December 9, 2020

The following individuals have agreed to serve on the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students search committee:  Robert Hutchinson, Stefka Hristova, Danielle Meirow, Steve Knudstrup, Suzanne Sanregret, Bill Roberts, Wayne Gersie and Beth Lunde-Stockero (ex-officio). Jailynn Johnson and Apurva Baruah will represent undergraduate students and graduate students, respectively.

The committee will hold its first meeting in early 2021, where a chair will be elected. The anticipated start date for the position is July 1, 2021. 

Researchers and others pursuing funding from external sponsors with deadlines falling within the last two weeks of the calendar year are requested to plan ahead and to use the online Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal form as early as possible.

The Sponsored Programs Office, the J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library and the Offices of Research Integrity and Research Development will be closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 3.

Staff from the Sponsored Programs Office and the Library will be available on an as needed basis to support preparation and submission of proposals due between those dates as necessary. Timely notification of plans for proposals with upcoming deadlines through submission of an Intent to Submit form will be helpful for planning staffing levels however requests may also be sent directly to spo-l@mtu.edu or library@mtu.edu which will be monitored during the closure.

The Tech Theatre Company presents a video recorded production of playwright Eric Samuelsen’s play “Miasma,” a story of enduring love’s struggle with selfish desire.

"Miasma" will be video streamed at 7:30 p.m. for three nights only — Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Dec. 10-12).

You can stream on the event page on the Rozsa Center website by clicking on the "View Stream" button, or for a more interactive experience, please visit the Rozsa Facebook page and look for the live streamed event. The video stream is free.

A dissection of family, racial and sexual politics set against the backdrop of the beef industry, “Miasma” thoughtfully mines the drama of a family torn apart by a father’s corporate vision. Its ripped-from-the-headlines themes are thoroughly plowed –– dwelling on the exploitation and stench of the beef packing industry, built on the backs of a workforce of immigrant laborers.

Sensitivity rating: The play includes profanity (primarily extensive use of the slang term for cow manure), descriptions of animal slaughter, brief sexual references. Not for children under 14.

"Miasma" is presented through special arrangement with Leicester Bay Theatricals. All authorized materials are also supplied by LBT.

Michigan Tech Fund Holiday Hours – 2020 Calendar Year End

The Michigan Tech Fund will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on:

• Monday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Dec. 23
• Monday, Dec. 28 through Wednesday, Dec. 30

As calendar year 2020 is coming to an end, it is important that someone in your department reviews the mail for any checks received from donors.

Deliver any checks received directly by departments to the Tech Fund by Wednesday, Dec. 30 to ensure that donors receive the proper tax credit.

The Tech Fund is located on the second floor of the Lakeshore Center in Suite 200. Since the office may not be physically staffed on each of these days, please call our main phone number, 7-2310, to arrange for someone to meet you at the front door of the building to receive any checks.

The last check run of the year will be on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Check requests should be received by the end of the day Friday, Dec. 11 to be included in this run.

Want to improve your research communication skills such as preparing journal articles, proposals and conference presentations? Space is still available in the spring 2021 section of MEEM 6010 (CRN 13205) Engineering Research Communication.

The 3-credit course guides students through the process of publishing research in technical journals, presenting research at conferences and other venues, and researching funding opportunities.

Students will prepare papers and presentations related to their own research. The course also covers research integrity issues and fulfills the Advanced Responsible Conduct of Research requirement.

This course is geared toward PhD students but master's report/thesis students find this course helpful if they have papers to prepare or conferences to attend.

It is open to students in the College of Engineering and the College of Computing. Graduate students in the College of Science and Arts are allowed to enroll with permission of the instructor. For more information, email Nancy Barr (ME-EM).

Today (Dec. 9) Andrew Storer (CFRES) and Pasi Lautala (CEE) are participating in a launch event for "Finland and U.S. cooperation in bioeconomy," an initiative of Finland and U.S. states Michigan and Maine toward the ongoing development of the modern forest bioeconomy.

Storer is giving a presentation titled "Academic programs, research and collaborations with industry - Sustainable Bioproducts and the Hotforest enterprise" and Lautala will present on rail transportation and mobility.

Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Janet Mills of Maine, along with Finnish ambassadors, Business Finland's director, and the natural resources deputy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will open the event. Register or learn more.

To celebrate five highly-successful years offering the MOOC, "Making Sense of Climate Change Denial," UQx in partnership with international academics and collaborators from Skeptical Science and Cranky Uncle, we invite you to attend an online event.

