July 23, 2021

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the most recent information from the Michigan Department of Transportation. The original date of the traffic shift was Monday (July 26).

Phase 3 of construction for the US-41 Road Project is scheduled to begin Wednesday (July 28), and changes to the traffic pattern will occur.

During Phase 3 of construction:

• US-41 will no longer have two-way traffic.
  • Northbound traffic will be rerouted onto Cliff Drive and around the back of campus.
  • Southbound traffic will be shifted onto the new pavement on the northbound side of the highway.
• Cliff Drive will remain open to two-way traffic.
• All entrances to campus will be open.
  • Vehicles leaving campus via the Hubbell Street entrance near the MUB will only be able to turn left.
  • MacInnes Drive and Cliff Drive entrances will operate normally.
• Northbound vehicles wishing to access parking lots along US-41 will need to use Cliff Drive and loop back with southbound traffic to the Hubbell or MacInnes entrances.

For updates and to view the interactive campus map, visit the US-41 Road Project web page.

Drivers and pedestrians are reminded to stay alert while in and around construction zones, follow all appropriate directions and be aware of changing traffic patterns.

The Board of Trustees will meet Aug. 5 from 9-11 a.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom B, and public attendance is welcome.

Members of the public are invited to make public comments to the board in accordance with Board of Trustees Bylaw 1.14. Those who wish to address items in the agenda, and who have filed their intent with the secretary of the board as required by Bylaw 1.14, will be limited to five minutes. Those addressing general topics are limited to three minutes.

If you wish to provide public comments to the board, please submit your intent to Sarah Schulte, secretary for the board, by July 29.

A funeral service for Houghton County Sheriff Brian McLean will be held at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts tomorrow (July 24) at 2 p.m. The service will include a 21-gun salute.

Visitation will take place at the Rozsa prior to the service, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The University anticipates a large number of emergency vehicles will be on campus throughout the day.

Michigan Tech Alumni Reunion 2021 will be a one-day event scheduled for Aug. 6. Several hundred alumni and guests are expected to be on campus for the Friday event.

Departments are encouraged to welcome alumni who may stop by, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. when campus tours will be taking place.

If you have any questions, contact Alumni House at 906-487-2400.

Policies, Strategies Can Help Resolve Workload Inequity

Inequitable workload assignments can impact faculty progress and success, especially among pre-tenure and underrepresented minority (URM) faculty.

This week's roundup is a blog post and paper that refer to a survey of mostly STEM departments that reveals inequities in faculty workloads.

Most significantly, this survey includes links to a suite of strategies and policies that unit administrators can use to make improvements in a relatively short period of time. This includes identifying the preferred teaching and service assignments of faculty, making assignments equitably, and promoting transparency in workload systems and expectations.

Using these tools to resolve workload inequities is critical to eliminating such pernicious issues. The ultimate goal is to realize not only immediate, but also long-term improvements on race and gender equity.

Today’s feature was shared with us by the ADVANCE PI team. If you have an article you think we should feature, please email it to advance-mtu@mtu.edu and we will consider adding it to the ADVANCE Roundup.

The ADVANCE Roundup is brought to you by ADVANCE at Michigan Tech, an NSF-funded initiative dedicated to improving faculty career success, retention, diversity, equity and inclusion. Past articles are available on the ADVANCE Newsblog.

To learn more about our featured topic, our mission, programming efforts, and to check out our growing collection of resources, contact us or visit our website.

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering candidate Ben Wiegand (ME-EM) will defend his thesis Monday (July 26) at noon in the R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building (MEEM), Room 1021. Virtual attendance is also invited via Zoom.

Wiegand's thesis is titled "Commissioning and Testing of a New Dusty Thermal Vacuum Chamber."

Three Michigan Tech student-athletes have earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Commissioner Awards, the conference announced Wednesday.

Award recipients include Laura De Marchi (volleyball), Owen White (men's basketball) and Cassidy Trotter (women's basketball).

The awards are presented after the fall, winter and spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes who excel both in the classroom and on the fields of play. All GPAs are based on a 4.0 scale. Winners are eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.

Read more about the award winners on the Michigan Tech Athletics website.

Job Postings for Friday, July 23, 2021

Staff and faculty job descriptions are available on the Human Resources website. For more information regarding staff positions, call 906-487-2280 or email mtujobs@mtu.edu.

For more information regarding faculty positions, contact the academic department in which the position is posted. 

Research Engineer I – Senior Linux Administrator, Michigan Tech Research Institute. Apply online.

