December 4, 2025

Grades for Michigan Tech's fall semester 2025 (including Track B) are due by 8 a.m. on Dec. 16, the Tuesday after Midyear Commencement.

Any grades not turned in by the deadline will have an “M” (missing) grade assigned, which becomes the official course grade for the student. A grade change is required for each student when replacing the “M” grade and should be made online through the Faculty Grading Self Service card in Experience. All “M” grades should be replaced with final grades within 30 days of the end of the semester.

Electronic Grade Submission:
Electronic grade submission to Banner will open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Begin by logging in to Experience and finding the Faculty Grading Self Service card.

• Instructors have two options for grades submission. Select either Faculty Self Service Grade Submission or Course Tools for the Canvas Grade Wizard.

• When submitting an “F” grade, the last date of the student's attendance is required. The date is a best estimate based on the last class attendance, last exam/quiz taken or homework assignment turned in.

• When submitting an “I” grade, the reason for giving the incomplete grade is required in addition to the requirements needed to change the “I” to a final grade. 

• Faculty will be prompted for the date/comments when entering these grades in Faculty Self Service and at the time grades are transferred to Banner if using Canvas.

Posting Grades:
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits the posting of grades using a student's name, Social Security number or any part thereof, or MTU ID number or any part thereof. Grades may be posted with an identifying number agreed to and known only by the student and faculty member.

Grade Submission Help:
For help with grade submission, your Canvas Course, or using the Canvas Learning Management System, contact eLearning in the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) during regular business hours (10 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m., Monday-Friday). You can also submit an IT Support Ticket.

Resources and Contact Info:

• Web: CTL Instructional Resources for Canvas
• Email: elearning@mtu.edu
• Phone: 906-487-3000

Attention all faculty and staff: There is still time to nominate deserving alumni for Michigan Tech's 2026 Alumni Awards! 

Since the establishment of the first alumni award in 1969, a very important role for our Alumni Board of Directors is recognizing our extraordinary alumni through the Alumni Awards program. You can help identify outstanding alumni and friends for the five distinct awards that will be celebrated during the Awards Ceremony over Alumni Reunion 2026. 

We are accepting nominations in the following categories:

• Honorary Alumni — Strongest non-alumni supporters of Michigan Tech.

• Outstanding Service — Significant contributions to the success of the Alumni Board of Directors and/or the University.

• Humanitarian — Volunteer leadership or service that has improved or enriched the lives of others and the welfare of humanity.

• Outstanding Young Alumni — Distinguished in their career before the age of 35.

• Distinguished Alumni — Outstanding contributions both in their career and to Michigan Tech.

Nominations will be accepted until Dec. 15. Thank you in advance for helping us recognize our amazing alumni.

The Commencement Team is still seeking volunteers for Michigan Tech's Midyear Commencement ceremony on Dec. 13. We need volunteers to serve as greeters, to coordinate graduate check-in, assist guests with special seating accommodations, and assist with bag checks and ticketing. As this is only an undergraduate commencement ceremony, it should be relatively short! More information regarding the ceremonies may be found on the Commencement website. 

Please sign up by tomorrow, Dec. 5, if you would like to volunteer. Contact Tiffany Jaeger at tiffanyj@mtu.edu if you have any questions.

This special event cannot happen without the help of our amazing Michigan Tech community!

Congratulations to the GSG 2025 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) winners!

• First Place ($600): Jester Itliong (physics)
• Second Place ($400): Kamand Sedaghatnia (chemistry)
• People's Choice ($200): Blessing Ozah (chemical engineering)

A special congratulations to Jester Itiliong, who will represent Michigan Technological Unveristy at the regional 3MT competition.

Thank you to all contestants for your enthusiasm, dedication and outstanding presentations in the 2025 3MT competition. Your work showcased the remarkable depth and diversity of research within our community. It was truly inspiring to witness the innovation and creativity each of you brought to the stage.

Houghton TubaChristmas will perform a concert in the lobby of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts this Sunday, Dec. 7, from 6-7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Blizzard T. Husky will make a guest appearance before the concert. 

Musicians will gather at 4 p.m. in the Rozsa Lobby for rehearsal. We welcome tuba and euphonium players of all ages and skill levels to join us. A $15 registration fee covers the cost of participation and a commemorative pin for the participant. We always encourage musicians to use their creativity to festively dress and decorate their instruments. Most commonly used are battery lights, holiday garland and ribbon.

Questions can be directed to the Houghton TubaChristmas coordinator at aujordan@mtu.edu.

