to a Department Dining Card for staff from your department to use as needed (IT charges a $10 fee to cover the cost of a new card or provide an existing card number to reload meals). This is a great option for faculty and staff to use for team meals or when a guest is joining you for a meal.

Visitor Group Order Form
If you are hosting a group of 10 or more in the dining halls for a meal, please use the Dining Hall Meal Passes Visitor Group Order Form at least two weeks in advance of your event to request the proper number of meal passes for your group.

These meal passes will be a physical paper ticket for attendees to use for access to the dining hall. Once the form is completed, your request will be processed by University Marketing and Communications, who will design and print the passes specific to your event. Passes can be delivered by campus mail or picked up from the University print shop. If a visit is scheduled with less than two weeks' notice, please contact Dining Services at huskyeats@mtu.edu to discuss your specific situation.

Additionally, residential dining hall meal passes may be purchased at the door with a credit card (cash not accepted and University Purchasing Cards are prohibited). lf you have any questions or special requests around residential meal passes, please email huskyeats@mtu.edu.

Retail Meal Tickets
If you would like to order campus retail meal tickets for a group, this is also an option. Please contact our team directly at huskyeats@mtu.edu to coordinate the details of the paper ticket and allow at least two weeks for printing.

Michigan Tech is offering a virtual workshop to help researchers develop compelling Broader Impacts components for National Science Foundation (NSF) proposals. Broader Impacts is one of the NSF merit criteria for all NSF proposals; however, many agencies and foundations require submitters to articulate societal benefit.

Researchers are invited to participate virtually on July 16 from 3-4 p.m.

This 60-minute, interactive Zoom session is a repeat of the May 22 in-person workshop. It will cover the same content in a virtual setting for those who were unable to attend the in-person workshop. A portion of this workshop will be recorded; the breakout rooms portion will not be recorded.

During this virtual session, the Research Development team will guide you through understanding NSF's expectations for Broader Impacts and how this translates into other agency and foundation proposals.

We’ll also use a “share together, share out” approach in Zoom breakout rooms for the following conversations:

• Sharing successful approaches from past projects
• Reframing your existing approaches to highlight societal impact
• Brainstorming innovative Broader Impacts ideas

Please RSVP to this workshop by responding “yes” or “no” to the Google Calendar invite sent to campus researchers by Research Development.

Didn't receive a calendar invite? Email rd-l@mtu.edu to participate.

The Daily Mining Gazette quoted Joel Neves (VPA) in a story about the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra’s search for new members. Neves, the music director for KSO, discussed the orchestra’s upcoming 25th anniversary season and the need for additional musicians, particularly in the strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion and harp sections.

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The Village Voice mentioned Kristin Brzeski (CFRES) in a story about functional de-extinction and its potential to revolutionize conservation genetics. Brzeski discussed the application of genetic interventions for species preservation focusing on her research with Gulf Coast canids.

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Great Lakes Echo quoted Jenny Apriesnig (COB) in a story about a study on the potential of aquaculture to boost local communities, economies, and food security. The study, led by Apriesnig and Michigan State University Extension educator Lauren Stigers, highlights the positive economic impacts aquaculture jobs could generate, particularly in rural Michigan counties. 

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The Daily Mining Gazette quoted Jim Tolan (CFRES) in a story about Alberta Fest, an annual celebration at Alberta Village, located at Michigan Tech’s Ford Center and Forest. Tolan discussed the village's historical significance and its current role as a research field station. Alberta Fest will take place on Saturday, June 28, and is open to the public.

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My UP Now mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about the TRIO Upward Bound program, which is partnering with Breakwater Federal Credit Union to teach U.P. high school students valuable financial skills. The program includes hands-on activities like budgeting and smart spending lessons.

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

Football Big Man Camp

Tuesday, June 24, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multi-Purpose room and

Michigan Tech's Huskies Big Man Football Camp's philosophy is to provide solid fundamental instruction in all aspects of offensive and defensive line play. This is a helmet and shoulder pads camp. We will also have a competitive testing and drill session during this camp. The Big Man camp is designed for students in grades 9 through 12 (Fall 2025). High school graduates are not permitted to enroll. ALL MHSAA guidelines and rules for sports camps and clinics will be observed. Lunch will be provided.

Girls' Basketball : Summer Middle School Development Camp

Tuesday, June 24, 10–11 a.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Multi-Purpose

What could be better than three days spent learning basketball moves from one of the top women’s college basketball coaches in the country and getting to play in the SDC Varsity Gym and Multipurpose Room? Our girls’ basketball Development camp is what comes after the basics; you’ll learn ways to improve your game, both as an individual and in a team, and put your skills to the test in games and competitions.