May 28, 2026

The Michigan Tech Steel Bridge Team earned a fifth-place overall finish at the 2026 Student Steel Bridge Competition National Finals, held May 22–23 at The University of Texas at El Paso in El Paso, Texas.

Hosted by the American Institute of Steel Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Student Steel Bridge Competition brings together the top university teams from across North America to compete in the design, fabrication, and assembly of a scale-model steel bridge. Teams are evaluated on construction speed, stiffness, lightness, economy, efficiency, aesthetics, and overall structural performance.

Michigan Tech competed against 44 qualifying teams from universities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico and delivered strong performances in multiple categories. The team earned:

• Economy — Third Place
• Construction Speed — Fourth Place
• Lightness — Sixth Place
• Structural Efficiency — 13th Place
• Overall — Fifth Place

The team’s strong national finish follows a dominant performance at the Eastern Great Lakes Regional Competition earlier this spring, where Michigan Tech earned first-place finishes in several categories to qualify for nationals.

The competition challenges students to apply classroom knowledge in structural engineering, project management, fabrication, and teamwork under real-world constraints. Throughout the academic year, students design and build a bridge that must balance speed, efficiency, constructability, stiffness, and cost while meeting strict competition specifications.

Michigan Tech’s continued success in the Student Steel Bridge Competition highlights the dedication, technical skill, and collaboration of its civil engineering students and faculty advisors.

MTU MINE AstroHuskies traveled to Florida from May 12–21 to compete in the 17th annual NASA Lunabotics Competition. The competition challenges university teams to design, build, and operate a robot capable of autonomously constructing a berm in a simulated lunar environment, using NASA’s systems engineering process over a nine-month development period.

This year, 72 university teams registered for the competition, with 47 teams selected to advance to the Qualifying Challenge held at the University of Central Florida’s Florida Space Institute Exolith® Lab.

The MTU AstroHuskies placed seventh after the qualifying rounds, earning a spot among the top 10 teams advancing to the final challenge at the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. At the finals, the AstroHuskies earned:

• Third Place in Berm Construction
• Honorable Mention for Presentation and Demonstration
• Runner-Up recognition for the Systems Engineering Paper
• Seventh Place in Autonomy

Paul van Susante (MAE), Faculty Advisor for the Multiplanetary INnovation Enterprise (MINE), said he is extremely proud of the team’s hard work, dedication, and accomplishments throughout this challenging competition season. He noted that it was an incredible experience to meet the other teams, see their innovative robots in action, and compete both at UCF and in the top-10 finals at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center visitor complex.

Lunabotics 2026 Links to Events

MTU-specific events:

• Lunch Award - Presentations & Demonstrations
• Event 5 – Michigan Tech - First Run
• Event 5b - Michigan Tech - Second Run
• Final Award Ceremony

General Links:

Day 1 – Tuesday, May 19

• Entire Livestream
• Daily Intro
• Opening Ceremony 

Day 2 – Wednesday, May 20

• Entire Livestream
• Daily Intro
• Lunch Awards - Systems Engineering

Day 3 – Thursday, May 21

• Entire Livestream
• Daily Intro

The following 2026 fiscal year-end deadlines are coming up. Please refer to the Closing Schedules found on the Controller’s Office webpage for additional information.

Wednesday, June 3:

• FY26 IT requisitions to IT Procurement
  • Questions? Contact it-help@mtu.edu or 487-1111
• Michigan Tech Fund endowed check requests
  • Questions? Contact mtfchecks@mtu.edu or 487-2642

Friday, June 5:

• FY26 purchase requisitions to Purchasing
  • Questions? Contact purchasing@mtu.edu or 487-2510

A Card Services production system maintenance window is scheduled for Thursday, June 4, from 2-4 p.m. During this time, CS Gold access readers, meal readers, and access to some Keywatcher Kiosk rooms will work in their offline mode. After the maintenance is complete, transactions will be uploaded back into CS Gold.

The following services will be affected:

• cardservices.mtu.edu website
• Mobile Readers
• Vending Readers
• Dining Point of Sale Systems
• Husky Print

If you have any questions or concerns about this maintenance window, we can help. Email IT or call 906-487-1111.

New therapy dog team Jack and his dog, Summer, will visit the library lobby at 2 p.m. every other Wednesday throughout the summer as they gain experience working in public settings. Students, faculty, staff, community members and summer program participants are invited to stop by and meet Jack and Summer.

Visiting with Summer offers an opportunity to take a break, connect with others and enjoy some stress relief during the day.

Questions may be directed to library@mtu.edu. 

Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Famer Bob Hauswirth passed away on Saturday (May 23) at the age of 88.

A native of Hancock, Michigan, Hauswirth played 66 games for the Hockey Huskies from 1957-60. The defenseman tallied 28 points (4 goals, 24 assists) and was a member of the 1960 NCAA Runner-Up Team.

Hauswirth was employed at Michigan Tech and retired in 1999 as the manager of the Student Development Complex, a position he held for 23 years. He was the first rink manager of the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena when it officially opened in January 1972.