About Houghton TubaChristmas:
Houghton TubaChristmas is part of a global celebration now in its 51st year. Created by Harvey Phillips in 1974, TubaChristmas honors the legacy of legendary tubist William J. Bell and celebrates the warm, rich tones of the tuba and euphonium. Performers aged 8-92 join together in cities worldwide to bring the sounds of the season to life.

For those who missed out on or would like to review last month’s Digital Measures at Michigan Tech (DM) sessions on reporting options, the recordings of those sessions are now available. These sessions are a great resource for assistants, helpers, faculty and unit leaders who need to access DM data in various ways.

• Basic Reporting Session — This session, targeted toward unit leaders and their support staff, will best serve individuals who have little or no experience with DM. Topics to be covered include logging in, navigating the site, running Faculty Activity Reports (FARs), understanding FARs, and basics on how to assist faculty.

• Advanced Reporting Session — This session, targeted toward faculty, unit leaders and their support staff, will best serve individuals who would like to learn more about reporting capabilities in DM. The main focus of the session will be exporting and handling bulk data on an individual and unitwide basis. Even if you might not be performing these tasks yourself, the session would still be useful to understand the available reporting options. 

Please contact the DM administrator at dm-admin@mtu.edu if you have any questions.

Han-Jun Wang, the Margaret Larson Endowed Professor and vice chair of research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will present as part of the Biological Sciences (BioSci) Seminar Series today, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m. in GLRC 202.

Wang's presentation is titled "Neural Mechanisms underlying Cardiac Dysfunction and Cardiac Remodeling in Chronic Heart Failure."

From the abstract:
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a serious and debilitating condition with poor survival rates and an increasing level of prevalence in the aging population. The exaggerated sympatho-excitation that is a hallmark of CHF is a critical factor in the development and progression of the CHF state. The enhanced cardiac spinal afferent reflex (CSAR) critically contributes to the exaggerated global sympathetic tone in CHF. Our previous studies found that chronic ablation of CSAR by epicardial application of a selective afferent neurotoxin, resiniferatoxin (RTX), improves cardiac diastolic dysfunction, cardiac remodeling, venous congestion and renal dysfunction, ultimately enhancing long-term survival in CHF rats. Our recent unpublished findings further suggest that neural inflammation is a key driver of chronic cardiac afferent sensitization. Using a coronary ligation-induced myocardial infarction (MI) rat model, we observed a marked increase in Iba1-positive macrophages and the pro-inflammatory macrophage marker Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) in thoracic (T1-T4) dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) starting at four weeks post-MI and persisting for at least four weeks. These inflammatory changes were largely prevented by the anti-inflammatory drug minocycline (Mino),significantly depleted by clodronate liposomes and local thoracic epidural delivery of an anti-inflammatory ProGel Dexamethasone. All three treatments attenuated the exaggerated CSAR in CHF rats. These findings highlight neural inflammation as a promising therapeutic target for mitigating cardiac spinal afferent sensitization and improving cardiac function in CHF.

Job Posting for Thursday, Dec. 4, 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.

Communications Specialist, Student Affairs.

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.

The Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative (LSSI) participated in the National Place-Based Education Conference, held Nov. 12-14 in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The LSSI is part of a statewide Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (GLSI) launched by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. The LSSI is a partnership between the Great Lakes Research Center and the Copper Country and Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School Districts. 

Erika Vye (GLRC/GMES) delivered an oral presentation titled “A Geoheritage Framework for Place-Based Earth Science Education." 

Calumet High School teacher Susan Rosemurgy and Lloyd Wescoat offered a workshop titled “Group Zines Deliver! Learn How to Organize a Great PBE Group Zine.”

Joan Chadde (former director of the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach) contributed to a pre-conference field trip titled “Belle Isle: An Urban Learning Lab in a Nature Oasis.”

To learn more about LSSI, or to become a partner, visit the LSSI Community Partner page or contact info@LakeSuperiorStewardship.org.

Scrap Tire News mentioned Zhanping You (CEGE/MTTI) in a story about a Clare County research project evaluating tire-derived aggregate (TDA) blocks as a stormwater filtration system, including testing their effectiveness at capturing contaminants like microplastics and 6PPD-quinone.

Grand Rapids’ WGRD 97.9 mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about St. Albert the Great University Parish’s annual Ice Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows, a Winter Carnival tradition built each year by Michigan Tech students from snow and ice.

Michigan Tech alum Ron Staley ’77 ’80 (AAS Civil Engineering, B.S. Business Administration) was mentioned by Ferris State University in an announcement recognizing his induction into the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame for his leadership in historic preservation and major restoration projects.

