March 5, 2020

Carbon dating isn’t the only way to determine the age of artifacts. Come into the forest (and wood lab) with Zachary Merrill, graduate research and teaching assistant in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, to learn what tree rings have to tell us — from the origins of a stand-up bass to the age of a stockade pole at Fort Wilkins State Park. “There are no pluses or minuses in dendrochronology,” Merrill said.

His work has taken the ​forest science PhD candidate from former US President Abraham Lincoln’s Kentucky birthplace to Isle Royale National Park, where his dissertation work focuses on a dendroecological analysis of moose-induced suppression of balsam fir. Learn more about Merrill’s research and the methodology of this relatively young science on Michigan Tech’s latest Unscripted Research Blog. 

Have you been diagnosed with, or think that you may suffer from chronic insomnia? Is your sleep disrupted at least three nights a week and has it been on-going for at least three months?

Chronic insomnia can be caused by a variety of factors such as sleep habits, environment, and/or medications. It can also be linked to other medical issues, like high blood pressure. Help us to study the effects of insomnia on your blood pressure by participating in our new study.

Please read this flyer for additional information with a link to complete initial screening survey.

There is still time to submit your nominations for the Student Leadership Awards. On behalf of the University, we are seeking nominations for the President's Award for Leadership, Dean of Students Award for Service and various other student leadership awards. The recipient of each award will be honored at the 26th Annual Student Leadership Awards Ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, April 17 in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

The nomination process is simple. All awards and their information can be found online. For each individual award, click on the award title, then complete and submit the nomination form. Nominations for the President's Award for Leadership and the Dean of Students Award for Service are due by 5 p.m. tomorrow (March 6). Nominations for all other Student Leadership Awards are due by 5 p.m. Friday, March 20.

Questions concerning the awards can be directed to Student Leadership and Involvement at activities@mtu.edu or 7-1963. Take a minute to nominate a student or colleague today. Thank you for recognizing our best and brightest students — your support is truly appreciated.

On Tuesday (March 10) campus WiFi will be down from 4 to 6:00 a.m. for network equipment upgrades. This will also affect Heights residents' hardwired connections.

The rest of Campus computers with a hardwire connection will have no interruptions in service. Service should be completely restored by 6 a.m.

If you have any questions about the WiFi upgrades, we can help. Contact IT at it-help@mtu, or call 7-1111.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently issued an updated Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide that will be in effect for all proposals submitted on or after June 1.

The most significant changes that will affect Michigan Tech researchers are:

• Biographical sketches included in proposals will now only be accepted if generated by an NSF-approved format. The primary method for generating a compliant NSF biosketch will be through the SciENcv: Science Experts Network. Each user will need to create an individual account in this system. SciENcv can create compliant biosketches for both NSF and NIH. As an alternative, NSF will also be publishing a fillable PDF. Additional information about the biosketch changes can be found here
• Current and Pending support information will also need to be produced using an NSF-approved format. As for the biosketches, SciENcv will be one option for producing current and pending support documents. NSF also will release a fillable PDF. Additional information on this change can be found here

Other important changes include:

• The project description will no longer require a separate section titled “intellectual merit.” Intellectual merit and broader impact sections will still be required in the project summary
• In the Appointments section, biosketches will now need to include all academic, professional, and/or institutional positions, whether or not these positions are paid
• Additional guidance on the Current and Pending support section has been provided to clarify what types of support must be included. Additional information is available here and frequently asked questions can be reviewed here

The Research Development office will be hosting several upcoming working sessions to go over the biosketch and current and pending support changes, and to offer on-site help for SciENcv. Upcoming sessions include:

• March 25: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the MUB Superior Room 
• April 8: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the MUB Superior Room
• May 6: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge B&C

To RSVP for any one of these sessions, please accept the Google calendar invite that will be sent out to campus. You can also email rd-l@mtu.edu to RSVP or if you have additional questions.

The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts is looking for volunteer ushers to help with the Don Keranen Memorial Jazz concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 20.

The Annual Don Keranen Memorial Concert pays tribute to the originator of the MTU Jazz Studies Program. Featured will be the Research and Development Big Band and the Jazz Lab Band performing a wide array of jazz compositions from the broad history of jazz.

