May 19, 2026

Inside Michigan Tech’s Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Lab, the clinical atmosphere often associated with high-tech research is nowhere to be found. Instead, the air is filled with the low hum of motors and mechanical clicks along with the enthusiastic conversation of student and faculty researchers.

At the center of it all is Reachy the Robot. With an expressive head on a swiveling neck and gangly, bio-inspired arms, Reachy’s look, complete with its standard-issue black-and-white striped tank top, leans more toward endearing companion than sci-fi overlord.

Assistant Professor Michael Walker (CS), the lab’s director, chose to bring Reachy to Michigan Tech for that precise reason. In the new era of human-robot interactions, Reachy has the potential to make inroads with one of the oldest challenges in the robotics field: surmounting the uncanny valley, the creeped-out sensation some people feel when interacting with an object resembling a human.

Find out how HRI Lab researchers are working to make advanced robotics more accessible on Michigan Tech’s Unscripted Research Blog.

The Vice President for Research Office (VPR) announces Michigan Tech’s Spring 2026 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:

• Bo Xiao (COB/CEGE)
• Fei Long (MAE)
• Sai Sandeep Chitta (CEGE/GMES)
• Chuyan Zhao (GLRC)

Scholarship and Creativity Grants:

• Laura Connolly (COB)
• Jun Dai (COB)
• Dana Van Kooy (HU)

Future REF requests for proposals will be announced via Tech Today and on the Research Excellence Fund website.

The Michigan Tech Aerospace Engineering Research Center (MARC), one of the research centers under the Frontiers Research Institute (FRI), has launched a new website designed to showcase the University’s expanding aerospace research enterprise and strengthen connections with researchers, students, industry and government partners.

We invite you to explore the new Michigan Tech Aerospace Engineering Research Center website.

The website provides a closer look at the innovative aerospace-related work taking place across Michigan Tech, including research in advanced aerospace systems, propulsion, materials, autonomous technologies and multidisciplinary engineering applications. Visitors can also learn more about the faculty and collaborative opportunities that make MARC a growing hub for aerospace research and innovation.

We encourage you to take a look and learn more about how Michigan Tech researchers are contributing to the future of aerospace innovation.

Michigan Technological University successfully hosted the workshop “Research Data Management in Construction Engineering: Challenges and Opportunities” on May 7-8.

The workshop brought together more than 40 participants from over 15 U.S. states, including researchers, educators, industry representatives, cyberinfrastructure experts and federal agency representatives. Over two days, participants engaged in 10 invited keynotes, two panel discussions, and one breakout session focused on research data management, FAIR and open science, cyberinfrastructure, artificial-intelligence-ready data resources and cross-community collaboration in construction engineering.

The workshop was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and hosted with support from Michigan Tech’s Institute of Computing and Cybersystems and the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute. The discussions highlighted the urgent need for community-level data infrastructure, shared standards, sustainable data management practices and interdisciplinary collaboration to support future AI-driven research and education in construction engineering. The workshop also served as an important step toward building a national community around research data management and open science in the construction field.

Workshop materials and updates will be shared on the workshop website. A workshop report will also be shared later. Stay tuned.

The Department of Physics is pleased to announce that Ph.D. candidate Fathima Farheen Nambipunnilath Siddique has been selected for the American Physical Society (APS) Student Ambassador Program for the 2026-27 academic year. The APS Student Ambassador Program is a prestigious student leadership opportunity, with 125 students from 20 countries worldwide selected for the 2026-27 cohort. The program recognizes individuals who demonstrate leadership, service and dedication to strengthening the physics community.

At Michigan Tech, Farheen will organize and promote student-focused events, connect her peers with APS resources, gather student input on APS and unit initiatives and represent APS at her home institution while helping build a stronger student community.

Farheen is a Ph.D. candidate in atmospheric sciences in the physics department under the guidance of Kartik Iyer. Her research focuses on the geometric and topological complexity of turbulent flows, using large-scale computational simulations and high-performance computing. 

Farheen has been actively involved in student leadership and outreach at Michigan Tech. She served as the president of MTU’s Women in Physics organization in 2025-26. She currently serves as secretary of the APS Forum on Graduate Student Affairs (FGSA). Through these roles, she has helped organize professional development workshops, outreach programs, technical training sessions, fellowship initiatives and cloud chamber tours for students.

The Department of Physics congratulates Fathima on this outstanding achievement and is proud of her continued leadership and contributions to the physics community.

Yifan Wang, a Ph.D. student in civil engineering, and John Budd, an undergraduate student in robotics engineering, both from the Michigan Tech Computing and Robotic Construction (CaRC) Lab, received the Best Student Paper Award in the Construction Track at the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) Annual Conference & Expo 2026.

Wang and Budd were recognized for their paper, “VR-Supported Robotic Fault Inspection Simulation Framework for Prefabricated Construction Manufacturing.”

The CaRC Lab, led by Bo Xiao in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering, focuses on advancing computing, robotics, and automation technologies for construction and civil infrastructure systems.

Wang presented the research at the conference in Arlington, Texas, on May 17, which he attended with support from a National Science Foundation (NSF) Student Travel Award. Budd’s research participation was supported through the College of Engineering’s Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (REU) initiative, which provides undergraduate students with opportunities to engage in research and professional development.