Perceptive Content Downtime on Sunday

Perceptive Content will be unavailable on Sunday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. due to maintenance.

If you use the Perceptive Content client to upload documents, please back up your existing profiles before tomorrow, Dec. 5. On Monday, Dec. 8, if you have any issues with Perceptive Content following the maintenance, copy the profiles back into place. Instructions for backing up and restoring profiles are available in the Knowledge Base article “Backup and restore Perceptive Content capture profiles.”

Affected departments include:

•  Advancement
•  Admissions
•  Business Support Center
•  Campus Store / University Images
•  Facilities
•  Financial Services and Operations
•  Graduate School
•  Human Resources
•  International Programs and Services
•  Information Technology
•  MTRI
•  Rozsa Center
•  Registrar's Office
•  Residential Living
•  Sponsored Programs
•  Summer Youth Programs
•  University Marketing and Communications

If you are still have issues after restoring your profiles, we can help. Email IT or call 906-487-1111.

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University Senate Meeting 726

The University Senate will convene Meeting 726 at 12:30 p.m. today, Dec. 4, in Chem Sci 102. 

Those within the University community unable to attend in person have the option to attend the University Senate meeting via Zoom. Please note: You will need to log in to your MTU Zoom account to join the virtual meeting. 

Senators are responsible for making their constituents aware of the agenda for this meeting. Senators who are unable to attend should arrange for their alternates to attend in their place. 

View the Meeting 726 Agenda.

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Physics Colloquium with Maurits De Jong

Maurits De Jong from Intel Corporation will present at this week's Physics Colloquium. De Jong's presentation is titled "Reliability: Small Devices, Great Importance."

The seminar will be presented  at 4 p.m. today, Dec. 4, in Fisher 139. The coffee hour will be held at 3:30 in the Fisher Hall Lobby.

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

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Today's C-Cubed Luncheon Menu

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

Menu for Thursday, Dec. 4:

• Chicken Tikka Masala (AG) (PR)
• Potato, Garbanzo and Pea Coconut Curry (VG) (AG)
• Basmati Rice (VG) (AG)
• Garam Cauliflower and Chickpea (VG) (AG) (CF)
• Garlic Naan (V) (PR)
• Kachumber Salad (VG) (AG)

The C-Cubed lunch 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 dine-in only and personal containers/tupperware or to-go meals are not permitted.

Submit C-Cubed Feedback • Sign Up to Receive Weekly Menus

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MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker: Ben Bussey

The next Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Graduate Seminar speaker will present at 2 p.m today, Dec. 4, in EERC 100.

Ben Bussey will present "Unlocking the Moon, Unlocking the Solar System."

The presentation will discuss details on past and future Intuitive Machine missions and other upcoming activities. It will also discuss the value of the Moon as a scientific resource, an exploration resource, and a commercial resource. A cornerstone of multiple science disciplines, the Moon can help us learn how to effectively explore further into the Solar System with humans and robots, and it can enable commercial activities that support science and exploration.

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

Men's Basketball at Roosevelt

Thursday, December 4, 12–3 a.m. | Chicago, Ill.

Men's Basketball at Roosevelt Chicago, Ill.

Women's Basketball at Roosevelt

Thursday, December 4, 12–3 a.m. | Chicago, Ill.

Women's Basketball at Roosevelt Chicago, Ill.

Biological Sciences Seminar Series - Neural Mechanisms underlying Cardiac Dysfunction and Cardiac Remodeling in Chronic Heart Failure

Thursday, December 4, 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC), 202

Dr. Han-Jun Wang, Professor, Vice Chair of Research Department of Anesthesiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center Abstract: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a serious and debilitating condition with poor survival rates and an increasing level of prevalence in the aging population. The exaggerated sympatho-excitation that is a hallmark of CHF is a critical factor in the development and progression of the CHF state. The enhanced cardiac spinal afferent reflex (CSAR) critically contributes to the exaggerated global sympathetic tone in CHF. Our previous studies found that chronic ablation of CSAR by epicardial application of a selective afferent neurotoxin, resiniferatoxin (RTX), improves cardiac diastolic dysfunction, cardiac remodeling, venous congestion and renal dysfunction, ultimately enhancing long-term survival in CHF rats. Our recent unpublished findings further suggest that neural inflammation is a key driver of chronic cardiac afferent sensitization. Using a coronary ligation-induced myocardial infarction (MI) rat model, we observed a marked increase in Iba1-positive macrophages and the pro- inflammatory macrophage marker Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) in thoracic (T1-T4) dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) starting at four weeks post-MI and persisting for at least four weeks. These inflammatory changes were largely prevented by the anti-inflammatory drug minocycline (Mino), significantly depleted by clodronate liposomes and local thoracic epidural delivery of an anti-inflammatory ProGel Dexamethasone. All three treatments attenuated the exaggerated CSAR in CHF rats. These findings highlight neural inflammation as a promising therapeutic target for mitigating cardiac spinal afferent sensitization and improving cardiac function in CHF.

