December 17, 2025

In the five years since Michigan Tech first partnered with the Michigan-based Thompson Foundation, participation in the Thompson Working Families Scholarship program has grown from four students in fall 2020 to 460 students in fall 2025. The program has impacted a total of 580 students, reflecting strong student success and increased support from the Thompson Foundation.

Established by the foundation in 2011, the scholarship program helps high-achieving students overcome financial barriers to higher education while preparing them for meaningful careers and community-centered lives.

“This scholarship lessened the financial burden of tuition and fees, allowing me to focus more on academics and opportunities to volunteer, be involved on campus, and develop professionally,” said senior Maci Dostaler, a Thompson Scholar majoring in software engineering.

Read more about the scholarship program’s growth and impact at the University in a press release at Michigan Tech News.

The Vice President for Research Office (VPR) announces the Fall 2025 Research Excellence Fund (REF) award recipients. Congratulations to each of the awardees.

The REF team also wishes to thank the individual REF reviewers and review panelists, as well as the deans and department chairs, for their time spent on this important internal research award process.

The principal investigators of the awarded projects include:

Research Seed Grants:

• Amir Hussain Idrisi (MAE)
• Ishi Keenum (CEGE)
• Aimee Marceau (HRI)
• Yanrui (Daisy) Ning (GMES)
• Daniel Shtob (SS)

Scholarship and Creativity Grant:

• Jennifer Nish (HU)

Mark Your Calendar: The Research Excellence Fund's next round of awards will be held in spring 2026, with a proposal deadline of March 5.

For additional information, see the Research Excellence Fund webpage. Questions can be directed to REF-l@mtu.edu.

The Department of Humanities Office will be closed for the holidays starting on Monday, Dec. 22.

The office will reopen on Jan. 5.

The Department of Chemical Engineering Office will be closed from Monday, Dec. 22, through Jan. 2 for office renovations.

Faculty and staff will be working remotely or on vacation on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 22 and 23, as well as Jan. 2, and can be reached via email during this time.

The office will also remain closed for the holiday break from next Wednesday, Dec. 24, through Jan. 1.

Thank you for your understanding, and happy holidays!

Fiber crafters from the Michigan Tech community! If you knit, crochet, spin, embroider, cross-stitch, bead, weave or do any other kind of craft involving yarn, cloth, fiber or string, this is the meetup for you. 

Join us today, Dec. 17, in the MUB Commons at noon to work on your current project. Feel free to bring your lunch.

A collaborative team led by Associate Professor Kathryn A. Perrine (Chem) has published an article in Surface Science.

The article, titled “Surface Chemistry of Monochloramine Catalyzed by Fe(111),” was made available online Nov. 12.

The publication included efforts from Michigan Tech master's student Oloruntoba Agbelusi (materials science and engineering) and Ph.D. students Subash Pandey, R. M. D. Naveen Tharaka and Journey Lopez (all chemistry), as well as collaborators Professor Neetu Goel and graduate student Sonam of Panjab University.

The team’s research finds that monochloramine undergoes dissociative adsorption on the Fe(111) surface with chloride binding to the surface sites. The initial stages of the surface reaction and temperature effects were investigated at the gas/solid interface in controlled, ultra-high vacuum conditions. The spectroscopic signatures of monochloramine adsorption on Fe(111) was followed from cryogenic temperatures through desorption up to 600 degrees Celsius, with supporting computations to verify the molecular orientations and adsorption energies. The study suggests monochloramine follows a dechlorination mechanism catalyzed by the iron surface, impacting pipeline surface chemistry and water disinfection.

This project was supported by National Science Foundation CHE 2108316 with computations supported by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India (Grant no. 09/135(0934)/2021-EMR-I). Michigan Tech's Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute (EPSSI) is also acknowledged for support of the project.

MLive and Lifestyles Magazine covered Michigan Tech’s announcement of the new Chang K. Park Center for Student Wellness, whose construction has been fully funded by a $55 million gift from MTU alum Chang Park ’73. The stories highlighted the 90,000-square-foot center’s role in consolidating student health and wellness services and its alignment with the University’s Be Well Initiative. Laura Bulleit (SA) was quoted by both outlets, and MTU President Rick Koubek was quoted by Lifestyles.

The Iron Mountain Daily News picked up a Daily Mining Gazette story covering Michigan Tech’s Midyear Commencement. MTU President Rick Koubek and student commencement speaker Quinn Riordan ’25 (B.S. Applied Ecology and Environmental Science) were quoted.

WLUC TV6 and My UP Now mentioned Michigan Tech in stories about the Young Americans for Freedom student organization sending a record number of military care packages to service members stateside and overseas. MTU student Abigail Leagjeld (biomedical engineering) was quoted by TV6 about the drive’s impact and community support.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks mentioned Michigan Tech in a story about a new documentary highlighting community resilience in Western Alaska. The film, produced as part of the NSF-funded Polaris project, documents how residents of Chevak and Dillingham are responding to environmental change, with Michigan Tech among the collaborating institutions on the research team.

Commercial Construction & Renovation mentioned Michigan Tech in an announcement naming MTU alum Kerry Sutton ’89 (B.S. Environmental Engineering) as the new executive director of NEU: An ACI Center of Excellence for Carbon Neutral Concrete.