Volunteer ushers play an important role at the Rozsa, welcoming and assisting student and community visitors with every aspect of their experience at the largest performing arts venue in the region. Volunteers are needed to greet and guide guests as they enter the building, take tickets and assist with seating in the theatre, answer questions about Rozsa facilities and programs, and help create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all Rozsa visitors.

No previous experience necessary. Interested individuals may contact Samantha Hoover at shoover@mtu.edu for more information, or go online to sign up to usher for an event at the Rozsa.

The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts is looking for volunteer ushers to help with Manual Cinema: Lula Del Ray at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28. Volunteers are also needed to assist with pre-show activities in the Rozsa lobby at 6:30 p.m.

Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive visual stories for stage and screen. Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and a live music ensemble, Manual Cinema transforms the experience of attending the cinema and imbues it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality.

Volunteer ushers play an important role at the Rozsa, welcoming and assisting student and community visitors with every aspect of their experience at the largest performing arts venue in the region. Volunteers are needed to greet and guide guests as they enter the building, take tickets and assist with seating in the theatre, answer questions about Rozsa facilities and programs, and help create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all Rozsa visitors. No previous experience necessary.

Interested individuals may contact Samantha Hoover at shoover@mtu.edu for more information, or go online to sign up to usher for an event at the Rozsa.

Need a picture for your paper or project? This workshop will introduce you to a variety of resources you can use to find freely available images and other multimedia for your work.

Please come ready with questions! The workshop will be held at 11 a.m. today (March 5) in Library 244. Register here.

The next Graduate Seminar Speaker Series will be held at 4 p.m. today (March 5) in EERC 103. Feng Zhao (BioMed) will present “Natural Nanofibrous Extracellular Matrix for Diverse Tissue Engineering Applications.”

Zhao is currently an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Tech. She has published more than 70 peer-reviewed journal papers and book chapters.

Keweenaw Faiths United is offering an Abraham Salon. Participants are invited to read the book Abraham by Bruce Feiler and come together to discuss it in an interfaith forum. The book is available from Amazon and from local libraries.

'Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths' explores the biography of Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The schedule is:

• March 16: Rock of Abraham God of Abraham
• March 23: Children of Abraham
• March 30: People of Abraham Blood of Abraham

For more information, contact Bucky Beach at 906-482-5410.

Use Your Employee Education Benefit to Learn Spanish or French This Summer

This summer, the Humanities department offers opportunities for beginning Spanish and French classes offered online. HU 2291 Level 1A Spanish and HU 2271 Level 1A French will be offered online during Track A. HU 2292 Level 1B Spanish will be offered online during Track B.

Level 1A Spanish and French courses require no previous language experience. The classes will be taught by native speakers and include written and conversational French/Spanish as well as cultural study. Each course is worth three credits.

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in French or Spanish for work, travel or general interest. Email Dany Jacob (French) or Leyre Alegre (Spanish) with any questions regarding the classes, levels or placement test opportunities.

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Countermeasures: Solving Common Problems using Lean Methods and Tool

Curious about Kanban or Poka Yoke? The next Lean course will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge. This class will help you understand and teach you how to implement the following lean methods and tools as countermeasures for common workplace problems and explain the principles behind them:

• 5S Kanban
• Standard Work
• Andon 
• Poka Yoke (error proofing)

Countermeasures are the actions we take during experiments to close the gap between what is currently happening and what we want to happen. We develop countermeasures to address root causes during the Plan phase of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, then implement them in the Do phase.

To see course descriptions and register for this and other Lean courses, click here. 

Once registered, we'll add you to a calendar event for the course. These courses are free for Tech employees and students. Community participants can register here through our online store.

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Upper Body Exercise Study Participants Needed

We are recruiting healthy adults to perform an upper-body endurance exercise test. Your participation will help us develop a heart-rate based equation to better prescribe exercise for healthy and clinical populations. You may be eligible to participate in this research study at Michigan Tech if you:

• Are between the ages of 18-80
• Do not smoke
• Are not diabetic
• Have never had a heart attack or stroke
• Do not have a cardiopulmonary condition
• Do not take any heart or blood pressure medication
• Do not have any implanted devices such as a pacemaker or pain pump

For more information, contact Jana Hendrickson or call 906-369-3648.