Hauswirth was a supporter of Michigan Tech Athletics as a member of the Huskies Club since 1965 and received the Ken Hamar Award in 1988 given annually to a "true supporter" of the Huskies. He was inducted into the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

Read more about Hauswirth and find a link to his full obituary at Michigan Tech Athletics.

Job Posting for Thursday, May 28, 2026

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.

Assistant Football Coach - Wide Receivers, Athletics.

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.

Professor Emeritus Bill Sproule (CEGE) recently presented "Fort Mackinac Never Sweats Baseball Club" at the Society for American Baseball (SABR) 19th Century Baseball Conference in Cooperstown, NY, April 24-25.

Sproule shared the story of the Fort Mackinac soldiers organizing a baseball team that would play games against Mackinac Island villagers and summer visitors and teams from communities off the island in the 1880s. The team played their home games on the parade grounds adjacent to the fort. The team adopted the nickname "Never Sweats."  

A couple of weeks earlier, Sproule presented "Houghton, Professional Hockey, and the Stanley Cup" at the Brighton Area Library where he connected the Stanley Cup to Houghton, the birthplace of professional hockey.

Tours In Space, Inkl and Yahoo! News quoted Simon Carn (GMES) in stories about a recent underwater volcanic eruption near Papua New Guinea that was captured by NASA satellites. Carn discussed what satellite observations may reveal about the depth and activity of the eruption beneath the ocean surface.

Rail Transportation Program to Host FRA BAA Information Session

Researchers interested in applying their expertise to rail transportation challenges are invited to join a Zoom discussion on the recently released Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA).

Michigan Tech has conducted railway research for nearly two decades, including numerous projects funded through the BAA. Pasi Lautala, director of the Rail Transportation Program, will provide an overview of the program, share dos and don'ts for preparing proposals, and answer questions from interested researchers.

The discussion will take place today, May 28, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Zoom.

View the FRA Broad Agency Announcement. 

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Campus Store and University Images Closing for Inventory, Offering Free Ground Shipping

Michigan Tech's Campus Store and University Images will be closed for inventory this week.  While our physical locations are closed, you can still shop online and enjoy free ground shipping.  

Closure Details:

• Campus Store — Closed Wednesday, May 27, through Saturday, May 30
• University Images — Closed Thursday, May 28, through Saturday, May 30

Both stores will open for orientation on Sunday, May 31. Campus Store will be open 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and University Images 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Orders placed during this time will be processed and shipped after June 1.  Thank you for your patience and continued support.

Shop for MTU Gear Online. Please use the code INVENTORY2026 for free shipping.

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

Third Space- Weekly Graduate Student Support Group

Thursday, May 28, 10:00–10:50 a.m. | Administration and Student Services Building, 313

Graduate school can be challenging, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Third Space is a weekly graduate student support group designed to break down departmental silos and connect students with their peers from across the university. Whether you are a first-year Master’s student or a PhD Finishing Fellow, you’ll find a community that understands the unique experience of earning an advanced degree from Michigan Tech. What to Expect Comfortable setting, snacks, and connection. This is a low-pressure, discussion-based setting that addresses the collective group's needs through peer-to-peer support. The Details Who: Open to all Michigan Tech graduate students What: Peer-focused discussions on topics like work/life balance, burnout, and imposter syndrome. When: Meet weekly on Thursdays at 10:00 am, unless otherwise noted. Where. Admin 313 (CSMHW Relaxation Room) Stop by whenever your schedule allows. Regular attendance increases maximum benefit, but no long-term commitment or registration is required. Just show up as you are.

American Red Cross Lifeguarding Course - May 27-31, 2026

Thursday, May 28, 4–8 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), SDC Pool

Earn your American Red Cross Lifeguard Certification in this intensive training course located at the Michigan Tech SDC Pool. The certification includes Lifeguarding (Including Deep Water) with CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers, First Aid Certification and all training materials. All participants must be 15 years of age or older by the first date of the course (documentation required). Required water skills include the ability to: Swim 150 yards (using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both, swimming on the back or side is not permitted, swim goggles are allowed), maintain a position on the surface of the water for 2 minutes by treading water with the legs, swim 50 yards (using the front crawl, breaststroke or a combination of both). Complete a timed event within 1 minute, 40 seconds.Starting in the water, swim 20 yards (face may be in or out of the water, swim goggles are not permitted).Surface dive (feet-first or head-first) to a depth of 7 to 10 feet to retrieve a 10-pound object.Return to the surface and swim 20 yards on the back to return to the starting point, holding the object at the surface with both hands and keeping the face at or near the surface.Exit the…

Marquette Alumni Social

Thursday, May 28, 5–7 p.m. | Ore Dock Brewing Co.

Join fellow alumni, friends, faculty, and staff for a Michigan Tech alumni social on Thursday, May 28, from 5-7 p.m. at Ore Dock Brewing Company. Michigan Tech faculty, including LaReesa Wolfenbarger, dean of the College of Sciences and Arts, and Michelle Scherer, dean of the College of Engineering, will be in town for a conference and are eager to connect and network with alumni in Marquette during the event. Come ready to share stories, connect with fellow Huskies, and enjoy an evening of all things Michigan Tech. Beverages will be available for individual purchase. There is no charge to attend but please RSVP in advance, to ensure we have an accurate headcount.