SURF and URIP Applications Opening in January

Save the Date: Applications for both the 2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships and the 2026-27 Undergraduate Research Internship Program open Jan. 5, 2026.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF)
SURF applications are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 6, 2026. Selected students will spend the summer conducting an individual research project under the guidance of a Michigan Tech faculty mentor. SURFs are open to all Tech undergraduates who have at least one semester remaining after summer, with awards up to $5,000.

Undergraduate Research Internship Program (URIP)
Applications for the 2026-27 URIP cycle close on March 20, 2026. URIP supports undergraduate researchers by providing awards of up to $2,340 to conduct a research project under the guidance of a Michigan Tech faculty mentor during the regular academic year. URIP is open to all Tech undergraduates interested in a research experience in a faculty member's laboratory.

More information and application instructions are available on the SURF and URIP websites or by contacting honors@mtu.edu.

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Martin Luther King's Legacy: Your Call to Action at Michigan Tech

The Michigan Tech community is ready to transform this "day off" into a powerful "day on" — a genuine commitment to service, reflection and meaningful action. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring legacy calls us to a higher standard of citizenship and humanity, and these scheduled events provide a powerful path for every student to answer that call and contribute to his vision of “unity through service."

This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, don't just take the day off. Show up. Serve. Reflect. Act. Honor King's legacy by engaging with the events and making a meaningful difference right here in Houghton.

MLK Day 2026 Events:

• MLK Day of Service — We kick off Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19, 2026, at 10 a.m. with a Day of Service at multiple volunteer locations where the hands-on efforts of Michigan Tech students and community members can make a tangible difference in the local community. By volunteering, you are actively participating in the work of social uplift that King championed. Give your time, apply your talents and live the spirit of service.

• Volunteer Reading — Michigan Tech students will also read to local schoolchildren, spreading King's history and legacy to young minds in our community.

• Interfaith Service — Our Interfaith Service starts at 4:15 p.m. in the Van Pelt and Opie Library's East Reading Room, offering a space for quiet introspection that draws on King's spiritual foundation and his call for unity across all faiths.

• Peace March — The campus and community are invited to participate in a peace march, beginning with a gathering at the Husky Statue at 5 p.m. The procession will travel to the Alumni House and return. Walking together, we will publicly reaffirm Michigan Tech’s dedication to King's enduring principles of justice and nonviolence, making a powerful, visible statement about our commitment to an equitable future.

• Shared Meal/Panel Discussion — The day concludes with a shared meal and a panel discussion featuring alumni Jemel Thompson, Jailynn Johnson and Austin McFarlane, offering a chance to connect, reflect and hear their stories of resilience. Dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the MUB Ballroom. Gather with fellow students, faculty and staff to share stories from your service, discuss the meaning of King's legacy, and strengthen the bonds of the Michigan Tech community.

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MLK Day of Service

Join Michigan Tech students and community members on Jan. 19, starting at 10 a.m., to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy through hands-on service.

This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, don't just take the day off. Show up. Serve. Reflect. Act. Honor King's legacy by engaging with the events and making a meaningful difference right here in Houghton.

Find more information on GivePulse.

Event Details:

• What: MLK Day of Service
• When: Monday, Jan. 19, at 10 a.m.
• Where: Multiple locations, including the Copper Country Humane Society, Letters Against Isolation, the Bluffs Senior Living Facility and the Community Alliance for Progressive Education (CAPE).

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Tech Today Holiday Break

Tech Today's annual holiday break will begin on Monday, Dec. 22. Our last newsletter of 2025 will publish on Friday, Dec. 19, and we will resume publication for 2026 on Jan. 5.

Please take note of the submission deadlines for this Friday's Tech Today and for our Jan. 5 newsletter. Send in your announcements through our Submit a Tech Today Post form.

Tech Today Deadlines:

• Friday, Dec. 19 — Submissions due Thursday, Dec. 18, by noon
• Monday, Jan. 5 — Submissions due Friday, Dec. 19, by noon

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

Research Day 2025

Wednesday, December 17, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom, Alumni Lounge

Please: REGISTER to reserve your spot and confirm your lunch options by Tuesday, December 9th. Research Day is a long-standing tradition at Michigan Tech offering opportunities for professional development, collaboration, and engagement with researchers, institutes, centers, shared facilities, and funders. This annual event is also a chance to celebrate the research accomplishments of our campus community. Save the date for Research Day 2025! Agenda in brief: 8:30 - Check-in and networking with light refreshments9:00 - Welcome - President Koubek and VPR Barnard9:45 - Tech Forward 2.0 Discussion10:45 - Breakout sessions11:30 - Lunch12:30 - Breakout sessions1:30 - New Faculty "Tech Talks"2:30 - Breakout sessions3:30 - Closing remarks and reflection4:00 - Networking reception We encourage participants to attend in person for the best experience, and we also plan to, where practical, provide hybrid options and virtual networking opportunities for anyone who can only attend remotely. A full agenda with more details and a list of hybrid sessions will be published prior to the event, watch Tech Today and the Research Navigator for more information.