Unlocking the Moon, Unlocking the Solar System

Thursday, December 4, 2 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 329

MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents Ben Bussey, PhD Chief Scientist Intuitive Machines Abstract The Moon offers multiple types of resources. It is a scientific resource, an exploration resource, and also a commercial resource. The Moon is a cornerstone for multiple science disciplines, not just lunar, it can help us learn how to effectively explore further into the Solar System with humans and robots, and it can enable commercial activities that support science and exploration. Intuitive Machines has conducted two lunar surface missions, including the first commercial landing in February 2024. In this talk I will discuss the value of the Moon as well as present details on past and future IM missions as well as other upcoming activities. Bio Dr. Bussey is a planetary scientist who is currently the chief scientist for Intuitive Machines. He earned a BA in Physics from Oxford University and a Ph.D. in Planetary Geology at University College London before moving to the United States. He gained both science and mission experience during his 20 years at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, before joining Intuitive Machines in 2022. He has also worked at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, the European Space Agency, Northwestern University and the University of Hawaii. Dr. Bussey’s research concentrates on the remote sensing of the surfaces of planets, particularly the Moon. He has a specific interest in the lunar poles, producing the first quantitative illumination maps of the polar regions. He co-authored the Clementine Atlas of the Moon, the first atlas to map both the lunar near side and far side in a systematic manner. Dr. Bussey spent 5-years at NASA HQ which included roles as the Acting Deputy Associate Administrator of Exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and as the Chief Exploration Scientist in the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. During his time at JHU/APL he was Principal Investigator of NASA VORTICES SSERVI and NASA Lunar Science Institute research teams that considered the exploration and scientific potential of the lunar poles. He was the Principal Investigator of the Mini-RF radar instrument on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Deputy Principal Investigator of the Mini-RF radar instrument on India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission. These instruments acquired the first radar data of the lunar poles and farside. He enjoys planetary analog field work and has twice been part of the Antarctic Search for Meteorites expedition to recover meteorites from the Antarctic glaciers. Invited by: Paul van Susante

Physics Colloquium with Maurits De Jong

Thursday, December 4, 3:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m. | Fisher Hall, 139

Maurits De Jong from Intel Corporation will present at this week's Physics Colloquium. Dr. De Jong's presentation is titled "Reliability: Small Devices, Great Importance". The seminar will be presented at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday (Dec.4) in Fisher 139. The coffee hour will be held at 3:30 in the Fisher Hall Lobby. Abstract For the past few years, the semiconductor industry has become one of the biggest and fastest growing industries. From laptops and smartphones to cars and planes, semiconductor chips touch every component of our life. The future will find even more ways of utilizing these chips, which has become more and more clear with the rise of technologies as drones, self-driving cars or AI. To ensure that the chips allow continued development, there has been a push to make each generation of chips faster, more energy efficient and smaller. To make sure that even the smallest devices can offer the highest performance to facilitate future research and development, one of the backbones in chip semiconductor development is quality and reliability. This includes both the manufacturing of the devices, how to guarantee that the devices function as intended and stay operating. This talk will discuss how physics affect degradation of devices, what some of the concerns in industry are and how does this translates into various quality and reliability methods in R&D for the next generation of chips. Bio Dr. Maurits de Jong is a Senior Quality and Reliability Engineer in the “Technology Development, Quality and Reliability” department for Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon, having earned his PhD in semiconductor reliability physics at the University of Twente. He earned his Masters degree at he university of Groningen in the Netherlands, researching graphene. His PhD research focused on how semiconductor transistors get damaged and on various ways to repair them at device level. After which, he continued the research of transistor reliability into industry, where he ensures that the chips coming out of the fab are up to spec and working as intended.

SCC Weekly Meeting

Thursday, December 4, 6 p.m.–7 p.m. | Fisher

Come learn about and try coffee!

Michigan Tech Husky Parent and Family Panel

Thursday, December 4, 7 p.m.–8 p.m.

Do you have questions for parents of current Huskies? A few of our current Husky parents will be there to answer any questions you may have. They'll tell you about their student's experiences at Michigan Tech and how to navigate the whole process as a parent.