Join our panel of international experts - John Cook, Dana Nuccitelli, Sarah Green (Chem), Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Baerbel Winkler - and listen to their reflections on using critical and skeptical thinking to address climate misinformation, and future challenges.

The event will be held at 4  p.m. (EST) on Friday (Dec. 11). To register your interest and receive the Zoom link for this exciting online event, email uqx@uq.edu.au.

You can also use this address if you wish to submit a question to any of our panelists as we will not be able to accept questions during the event.

The next virtual Graduate Seminar Speaker will be held at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Dec. 10) via Zoom.

George Huber will present “The Design of Catalytic Processes for the Conversion of Biomass and Plastics into Fuels and Chemicals.”

George Willis Huber is the Richard Antoine Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focus is on developing new catalytic processes for the production of renewable liquid fuels and chemicals.

The next Biological Sciences Seminar Series takes place from 3 to 4 p.m. tomorrow (Dec. 10) via Zoom.

Lindsay Putman will present "Microbial Community Dynamics within a Serpentinization-Influenced Aquifer: Characterization of Community Assembly Processes and Responses to Drilling Activity,"

Putman is a research associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at Michigan Tech. More information is available on the University Events Calendar. All seminars will be virtual and recorded. You can find the recording on the Biological Sciences Seminar Series page.

Join us for the final seminar presentation of this semester at 1 p.m. Friday (Dec. 11) via Zoom (passcode: 233264).

Sharath Kumar Ankathi will present “Systems Analysis For Sustainability Assessment of Biogas and Bio-CH4 Production From Food Waste And Dairy Manure Mixtures In The U.S.”

Ankathi is a PhD. candidate from MTU's Chemical Engineering Department and is working under the supervision of David Shonnard (ChE).

He completed his bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India. His research areas include life cycle assessments, system analysis of different biochemical process and process modelling. His current research is focused on systems analysis of anaerobic CO digestion of food waste and manure. This presentation will focus on the study which elevates the optimum locations, sizes and number of plants for biopower in Wisconsin using both mixed inter linear programming (MILP) and GIS network analysis (ArcGIS V10) tools.

Michigan Tech sophomore goaltender Blake Pietila has been named the WCHA Goaltender of the Week the league announced Wednesday (Dec. 8).

Pietila, a native of Howell, Michigan, led the WCHA with a .963 save percentage and 78 saves over the last week. He earned his first career win with 43 saves Sunday in a 3-1 victory over No. 6 Minnesota State. The 43 saves were the most by any WCHA goaltender this season. He stopped 35 shots Monday in a 2-0 loss to the Mavericks.

Pietila has appeared in eight career games for the Huskies with four starts. He holds a career .917 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average.

Tech is 1-2-1 overall this season and travels to Bemidji State this weekend for a non-conference series.

The Huskies and Beavers will meet at 5:07 p.m. Saturday and 3:07 p.m. Sunday at the Sanford Center.

Job Posting for Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available in Human Resources. For more information regarding staff positions, call 487-2280 or email jobs@mtu.edu. For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted.

Research Associate, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET). Apply online.

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 an interview at Michigan Technological University, please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or mtujobs@mtu.edu.

Fill Out the COVID-19 Symptom Tracking Form Before Coming to Campus

If you are working on campus while the University is at Health Safety Level Five, remember that no one is permitted to come to campus with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Employees are required to monitor their symptoms daily before coming to campus. The Daily Symptom Tracking Form is a short form that will help you determine if you have COVID-19 symptoms.

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Be All the You Can Be

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Virtual drop-ins at the Library

Wednesday, December 9, 1 p.m.–2 p.m.

Drop-in in at any point during the hour with your questions or to walk through a short overview of this week's topic. Sign up not required. For more info and a list of topics,...

Husky Hour- Growth Mindset

Wednesday, December 9, 4 p.m.–5 p.m.

Join us to learn about your mental triggers and how you can grow into the person that you wan to be! Husky Hour presents "Growth Mindset". Win prizes for attending multiple...

Michigan Tech Research Forum: Caryn Heldt

Wednesday, December 9, 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. | Zoom, https://michigantech.zoom.us/j/88474266271

The Michigan Tech Research Forum is a University presentation series showcasing the work of Michigan Tech faculty, postdocs, and researchers to strengthen our community. The...

USG Weekly Meeting

Wednesday, December 9, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. | Online

It's the best time of the week! Our weekly meetings are open to all guests so everyone is more than welcome to stop on by. Whether you're there to bring us a...