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First Friday Social at Mont Ripley Tomorrow

Faculty, staff, graduate students and Michigan Tech retirees are invited to join Auxiliary Services at the Mont Ripley Tubing Park from 4 to 6 p.m. on tomorrow (March 6). Complimentary coffee, hot chocolate, chili and bakery will be served in the Tubing Park storage shed.

Tickets to ride the tubes will be discounted to only $5.00 per person for this fun event. Purchase your ticket in the Mont Ripley Chalet at the ticket counter prior to walking to the Tubing Park lift. There is no need to purchase a ticket if you just want to socialize, snack and watch others zip down the tubing park runs.

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Library Workshop Today: Open Educational Resources

Did you know that the cost of a textbook has increased at a faster rate than the cost of healthcare in the last decade? Students nationwide report they are frequently unable to afford the required course materials for their classes.

The textbook affordability crisis has inspired colleges and universities alike to seek solutions. One model is to make course materials free to the student by utilizing Open Educational Resource or OERs.

In celebration of Open Education Week, the library will present a workshop on OERs. Learn about the current textbook landscape and the role OERs can play in making course materials more affordable for our students. Join us at 2 p.m. today (March 5) in Library 244.

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C3 Luncheon Menus

Dining Services presents this week's C3 luncheons which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today and tomorrow (March 5/6) in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge. All faculty and staff, along with their guests, are invited.

This week’s menus:

Today

• Chicken Coconut Curry GF
• Tofu Coconut Curry GF V
• Pineapple Vegetable Fried Rice GF VE
• Power Greens Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette V
• Cucumber Salad GF

Tomorrow 

• Shrimp and Salmon Paella GF
• Bean Paella GF VE
• Roasted Cauliflower GF VE
• Tomato Salad with Almond Herb Dressing GF VE

V- Vegetarian, VE-Vegan/Vegetarian, GF-Gluten-Free, P-Alternative Protein

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart, a Michigan Tech graduate and a Senior Lecturer in the Engineering Fundamentals Department at MTU, along with environmental engineering students, Amanda Singer and Jason Mathews, discuss the transition for first year students and tools that can make the transition easier. Read their paper here.

Amanda Gonczi (GLRC) is the PI on a project that has received a $73,139 research and development grant from the University of Virginia. The project is titled, "Digital Technology Integration and Engineering Contexts to Support Elementary Students' Systems Thinking."

Robert Handler (ChE/GLRC) is the Co-PI on this potential three-year project totaling $239,560.

Soonkwan Hong (COB) is featured on Zippia.com's Marketing Trends 2020 Outlook and Guide. The career resource and technology company based in San Francisco has been featured in USA Today, Forbes, Fortune, CNBC and the New York Times. As part of their panel of experts, Hong weighed in on the future of the marketing field in relation to technological advances. 

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Michigan Tech alumnus, the late Hussein Zbib was remembered in the article "Remembering Hussein Zbib" in Washington State University's WSU Insider.

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The effort of three Michigan Tech students who started an after-school coding class at Barkell Elementary School in Hancock was covered by the Daily Mining Gazette.

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

C-Cubed Luncheon

March 5, 11:30 a.m–1:30 p.m

This week's C3 luncheons take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the Memorial Union Alumni Lounge (#107). All faculty and staff, along with their...

Natural Nanofibrous Extracellular Matrix for Diverse Tissue Engineering Applications

March 5, 4:00 p.m

ME-EM Graduate Seminar Speaker Series proudly presents: Feng Zhao, PhD Department of Biomedical Engineering Michigan Technological University Abstract: Natural...

Youth Rock Climbing Spring Session 2

March 5, 4:00 p.m–4:50 p.m

Join the Outdoor Adventure Program as we host a Youth Climbing Class. Learn about climbing wall safety, equipment use, how and when climbing is appropriate, the difference...

Range Day

March 5, 8:00 p.m–9:00 p.m

Come join us at the SDC range to learn firearm safety and have fun shooting our various pistols. First time down is free (besides ammo) and second time down is $15 for the...