Congratulations to Yifan and John on this outstanding achievement and for representing Michigan Tech and being recognized at a national conference!

Pre-Award staff from the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO), Michigan Tech institute offices and the Research Development (RD) office will be participating in an on-campus retreat this week, May 18-22, to focus on proposal process improvement.

Principal investigators may experience some delays in responses from Pre-Award, RD, and institute research support staff during this time. Rest assured that all proposal submission deadlines will be met.

Thank you for your patience as we work together to strengthen our processes.

The Van Pelt and Opie Library is pleased to provide the campus community with access to Compendex on Engineering Village!

Previously known as Engineering Index, Compendex is an extensive knowledge and data discovery database for interdisciplinary scholarly and technical literature. The database is particularly strong in engineering (nearly 200 different disciplines are represented!) and applied sciences, providing abstracts and indexing of journal articles, conference proceedings, books, trade magazines, preprints, dissertations and standards from major publishers and societies from across the globe.

Find something of interest in Compendex? The database has Huskyfetch enabled, making it easy to connect to the full text you need. Compendex also includes direct links to the Van Pelt and Opie Library’s Scopus subscription, allowing you take your information discovery even further. With over 30,000 new records added to Compendex every week, there is always more to explore.

If you have questions or need assistance with Compendex or any of the library’s other licensed online resources, please contact the library.

The MTU Graduate School has awarded 31 doctorates and 41 master’s degrees to our most recent graduates. These 72 dissertations, theses and reports have been added to Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech, our online repository, bringing our total collection to over 3,200 permanent submissions cataloged by the Van Pelt and Opie Library. Since 2012, works in Digital Commons have been downloaded over 2,590,000 times by researchers across the globe! 

As you look ahead to your own defense and publication milestones, don’t go it alone. The Graduate School provides a library of resources, formatting guides (for reports and theses/dissertations), and online seminars to help you smooth out the writing and submission process. You can also reach out directly to gradschool@mtu.edu with any questions as you prepare your submission!

Join Department of Humanities professors Laura Kasson Fiss, Mark Lounibos and Andrew Fiss for “Fungi in Literature” at 6:30 p.m. tonight, May 19, at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw, 105 Huron St. in Houghton.

Andrew Fiss will show images from the “Mushroom Book” of 1821 as part of scientific illustrators’ work on fancy fungi. Lounibos will talk about Emily Dickinson, H.P. Lovecraft and fearful fungi. Then, Laura Fiss will discuss the funny fungi of Sylvia Plath’s “Mushrooms” and its musical setting.

Tonight’s program is hosted by the Carnegie Museum and the Keweenaw Land Trust as part of their series Fungi of the North Woods.

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. Feel free to bring your lunch as well as your works in progress. We welcome students, staff, faculty and the community — the more the merrier!

We meet at the Van Pelt and Opie Library every first and third Wednesday of the month from 12-1 p.m. Meetings will be in Library 216.

The Detroit Free Press ran a feature story on research by Zhanping You (CEGE/MTTI) to develop rubber-enhanced asphalt made from recycled scrap tires, which could help create longer-lasting roads across Michigan. The story highlighted projects underway in counties throughout the state using the technology to improve road durability and reduce cracking caused by freeze-thaw cycles.

The Toledo Blade mentioned Michigan Tech in stories about the American Center for Mobility, an autonomous vehicle testing and research facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Submission and Formatting 101: Master the Dissertation, Thesis and Report Process

Students who are completing a dissertation, thesis or report are invited to join the Graduate School to learn about the resources available to them to assist in scheduling their defense, formatting their documents and submitting their documents. In one afternoon, you can learn everything you need to be successful and complete your degree in a timely fashion!

Faculty and staff who assist students with submissions are also welcome to attend. Attend the entire event, or stop in for the seminar that interests you.

• When: Wednesday, May 20, from 2-4 p.m. (see a detailed schedule on the Graduate School Newsblog)

• Who: Students completing a dissertation, thesis or report; faculty and staff who assist students with submission.

• Where: Virtually on Zoom and in person in Admin 404 (room capacity is 30). Register to attend online and receive participation instructions.

• Registration: Please register to receive handouts via email or attend online. The seminar will be available online as well as on campus.

If you are unable to join us, the event will be recorded and made available online after the event. The previous semester’s seminars are always available online.

Information on submitting, formatting and more can be found online for dissertations and theses or reports.

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

Staff Council Meeting

Tuesday, May 19, 12–1 p.m. | J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library, 216

Come join Staff Council for our monthly meeting! Staff Council is a service organization within the University whose charge is: to assist the University in recognizing outstanding performance and ongoing dedicated service by staff membersto maximize the use of talents and resources of the staff to support educational programs and to develop and strengthen skills and professionalism among the staffto provide events and opportunities that enhance the working environment of Michigan TechEach meeting consists of a notable guest speaker to share updates from around campus, updates about upcoming Staff Council programs and events, and opportunities to chat amongst a community of fellow staff members. Membership on Staff Council is voluntary, open, and available to any eligible staff member. Staff Council exists to support Michigan Tech staff: full-time, part-time, nine-month, or ten-month; non-student, non-faculty. As a reminder, union-represented employees are entitled to release time for professional development activities, including staff recognition programs deemed relevant by the University. Employees should work with their supervisors to ensure coverage during their absence. Supervisors…