Administrative Aide 7 (12 months/ 40 hours/ first shift), Financial Services and Operations (UAW posting July 23 to July 29, 2021 — external applications will only be reviewed after internal applications). 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 for an interview, at Michigan Technological University, please notify the Human Resources office at 906-487-2280 or mtujobs@mtu.edu.

Sigrid Resh (CFRES/ESC) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that received a $121,558 state of Michigan pass-through grant from Alger County Conservation District. This project was funded by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

The project is titled "Central UP Knotweed Risk Analysis and Treatment Prioritization and Comparison."

Charlotte Weinstein (MTRI/ESC) is the co-PI on this 23-month project.

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Ramy El-Ganainy (Physics/CQP) is the PI on a project that has received a $107,875 research and development grant from Pennsylvania State University.

The project is titled "Programmable Systems with Non-Hermitian Quantum Dynamics."

This potential five-year project could total $599,875.

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Xiaoyong Yuan (AC/ICC) is the PI on a project that has received a $200,148 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The project is titled "Collaborative Research: SHF: Medium: Heterogeneous Architecture for Collaborative Machine Learning."

Lan Zhang (ECE/ICC) is a co-PI on this potential three-year project totaling $399,960.

Get Vaccinated, Continue Washing and Sanitizing Hands

While Michigan Tech is at Health and Safety Level One, face coverings and daily symptom monitoring are no longer required. However, those who wish to continue wearing a face covering are encouraged to do so.

The MTU Flex Task Force also encourages University community members to get their vaccinations and continue with handwashing and hand-sanitizing practices.

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Participants Needed for Cycling and Memory Study

You’ve heard that people are bad at multitasking, but have you thought about how well you process and remember information while exercising? Or how a heavy cognitive load impacts your workout performance?

Researchers from the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences (CLS) are looking to explore these questions. The experiment will take 60-90 minutes to complete, with a total of 15 minutes of effortful cycling (three five-minute intervals with rest in between) and various memory tasks. Participants will be compensated for their time.

Please consider participating if you meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Age 18-40
• Currently perform at least 60 minutes of vigorous exercise per week
• Fluent in English with no hearing impairments
• Have experience cycling or spinning for exercise
• Willing to wear a chest-strap heart rate monitor
• Do not smoke, vape or use other forms of nicotine or recreational drugs
• Have never suffered a heart attack or stroke
• Do not have any cardiopulmonary disorders (e.g., high blood pressure)
• Free from injuries and health conditions that would impair your ability to safely participate in strenuous aerobic exercise
• Can refrain from alcohol for 12 hours prior to participating
• Can refrain from caffeine for three hours prior to participating

For more information about the study or participation, contact Samantha Smith at slsmith1@mtu.edu.

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PhD Defense: Masoud Sarabi, ECE

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering candidate Masoud Sarabi (ECE) will defend his doctoral dissertation today (July 23) at 3 p.m. Virtual attendance is invited via Zoom.

The title of Sarabi's dissertation is "The Application of Leaky Wave Antennas for Medical Hyperthermia Treatment and Beamformer in FMCW Automotive Radar Systems."

He is advised by Warren Perger.

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

Parent & Child Huskies Group Swim Lessons Summer Session 3

Friday, July 23, 9:00–9:40 a.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Come make a splash this summer in Huskies Group Swim Lessons! American Red Cross Parent & Child Aquatics levels are being offered at the SDC Pool for ages 6 months to 3 years...

Master's Defense: Jessica Pitts

Friday, July 23, 12 p.m.–1 p.m.

Kinesiology Advisor: Carolyn Duncan The Influence of Decreased Ambient Lighting on Reactive Balance Mechanisms in Young Adults Attend Virtually:...

PhD Defense: Masoud Sarabi

Friday, July 23, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.

Electrical Engineering Advisor: Warren Perger The Application of Leaky Wave Antennas for Medical Hyperthermia Treatment and Beamformer in FMCW Automotive Radar Systems ...

Junior Huskies Summer Swim Session 3

Friday, July 23, 4:00 p.m.–4:50 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Come make a splash this summer in Junior Huskies Swim Clinic! This program provides additional attention and competitive guidance to proficient swimmers ages 6-17 who are...

Adult Huskies Summer Swim Session 3

Friday, July 23, 5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m. | Student Development Complex (SDC), Pool

Adult Huskies Summer Swim provides additional attention and competitive guidance to swimmers ages 18 and older who are looking to improve their swimming skills and fitness...

Music in Sacred Spaces: conScience

July 23, all day

conScience: Michigan Tech Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Jared Anderson, present a series of three recorded mini-concerts in historic sacred spaces in the Copper...